Literary event books a sell-out crowd

An author, a poet, an actor, and a director walk into a fundraiser.

No, it’s not the setup to a joke, but rather the beginning of a sold-out event by the La Conner Library Foundation.

After selling more than 100 tickets for the “Why Books Matter” fundraiser Thursday, November 13, the Foundation collected more than $23,000 through sponsorships, in-kind donations, and $150 tickets.

The list of characters mentioned were none other than local author Tom Robbins, the first Poet Laureate of Washington State Sam Green, actor Kevin Tighe, and director and actor Tom Skerritt, who all performed at Maple Hall.

The four were invited to speak for the Foundation’s event and were given the vague assignment to explain why books are important.

The stage was set up to mimic a warm and comfortable living room with a hearth and a few odd eccentricities: chairs with books printed on the fabric, a wide variety of books on shelves, and an egg tempera and gold leaf painting by Jack Gunter titled “The Entry of Tom Robbins into La Conner.”

Sam Green, noted poet who also teaches in classrooms around the state and collaborates with the Skagit River Poetry Festival, gave a “show and tell” to the audience. He recounted his stories of reading everything from “101 Famous Poems,” to Ian Fleming’s “Let and Let Die,” to Dante’s “Divine Comedy.”

Green talked about holding his father’s hand and the pair reciting lines of poems to each other, even on the days when his father could no longer recognize him.

“He had literature. He was using something he learned from books, something he could hook into,” said Green. “We make books because they matter. Because they might matter to someone.”

Actor Kevin Tighe read highlights from the writings of Anaïs Nin, who wrote in her journals for more than 60 years. The excerpts helped show the connections between writers, readers, and their books.

“Reading and writing are like spider webs in the window,” said Tighe. “And people just love to be caught.”

Actor and director Tom Skerritt told the importance of storytelling and how his Seattle non-profit, The Film School, has helped people find their voices during the three-week course on storytelling.

“Storytelling is the fabric of society,” said Skerritt. “We cannot function without the skills to communicate to each other.”

Through the rest of the evening, local author Tom Robbins tied together the evening’s ideas and sentiments, and strung together a varied array of subjects — from Kennedy’s supposed flub at speaking German, to the process and creation of human language, to the flourishing of literature, genius, and what Robbins called “that glittering, dancing diamond: Style!”

“I’m for the writing that knocks down holes in library walls — to make room for a new library,” joked Robbins. “I’m for the writing that rescues the princess and the dragon...and I’m for writing that confidently announces, while the world listens, ‘I am a jelly donut!’”

Foundation Executive Director Susan Macek gave a highlight of the new library building’s planned features, which include a community meeting space, eco-friendly construction, and possibly a collection of art.

“This undertaking is a huge community effort; the library is the people’s place,” said Macek. “Tonight really showed we can rally around it.”

Macek announced that the Thulen Family gave a matching gift of $2,500, in memory of Colleen Peth Thulen, who was a former member of the library board and life-long supporter of the library.

Meanwhile, the foundation’s fundraising and grant-writing will continue. “We’re still a good three to five years away from construction, depending on the bulk of funding in place,” Macek said on Monday.