AUTHORS SHARE WIT, WISDOM AT LUNCHEON
San Antonio Express-News
October 9, 2012 Tuesday
STATE EDITION
by Hector Saldaña
Whether sharing stories about a lost cat in King William, the forgotten
Armenian genocide, the outrageous history of the Dallas Cowboys,
the science of cooking, Ulysses Grant or reintroducing a domesticated
owl to the wild, the common goal was cancer research awareness.
Authors Sandra Cisneros, Chris Bohjalian, Joe Nick Patoski, Jack
Bishop, H.W. Brands and Gijsbert “Nick” van Frankenhuyzen were the
star attractions at the 21st annual San Antonio Express-News Book &
Author Luncheon on Monday.
The long-running literary event benefits the Phase I Clinical Research
Program of the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at the University of
Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
About 1,000 attended Monday’s sold-out luncheon at the Marriott
Riverwalk. To date, the event has raised more than $2.8 million.
Trinity University professor Coleen Grissom reprised her role as the
sardonic “Ms. Of Ceremonies,” as she has done since the program’s
inception.
“If every day was like this for authors, everyone would want to be
writing,” said Patoski, praising the “well-oiled event” that offers
book fans face-to-face time with guest authors.
Rowena Lopez waited in line for Cisneros’ signature and inscription.
“I’ve read all of her books. It hits home for me,” Lopez said. “And
this is such a wonderful way to donate to charity.”
Cisneros, whose animated readings fall into the category of performance
art, was happy to oblige. Offstage, the author lovingly called “La
Sandra” revealed a vulnerable side.
“You get an affirmation,” she said about meeting readers.
“Writers are basically introverts. Most of us are very shy. This is
our performance.”
Brands agreed.
“Writing is purely a solitary undertaking,” Brands said. “You get no
feedback. So (meeting readers), it’s very helpful. It gives you the
encouragement to write again.”
Kristina Hanley weighed her purchase options, glancing at a table
of books.
“The appeal is seeing the author in person,” she said. “It makes it
much more personal than ordering it from Amazon.”
“It’s a big thing to see the author in person,” added Anoop Warrier,
“especially when you’re gifting.”
As in years past, the audience was overwhelmingly women. Tom Payton,
associate director/director of marketing and sales at Trinity
University Press, says there’s a simple reason.
“Guys read books,” Payton said. “But from a publisher’s point of view,
women are the absolute Energizer Bunny consumers of books.”
This year’s lineup was among the most memorable and engaging. The
eight-minute time limit per author often passed too quickly
and presented one of the funnier moments of the day as Nick van
Frankenhuyzen watched the seconds count down as he wrapped up.
“Thirteen seconds! This is like Cape Canaveral,” he said.