I confess that I have not read Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling book Eat, Pray, Love, even though most of my female friends have and even though Julia Roberts is starring in the film to be released in August. But in anticipation of my on-stage interview with her at the Alley Theatre Monday night, I dove into her latest book, Committed.

After the first few chapters, I wanted to hug the woman for her intelligent insights and formidable writing. And, now, I'm back-peddling to catch up with her first big literary hit.

For Gilbert's reading of Committed, a sell-out crowd, comprised primarily of ardent female fans of Eat, Pray, Love, packed the Alley's main theater.

It was more than midway through her western U.S. book tour with Viking Press. But the Alley stopover was different from typical book tours. Houston-based Apache Corp. underwrote the presentation, the purchase of more than 800 books and the $1,000 a head dinner that preceded Gilbert's on-stage appearance. The evening benefited the Ucross Foundation, a 21,000-acre artist's retreat in Wyoming, where Gilbert wrote her first non-fiction book, The Last American Man.

The connection: Ucross was established by Apache founder Raymond Plank in 1981.

Just as fans might guess from reading either of her two most recent books, Gilbert was unassuming, witty and intelligent. Very early in the evening, she easily wooed those at the dinner with her straight-forward manner. Wearing little if any make-up, a modest brown dress, gray sweater, brown tights and low-heeled boots, Gilbert had only two adornments — a fetching amber necklace and her simple gold wedding band. A telling statement in itself from the woman who had sworn off of marriage for life.

Clearly a woman who has dined with fans more than once, Gilbert asked everyone at each table that she visited during her personal round-robin dinner to share where they would go and what they would do if they had a year without limitations to pursue their dreams. This interesting move allowed her to eat while others talked and provided for good conversation. But then the tables were turned and she was asked for her choice — a year in Paris was the answer.

With the audience of more than 800, Gilbert was equally at ease and entertaining, winning the crowd with the story of how Committed came into being and then reading a generous number of compelling passages from the book.

In the Q&A that followed, queries sent in by email over the weekend, Gilbert revealed that married life is great. That she and her husband today live in a small town in New Jersey on the banks of the Delaware River, where he runs a specialty shop of finds from around the world. That she is taking her writing at a measured pace these days and while she does have an idea for her next book, she hasn't quite begun in earnest.

Writing a book, she said, is not like giving birth as some authors have suggested. Rather, the book gives birth to the writer, at least in Gilbert's case, opening the writer to new levels of awareness and understanding.

When the interview concluded to rounds and rounds of applause for the author, Gilbert stood and hugged me. The perfect ending to a perfectly wonderful night on stage.