2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
UofA Bookstore 'engulfed' by David Sedaris fans
By: Victoria Blute
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: News
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Chris Schafer, head of faculty relations at the UofA Bookstore, touted the turnout power of Sedaris' followers, often referred to as "Sedaristas."
"I estimated between 700 and a thousand people. Maybe we got to a thousand. We'll see once we've added up all the tickets," he said. "He's just packing houses all along the way on this tour. I called several of the bookstores that he toured at, and he's got an incredible turnout."
Schafer said the UA was particularly lucky to have been visited by Sedaris, as the university was the last stop on his 29-city excursion.
"It means we weren't originally in their plans, but when the proposal was put together, he was generous enough to come to UA," he said. "I was happy to be very accommodating. I said, 'July 1? We'd be happy to have you.'"
Creative writing junior Christian Soto, who describes himself as a huge fan of the beloved funnyman, turned out for the event with book in hand. Soto recalled his first encounter with Sedaris' work.
"The first book I ever read was Me Talk Pretty One Day, but I first heard him on NPR," he said. "And when I lived in New York, his sister actually sold me a cupcake. She was hilarious."
The new book-the sixth to be put into publication-continues to detail the bizarre adventures of Sedaris, who often writes about his love life, frequent drug use and childhood experiences with his parents, brothers and sisters in North Carolina. Soto said he finds Sedaris' openness to be admirable.
"I like his work because he's not afraid of offending people," he said. "He's open about his past, his sexuality and his family."
"His writing is simplistic and understated, but rich in sarcasm," said Russian studies junior Ania Shapiro, who first discovered Sedaris when she picked up his novel from a series of audio books that her mother had been listening to. She explained that while Sedaris writes about some rather peculiar situations, he has a talent for getting his point across.
Shapiro said though she did not particularly enjoy Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, the cover art of When You Are Engulfed in Flames suggests that book's contents will be more promising.
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Rachel
posted 7/02/08 @ 1:46 PM PST
That was so much fun yesterday; I'm kinda sad that it had to end.
I got lucky enough to get there early to get my book signed...he never did get close enough to guessing my zodiac sign!
:)
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