By Girindra Selleck
Friday evening will see two renowned authors alight on the second floor of Prairie Lights, 15 S. Dubuque St., for a pair of readings, part of the local institution’s legendary “Live From Prairie Lights” Series.Jim Shepard, whom the Daily Beast described as “without a doubt the most ambitious story writer in America,” will read from his latest collection, The World to Come, at 5:30 p.m. Shepard, whose oeuvre includes writings in a number of genres, is perhaps best known for his prize-winning The Book of Aron, which won the Sophie Brody Medal for Achievement in Jewish Literature from the American Library Association and the PEN/New England Award for fiction.
After Shepard’s reading, at 7 p.m., Melissa Febos will read from her newly released memoir Abandon Me in an event co-sponsored by the UI Nonfiction Writing Program. Writer Kiese Laymon describes Febos’s work in Abandon Me as equal parts “generous” and “genius,” saying he’s unsure if he has “ever felt more thankful to read a book.”
Febos, who serves dual roles as an assistant professor in creative writing at Monmouth University and an M.F.A. faculty member at the Institute of American Indian Arts, has had a highly decorated literary career. The Brooklyn-based writer most recently received recognition for excerpts from *Abandon Me* from various institutions, including Prairie Schoone*, StoryQuarterly, and the Center for Women Writers. All events at Prairie Lights are free of charge.
Jim Shepard, Melissa Febos
When: 5:30 & 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Prairie Lights, 15 S. Dubuque
Cost: Free