Walking in Dorothy Parker's Footsteps

Or more correctly...eating lunch at the famous Algonquin Hotel Round Table Restaurant in New York. Believe it or not, I actually got seated at the famous round table where Dorothy Parker, and thirty or so other writers, used to sit and talk for hours over lunch in the 1920s. They discussed happenings in the theater, argued about writing techniques, shared unsolicited critiques, and debated the relevance of feature articles in national magazines. So many people came to watch them that they had to rope off the area around the table in the restaurant.

The stories are entertaining as well as historical...and featured in the book, "The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide."

What I would give to be there in 1919 for the first lunch meeting…sipping cappuccino, I would sit back and listen intently to the discourse. I suppose I am lucky to be here at all since it was completely accidental/coincidental that I am sitting here in this extremely historic literary space. Nowadays, we spend so much time looking forward to new book releases…new plays…new technologies…it was nice to take a minute to stop and look back and where we have come from and those that have paved the way for our literary voices. Our literary past is so seldom appreciated. Once we leave college and start working for a living time starts to slip through our fingers … yet our history is an intrinsic part of not only where we are but also where we are going.

For more information:

http://www.algonquinhotel.com/story/round-table/

http://www.algonquinroundtable.org/