Dear Friends,
I’m excited to share that I will be introducing and interviewing acclaimed author David Guterson onstage at the University of North Carolina Wilmington on Monday, February 9, at 7PM in Kenan Hall, Room 1111. The event is free and open to the public.
Guterson will be reading from his new novel Evelyn in Transit. It’s a lovely and hypnotic book. If it’s possible in this day and age to just dig into a novel without knowing anything of the contents, that’s what I’d advise here. You’ll be enchanted by Evelyn’s offbeat journey.
David’s most well-known novel is the PEN/Faulkner Award-winning Snow Falling on Cedars (1994), which was later adapted into a film starring Ethan Hawke. But that’s just one entry in an unparalleled oeuvre. My own favorite Guterson novels are 1999’s East of the Mountains and 2008’s The Other—two of the most immersive and alive works of fiction I’ve ever read.
As you can see from the photo below, we go back a ways. In fact, he’s the reason I’m a writer.
The story is too long to recount in full, but I met Guterson in 1991 when I landed in his creative writing elective at Bainbridge High School. He was the first published writer I’d ever met, though at that point he had not achieved his breakthrough success. Something about his obsessive approach to craft clicked with me. It’s an exciting thing to realize you might be able to monetize a neurosis.
When I finally published a book, 18 years and many ups and downs later, David was there. And he’s been there all along the way.
So, as you can imagine, this public-facing version of our ongoing conversation promises to be very special—to me certainly, to David, and hopefully to those in attendance.
If you are in the area, please consider stopping by. Evelyn in Transit will be available for sale, and a book signing will follow the Q & A.
P.S. For anyone who might be wondering about the connection with my friend Ben Guterson—himself a noted author and de facto mascot for this Substack—I can testify that the longstanding rumor that he and David Guterson are the same person is unfounded, or at least exaggerated. (In fairness, I have never seen them in the same place at the same time). The equally persistent speculation that they might be related is harder to refute.
On another front, here are some things I’ve enjoyed lately:
Olivia Rutigliano is a writer everyone should read. If you’re not already on the Olivia train, her short piece The Time I Met Adam West, from 2024, is a good starting point.
Did you miss The Church’s "Sacred Echoes (Part Two)” in the midst of all the mayhem going on in the world? If so, it’s worth spending time with the song and the video—both beautiful pieces of work that manage to speak to the current mood without getting trapped by it.
I’ve been enjoying the heck out of John Mayer’s SiriusXM Channel Life With John Mayer, which is essentially a ramble through his record collection interspersed with funny and generous commentary on the craft of songwriting. This got me thinking about his song “Stop This Train,” which I think is the greatest song written by anyone of my generation (Gen X). Which sent me down a YouTube rabbit hole that turned up this. Which left my jaw on the floor. I don’t know if Mayer was involved with or endorsed this video, but I can’t imagine he would mind. (Fun rabbit hole within the rabbit hole: the Anvil sticker on the kid’s mirror).
I hope you are all doing well and staying warm and safe. If you happen to live in or near Wilmington, maybe I’ll see you next Monday? Otherwise, I’ll be back on these pages soon. See ya then,
Robert
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