Myself and a few other members of the WB team had the pleasure of attending Michelle Obama’s talk at the Frank Erwin Center this past month. The event was filled with memorable moments that we felt needed sharing with the many writers in our community.
On the merits of literature alone, Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, is a masterfully crafted memoir that taps into her childhood, early career, and what it meant to be a mother in the White House. Within the first few chapters, I had buckled over with laughter, shed a few tears (okay, okay, it was a steady stream of tears, I’ll admit), and felt as though I was alongside her through it all. The book provides an accessible and tenderly written narrative that anyone could sink themselves into, and the talk only further grounded both Michelle Obama and those who were witness to her humor, confidence, and ease of self-affirmation.
Mediated by Rachel Ray, the talk floated between topics like what Michelle’s adjustment period consisted of, her social media ups and downs, as well as how her relationship and career path led her to her husband, Barack. Michelle spoke confidently about her successes, while humbly about her book. As a reader, I was surprised, but as a writer, I wasn’t fazed when discovering that even Michelle Obama is humbled by the process of writing. After spending eight years of her life constantly monitored by security teams, the media, and the entire world, she sat down, decidedly, to write about the only part of her life that wasn’t on display.
While Michelle Obama’s presence, confidence and down-to-earth personality were both charming and personable, the event as a whole left a memorable impression on me.
The anticipation and excitement was palpable as I walked through the event center, watching women pose for pictures alongside cardboard cut-outs of Michelle Obama as their friends smiled from ear-to-ear behind the camera, as if Michelle were actually next to them. Book in hand, audience members hurried to their seats, anxious over missing Michelle’s entrance. I, too, was anxious in a way I had not felt in years: electrified with exhilaration, surrounded by a sea of people who, like me, were also buzzing internally with excitement, eager to hear from a woman who had influenced our lives in ways I could never fully comprehend. I felt a yearning for her feminist values, her strength, and her character to be back on major display; something desperately needed in today’s social climate. Appreciative, I was able to walk away from her talk with a rehabilitated sense of self, what it means to be a woman, and what it means to make a change by not simply waiting for it.
If you’d like to read Becoming, you can find it here from BookPeople.
You can also find Becoming on our 10 Reads for Women’s History Month book list!
This post was written by Madison Hayslette, Intern at the Writing Barn
Madison Hayslette is a senior at Southwestern University, studying English & Art History with a specialization in film, as well as feminist studies. When she’s not traveling across the United States on the back of a motorcycle, she reads Walt Whitman, tours art museums, and drinks enough oolong tea to hydrate a small country. She currently dabbles in creative writing and indulges her artistic passions, from poetry to painting to academic research.