Thursday, August 27, 2009

Three professors of creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington—novelist Clyde Edgerton (The Bible Salesman, 2008), essayist David Gessner (Soaring with Fidel, 2007) and Ecotone magazine editor Ben George—will read from The Book of Dads: Essays on the Joys, Perils, and Humiliations of Fatherhood (Ecco, 2009), a collection edited by George and featuring writing by Edgerton and Gessner, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, in Kenan Hall 1111 on the UNCW campus. This reading is the first of the new academic year, with literary events hosted by the Department of Creative Writing, primarily on Thursday evenings.

This event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow, along with a book signing courtesy of Pomegranate Books.

At turns humorous, irreverent, poignant and tender, The Book of Dads brings together 20 writers on the subject of fatherhood, offering readers insights into the complexity of fatherhood as it's experienced now. Gessner's graphic essay contrasts his father's parenting style with his own rearing of daughter Hadley. Edgerton, who became a new dad in his 50s, contributes a tongue-in-cheek instruction manual.

Praise for The Book of Dads:

"Finally a book for us. Being a father is harrowing, life affirming, traumatic, astonishing, and hysterically funny—the totality of which is captured in the irresistible The Book of Dads. Herein is a collection of essays that are inspiring, enlightening, and very funny. Every dad will relate."
—David Sheff, bestselling author of Beautiful Boy

Other upcoming events, all to be held in Kenan Hall 1111:
• Workshop with poet Glenis Redmond, co-sponsored by the UNCW NAACP chapter,
2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 22
• Thesis reading by graduating MFA students, 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29
• Ben Fountain, reading from Brief Encounters with Che Guevara, 7 p.m., Thursday,
Nov. 19

For further information on UNCW's programs and events in creative writing, please contact the Department of Creative Writing at 910.962.7063.