VIRTUAL: Author Shannon Reed Discusses “Why We Read”
May 5 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.**
This program is for readers everywhere! Join us as we chat with author Shannon Reed about her latest book, Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out. Why DO we read? What compels us to? What holds our attention? How many of us remember reading by a flashlight after hours? Shannon will have the scoop and will be answering lots of our questions.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and is held in partnership with a multitude of MA Libraries.
Please register here for the Zoom link.
About the Author:
Shannon Reed is a writer and professor living in a small town just outside Pittsburgh.
Shannon grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and lived in Brooklyn for 14 years, where she taught high school English and theatre. In 2012, she began studying with the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh, where she completed an MFA in creative writing (fiction) in 2015. She joined the faculty shortly thereafter, and is now the director of undergraduate studies for the Writing Program in the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a teaching associate professor, specializing in fiction and humor writing courses.
Shannon’s first book, Why Did I Get a B?: And Other Mysteries We’re Discussing in the Faculty Lounge, was a semi-finalist for the Thurber Prize in American humor. Shannon’s writing has been published in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency (where one of her pieces was the most-read article in 2018, and another was in the Top Three for 2023), The Paris Review, The Washington Post, Slate, Buzzfeed, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and many other publications.
About Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out
In her second book, Why We Read, Shannon makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud funny collection she shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. Shannon takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature.
Why We Read was published in February 2024. It quickly became a national bestseller, a Good Housekeeping book club pick, an American Library Association bonus pick, a WGN Radio best book of 2024, a New Yorker best books of 2024, and was excerpted in George Saunders’ Substack, Story Club.
RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program. This program will also be available to view on the Ashland Library’s YouTube Channel.
