this week’s brush with culture
Tuesday evening, after a work day that was stressful for all kinds of reasons that had little to do with the actual job at hand (though the triggering event came upon me too quickly to get nervous about), I shook off the resulting adrenaline rush with a few hours of literary shoulder-rubbing and political commentary (and yeah, a couple of dark beers) at Busboys and Poets in DC for a stop on Amanda Marcotte’s book tour in support of her new release, “Get Opinionated: A Progressive’s Guide to Finding Your Voice (and Taking a Little Action).”
As regular readers are no doubt aware, I’ve been a fan of Ms. Marcotte’s online writing for years now. Her take on the issues never fails to give me something to think about, and is just as funny and biting as it is informative and insightful. Having the opportunity to hear her read some selections from the book, answer questions about the writing process and her feelings on current events in politics and the culture wars, and to have a few minutes to chat with her as she signed my copy of the book was, for me, a big deal.
Also, I need to make mention that the venue was pretty damned cool as well – a combination restaurant-bar-coffeeshop-salon (in the intellectual sense)-bookstore with a great atmosphere, eclectic and engaging clientele, and a general welcoming vibe for those of us who are of a more progressive/liberal persuasion. Also, the food looked and smelled really good. I didn’t have time for dinner this time, but I will definitely be heading back before too long for just that purpose.
