Saturday, November 20 2010
Last night Nora Ephron was at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park to give a talk and sign her latest book, Things I Don't remember.
Nora is best known for her novel, Heartburn, and her screenplays for box office hits like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and Silkwood.
For an hour two friends and I listened as Nora talked about her history and craft as a writer. She spoke without a script. I like that. I like when you just talk to me and tell me your story. She told funny stories about the collaboration that took place to create the orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. She shared that she wasn't prepared for growing old. In her book, I Remember Nothing, she tries to tell her truth about aging.
After Nora talked, there was a question & answer session. She displayed the same understated quick wit in her impromptu answers as she does in her screen plays. One person stood and said, "I have a compliment, a question, and a suggestion."
Nora replied, "Please don't tell me to cut my bangs."
Another person asked, "What do you read?"
She answered, "I read a hug amount. This is a way to avoid writing. I even read the first chapter of George Bush's book . . . . I don't recommend it. My book was called I Remember Nothing and George Bush's book could be called I Remember Nothing.
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