Literary entertainment

Went to see "Harry, Carrie and Garp" at Radio City tonight. Man, it was good.

Stephen King, introduced by Tim Robbins (I forgot that Shawshank Redemption was King's handiwork), read a cool story about a pie-eating contest. John Irving, introduced by Stanley Tucci, was absolutely delightful reading from A Prayer for Owen Meany. Honestly, he was so funny I was wiping away tears. And then J.K. Rowling, introduced by Kathy Bates, read a passage from one of the Harry Potter books. She is so darned likable. Graceful with some underlying bawdiness.

I went to the event with a fellow writer. Afterward, we realized we were both struck by John Irving's revelation that he writes the last line of his novels first. He knows exactly how the story will end. Hmmmmm. And then he works back through the story and it can take a few years to write. So intriguing to us, the writing process of such an accomplished writer.

Lots of heartening, inspiring themes emerged throughout the night. More thoughts to come.