Recorded on
Thursday,
January 17, 2008
at 6:30pm
(46.9 mb, 58:27)
What you will hear:
A unique series
for sophisticated writers, readers, and eaters,
Eat, Drink & Be Literary continues
the momentum of the past two sell-out series,
bringing major contemporary authors to BAMcafé
for intimate dinners, readings, and discussions
that are always entertaining and engaging.
There is a brief introduction
by Harold Augenbraum, executive director of the National
Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards.
George Saunder's reads from "Sea Oak," which
can be found in his short story collection Pastoralia.
A Q&A session with moderator Aoibheann Sweeney
and the audience follows, where Saunders discusses
(among other things) the writers place in the political
landscape, why he writes short stories versus novels,
and the truthfulness found in fiction.
The featured author and moderator is:
George Saunders
January 17, 6:30pm
"Saunders' finest gift is a high note no one
can hit very often, which is to construct a story
of absurdist satire, then locate within it a moment
of searing humanity."
—The Boston Globe
"The best thing about being a writer is that,
when you say you're a writer, nobody expects you to
be able to function normally."—George Saunders
A MacArthur Fellow, George Saunders is the author
of the short story collections Pastoralia,
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, and In Persuasion
Nation, which was one of three finalists for
the 2006 Story Prize for best short story
collection of the year. His most recent book is The
Braindead Megaphone, a collection of essays.
Widely translated and anthologized, Saunders currently
teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse
University.
Aoibheann Sweeney, moderator
Aoibheann Sweeney is the
Director of the Center for the Humanities at the CUNY
Graduate Center. She has been a resident fellow at
the MacDowell Colony, and has written book reviews
for publications such as The New York Times Book Review
and The Washington Post Book World. Her first novel,
Among Other Things I've Taken Up Smoking, was published
this year.
Eat, Drink & Be Literary
is sponsored by Bloomberg.
