It had become a tradition for Tomie to sign books on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vermont.
It was one of our favorite autographings, not because of the size of the crowd, but because of the attendees from all over the country and the world. Norwich is across the river from Hanover, New Hampshire, and Dartmouth College. Thanksgivings brought diverse groups of people to the area.
This 2016 photo at the Norwich Bookstore is of Gregory Maguire and his daughter, Helen. Gregory Maguire is especially known for his book, WICKED, which was made into “Wicked: the Musical.”
The 2019 signing was different for a couple of reasons. One, we asked that the autographing be held on the ground floor so Tomie wouldn’t have to climb stairs to get to the usual signing desk on the second floor.
And then there was “something” I had been noticing for a while. Tomie was increasingly having trouble letting go of people at the signing tables. It reached a peak at the 2019 Norwich autographing.
No matter how many people were in line, Tomie seemed reluctant to let go of any group. He would keep conversations going even when they appeared to be finished. If few people had been in line, it would have made more sense, but instead we couldn’t see the end of the line from the signing table.
I never asked him about it, but it was puzzling to me. I sensed desperation of some sort. (Bob)
https://www.norwichbookstore.com/
Pray for Peace, Justice, and Equality
