I saw where Eudora Welty died today (the 23rd) and it made me greatly sad; I read so much of her work in school and I loved her eye for detail, her way of setting a tone and evoking a place without wasted effort. There are many writers and world leaders I'd have liked to spoken to, but I never really meant to, if you know what I mean. But I always meant to get around to writing her a thank you note and telling her what her writing meant to me and how it influenced me. Who would you write to? Talk to? World leader? Author? Celebrity? (and what would you ask, if you knew you could get an honest answer?)

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

Answers

colin powell. i need to have a long conversation with him to discuss how i can best help out in my lifetime. but also, i thought i'd ask him for boyfriend advice as well. i just think he'd say all the wiseful things in a way that i'd hear them once and for all......

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

Glad to see someone else around here noted that today. I've concluded I'm among the least literate of y'all, but I'll eat up anything I can find by her. Southern lit at its best.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

James Earl Jones could say all those same wonderful things in a way you could hear, plus he could breathe like Darth Vader.

(I can't help it - in my mind Colin Powell and Jeames Earl Jones are one in the same.)

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

Winston Churchill.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

I would very much like to have tea with Salman Rushdie. I would like to crawl around in his brain to see how it works. I just finished reading the Ground Beneath Her Feet (which I dragged out for about a month and a half by reading 5-10 pages at a time because it was so good I didn't want to come to an end) and yesterday I picked up Midnight's Children (as per Beth's recommendation). I haven't started it yet because I'm still processing The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2001

Either Guy Icognito or Shiny McShine.

Ok, in reality, probably Lenin so I could throw mashed potatos at him and say, "That's for Krondstadt."

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2001

Did you realize that the Eudora software was named after Eudora Welty?

I'd love to spend time with Pat Conroy. That man is a hoot. I heard him speak, and he tells stories just like he writes them. He'll have you laughing your ass off, then with a quick, subtle twist of the knife, he'll bring tears to your eyes.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2001

For over 20 years I've been a big fan of Jimmy Buffet. I've always imagined meeting him some time just to thank him for all the enjoyment he's given me over the years, and to thank him for http://www.margaritaville.com .

I was at the big Oshkosh Airshow last July, and I walked up to his airplane. There he was, leaning on his airplane, chatting with one person!!!!!!!!!

I was struck dumb. While I didn't fall to my knees and shout "I'm not worthy, I'm an asshole", I just kind stared at him for a second and then walked away. I couldn't bring my self to approach the Great Man.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2001

Jimmy Buffett is one of the most megalomaniacal and greediest bastards I ever met. He used to write incredible music, and now he schlocks himself with nary a thought about creative process. He sells himself and his imaginary lifestyle for a price too high and gives very little in return.

I'll wait for Marvin Gardens to come back from the dead before I'll ever buy his crap again.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2001

I've never met him in person, so perhaps he's an unpleasent person, I'll take your work for that.

"He sells himself and his imaginary lifestyle for a price too high and gives very little in return. "

In this day and age of artists hunting down and killing people for using Napster, I think Jimmy Buffet should get credit for giving away his music for free on "Radio Margaritaville".

Jim

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2001

Sylvia Plath and Michel Foucault. I would have added Terry Tempest Williams to the list, but I did have the chance to sit down with her last May and I loved it.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2001

M.F.K. Fisher

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2001

Theodore Roethke (poet) so I could tell him to buck up and Alfred Eisenstaedt (famous LIFE photographer) so that I could thank him for all his wonderful photos and also for his influence on my life.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2001

Pooks, I did not know that about Eudora. Wow, the things you learn.

And speaking of, it turns out that if I had ever bothered to mention to my mom how much I liked Welty, I could have gotten an invitation to her home. Turns out one of mom's friends (who teaches here at LSU) lived across the street or next door to Welty for many many years; they were good friends and Welty enjoyed when she brought people to visit.

(insert image of toni banging head on wall)

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2001