Kathy, who is also the host of the new internet program Beauty and the Book Show, brought together 400 club members from across the country. Her annual Girlfriend Weekend, celebrating its eleventh year, headlined authors such as Pat Conroy, Fannie Flagg, Jeannette Walls and Mark Childress just to name a few.
The three day, sold-out event included panels featuring authors who have been knighted by the head queen as book club selections. Singer/songwriter Marshall Chapman wowed the audience with a performance on opening night while a screening and discussion of Mary Murphy’s powerful documentary, Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill A Mockingbird, rounded out the celebration.
Girlfriend Weekend lived up to the book club’s motto of living life to the fullest. A highlight was Saturday night’s “Hair Ball” where Pulpwood Queen chapters competed for best costume. Book club members and authors dressed as their favorite characters – everyone from Harry Potter, Anna Karenina and the head queen herself was represented. (Kathy just happens to be the author of The Pulpwood Queen’s Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide To Life.) The award went to the Pulpwood Queens of Houston – an amazing group of women who pulled off creative impersonations of the characters from Sex and the City. LeTricia Wilbanks from that chapter won the Big Hair Ball Award and here's the picture to prove it. Those Pulpwood Queens are a creative, fun bunch!
A former book rep who kept her cosmetology license, Kathy started the first Pulpwood Queen chapter in the beauty shop/book store she still operates in Jefferson. The group came to national attention when they launched Good Morning America’s book club series. Now their reach is expanding with an original book club show where Kathy interviews a different author each week. Just to give you an idea of the line-up, Fannie Flagg was the first guest. Check it out -- http://www.beautyandthebookshow.com/
If the enthusiastic crowd gathered at Girlfriend Weekend is any indication, Kathy L. Patrick and the Pulpwood Queens might just one day find themselves with their OWN network.
Michael Morris is the author of two novels, A Place Called Wiregrass and Slow Way Home -- a Pulpwood Queen book club selection. He resides in Alabama. http://www.michaelmorrisbooks.com/
