The Smith Club of Atlanta is breathtakingly efficient. Some weeks ago, they found me here and sent me a newsletter, and also invited me to a talk, "Groves of Academe:  Academic Fiction Set at Smith and Elsewhere–An Evening with Dr. Patricia Skarda."

I almost didn’t go, but then I did. It was a VERY SURPRISING evening. The people were friendly and fun, and I wish I’d taken a class with Pat when I was at Smith. After an hour or so of food, drink, and conversation, Pat began her talk.

Very shortly into it, she mentioned that "Maggie" was in the kitchen, reading Pat’s first year students’ final essays, which were on Wit.

Pat clearly  assumed that we all knew Maggie and who she was. I sat there thinking, "Wit??? Like….WIT? The play Jill was in last year, that won the Pulitzer prize a few years ag…I think the author’s first name WAS Margaret. That CAN’T BE what I think it is."

I snuck off to the bathroom and peered in to the kitchen see if I could discern anything. All I saw was a tall thin woman studiously reading papers at the kitchen table. No new info.

Back in the living room, we had a great discussion about academic fiction and the challenges of teaching and learning to write. (Expect to see a lot of Pat’s recommendations on the booklists.)

As soon as the discussion ended, I bolted for the kitchen.

Maggie was gone.

I whipped through the dining room, and spotted her in the foyer.

"Maggie?"

"Yes?"

"Wit…the play?"

Big smile. "Yes!"

"My partner was in a production last year in Washington DC, that won a major award from the British Embassy…"

She cut me off. "Was she Vivian?"

I shook my head. "She’s still too young to play Vivian. She had a number of the smaller roles, a student, a technician…but the Vivian was amazing. I saw the play 5 times."

"Where was this?" She’s clearly thinking about something.

"The Silver Spring Stage, in suburban Washington DC."

"Wait! I heard about that production! My mom saw that one! She said it was wonderful."

The discussion continued for a couple of minutes, and she got how big a deal the award was from the British Embassy and was clearly delighted.

And then, with some embarassment, I asked if I could get her autograph for Jill. And while she was writing, I thought, I should really ask if she’ll also sign something for Trish — the outstanding actress who played Vivian.

So at the moment, I’m happily in possession of two "Hello" name tags with very sweet — albeit short — notes from Margaret Edson. Trish’s will go in the mail later today.

I love being dorky like that.