Randolph-Macon College’s Watkins Lecture Series presented “Bill Bryson: Notes from All Over” on February 26, 2020 to a sold-out audience in Blackwell Auditorium, RMC Center for the Performing Arts.

Bryson, one of the country’s most beloved commentators, has chronicled everything from hiking the Appalachian Trail in A Walk in the Woods to capturing the zeitgeist of the Roaring Twenties in One Summer: America 1927. His latest book is The Body: A Guide for Occupants.

The Best Kind of Tour Guide
RMC President Robert R. Lindgren welcomed guests. “Reading Mr. Bryson’s books is like traveling with the very best kind of tour guide—the type who steers you off the beaten path to ‘where the locals go’ and is brimming with unmatched knowledge, infectious enthusiasm, a bit of good-humored mockery and a wry wit,” said Lindgren.

Jordan Chappell ’20 (art history and English major; mathematics, writing and classical studies minor), introduced Bryson with her own humor.

“I thought it might be a good idea to read his new book in preparation for meeting him, but The Body is a book on science, which is missing from my majors and minors,” quipped Chappell. “Opening the box confirmed my worst fears by revealing that I wouldn’t just have to read a science book, I would have to read a big science book.” Chappell said she’d never laughed so hard while reading a science book. “I remember coming across a quote from the Chicago Sun-Times that said, ‘Bryson could write an essay about dryer lint and still make us laugh out loud.’ Personally, I would be first in line to purchase that essay,” she said.

A Storyteller at Heart
Earlier in the day, Bryson  met with a group of RMC students, all aspiring writers. During this informal conversation, he shared his experiences and insights about preparing for new projects, dealing with challenges, and the importance of learning through the process.

Later that evening, he regaled the audience with stories of his life as a writer, traveler and entertainer and read passages from several of his works, including The Body: A Guide for Occupants.

Interjecting his trademark humor at every turn, Bryson spoke about his passion for libraries, including the pleasure of touching and reading books. Admitting he isn’t an expert regarding the Internet, he said there is something special about looking for “your” book on a shelf and not only finding it but finding one next to it about something you hadn’t previously considered.

Bryson also spoke of “bringing the reader along with him” on his life experiences through his writing. He shared a number of humorous stories from his childhood and said he wrote The Body: A Guide for Occupants because he was curious about how the body works, especially the brain, and wanted to take his readers on that same journey.

A lively Q&A, moderated by RMC English Professor Amy Goodwin, followed Bryson’s talk, and a book signing in the lobby of Blackwell Auditorium capped off the evening.

The Watkins Lecture Series
The Watkins Lecture Series was established in 1999 by the late Marion Watkins Herget, and by Dr. George D. Watkins ’44, and is named in honor of their parents, who owned and operated the Herald-Progress newspaper. The series brings together the Town of Ashland and RMC communities—two entities important to the Watkins family.

The Watkins’ gift has provided lecture attendees the opportunity to hear from a host of notable speakers, including Soledad O’Brien, Garrison Keillor, Ari Shapiro, Nina Totenberg, James Carville, Julian Bond, Bob Woodward, David Gergen, and Rubin “Hurricane” Carter.