List Girl
I have always been a list person.
When I meet people who love lists, it’s like we're from the same tribe.
One of my favorite writers, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, wrote an entire book of lists called The Book of Eleven.
“I feel safe and happy around those people who make lists, for I know that if they say they will do something - say, fax me an article or order theater tickets - they will write it down, which is an absolute precursor to actually doing it. Then they will fax/order the tickets so they can cross it off their list. This is simply the way list-people operate”
Everything in the book is organized into lists of eleven. Chapter titles include: 11 thoughts about the movies, 11 things I’m not proud of but would admit for a small amount of money, 11 unusual yet charming things about my friends.
Why 11? Amy addresses this question in one of the 11 introductions to the book. “A list of 9 felt too short. Letterman owns 10*. And 12 seemed like a lot of work.”
(*For those of you who are too young to have spent college nights watching Late Night With David Letterman instead of going to sleep at a decent hour like your mama hoped you would, Letterman always did a Friday night Top Ten List, addressing topical issues of the week.)
Although every chapter in Amy’s book had me thinking, “Oh. Oh…this could be a writing possibility,” when I came to page 21, titled “11 really short, really true stories,” I knew I’d discovered a great writing prompt. As a matter of fact, I used it for the ABOUT page on this website.
Of course, I couldn’t stop with just one helping of Amy’s delicious words.
In 2009, the New York Times Book Review said, “Her books radiate fun the way tulips radiate spring. They are elegant and spirit-lifting.”
I mean yes. YES! So true. Amy felt like my people and she inspired me to write.
I was always on the hunt for Amy books. I bought everything she wrote.
I have three favorites:
Encyclopedia of Me
Cookies: Bite-sized Life Lessons
Textbook.
Sadly, there won’t be more Amy writing. Amy passed away from ovarian cancer in March, 2017, at the age of 51. Just days before her death, Amy's last piece of writing was published in the New York Times. Over 4.5 million people read the "Modern Love Column." It was called, “You May Want to Marry My Husband.” It is tragically tender, and heartbreaking. A must read.
It so sums up her "spirit-lifting" legacy.
Thank goodness she left words for her beloveds to savor and cherish forever.
