Station Eleven Author Emily St. John Mandel
Schuler Books and Music
June 17, 7 p.m.
schulerbooks.com, (616) 942-2561
For a long time, Station Eleven author Emily St. John Mandel only told stories through the language of her body in motion. But one day, while studying contemporary dance at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, the narrative stopped making sense.
“There was a point where I realized that dance wasn’t fun anymore,” St. John Mandel recalled. “It was more a burden than a joy.”
After she turned 21, St. John Mandel decided a change was in order. While many people spend that year of their lives wearing blackouts like a badge of honor, St. John Mandel sought to remember the kind of creative expression that initially enticed her as a young child: writing.
“I was homeschooled as a kid and I had to write something every day,” she said. “I wasn’t a child prodigy or anything. I just got in the habit of writing these short stories and poems about cats and daffodils.”
Standing at a personal crossroads, it occurred to St. John Mandel that writing had the capacity to fulfill what dance no longer could. After four years of work, she broke into the world of fiction with Last Night in Montreal, her critically acclaimed debut novel. But while the book won the attention of the critics, it was also an indication to St. John Mandel that she’d found that rare place where passion and purpose meet.
“[The novel] was the only form I was interested in,” she said. “I love the idea of immersing myself in a grand project and I love the technical challenge of sustaining the tension and character development over three hundred pages.”
Following her equally well received second and third novels — The Singer’s Gun and The Lola Quarter — St. John Mandel’s latest effort, the National Book Award finalist novel Station Eleven, is further proof she’s more than capable of rising to that challenge. Set in post-apocalyptic North America, the book follows a troupe of Shakespearean actors who roam the wasteland in search of survivor settlements to entertain. Though civilization has crumbled around them, the group is nonetheless bonded by an intangible sense of purpose in this jarring and odd new reality.
St. John Mandel says that in many ways, she sees the novel as a study of what it means to devote yourself to your art without any promise of fame or fortune — an interesting parallel to her own decision to forgo a career in dance for one in writing. And like all good post-apocalyptic fiction, its power lies in its ability to force us to look critically at the present through the lens of a dystopian future.
“I wanted to write about the modern world as an apparatus, with all of these incredible technologies that surround us,” she said. “I thought a good way to write about the modern world would be to write about its absence.”
When she’s not writing novels, St. John Mandel moonlights on the other side of the literary divide. She also analyzes the work of other writers as a contributor to popular online literary magazine The Millions and The Guardian. Some might see these roles of author and critic as mutually exclusive, but St. John Mandel said she believes reviewing other works of fiction makes her a better novelist — it enables her to examine her own work on a deeper level.
“People often cross over these days,” she said. “It’s interesting the way those lines have been blurred.”
OTHER LITERARY EVENTS
GR Reads: Summer Reading All Grown Up
Grand Rapids Public Library – all branches
June 1–Aug. 31
grpl.org/grreads, (616) 988-5400
You read that correctly — GR Reads is the only summer reading program in West Michigan designed specifically for adults. Make this one a summer to remember by diving into 10 great titles, handpicked by GRPL experts and sure to give you more than a few things to think about on a sunny day at Lake Michigan or a quiet evening by a campfire.
Get Cooking with Lebanese Chef Maureen Abood
Schuler Books and Music
June 10, 7 p.m.
schulerbooks.com, (616) 942-2561
As a Lebanese-American who grew up in Michigan, Maureen Abood was inspired by the flavors of her childhood to launch her award-winning blog, Rose Water & Orange Blossoms. Now, in her new cookbook, she revisits the recipes she was reared on, exploring her heritage through food and chronicling her innovative takes on traditional cuisine. This event celebrates the release of her new book. If you attend you may learn some new tricks to spice up your own kitchen, and life, along the way.
Ghost Stories for Grown Ups
Blandford Nature Center
June 15, 9 p.m.
blandfordnaturecenter.org,
(616) 735-6240
If you like to get your pulse pounding, but just aren’t into the visual gore of horror flicks, head to Blandford Nature Center for an evening of old-school scares, presented by the Grand Rapids Public Library. Bring your favorite seat, leave the kiddos at home, and be gripped by terrorizing tales from storytellers John Steven Crowley, Gloria Cangelosi and Bob Sadowski. Must be 18 or older to participate. Sign up at grpl.org/register.
