JANUARY 13th brought us the birthday of Lorrie Moore, short-story writer and author of one of the greatest coming-of-age novels featuring girl-team-friendship ever written, the wondrous, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? Seeing her recently referred to in The Guardian (of London) as “the finest short story writer in America today,” I laughed out loud with joy. It’s true. If there is a snappier writer of fiction, I can’t think of her.
Full disclosure is that we attended St. Lawrence University at the same time, where she recently returned to receive a much-deserved honorary degree, and where I am a trustee. Sometimes a fairly staid event, where speeches can be un-memorable, this graduation was just around the time that the TV show Friends was going off the air, and using the news peg of the sit-com’s demise, in her remarks, Moore warned the graduating seniors that those characters are “not your friends,” advising the newly minted job-seeking graduates and the parents, faculty and board that there is more wisdom to be gotten from “drinking gin straight from the bottle than from watching television.”
Which is just a peek into why any friend-seeking sister might like to read her novel, as well as her many collections of stories. Happy birthday, Lorrie. Keep talking, keep writing.
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Love Lorrie Moore. I remember her best for her collection of short stories. I think Birds of America was the title? I have to look it up.
Happy b-day Lorrie!
Hi, Millie. And welcome. Yes, don’t you just love her? Birds of America is a recent title of a short story collection. Others are Self Help and Like Life. So glad you are a fan and that you came by. Please come again.
I’m sad to confess that Lorrie Moore is on the (too long) list of Writers-I’ve-Been-Meaning-To-Read, Oh, FOREVER. Must move her to the top of the pile after Maid Marion’s glowing endorsement….you see, I listen to my sisters!