an unforgettable evening at the Free Library of Philadelphia

In this case, the photos almost say it all. Except that they can't express my deepest gratitude to the many, many Philadelphians who came out to the Free Library of Philadelphia last night to help me celebrate the launch of Handling the Truth. Together we read and workshopped and talked memoir and truth. Laura Kovacs, an endearing (and quite beautiful) hostess, led my husband and me to the Great Green Room, where I studied the posters of a fraction of the many authors who had gone before me. I could hear the build out there in the auditorium—the room starting to fill. But it wasn't until I pulled back the curtain and saw so many kind faces that my heart (which has been playing tricks on me for weeks) truly surged.



So thank you—Andy Kahan of the Free Library, whose idea this was, and Laura and the entire staff and Joseph Fox Bookstores, which was my first bookstore, when I moved into the city years ago. And thank you, Marciarose Shestack, the first woman in this country to anchor a prime time daily news show in a major market, often surpassing a certain Walter Cronkite in the ratings category. You were a dear friend to my mother. It meant the world to see you out there.



A podcast of this event will be available at the Free Library site.