My brother-in-law and I showed up at the Harvard Book Store around 6:00 PM to pick up our tickets and complimentary copy of The Best American Short Stories 2007, only to find they already moved them to the First Parish Church Meetinghouse in the Harvard campus.
We went over and waited on a not too long line. I was surprised on how far some people came out for this event. A couple in front of me came all the way from Pennsylvania just for this. We were let into the church around 7:00 PM, got our tickets and book and chose what we thought to be pretty good seats.
We spent our time making small talk with the people around us or reading the book we were given. I was bummed to learn no photographs were allowed and that since there were a thousand people in attendance they were only going to sign the book that was given us and no other.
The meeting started almost twenty minutes late, but finally the panel of speakers arrived. Stephen King was dressed in a light weave black sweater and jeans. He led a group of four other people who we were to learn are Jim Shepard, Karen Russell, Richard Russo and Heidi Pitlor. All were wearing some sort of black shirt or sweater – must be some sort of published writer ‘thang’.
Stephen gave a short talk, with his typical Down East wit and accent, on the health of the American short story and what it took to come up with the 20 stories selected out of the 4,000 he and Heidi Pitlor read. Next, each of the guest writers read a 5-minute excerpt of their story out of the book, then the panel spent some time answering questions – in which they elaborated on some in great detail.
One young woman asked “What advice you would give to a young writer that wants to get published.” I know Stephen King hears this same question thousands of times a year and it showed. He seemed put-off and bored with the question and just answered curtly, “Read a lot, write a lot.” I know the young woman was hoping for some sort of gem, but King cut right to the bone and told her what she needed to hear.
Being a complete noob to this sort of forum, what happened next took me by surprise. Here I am thinking, I am in a good spot, I am pretty close to the panel of writers and therefore, when they start calling rows for the book signing, it won’t be too long before I get to meet Mr. King up close and personal. I even had a quick couple of lines rehearsed to say to Mr. King that would sound new and refreshing to him and not the same old, “I’m your biggest fan, I’ve read everything you ever wrote…blah, blah, blah”.
While the questioning went on, I noticed people begin to get up and leave the church. The coordinator of the event said they were running short on time and the next person would have the last question. As soon as she said that I noticed a lot of people drift down the aisle to my left and begin to line up. I’m still thinking, “Hey, they’re not from the rows in front of me.” I began to realize this was to be a free for all line up. What happened next looked like it came right out of a movie or sitcom. As the last question was asked, I looked down to gather my things and tell my brother-in-law that I think we better line up, when I heard a rumbling as though from herd cattle with padded hooves. I looked up and saw the line, that had just seconds before held only about a dozen people, now extended to the back of the church and out the open front door.
I was so pissed at myself for not acting sooner. The panel discussion ended, we got up and followed the crowd outside. The line extended down the front stairs and extended down the walkway. Right there and then we decided we were not going to wait around on this line for a couple of hours to get the book signed.
I may not have been able to meet Steve King up close and personal or get the book signed, but I definitely know what to expect and look for when I go back next week to see Bill Bryson talk about his nostalgically funny The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
