3 Questions with Stephen Kiernan

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

« 12 Books We Would Re-Read If We Had the Time, and That We Recommend for YOU today

3 Questions with Stephen Kiernan

November 2, 2015 by lisalisabookjam

Stephen P. Kiernan_credit Todd R. Lockwood (2)

This “3 Questions” features Stephen Kiernan author of The Hummingbird and other novels. Mr. Kiernan’s widely praised debut novel, The Curiosity, was published in 2013 and is in development at Twentieth Century Fox for film adaptation. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop fiction MFA program and holds an MA from Johns Hopkins University. In his 25 years as a journalist, he has won more than 40 awards. He is also the author of the non-fiction books Last Rights and Authentic Patriotism. He lives in Vermont with his two sons.

Mr. Kiernan will be visiting the Norwich Bookstore at 7 pm on Wednesday, November 11 to discuss his latest book, The Hummingbird. This novel was an Indie Bookstore pick in September 2015, with the review “’The Hummingbird’ is a powerful story about the critical role of human empathy in dealing with two important contemporary issues: hospice care and post-traumatic stress disorder. Kiernan’s characters are well-drawn and give unique perspectives on death, trauma, and providing care in difficult times. ‘The Hummingbird’ is a must-read for all who want to help loved ones die with dignity as well as for those helping veterans achieve normalcy after serving our country.” — Phyllis K Spinale, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA

The event with Mr. Kiernan is free and open to the public. However, reservations are recommended as space is limited. Call 802-649-1114 or email info@norwichbookstore.com to save your seat.

1.What three books have helped shape you into the author you are today, and why?

I believe reading is the foundation of learning how to write, so a great many books have educated and informed my work. Three with radically different effects would be Pan by Knut Hamsun (for structure and the power of simple language), One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marcia Marquez (because it is a great work of genius and being humbled by a book is always helpful), and Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey (because it celebrates rich imagining and demonstrates how a book makes it own internal rules).

2.What author (living or dead) would you most like to have a cup of coffee with and why?

I would choose to have tea, (not coffee, as a proper Brit he would never drink coffee) with JRR Tolkien so I could ask him about turning story into myth, and investing narrative with spiritual purpose.

3.What books are currently on your bedside table?

My bedside table is covered with books about World War II and D-Day, which is in rough terms the topic of my next novel. Typically I read deeply for background and research, then put it all aside and let imagination write the book. This early part of the process is like putting extra logs in the wood stove, banking ideas to keep the house warm all night.

Posted in Fiction Fanatics, Meet the Author | Tagged Authentic Patriotism, D-Day, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, IndieBound, Iowa Writer's Workshop, Johns Hopkins University, JRR Tolkein, Ken Kesey, Knut Hamsun, Last Rights, Norwich Bookstore, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Pan, Sometimes a Great Nation, speaker series Norwich Bookstore, Stephen Kiernan, The Curiosity, The Hummingbird, Vermont Authors, World War II | Leave a Comment

Comments RSS

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Enter your comment here...

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Email (required) (Address never made public)

Name (required)

Website

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Google account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 703 other followers

Email Address:
The Book Jam is…

The view from a small town in Vermont onto the wide world of books where we put the right book in the right hands at the right time.

Through literature and our unique live events — 1) Pages in the Pub, a program bringing disparate communities together around books and 2) BOOK BUZZ, our literacy program for K-12 schools — the Book Jam creates communities. We provide virtual and physical spaces where people can safely discuss difficult issues. Using books, our programs help educate people about important events in their lives and in the lives of others. We build empathy, an essential aspect of healthy communities through discussions about great literature. We increase literacy. And, we draw attention to the wonderful roles of libraries and independent bookstores throughout the world.

WHO WE ARE…

The Book Jam Lisas are two women passionate about reading and sharing our literary discoveries. While we live in the woods, we can spot a great book, especially with the steady stream of excellent suggestions from the indie booksellers up here in Vermont.

WHAT THIS BLOG DOES FOR YOU…

If you’ve got reader’s block – also known as being in a “book jam” – this blog will help. Through posts organized around specific themes and our live events, we open the world of books to you by highlighting books you didn’t even know you needed. If you have issues you need help exploring, this blog will help. If you need to know there are others in the world who feel as you do, this blog will help. We honestly rest easier knowing that you have the right book on your bedside table each night providing whatever it is you need.

Everything we recommend has been personally read and reviewed by one of us – all the way up here in the Green Mountain State.
Book Jam Picks For:
- Amateur Philosophers (16)
- Armchair Travelers (55)
- Belly Laughs (41)
- Book Clubs (31)
- Closet Mystery Lovers (53)
- Fiction Fanatics (179)
- Food Lovers (42)
- Historical Fiction Buffs (55)
- Just the "facts" (87)
- Kids at Heart (92)
- Meet the Author (75)
- Must Read Memoirs (88)
- Nature Lovers (13)
- Poetic Souls (24)
- Sports and other Adventures (27)
- Tough GIfts (45)
- Two Peas in a Pod: Similar Themes (47)
- Uncategorized (14)
The Book Jam’s Recent Posts
Ideas for the Bookjam?

Send your ideas for future bookjams or any comments to lisalisabookjam@gmail.com. Thanks!
Indie Bookseller Recommendations
Connect with The Book Jam on Facebook

Connect with The Book Jam on Facebook
The Book Jam’s Twitter Feed
- Reminder – BOOK JAM has a NEW location thebookjamblog.com/2019/07/31/rem… 1 year ago
- The BOOK JAM Has MOVED thebookjamblog.com/2019/05/28/the… 1 year ago
- 3 Questions with Saul Lelchuk thebookjamblog.com/2019/04/01/3-q… https://t.co/hkFcLBGeUj 2 years ago

<span>%d</span> bloggers like this:

The Book Jam

Seeing the Books for the Trees. A Literary View from Vermont.

3 Questions with Stephen Kiernan

Share this:

Like this:

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Email Subscription

The Book Jam is…

Book Jam Picks For:

The Book Jam’s Recent Posts

Ideas for the Bookjam?

Indie Bookseller Recommendations

Connect with The Book Jam on Facebook

The Book Jam’s Twitter Feed