Interview: Dikkon Eberhart, author

I fell in love, that is the only expression I can think of, at once, and am still at the mercy of words, …

Dylan Thomas

Words, books, the actual feel and smell of a book … I inherited my love of books from my daddy. I hated reading when I was little and stood around waiting on him looking for another book more times than I can count. Daddy quit school when he was fifteen but he loved to read. He knew all the book dealers in town. I remember one man named, Danny Wheeler, and he had an old house with tall book shelves that he used one of those rolling ladders to reach the top shelves. Cats ran around on top of his counters and his house was packed to the brim. It seems to me that I still remember the smell of cigarette smoke, that could have been my daddy though. As we traipsed across the valley looking for books, I now see the value of all the interesting characters that he knew – book collectors, book sellers, book hunters.

Now many years later, I too have a love of books. My friend, April, heard of a book from her violin instructor that she said I must read - The Time Mom Met Hitler, Frost Came to Dinner, and I Heard the Greatest Story Ever Told. Most of my college years I was an English major and my last year I switched to Political Science/Communication. My love for writing and reading is how began in English and this writer, Dikkon Eberhart, grew up with those writers that I read in my classes.

Dylan Thomas had a crush on his mom and read him bedtime stories. He and Robert Frost had a conversation about the intentions of his most famous poem. Of course, I was hooked. What kept me reading was this writer is not just a writer but a wordsmith. To me, being able to use words so the reader feels what you intend for them to feel and more, to paint a picture without brush or colors on a canvas – only using words is an art. Also, his writing as a rhythm that keeps me moving ahead.

It is a memoir that ends with his journey to Christ from Judaism. Extraordinary, yes?

Since my first touch of that book, Dikkon Eberhart has moved from Maine to where I live. I have had the grand opportunity to get to know him first hand and I asked if I could ask him some questions at a restaurant a few years ago. He has since retired from writing and this is a repost to remember a great friend and inspiration that I had in Dikkon.

You too will see when you read any of his books if you have any interest in words at all that his work is something to share. I can still smell the cigars on his boat, taste the bourbon, and feel the movement of the boat on the lake with his father. (I have never smoked a cigar, I don’t like bourbon, and I have never been on a boat with he or his father but it is now a memory of my own because of the way he painted it for me in his book.)

So take a sit with Dikkon and I.

How many books do you own?

- Thousands.

I understand that you were a food critic for five years in Maine. Since moving to Roanoke, what has been your favorite meal dining out?

- Brunch at the River and Rail Restaurant and the Chicken Copacabana at Montano’s International Gourmet

What is one thing Jesus is speaking to you about your life today?

- Tell people the truth about Channa and I coming to Jesus and give my gift of energy back to those who need it. I believe I have a gift for understanding how my life has progressed and why. I have a gift for assisting other people with their possible coming to Christ.

What is your favorite food?

- Eggs because you can make them into anything.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

- I lived on the coast of Maine for thirty years and loved it. I hope that I will come to love Roanoke the same. It is too hot here but I am hopeful.

What is your favorite thing in New York city where one of your daughters lives?

- She lives in Brooklyn. I love the energy of the people and all the opportunities to view good art. Personally, I am more of a quiet atmosphere person.

How does God speak to you?

- When I least expect it and I hear His words in my head. Words are vital. I take those moments as miracles.

I know you also did some acting in your past. What was your favorite play that you were in?

- A Man for all Seasons in college at Dartmouth

What are your hobbies now?

- Tinkering, fixing small things.

Dikkon Eberhart is the author of On the Verge, Paradise - A Novel, The Time Mom Met Hitler, Frost Came to Dinner, and I Heard the Greatest Story Ever Told, the Percy Black Series: Egg Island, and This Blessed Assurance: Downeast.