"The View From The Cheap Seats": A Love Affair with Stories and Books and Writing

If you are a dreamer come in 

If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar 

A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer

If youre a pretender com sit by my fire

For we have some flax golden tales to spin

Come in! Come in! 

― Shel Silverstein

Once upon a time ....

I was introduced to Neil Gaiman when his "Neverwhere" was the One Book, One Chicago: Spring 2011 selection. My parents enjoyed his writing so I gave him a try. I enjoyed his story, and enjoyed seeing him live, and fell head over heals in love after seeing clips of some of his speeches. While I would give his fiction a A overall I have found that as a motivational speaker he is an A+++. He is one of my writing idols, and sits on my shoulder always encouraging me to write more and create more and dream more.

Once upon a time ....

I was excited when I found out that his collection of Nonfiction would be coming to my library and it would be coming in a timely manner. I was the first one to request it, even before they had finished ordering it. 

Once upon a time ... 

A poem

"The View From The Cheap Seats"

(Taken from a piece inside)

A Misnomer

Not Cheap Seats

Well Loved Comfy Seats 

Curled up with a cup of tea

Talking about Life, The Universe and Everything

We find old friends 

And discuss the importance of 

"Libraries, Reading, and Daydreaming"

and told to "Make Good Art

We are taught to 

"Trust Your Obsessions"

"Don't Stop Learning"

"Be you"

And that a singer 

Called Lou Reed used to say

"There's a bit of magic in everything

and some loss to even things out

We hear about favorite stories and favorite authors

We are reminded how amazing books exist

We meet a bunch of super cool members of the writing family.

And we touch on the sorrow and sadness that this world can contain

This may be a selection of nonfiction

But in reality it is a fairy tale

A magic show, An adventure

A Love Affair with stories and books and writing

Once upon a time ...

Some quotes which have to be shared

• We all have an obligation to daydream. We have an obligation to imagine ..... the truth is, individuals change their world over and over, individuals make the future, and they do it by imaging that things can be different 

• It's not irrelevant, those moments of connection, those places where fiction saves your life. It's the most important thing there is.   

• Because somewhere out there is someone who needs that story. Someone who will grow up with a different landscape, who without that story will be a different person. And who with that story may have hope, or wisdom, or kindness or comfort. And that is why we write.

And