Road Trip
Springing forward with two Davids — Brooks and LaChapelle — and anticipating a Sunshine State of mind from bestselling author Rochelle Weinstein.
Last week in the interest of chasing joy, I packed an overnight bag and wound my way down the mountain and through the I-40 speedway to Winston-Salem. My friend Heather must have sensed my restless urge and gifted me her subscriber tickets to see the one and only David Brooks who was speaking as part of the Wake Forest series called Face to Face. I geeked out when I noticed that NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly would be interviewing him, and the conversation elevated my spirits just like his book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Knowing Someone Deeply, did when I read it last year. Their conversation touched on many topics, but the part about a cultural shift happening every 60 years gave me hope. He believes that profound suffering can break us open, and lead to a deeper understanding and empathy for relationships. I know I’ve had so many conversations with people who are searching for any meaning, and the more we talk about it with each other, the stronger the community that we can build. Although I don’t have a video from that night, here is a similar event he did with Judy Woodruff last month. Somehow he always reminds us that there is sanity left in this country, and for that I truly adore him.
The following day, I caught the opening of famed photographer David LaChapelle’s new exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art. I was lucky enough to work with him during my magazine days in New York, but didn’t know he was a high school alum of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) until my teenager became a Visual Arts student there this year. It was the perfect opportunity to forage through my files and grab a few stories that allowed me to reminisce about the Golden Age of magazines. My job as Special Projects Editor was to cast the celebrities and keep the publicists away from him. Flipping through the pages of the TV issue to find a star-studded group like James Marsden and Lorenzo Lamas brought back memories of my ‘90s joy along with the pain of a recovering people pleaser surrounded by assistant devils swathed in their Prada-esque attitudes.
While I wandered through the exhibit, David hosted a private talk with the students in the historic Hanes House. The museum staff was so lovely and allowed me to sneak in the back where I heard him tell great stories about his career, and the winding path that led him back to town. He advised them to put down the phone and get out into nature. Spend time alone, he said, to truly get to know what might inspire you as an artist. It took every bit of my resolve not to embarrass my child and stand up, stomp my feet and cheer!
Speaking of people who are guaranteed to uplift your spirits, I’m thrilled to share that another one of my favorite writers is coming to Asheville next week. The fabulous Rochelle Weinstein will be joining me on Thursday, March 13th at 11:00AM for a talk and a signing of her new book, We Are Made of Stars, which is set here in Western North Carolina. Although she grew up in Miami like me, she has a special connection with this area and the novel is quite the love letter filled with a rich collection of characters and the stories that bind them together. This is a private event but I have a few comp tickets for AVL LIT subscribers, so just reply to this email or reach out to reserve yours as soon as possible. You won’t want to miss this, I promise.
In the meantime, let me know how you are chasing joy these days. It takes a village, and I’m excited to expand ours next week.
Yours in love and lit,
Elizabeth
As a fellow Ashevillian I so appreciate the hope and joy of (re)discovering how art inspires and fascinates us. I’m reading your post, my teen is driving and I get to enjoy the I 95 sights on a road trip to the sunshine state for a college visit. The news can bring overwhelm, while time with our loved ones brings joy and presence. Thank you for the reminder🌈