Phyllis

A few days ago I had a day I shall never forget. I had the amazing opportunity to sit in very intimate, small class setting and listen to one of Britain's most well-known modern novelists. Detective author P.D. James came to the English Detective class I am taking to speak to all 20 of us in a small, unremarkable room in a church a couple blocks off Abbey Road. This intimate, rather unexceptional setting almost magnified how incredible this experience was. At 91 James is as sharp as a tack and undeniably articulate without any hint of a failing memory. And yet her unpretentious demeanour and honest sensible manner made her feel so approachable, and also made one feel so at ease in her presence. She is a treasure, and I could have sit and listened to her for ages.

I only had my compact, inferior camera with me, but I at least have these images to remember this experience . . .

Then today . . . . I was so excited by an email I received that I had to share. I forwarded the photos I had taken of P.D. James when she visited my class last week to my teacher attached to an email thank-you letter.

Well as it turns out my teacher forwarded them onto P.D. James, AKA Phyllis. And this was James's reply:

Dear Alice

It was a great pleasure to speak to the ladies on 25th January, and also to meet you. I too hope that we shall be able to see each other again. After the talk I did wonder whether I had left enough time for general discussion and it might perhaps have been better had I spoken less before questions were invited, so I am relieved and delighted to learn that the audience did enjoy what I said and found it helpful. They couldn’t have been more welcoming and responsive.

I think the two photographs are wonderful and it is obvious that they were taken by a professional photographer of the highest talent. I wonder whether it would be possible to have copies of them both.

When you see Jane, please give her my love and say that I hope to see her in the spring or summer when I go to Southwold. I shall be there this weekend but only for a charity event when I am speaking in support of a hospice which is being built to serve the district, and I shall have no opportunity to see Jane. I do hope that things are going well with her.

Affectionately
Phyllis



I might print this out and frame it!



Then . . . after this letter to my teacher from P.D. James my teacher asked me to contact P.D. James herself to work out arrangements for getting her copies of my photos. So I, an American commoner, exchanged personal emails with P.D. James herself! I must say I sweat a bit typing her my message and had to press send with one eye closed. To find her personal reply in my email box was such a thrill! Just seeing "P.D. James" in my inbox was pretty cool. And this is what she wrote . . .

Dear Shannon

I would love to have prints of both the photographs and I insist on paying for them, so please let me know the cost plus postage. I think they are absolutely brilliant. My address is ********************************.

I had such a happy hour talking to your class and my only regret afterwards was that I had not left enough time for questions and discussion. For me it was a most stimulating and happy experience and the photographs will provide a lasting memory for me. You are a magnificent photographer and it must be a wonderful talent to have.

yours ever,
Phyllis James

And not only do I know exactly where she lives (half tempted to show up with scones for tea), which I left off the blog for obvious reasons, but she signed it Phyllis!!!