Pulitzer Prize Winners, Best-selling Authors, a MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellow---They're All Here for the 2017/2018 Author! Author! Season

Posted By:  Tina Walker Davis
Date Posted:  7/28/2017

In 2012 the Author! Author! literary series began with a very lofty goal: Bring some of the brightest literary minds to Central Oregon four times a year to share their books and engage audiences in discussions and thought-provoking ideas regarding their work. Now, five years later and entering its sixth season, Author! Author! has successfully lived up to its goal. The extraordinary line-up for the 2017/2018 season features four nationally recognized, award-winning authors who have all spent time on best-seller lists:

• MICHAEL CHABON | Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. | Bend High School Auditorium

Michael Chabon is the author of eight novels as well as two short story collections, two essay collections and a young adult novel. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001 for his book The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. His novel Wonder Boys was made into a film. In a New York Times Review, A. O. Scott said of Chabon’s most recent novel, Moonglow, “… this book is beautiful.” Chabon lives in Berkeley, California.

• MARY ROACH | Saturday, January 27, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Bend High School Auditorium

Mary Roach is the author of seven books, including Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War and Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines, including Outside, Wired, National Geographic, and the New York Times Magazine. Her article “How to Win at Germ Warfare” was a National Magazine Award finalist, and her book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers made numerous “Best of” lists. Roach lives in Oakland, California.

• COLSON WHITEHEAD | Friday, February 16, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Bend High School Auditorium

Colson Whitehead is the author of six novels, including The Underground Railroad, for which he won the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He is also the author of two works of non-fiction and was a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship (the “Genius Grant”) in 2002. His essays and non-fiction work have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Granta and Harper’s. Whitehead lives in New York City.

• ELIZABETH STROUT | Friday, March 16, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Bend High School Auditorium

Elizabeth Strout is the author of six books, including her 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kitteridge. Her debut novel, Amy and Isabelle, won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. Her short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker. Her most recent novel, Anything is Possible, was called “…a shimmering masterpiece of a book” in a review from The Guardian. Strout lives in New York City.

The Author! Author! series began in 2012 as a way to expand the literary landscape in Central Oregon while raising funds for the Deschutes Public Library Foundation. With four best-selling writers visiting with each annual series, Central Oregon played host to numerous authors who have won Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Awards, and Edgar Awards, among other literary prizes. And now, with Colson Whitehead’s appearance, the series can add a MacArthur Fellow (or “Genius Grant” recipient) to the list.

“The community response to Author! Author! has been amazing,” says the program’s project director, Chantal Strobel. “Ticket sales have increased with each season, which speaks volumes about Central Oregon’s engagement in and commitment to the literary arts. Being able to bring such a high caliber of authors to the region—year after year—is really a testament to our community and the value they place on books, learning and conversation.”

General admission tickets are just $25 per event, but the entire four-author series can be purchased for $80. “The Author! Author! series is a fundraiser for the Deschutes Public Library Foundation,” says Strobel. “The cost of the full series is comparable to one concert ticket. The Foundation’s goal is to make the presentations affordable while also raising money for Deschutes Public Library programs and services that are not funded by tax dollars.”

In an effort to increase exposure to literature and engage teens in civic dialogue, the Library Foundation also provides free tickets for up to 200 regional high school students—including the Oregon Youth Challenge Program—to attend the four author presentations and to receive copies of the authors’ books.

Series tickets, as well as preferred seating tickets that include access to private author receptions, will be available on August 18 at www.dplfoundation.org. Individual tickets will be available on September 18. The 2017/2018 Author! Author! season is made possible by ticket sales and by generous sponsors including Echo Fund and The Bulletin.