When Lorrie Moore came to Denver a weekend ago as part of the Lighthouse Writers Writer’s Studio program, I was lucky enough to attend both the reading and radio interview on Saturday evening and her “Non-Crafty Craft Talk” on Sunday at The Tattered Cover. She was informative, inspiring and very, very funny.

Although she’s probably best known as a short-story writer, Lorrie Moore’s new novel, A Gate at the Stairs has been getting critical acclaim. To star the evening, she read from the first part of the novel where we’re introduced to Tassie, the 20-year-old college student who narrates the story, and Sarah Brink, who hires Tassie to babysit. Her use of language is beautiful and the way she infuses detail gives her writing an amazing sense of being alive. (The section she read also includes one of the funnies descriptions of a vibrator I’ve ever read.)

I must admit that Lorrie Moore did not live up to my expectations. I expected dark and morose; what I got was funny, thoughtful and honest.

After the reading, Moore sat down for an interview with local writer, Eli Gottlieb to talk about the writer’s life. She had a lot to say:

For Moore, A Gate at the Stairs started with Tassie and in the end, she found it very hard to let this character go. She spoke about her attachment to Tassie and this imaginary world that she’d created and how they’re not with her anymore. “Tassie belongs to the book now. She’s in the book.”

Moore has always had a thing for language. At 19, she wanted to be a poet but soon learned that lanugage doesn’t necessarily equal poetry. You can bring beautiful language to the prose voice as well. And that’s what she does.

When asked about her amazing use of detail in her short stories and novels, Lorrie Moore attributes that to a combination of things:
 
•    Research
•    Experience
•    Interest in language
•    Observation
•    Deep imagination
•    Concentration

So although we can never have Lorrie Moore’s combination of these characteristics, they are attainable traits and tasks for anyone who sets out to accomplish them.

As for where Moore finds inspiration, she’s quick to admit that she comes up with lots of ideas in the shower and believes that writers are those with “soggy notes.” Trains are good places to come up with ideas, too. Moore says that there’s something about the feeling of standing still while the world moves past in your peripheral visions. She joked (maybe?) that she would love to take a shower on a train in order to come up with some really good ideas.

Lorrie Moore is also a big believer in the power of caffeine. “Coffee is good,” she said. Although she suffers from not having a writing schedule, she encourages writers to “get that first cup of coffee on the page.” There is something special in those words. She also quipped that she’s not sure how you can be a writer and drink herbal tea.

I told you she was funny!


In my next post, I’ll be writing about the writing seminar Lorrie Moore led the following morning.