Storytelling

Last night I went to a wonderful show. It's called The Unchained Tour and it's all about storytelling. The performers each had ten minutes to tell a personal story about something that happened in their lives. There were two musicians who would also play between sets. I have a deep love of storytelling and for me, this was one of the best shows to watch for inspiration. These performers are called raconteurs, and they told stories about going to school or meeting their spouses. Each performer told his or her story amazingly well, keeping my attention again and again.

The last performer of the evening was Neil Gaiman. Neil Gaiman is my favorite author. He can take the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary. He is brilliant and funny and has written such wonderful books as American Gods, Stardust, and Neverwhere. He is also the writer of a highly successful graphic novel series called Sandman. He told a very moving story about going through a bad divorce and finding a dog that taught him how to just be happy in life. As a dog person, the thought of learning about life from a dog is an experience I can relate to. As a fan of Neil Gaiman, it humanized my favorite author. Often we put our favorite writers on pedestals and think of them as this beautiful, untouchable higher power that has been kind enough to grace us with whimsical nuggets of stories that we read and, for a time, escape into - which is what every good story should offer us, an escape. Any story that doesn't offer that is not worth reading.

I have admired Neil Gaiman for several years. The first book I read of his was Neverwhere, a story about a man in London who discovers a whole other secret, underground world living among the subway system. Currently we have just about every book of his in our library (we're only missing a few children's books). When my husband heard that he was coming to our city as part of this tour, he bought tickets for us right away. They were very inexpensive for the experience of an intimate night of storytelling. Tucked into my purse was a well-worn copy of American Gods, my favorite Neil Gaiman book and a book that got my husband through a difficult time in his life. We didn't know if we would get the opportunity to meet Neil Gaiman, and, if we did, we didn't know if he would be signing books. We were just happy to see him perform live. As I'd told my husband when he bought the tickets, even if Neil Gaiman only came out and talked for five minutes, that would be enough for me. It was enough to just see and hear an author who I loved and admired, an author who inspires me to write.

We arrived at the venue early and got front row seats with four of our friends, two of whom had also brought books to sign, just in case. The two musicians came on stage and the other performers walked in front of us to sit in couches. Neil Gaiman passed in front of me then. He passed in front of me again when they returned from a break. He came out and he told his story and the show finished. Some of the other performers stayed out but he went backstage. There was a young man who had a limited edition, hardcover copy of the Sandman graphic novels, and he gave it to another performer, who was kind enough to take it back and get it signed. We thought that it hadn't happened and we went outside, kind of talking about the evening and how much we'd enjoyed it. I heard that young man come out, and I heard him say that he had, in fact, gotten an autograph. We went back in.

The host of the show, Peter Aguero, came out of the back and I talked to him, telling him how much I loved the show and that I hoped he continued going with it (this was the third time The Unchained Tour has gone through the south but only the first time with Neil Gaiman). He said thank you and he hugged me and went outside for some air. A minute or two later, Neil Gaiman came out. He started walking towards the door and was stopped by someone, so we went around and came up next to him and waited our turn.

Neil Gaiman turned to me, smiled, asked my name, shook my hand. Somehow I managed to speak (I was afraid I wouldn't be able to). I told him that I admired him and how much I'd loved his story and how glad I was that he'd found happiness. I said that I had a book but it was okay, he didn't have to sign it. He signed it.

I left that encounter just glowing and giggling and completely and utterly geeked out. I sit here writing this and I still can't believe I got this opportunity. I have always wanted to meet Neil Gaiman and now I have, not at some gigantic convention or book-signing, but in a beautiful, intimate setting surrounded by others who love the magic of storytelling.

Someday there will be another young woman at a similar show, clutching a worn-out copy of a book and waiting, hoping that her favorite author comes out and that they'll exchange words and she'll get an autograph.

The author that she's waiting to meet will be me.