Award-winning author visits Hamilton as part of One City One Book

The Lane Libraries and One City One Book welcome author Emily St. John Mandel on Oct. 22 for a discussion of this year’s One City One Book selection, “Station Eleven.”

“Station Eleven,” which was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner award, and won the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award, was chosen for the second installment of Hamilton’s month-long community reading program.

FIRST REPORT: Hamilton’s citywide reading event returns with ‘Station Eleven’

The discussion with Mandel will be moderated by Dr. Kelli Johnson at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Wilks Conference Center on the Miami University Hamilton campus.

A book sale and signing will follow the presentation. Seating for this free event is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Wilks Conference Center at Miami University Hamilton is located at 1601 University Blvd.

“Station Eleven” is not the typical dystopian read, Mandel told a crowd earlier this year at West Virginia University, where she spoke as part of the college’s 2018 Campus Read.

"I wanted to write a post-apocalyptic novel, but I wasn't really interested in writing about disaster," Mandel said, according to a report in The Daily Athenaeum. "It seems to me that most of the dystopian novels I've read are set in this territory of mayhem and chaos and war. It's all about trying to survive in this incredibly horrific environment, and it's not that I don't think that wouldn't happen, it's just not plausible to me that it would last forever. With this project, I just found that it was more interesting for me to think about, well, what comes next? What's the world 20 years on from that?"

Other upcoming events related to Hamilton’s One City One Book include:

Totes & Quotes: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at Lane Community Technology Center, 10 Journal Square. Decorate canvas bags and mugs with our favorite quotes and scenes from this year's One City One Book selection. All supplies will be provided and creator of the project that most aptly conveys the book will receive a prize. Ages 16 and older. Registration is required by calling 513-785-2727.

Plagues: Then and Now: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Fort Hamilton Hospital, 850 Eaton Ave. Jennifer Mason, EMS coordinator, and Sonja Kranbuhl, Fort Hamilton Hospital Foundation director, will present the history of pandemics and the "containment of diseases" and current emergency response to biologic threats.

Storytelling and the Graphic Novel: 6 to 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at Future Great Comics, 528 Main St. Jordan Schotz presents an examination of storytelling through graphic novels such as the one presented in "Station Eleven."

Film: 'Contagion' (2011, PG-13): 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave. Soon after her return from a business trip to Hong Kong, Beth Emhoff dies from what seems to be the flu. Her young son dies later the same day. Thus begins the spread of a deadly infection. As the contagion spreads to millions of people worldwide, societal order begins to break down as people panic.

Graphic Novel Workshop: 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 27 at Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave. Love comics and graphic novels? Then learn to create your own! This workshop will show participants strategies for writing and developing comics that will get you started on creating your own graphic novel. Learn basic techniques for outlining a plot, roughly storyboarding actions and events, laying out a page and inking penciled designs. Fee applies. Registration required by calling 513-863-8873.

Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.

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