On February 4, I'm going to hear Neil Gaiman speak at UCLA's Royce Hall. If you look to the right, you'll notice I'm reading Coraline (again) to refamiliarize myself with his work. I want his words to be fresh in my mind. More bang for the buck. The ticket wasn't cheap, especially for an underpaid, overworked teacher/writer/coach/tutor/juggler. Okay, I'm not really a juggler.
This past September I taught The Graveyard Book (6th Grade Summer Reading). The concept is ingenious (though a reincarnation of The Jungle Book, which Gaiman happily concedes as a major influence), the point of view is fascinatingly omnisicient (which is extremely hard to accomplish), and the writing is buttery (like you're being told a story around a campfire). Though not short, Gaiman's sentences are definite; it's this way or that way, and he's sure of it. At the same time, he threads fantasy, mystery, horror, and humor (at least in his young reader stories) into a winding path that keeps the reader turning pages, even if it's only to experience the villain's return. His characters are proud of their existence, whether living or non-living, and, after the last chapter of The Graveyard Book, I wanted to leave, to go somewhere new, to travel someplace across the globe. I wanted out of my shell. A storyteller who can muster that kind of emotional response from me has, in my opinion, THE GOODS! It's Good to Be Gaiman. Like he does at most of his presentations, I'm sure Gaiman will open the mic for questions. I'm embarrassingly stupid when it comes to speaking in front of people (yes, I'm a teacher), but I'm willing to put myself out there for you. If you could ask Neil Gaiman one question, what would it be?
"What have you written?" does not count, and if you ask that, you will be expunged from Chalk Head Nation.
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