Posts tagged “greg sumner”
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Greg Sumner visits Book Soup
November 28, 2012
On Wednesday, November 28th, Greg Sumner, author of Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Novels, will be visiting Book Soup in West Hollywood to discuss and sign his acclaimed book.
In Unstuck in Time, Gregory Sumner guides us, with insight and passion, through a biography of fifteen of Kurt Vonnegut’s best known works, his fourteen novels starting with Player Piano (1952) all the way to an epilogue on his last book, A Man Without a Country(2005), to illustrate the quintessential American writer’s profound engagement with the “American Dream” in its various forms.
“Gregory D. Sumner celebrates what he playfully identifies as the ‘Kurt Vonnegut road show’ with a tribute that is enlightening and entertaining. I read with wonder and delight the biographical sketches so gracefully fused with a montage of Vonnegut stories and the ideas they dramatize. Unstuck in Time is an achievement of scholarship illuminated by a fan’s contagious enthusiasm.” —Sidney Offit, Curator-emeritus George Polk Journalism Awards
To learn more about the event, visit Book Soup’s event page.
Tags: book soup, greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, unstuck in time, West Hollywood
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY KURT VONNEGUT!
November 12, 2012
November 11th, 2012 would have been Kurt Vonnegut’s 90th birthday.
This past year saw the release of a number of Vonnegut biographies, criticisms, and posthumously released material, including Greg Sumner’s Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Novels (now available in paperback) which looks at Vonnegut’s life through the lens of his most famous works, as well as Charles Shield’s controversial biography, And So it Goes and Kurt Vonnegut: Letters, with 60 years of correspondence edited by Dan Wakefield, a long-time friend of Vonnegut’s.
The latest is We Are What We Pretend to Be: The First and Last Works, with two works of unreleased fiction: Basic Training, Vonnegut’s earliest unpublished novella, and If God Were Alive Today, the unfinished novel Vonnegut began before he died. It also features an introduction by Vonnegut’s daughter, Nanette Vonnegut. Check out this interview with Nanette at The Rumpus:
“She clearly loves her father and it was fun sharing my admiration for him with her.
Tags: and so it goes, charles shields, Dan Wakefield, greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, Nanette Vonnegut, The Rumpus, unstuck in time, We Are What We Pretend to Be
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The Lives of Billy Pilgrim, Kilgore Trout, and Eliot Rosewater by Way of Kurt Vonnegut
August 8, 2012
Want to know the difference between Charles Shields’ Vonnegut bio And So it Goes and Greg Sumner’s hybrid bio/lit crit Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Novels (out in paperback this November)? Then check out this comparative essay in New Politics.“In contrast to Shields, Sumner sees only the overwhelming decency of Vonnegut, who, he writes, believed that heroism is making peace with our tragic limitation, acting with decency and caring for those around us.” (40) He does recognize Vonnegut’s anxieties as being lonely and isolated. Vonnegut frequently refers to the “great American experiment with rootlessness “and the observation that he “did not think himself very good in life” and suffered from a “perpetual lack of confidence in his creative powers.” There were also suicide attempts and nervous breakdowns.
Both of these books present a complicated man, with great strengths and several flaws. For those interested in the life and times of Vonnegut, I recommend them both.”
Tags: and so it goes, charles shields, greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, New Politics, unstuck in time
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Greg Sumner at Titcomb’s Bookshop on July 24th at 4pm
July 24, 2012
Need a bit of literary culture on Cape Cod this summer?
If you’ve always wanted to know about how Kurt Vonnegut’s life influenced his novels, don’t miss Greg Sumner’s discussion of Unstuck in Time.Come to Titcomb’s Bookshop in East Sandwich, Cape Cod, on Tuesday July 24th at 4pm to see Greg Sumner read from and sign Unstuck in Time, A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Novels
In this biographical account, Sumner puts an insightful and passionate spin on fifteen of Kurt Vonnegut’s best known works; his fourteen novels starting with Player Piano (1952) all the way to an epilogue on Vonnegut’s last book, A Man Without a Country (2005). Click here for more info!~~Tuesday, July 24th, 4 – 5 pmTags: greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, readings, signings, Titcomb's Bookshop, unstuck in time
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Greg Sumner on his “Vonnegut World Tour” stops at Canio’s Books
July 17, 2012
Greg Sumner, author of Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Novels, speaks at Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor, NY on July 14th as part of his Vonnegut road show. His next stop is Titcomb’s Bookshop on Cape Cod on Tuesday, July 24th.What’s your favorite Vonnegut book? Tweet your answer @7StoriesPress.
Tags: Canio's Books, Cat's Cradle, greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, Slaugherhouse Five, Titcomb's Bookshop, unstuck in time
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Greg Sumner speaking at ALA
June 20, 2012
Comments from Greg Sumner, author of Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Novels, speaking at this past American Literature Association panel:
“Anyone audacious (or foolish) enough to take on the task needs to have a clear sense of the shape of the story they want to tell, and aspire to balance in resolving the innumerable decisions that present themselves about what to include, what is most revealing in the enormous mass of information available. It should not be an exercise in hagiography and blind hero worship, nor should it be indulgence in character assassination and “pathography.” One of Vonnegut’scardinal rules about writing, more true today than ever, is that the reader’s precious time must not be wasted, everything on the page has to advance the story. As one closes the book there should be a deepened awareness of why we are interested in the subject, and why, perhaps, they deserve yet more of our attention.”
Tags: ala, greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, unstuck in time
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Greg Sumner at Barnes & Noble
May 18, 2012
Hola, Ann Arbor!
Greg Sumner, author of Unstuck in Time, will be discussing Kurt Vonnegut’s life and how it has influenced some of Vonnegut’s most cherished novels on Friday, May 18, 2012 from 7:30-8:30pm.
The event is free and will be held at:
Barnes & Nobels Booksellers
3235 Washtenaw Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Click here for more information.
Tags: barnes and noble, greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, unstuck in time
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Greg Sumner at Baldwin Library in Birmingham, MI
April 11, 2012
Michigan!
Greg Sumner, author of the truly fantastic Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Novels, will be giving a discussion of his book at the Baldwin Public Library in the Rotary Tribute and Donor Rooms on April 11 at 7:00pm. Make sure to come and check out his analysis on how Vonnegut’s life affected his world-renowned ouevre!
Click here to learn more!
Baldwin Public Library is located at:
300 W Merrill Street
Birmingham, MI 48009
248.647.1700
Tags: birmingham, discussion, greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, michigan
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Check out Greg Sumner on KEXP-Seattle
December 6, 2011
Tags: greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, radio interview, unstuck in time
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Greg Sumner at Barnes and Noble promoting Unstuck in Time
November 15, 2011
A selection of photos of the affable and entertaining Greg Sumner, promoting his recently released book Unstuck in Time: A Journey through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Novels. This event took place in Detroit, but check the events calendar for similar talks coming to your city!
Greg Sumner, author of Unstuck in Time, at Barnes and Noble
Tags: bookcourt, greg sumner, kurt vonnegut, photos, unstuck in time