Author Marlon James to bring insight on creative writing to ASU
by lisaparavisini
Marlon James to give talk on his novel "A Brief History of Seven Killings" and the creative writing process on Thursday, as Carly Golding reports for The State Press.
Did you know that Bob Marley was almost assassinated in 1976?
No?
Did you know there was a book written about the attempt that
fictionalizes elements of Jamaican and American history to explore
topics such as political corruption and gang violence in the 20th
century?
If
you would rather learn about these topics than listen to an analysis
of "To Kill a Mockingbird" for the fifth time in your introductory
English class, put down the classics and step into the contemporary at
the "When Books Come out of Books" talk this Thursday.
Renowned Jamaican author Marlon James will be stopping by ASU's Tempe campus on Nov. 3 to debut a new literary talk called "When Books Come out of Books" from 7 - 8:30 p.m. in the Marston Exploration Theater.
The
event, which is free and open to both ASU students and the greater
Phoenix community, will focus on James's most recent book, "A Brief History of Seven Killings,"
and the process of creative writing and novel research. James will talk
for about 50 minutes, leaving 30 minutes for questions and book
signings immediately following.
The event is hosted by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing
as part of the Distinguished Visiting Writer's series, which aims to
bolster the literature community in the Phoenix metropolitan area by
inviting illustrious authors to give talks, hold workshops and interact
with the community.
James
was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1970 and currently lives in
Minneapolis, where he teaches English and creative writing at Macalester
College. James has penned three award-winning novels, with his most
recent book, "A Brief History of Seven Killings," winning several
accolades including the esteemed Man Booker Prize last year.
James became the first Jamaican author to receive the prize.
"A
Brief History of Seven Killings," a 700-page behemoth, begins with the
1976 assassination attempt on Bob Marley and expands to examine the
unstable political climates of Jamaica and America through the 1990s.
Though heavily based in truth, the novel is a fictionalized account of
Jamaica's history (the Bob Marley part is completely factual, though).
"Seven Killings" is also written almost entirely in dialogue and dialect and contains more than 75 characters.
Jacob
Friedman, the event coordinator with the Virginia G. Piper Center,
praised the book for its avante-garde approach to fiction.
"Marlon's
writing is very experimental, and in a way, it makes writing more
accessible," Friedman said. "You're like, 'I didn't know anyone could
write like that. I didn't know I was allowed to write like that.'"
The
novel deals with heavy subjects such as international crime, political
corruption, gun violence, the immigration experience and many other
topics still relevant to events in 2016 America. The book is
also currently being developed into a TV series by HBO.
"Marlon's
work restores the horror of violence and portrays what a society
undergoing a national tragedy is really experiencing," Friedman
said. "'Seven Killings' leaves you with something you carry with you as
you move forward and experience the world."
Mark Athitakis, who previously taught journalism classes at ASU and gave a presentation at the Desert Nights, Rising Starsconference last year, says that James's work and other novels like it are vital if we are to understand our place in the world.
"We
come to literature to get a breadth of experience — to understand
perspectives and privileges we are unfamiliar with," Athitakis said.
"James's work exemplifies this and offers a unique insight into what's
going on the world of contemporary literature."
While
the event is open to the entire Phoenix and ASU community, The Virginia
G. Piper Center also partners with ASU's MFA programs to offer smaller
workshops and events for the MFA students. Dustin Pearson, a third year MFA in poetry student, has seen James speak before and will be attending the event on Thursday.
"I
would definitely recommend these events for all students," Pearson
said. "James speaks smartly about diversity, and there's a lot of life
lessons to be found in these works. Anyone, of any aspiring writing
level, can gain some insight.
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