In May of this year, David and I were happy to be in attendance for the final Smart Talk event in Des Moines, Iowa. To say the season closed with a flourish would be an understatement; it was an inspiring and delightful evening with Diane Keaton.
Of course, we've been fans for years, and followed her career throughout many of her roles on the screen, but in person she proved to be a captivating storyteller who was both authentic and soulful in sharing her life's journey. Ms. Keaton revealed thoughts and feelings of her own trek, not only in the professional sphere but also of her family life. She expressed the closeness of her mother-daughter relationship, the role as caretaker for aging parents, and the importance of pondering the pieces of one's own journey.
Keaton displayed a charming grace and generosity that made me feel we were sitting together over a glass of wine and visiting which demonstrated just how powerful storytelling can be. Her presentation included vignettes of her her life and spliced within were collages of photographs and videos that served to propel her stories. I could empathize as she spoke of her father's early death, her mother's failing health from Alzheimer's, falling in love with motherhood, and the good luck of fortune along the way.
This terrific evening was made possible because David had been assigned to write a post for Around Des Moines. After Keaton spoke, we were also allowed passes for the "meet and greet" with Ms. Keaton and the organizations sponsoring the Smart Talk series and a moment for a photo.
As a personal historian, Keaton's presentation affirmed for me that telling our stories and hearing the stories of others is a powerful and enriching experience. Now I'm not just a fan of the actress but Diane Keaton the storyteller too.
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