A Photographer's Life

Last night, L. and I went to the UW to hear Annie Liebowitz read the introduction from her new book, A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005. The reading was very moving, not only because the introduction itself was moving, but because she was in a very emotional place having come back to rainy Seattle - the place where her partner, Susan Sontag, was treated at Fred Hutchinson's before her death. Annie apologized a few times as she was unable to hold back tears, but none of us in the audience could blame her. As photographs came and went on the screen, she shared some insight into her life, her family, and her work. The whole experience was very moving, and I was honored to have her sign my book.

After the reading, L. and I walked around campus a bit. It was the first time that I've been back to campus in a long time. And it was the first time that I've been back without C. As we walked through Suzzalo and the Quad, I had an interesting sense of emotions from the past and the present. The fact is, that C. was a half of my college life. I have a lot of memories of campus being with my sorority sisters and other girl and guy friends, and a few memories with guys I dated briefly. But C. was a significant part of college years, whether I like it or not. And since C. worked at the UW for most of our married life, the only times I was back on campus were for things having to do with him - his thesis presentation, graduation, etc. So, some of those places on campus hold ghosts for me, but by walking around and facing them, they start to lose power. Now I have a new memory to think about the next time I'm on campus, and it has to do with sharing a lovely evening with my boyfriend, hearing a world-renowned photographer share a piece of her life.