Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Cheers to Children's Verse

Last night I attended a family-style poetry reading at the American Enterprise Institute. Joseph Bottum, parting books editor at the Standard, organized and hosted the event, which featured several works from a lovely manuscript of children’s verse he is writing. The panel included poet, critic, NEA biggie Dana Gioia, Standard editor Bill Kristol, Mary Eberstadt (professional troublemaker and author of an excellent new book on day care and other ways parents escape their obligations), Tim Kelleher*, actor and poet, and Christopher Hitchens. I left after a very entertaining half hour (work called), missing the best part.

According to two eye-witnesses, during the second or third go-around in which panelists read favorite examples of children’s verse, Ole Hitch pulled out a flask, right there on the AEI dais in front of a roomful of children and a pair of television cameras (C-Span was recording), and took a pull before placing his flask on the table, in full view of the audience, for continued access.

Cool, profane, get-to-a-meeting-please: It's hard to know how to view such behavior.

*correction: not Thomas Kelleher as I originally wrote. Tim played Ted Sorenson in Thirteen Days and has many other showbiz credits.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ok JV this time you went too far.

You may not insinuate that I am "escaping" from my obligations because I send my children to day care.

I do not believe Ms. Eberstadt's book is stating that either. Sure if we were back in the 50's and 60's you could attack child care aquiring parents because back then it was not necessary for both parents to work.

But here in the real world, it is. Especially in the red states, ever been to one besides Virginia?

Try having a relationship woman, Jonathan...perhaps she will bear a child for you. Then you can tell her she is "escaping her obligations" when she wants to go back to work.

An apology would be nice. But

Anonymous said...

Apologies to JV.

Skinner is the weenie I am angry with.

See how easy that is David?