We had the opportunity to attend a David Sedaris book signing the other night. Mr. Sedaris was promoting his sixth book, “When you Are Engulfed In Flames” at Third Place Books near Seattle, Washington. I had read a few Sedaris books and had listened to him on NPR but seeing him live and then meeting him upped my admiration for this very funny and generous writer. David read two autobiographical short stories taking full advantage of his sarcastic deadpan humor, expert comedic timing and unmistakable high voice. At the conclusion of his reading and Q&A session, I better understood why the author is one of the most popular and humorous commentators today.
David Sedaris is a genuine rarity among today’s writers: He spent time with every single person who waited patiently in line (which are “circle-around-the-block” long) to get his or her book signed. To break up the monotony of the book signing, Sedaris proposed that any men that were 5’ 6 or shorter and women 5’ 10 or taller could go to the front of the line. This also held true for any females with braces on their teeth or legs.
Mr. Sedaris made a concerted effort to get to know each and every reader conversing with them as though they were at a dinner party. While popping sushi into his mouth, David talked to our group for about 10 minutes asking where we were from, what we did for a living, was I Greek, our thoughts on Barrack Obama and what our evening plans were after the signing? My wife shared that it was my birthday and he reached into a crumpled travel bag and gave me a chocolate bar and soap from The Fairmont Hotel. I have never encountered another writer who sincerely bonded with (rather than keeps his distance from) his readers as Sedaris did. In each book, the author wrote lengthy, personalized inscriptions and sketched funny images. He started signing books at 8 pm and continued into the late hours of the evening.
If he appears in your town, I highly recommend that you spend a satisfying laugh filled evening with David Sedaris. His current tour schedule is located here.
If you have never seen or heard David Sedaris, below is a short clip from his last appearance on Late Show with David Letterman.
