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June 23, 2020

Paul Lisicky and Deborah A. Lott

Harvard Book Store's virtual even series welcomes acclaimed writers PAUL LISICKY and DEBORAH A. LOTT for a discussion of their respective memoirs Later: My Life at the Edge of the World and Don't Go Crazy Without Me: A Tragicomic Memoir.

Details

When Paul Lisicky arrived in Provincetown in the early 1990s, he was leaving behind a history of family trauma to live in a place outside of time, known for its values of inclusion, acceptance, and art. In this idyllic haven, Lisicky searches for love and connection and comes into his own as he finds a sense of belonging. At the same time, the center of this community is consumed by the AIDS crisis, and the very structure of town life is being rewired out of necessity: What might this utopia look like during a time of dystopia?

Later dramatizes a spectacular yet ravaged place and a unique era when more fully becoming one’s self collided with the realization that ongoingness couldn’t be taken for granted, and staying alive from moment to moment exacted absolute attention. Following the success of his acclaimed memoir, The Narrow Door, Lisicky fearlessly explores the body, queerness, love, illness, community, and belonging in this masterful, ingenious new book.

About Author(s)

Deborah A. Lott’s memoirs, essays, and reportage have been published in the RumpusSalonBlack Warrior ReviewLos Angeles Timesthe Good Men Project, and many other places. Her first book, In Session: the Bond between Women and their Therapists, offered an unprecedented look at psychotherapy from the perspective of clients interviewed by the author. Her essays have been thrice named as “notables of the year” by Best American Essays. She teaches creative writing and literature at Antioch University, Los Angeles, where she serves as faculty advisor to Two Hawks Quarterly.

Paul Lisicky is the author of The Narrow DoorUnbuilt ProjectsThe Burning House, Famous Builder, and Lawnboy. His work has appeared in The AtlanticBuzzFeedthe New York TimesPloughsharesTin House, and elsewhere. A 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, he has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, where he has served on the Writing Committee since 2000. He is currently an Associate Professor in the MFA Program at Rutgers University-Camden and lives in Brooklyn, New York.