Ron Carlson (1)

7 pm | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 Southwest Writers Series Presents Ron Carlson Award-winning Novelist Reading, Q&A, Booksigning at Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Avenue, Prescott, AZ 86301 About the Author

Ron Carlson’s newest novel is Return to Oakpine. His short stories have appeared in Esquire, Harpers, The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and other journals, as well as The Best American Short Stories, The O'Henry Prize Series, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction and other anthologies; they have been performed on National Public Radio’s “This American Life” and “Selected Shorts.” Ron Carlson Writes a Story, his book on writing, is taught widely. He is the author of two books of poems, Room Service and The Blue Box. He has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Cohen Prize at Ploughshares, the McGinnis Award at the Iowa Review, the Aspen Literary Award; and his novel Five Skies was One Book Rhode Island in 2009. Carlson is the Director of the Graduate Program in Fiction at the University of California, Irvine.

About the Author’s Books

Return to Oakpine Room Service: Poems, Meditations, Outcries and Remarks Ron Carlson Writes a Short Story The Signal Five Skies • Return to Oakpine In this portrait of western American life, Carlson takes us to the small town of Oakpine, Wyoming, and into the lives of four men trying to make peace with who they are in the world. In high school, these men were in a band. One of them, Jimmy, left Oakpine for New York City after the tragic death of his brother. A successful novelist, he has returned thirty years later, in 1999 — because he is dying. There, he learns what has become of his friends and the different directions of their lives. Craig and Frank never left; Mason, a top lawyer in Denver, is back in town to fix up and sell his parents' house. Now that they are reunited, getting the band back together might be the most important thing they can do.

• Room Service: Poems, Meditations, Outcries and Remarks How did one of America’s most gifted fabulists come to write a collection of poetry? For thirty years, Ron Carlson has joked about writing one poem a year, and to look for his book of them in 2012. The joke came true: Room Service: Poems, Meditations, Outcries and Remarks is a genre-bending collection of traditional verse, prose poetry, microfiction, and—why not?—a play or two, dancing easily from the lyrical to the surreal to the comical, capturing the long sweep of life’s simple necessities and small triumphs. Brimming with Carlson’s signature good humor, these pieces were written over many years in many places, and are unified, as befits a first book of poetry, by hope. Room Service reminds us why poetry is necessary, and will leave you wondering what took him so long.

• Ron Carlson Writes a Short Story Ron Carlson has been praised as “a master of the short story” (Booklist). In this essay collection, Ron Carlson Writes a Story, he offers a full range of notes and gives rare insight into a veteran writer’s process by inviting the reader to watch over his shoulder as he creates the short story “The Governor’s Ball.” “This is a story of a story” he begins, and proceeds to offer practical advice for creating a great story, from the first glimmer of an idea to the final sentence. Carlson urges the writer to refuse the outside distractions—a second cup of coffee, a troll through the dictionary—and attend to the necessity of uncertainty, the pleasures of an unfolding story. “The Governor’s Ball”—included in its entirety—serves as a fascinating illustration of the detailed anatomy of a short story.

• The Signal Carlson's most thrilling book to date, The Signal follows the story of Mack and Vonnie, a married couple who, after ten years together, are taking their last hike in the mountains of Wyoming to say goodbye to their relationship and to each other. As the troubled and tragic elements of their past gradually come to light over the course of their journey, Mack keeps a secret: he is tracking a signal, sent via a beacon that has fallen from the sky, that will lead them both into a wood far darker than they have ever imagined.

• Five Skies is the story of three men gathered high in the Rocky Mountains for a construction project that is to last the summer. Having participated in a spectacular betrayal in Los Angeles, the giant, silent Arthur Key drifts into work as a carpenter in southern Idaho. Here he is hired, along with the shiftless and charming Ronnie Panelli, to build a stunt ramp beside a cavernous void. The two will be led by Darwin Gallegos, the foreman of the local ranch who is filled with a primeval rage at God, at man, at life. As they endeavor upon this simple, grand project, the three reveal themselves in cautiously resonant, profound ways. And in a voice of striking intimacy and grace, Carlson's novel reveals itself as a story of biblical, almost spiritual force. A bellwether return from one of our greatest craftsmen, Five Skies is sure to be one of the most praised and cherished novels of the year.

Location: Street: Prescott College Natural History Institute Additional: 312 Grove Avenue City: Prescott, Province: Arizona Postal Code: 86302 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

5:30 pm | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

Ron Carlson Award-winning Novelist Reading, Q&A, Booksigning

Former Arizona State University Creative Writing Program Director, Ron Carlson has been praised as “a master of the short story” (Booklist). Join us at the Peregrine for this celebrated author.

Can’t make it to this event? There’s a 7pm event at Prescott College » About the Author

Ron Carlson’s newest novel is Return to Oakpine. His short stories have appeared in Esquire, Harpers, The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and other journals, as well as The Best American Short Stories, The O'Henry Prize Series, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction and other anthologies; they have been performed on National Public Radio’s “This American Life” and “Selected Shorts.” Ron Carlson Writes a Story, his book on writing, is taught widely. He is the author of two books of poems, Room Service and The Blue Box. He has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Cohen Prize at Ploughshares, the McGinnis Award at the Iowa Review, the Aspen Literary Award; and his novel Five Skies was One Book Rhode Island in 2009. Carlson is the Director of the Graduate Program in Fiction at the University of California, Irvine.

About the Author’s Books

Return to Oakpine Room Service: Poems, Meditations, Outcries and Remarks Ron Carlson Writes a Short Story The Signal Five Skies • Return to Oakpine In this portrait of western American life, Carlson takes us to the small town of Oakpine, Wyoming, and into the lives of four men trying to make peace with who they are in the world. In high school, these men were in a band. One of them, Jimmy, left Oakpine for New York City after the tragic death of his brother. A successful novelist, he has returned thirty years later, in 1999 — because he is dying. There, he learns what has become of his friends and the different directions of their lives. Craig and Frank never left; Mason, a top lawyer in Denver, is back in town to fix up and sell his parents' house. Now that they are reunited, getting the band back together might be the most important thing they can do.

• Room Service: Poems, Meditations, Outcries and Remarks How did one of America’s most gifted fabulists come to write a collection of poetry? For thirty years, Ron Carlson has joked about writing one poem a year, and to look for his book of them in 2012. The joke came true: Room Service: Poems, Meditations, Outcries and Remarks is a genre-bending collection of traditional verse, prose poetry, microfiction, and—why not?—a play or two, dancing easily from the lyrical to the surreal to the comical, capturing the long sweep of life’s simple necessities and small triumphs. Brimming with Carlson’s signature good humor, these pieces were written over many years in many places, and are unified, as befits a first book of poetry, by hope. Room Service reminds us why poetry is necessary, and will leave you wondering what took him so long.

• Ron Carlson Writes a Short Story Ron Carlson has been praised as “a master of the short story” (Booklist). In this essay collection, Ron Carlson Writes a Story, he offers a full range of notes and gives rare insight into a veteran writer’s process by inviting the reader to watch over his shoulder as he creates the short story “The Governor’s Ball.” “This is a story of a story” he begins, and proceeds to offer practical advice for creating a great story, from the first glimmer of an idea to the final sentence. Carlson urges the writer to refuse the outside distractions—a second cup of coffee, a troll through the dictionary—and attend to the necessity of uncertainty, the pleasures of an unfolding story. “The Governor’s Ball”—included in its entirety—serves as a fascinating illustration of the detailed anatomy of a short story.

• The Signal Carlson's most thrilling book to date, The Signal follows the story of Mack and Vonnie, a married couple who, after ten years together, are taking their last hike in the mountains of Wyoming to say goodbye to their relationship and to each other. As the troubled and tragic elements of their past gradually come to light over the course of their journey, Mack keeps a secret: he is tracking a signal, sent via a beacon that has fallen from the sky, that will lead them both into a wood far darker than they have ever imagined.

• Five Skies is the story of three men gathered high in the Rocky Mountains for a construction project that is to last the summer. Having participated in a spectacular betrayal in Los Angeles, the giant, silent Arthur Key drifts into work as a carpenter in southern Idaho. Here he is hired, along with the shiftless and charming Ronnie Panelli, to build a stunt ramp beside a cavernous void. The two will be led by Darwin Gallegos, the foreman of the local ranch who is filled with a primeval rage at God, at man, at life. As they endeavor upon this simple, grand project, the three reveal themselves in cautiously resonant, profound ways. And in a voice of striking intimacy and grace, Carlson's novel reveals itself as a story of biblical, almost spiritual force. A bellwether return from one of our greatest craftsmen, Five Skies is sure to be one of the most praised and cherished novels of the year.

Location: Street: 219A North Cortez Additional: City: Prescott, Province: Arizona Postal Code: 86302 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Note: This event has been changed to 4:00 pm

Join us for an afternoon of poetry featuring two exciting authors, presented by Red Hen Press! Brimming with Carlson's signature good humor, the poems, prose, microfiction, and other works in Room Service were written over many years in many places, and are unified, as befits a first book of poetry, by hope. The poems in Aftermath, by Sandra Gilbert, aren't just about the consequences of loss, but also about the complex experiences of endurance, acquiescence, and rebirth that, with luck, mark the Aftermath of sorrow.

This discussion is free and open to the public. Those wishing to get books signed will be asked to purchase at least one copy of Room Service or Aftermath from Vroman's for every 3 books they bring from home. Save your Vroman's receipt; it will be checked when you enter the signing line.

Location: Street: 695 E. Colorado Blvd City: Pasadena, Province: California Postal Code: 91101 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)