wednesday
july 26
The Liars' Club Award-winning author Mary Karr will read from and sign her memoir. Mary Karr didn't do anything spectacular; she just grew up in Port Arthur, like Janis Joplin and legions of refinery workers' kids, and thought she had a tale to tell. Not, however, a "survivors" tale. The plain facts are that Karr's mother was a nut and her father was a drunk. The plain facts, however, are not a story, and Karr is a storyteller who seeks not to whine about what happened to her, but to show what happened to a group of people. Of her family, and herself, she says, "We were a terrific family of liars who were redeemed by the slow unearthing of truths." Karr doesn't write like your standard official victim. In one scene, she is having a tough time with dad. Instead of clinically noting that she was unable to express herself or some other hooey, she explains, "I didn't let out a chirp." Tonight, she speaks up, using her gift for language. 7:30-8:30 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 3003 West Holcombe, Vanderbilt Square, 349-0050.
