Story Time for Grownups

Dorothy Parker was born on August 22, 1893. In honor of her August birthday, David Loftus will read from the work of the woman with the pen dipped in acid.

If you recognize the couplet “Men seldom make passes/At girls who wear glasses” or the truism “Living well is the best revenge,” then you’re hearing Dorothy Parker. Poet, critic, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award nominee for her screenplays (including co-authorship of the 1937 version of A Star Is Born), she remains known mostly for her wisecracks. Though not the only female member of the celebrated Algonquin Round Table, Parker was probably the most famous.

There and in her book reviews, she spun out bons mots, for example: “Brevity is the soul of lingerie” … “Salary is no object: I want only enough to keep body and soul apart” … and “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly; it should be thrown with great force.”

Hoist a brew (or a cup of tea) at Portland’s first and only combination used bookstore and taproom while Loftus reads from a selection of writings by this marvelous writer. No cover.

David Loftus has read to audiences in libraries, coffee shops, Powell’s Books, Borders Books, and branches of Umpqua Bank. He appeared in an episode of “Grimm” as a French-speaking Reaper, and you may have seen him in recent ads for SELCO Community Credit Union. A native Oregonian, David is the author of three books as well.