I caught my first author lecture last week. Stacy Schiff, the author of Cleopatra: A Life, was speaking at Sixth and I, a nondenominational synagogue in downtown DC. It’s only about two blocks from the Gallery Place Metro (and Chinatown), so it was easy to get to without having to drive.
I was very impressed with how intelligent Stacy is, and how well she speaks. She took several questions from the audience, and showed she really researched this book well. And research is the right word, because there’s not a whole lot documented about Cleopatra’s life. Stacy certainly had no diary to go by.
Not only did I enjoy the talk, but I got my picture taken with Stacy. I was lucky enough to strike up a conversation with a volunteer, Bruce Guthrie, who was also taking pictures, and he very gracefully offered to take our picture.
Bruce also told me about some other places in town that feature guest speakers like Stacy, so I’m really looking forward to attending more of these.