20 October

Maria and the book tour. Keeping a sense of self

by Jon Katz
Keeping a sense of self

Cincinnati, Ohio – Took Izzy out for a walk at 5 .a.m. through a dark and chilly downtown. The book tour has made me appreciate Izzy all over again, this sweet and regal and connective creature, easy anywhere. The incident in Columbus this week – he was stopped on by a young woman and rattled by racing kids and I thought I saw him nip at one when she stepped on his injured leg – seems far away, he is his old self. He seems energized by the book tour, as I have been, the two of us working together. We had a great walk through Cincinatti an I was reminded what  great and soulful creature he is. I thanked him.

Maria is accompanying me on this part of the book tour and I think that can be difficult for her. On a book tour, the author gets much of the attention and Maria,who has struggled to keep her own sense of self, has devised creative ways to protect that while I am interviewed and rush from store to store to meet people,talk and sign books. She has set aside each day to meditate and sketch – to do her own work. She sells the Family Farm notecards. She does much of the driving. Her blog is a source of creativity and expression for her as mine is for me. I try hard to be aware of this – I’m not sure I could go on a book tour with a writer and stay sane. We go for walks, talk. People ask her about her own work, and that makes a difference, and she has, I see, many people who follow and appreciate her work.

I have learned that relationships require constant work, thought and communication. I will never forget that again. Each challenge is an opportunity for me to grow and learn. And change. Love is a powerful motivator.

Women are especially sensitive, I see, to the idea of a woman being swallowed up by a man’s life and insensitivity. Many, I know, have experienced that. It will not happen to Maria. The book tour has given us a powerful experience to share and the work she has done to make sure her own creative life as an artist – so different from my life as a writer, and yet so similiar – make me appreciate her all the more. I love her for many reasons, but one of them is her creativity. She is an artist through and through, and I don’t think anything could threaten that again.

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