Happy Towel Day! (In honor of Douglas Adams, 1952 – 2001)

May 25, was officially Towel Day. I’ve been away traveling this weekend, and so was not able to give the day, and the man, their proper due on Saturday. But fortunately for me, this blogfest runs through this holiday weekend.

Of the many authors whose lives and works I draw inspiration from, there are a few standouts who I believe have a had an especially significant influence in shaping my own work, and perhaps my life. Douglas Adams is one of those authors.

I once had the good fortune to see and hear Douglas Adams speak in person at UC Santa Barbara. The topic for the evening was much less about his more well-known works, such as the eternally misnamed Hitchhiker’s Trilogy, and much more about his experiences with wildlife conservation, such as those related in Last Chance to See. (If you are somehow completely unfamiliar with Douglas Adams and would like to remedy this gross deficiency in your life, either The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or Last Chance to See are fine books to begin with.) In fact, if I recall correctly, my good friend Ronnie was there videotaping the event for posterity. Hearing one of my favorite writers speak about topics near and dear to my heart, while making the audience in a packed auditorium laugh our asses off, is one the most treasured experiences in my life.

Unfortunately, this was about one month before Douglas Adams died from a heart attack in May of 2001, at age 49.

In order to honor the memory of this great luminary of literature and champion of conservation, be sure to bring a towel with you during what’s left of this long weekend. Heck, you should bring one with you all the time. It is, afterall, the most useful tool a hitchhiker, or anyone really, can have around.

Thanks to L.G. Keltner for organizing this Towel Day blogfest. To see who else is celebrating Towel Day (or Towel Weekend, perhaps?) check out the list of blogs on her site, Writing Off the Edge.