I almost – almost – wore my big puffy parka today. Wherever spring went, I’d like it to come back. But weather-related complaints aside, it’s Wednesday, which means the week is halfway over and there’s a whole host of interesting stuff going on tonight.
I blogged about it this morning, but New York Times columnist David Brooks is making a flying trip through town for a DMA Fresh Ink series event. He’s on tour promoting his latest book, The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, which will be the focus of the evening’s conversation. I had the chance to chat with him via telephone last Friday, and not only did he reveal that he’s a longtime Cowboys fan, but he also had a few interesting things to say about Dallas after recalling his experience at last year’s Festival of Ideas.
He said that he was struck by “how well downtown seems to be reviving around arts and various things” but also by the fact that some people at the festival “didn’t have a clear sense of the Dallas identity.” Apparently, Brooks came in with a pretty clear sense of our identity, even stating at one point during the fest that “everyone knows the Dallas personality.” This was met with some confusion at the time, so I asked him to clarify. Good news, everyone, it’s mostly complimentary. We’re “self confident, risk-taking, brash, [and] oversized.”
If you haven’t read Brooks’ book, consider attending the talk anyway since there’s no real way to spoil the plot. Expect the conversation to liven up when it takes the inevitable politcal turn – that’s his primary interest, after all, and the real reason he got into all this touchy-feely social science in the first place. A couple things to note: the event takes place at First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, not the DMA. This gives you plenty of dinner options, like pizza at Campisi’s Elm Street location. Take your intellectual high to the bar at Charlie Palmer at the Joule for fancy cocktails post-talk.
For more things to do tonight, go here.
