A sequel to his acclaimed memoir Making Toast, about the unexpected death of his daughter, Kayak Morning is Roger’s newest novel. The story is set two and a half years later and is a moving meditation on the passages of grief, the solace of solitude, and the redemptive power of love.

In Making Toast, Roger shared the story of his family in the days and months after the death of his thirty-eight-year-old daughter, Amy. Now, in Kayak Morning, he offers a personal meditation on grief itself and addresses the universal experience of loss. The story begins on a quiet Sunday morning, as Roger heads out in his kayak. He observes, “You can’t always make your way in the world by moving up. Or down, for that matter. Boats move laterally on water, which levels everything. It is one of the two great levelers.” Readers are reminded that grief is not apart from life but encompasses it and are offered an unsentimental and deeply moving account of the possibility of redemption against all odds.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online here, or by calling 614-464-1032. Also, if you’d like the chance to meet Roger and talk about his works in a more intimate setting over dinner, purchase tickets to the Author’s Table. More details can be found here. We hope to see you there!

Unable to make it out Thursday? Check out the rest of this season’s line-up of Evenings with Authors events here.

Guests enjoy mingling at a special cocktail reception before the reading.

Alan meets with fans and signs their books before the reading.

Dave takes the stage and entertains the audience with his quick wit.

Alan shares excerpts from "Lunatics."

The hysterical duo struck a chord with the audience and had them laughing the evening away.

Dave and Alan take time to answer the audience's questions.

To see more photos from our Special Event with Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel, see our album on Facebook.

Each of the events begin at 7:30 p.m. For more details and to purchase tickets click here.

The 2012 Winter/Spring season events are as follows:

Thursday, Jan. 26: Roger Rosenblatt, Kayak Morning
Columbus Museum of Art

Roger Rosenblatt (photo by Chip Cooper)

Wednesday, Feb. 22: Tim Dorsey, Pineapple Grenade
Columbus Museum of Art

Tim Dorsey (photo by Janine Dorsey)

Thursday, March 8: Susan Jacoby, Never Say Die: The Myth and Marketing of The New Old Age
Columbus Museum of Art

Susan Jacoby

Tuesday, March 20:  Lisa Lutz, Trail of the Spellmans: Document #5
Columbus Museum of Art

Lisa Lutz

Wednesday, April 4: Beth Gutcheon, Gossip
Columbus Museum of Art

Beth Gutcheon (photo by Robin Clements)

Wednesday, April 18: Anne Perry, Dorchester Terrace
Columbus Performing Arts Center

Anne Perry (photo by Diane Hinds)

Tuesday, June 5: J. Courtney Sullivan, Maine
Columbus Museum of Art

Courtney Sullivan

 Are you still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the book-lover in your life? Gift them tickets to Evenings with Authors!

We asked around the house, “If someone wants to give the gift of reading, what book(s) would you suggest and why?” Here are some of our recommendations:

Susanne’s pick(s):
“Well, of course A Christmas Carol by Dickens, but also Mr. Tim by Louis Bayard which is not a Christmas tale but does give the story of Tiny Tim’s life after A Christmas Carol ends. Also, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, because Seuss is brilliant and the story, like any good holiday tale, is for both children and adults, and The Joy of Cooking–the quintessential cookbook for beginners and pros in the kitchen.”
Susanne Jaffe is Thurber House’s executive director

Meg’s pick(s):
“For children, Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg for the pure beauty of the story and illustrations. Makes a great Christmas present too! For mid-grade, Pond Scum by Alan Silberberg. It has fun characters, lots of great humor and a positive message. Parents will enjoy reading along too! And for young adults, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I finally checked it off my to-read list and loved it! It has great action, plot twists, messages about friendship, survival, and a great heroine. Boys, girls, and adults will get sucked into it. Make it a family affair and read it together and check out the movie in March to see if it holds true!”
Meg Brown is Thurber House’s children’s programming manager

Pat’s pick(s):
“So many books – so little time! The first book that came to mind is a picture book, aimed for adults called, It’s a Book by Lane Smith. It celebrates the book form in all its simplicity and joy. You can check out the trailer on YouTube. The irony comes when you look up the book on Amazon, and beneath the book cover, there’s a box that asks people to write to the publisher and request an ebook version. Also, I second Meg’s suggestion for Hunger Games, you can’t turn the pages fast enough! Another series that I love is Alexander McCall Smith’s, No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. The characters are charming, the mysteries are challenging and there’s just the right mix of humor and drama. The beauty of starting someone reading a series is that you can keep giving them books until they’ve read them all:)”
Pat Shannon is Thurber House’s Director of Education

Amanda’s pick(s):
“Anything from Nancy Pearl’s Book Lust series. Finding the right book at the right moment is often difficult, but she makes it easy by recommending books by vacation destinations or moods or important life moments. They’re books about hundreds of books, so it’s definitely a gift that will keep on giving.”
Amanda Fondreist is Thurber House’s General House Administrator

Looking for more book recommendations? Check out our Summer and Fall Staff Picks Lists!

In case you missed it, here are some photos to recap the evening’s events:

Guests mix and mingle before the Gala begins.

Attendees enjoy a fantastic dinner served by The Westin Columbus.

Hely shares a funny Thurber story from his childhood.

Hely and our host, Dr. Wayne P. Lawson, draw the winning raffle tickets.

Hely meets with guests after the event. Thanks for coming to Columbus, Steve!

“I write humor the way a surgeon operates, because it is a livelihood, because I have a great urge to do it, because many interesting challenges are set up, and because I have the hope it may do some good.”

-James Thurber

Steve Hely is the featured guest at this year's Birthday Gala.

Thurber’s writings have certainly withstood the times and continue to inspire laughter and the art of humor writing to this day. On Dec. 8, we’ll be celebrating his 117^th birthday by holding our annual Thurber Birthday Gala in his honor at The Westin Columbus from 6-9 p.m. This year’s celebration will feature the 2010 Thurber Prize for American Humor winner, Steve Hely, writer for shows like The Office and The David Letterman Show, and author of How I Became a Famous Novelist.

This is an evening you won’t want to miss out on! Click here to purchase your tickets by Dec. 5 (hurry, there are only a limited amount available!).

In addition to the dinner, we’re holding a raffle with the chance to win one of five prize packages. And there’s something for everyone! Prizes include a script and Season 6 DVD set of The Office signed by the cast (including Steve Carrell!), tickets to The Ohio State sporting events, an assortment of wine, overnight stay at the Westin Columbus, and more!

Purchase your raffle tickets here for the following prize packages:

For the TV Fan
A DVD of Season 6 of The Office and a script, both signed by the cast, including Steve Carrell, and a signed copy of Steve Hely’s Thurber Prize winning book, How I Became a Famous Novelist.

For the Sports Fan
Two tickets to one OSU Men’s basketball game, two Men’s ice hockey games, and two Women’s basketball games.

For the Romantic
An overnight stay at the elegant Westin Columbus plus dinner for two at the hotel’s High Street Grill and drink vouchers at the incomparable Thurber’s Bar.

For the Entertainment Fan
Two tickets to a ProMusica Chamber Orchestra performance (excluding their gala) plus a copy of each of their two new CDs. Two tickets to a performance by BalletMet. Two tickets to a performance by CATCO. Two tickets to a performance by the Jazz Arts Orchestra. Two tickets to any Thurber House Winter/Spring Evenings with Authors event.

For the Art & Wine Lover
A case of assorted wines and a signed and framed print of Thurber House.

Note, you do not need to be present to win.

We hope you’ll join us for this exciting evening of laughter, celebration and fun!

Do you have a young writer itching to express his or her creative side? Our Writing Wizards workshops are back and being held each Saturday, January 28 through February 25. From science fiction, to narratives, to poetry and more, we have the area’s most talented writers and teachers bringing the magic of writing to classes for all ages.

Second and Third Graders:

Mad Scientists – A Laboratory for Story Creation with Sylvia Jackson

Young writers will become the “mad scientist” of their own tales in this class that focuses on the worlds of science and science fiction writing.

Animal Stories, from Aardvarks to Zebras with Jan Williams

Your child’s creative juices will be flowing as they are challenged to write stories and poems about their favorite animals – real or imagined.

Fourth and Fifth Graders:

Enter the Exciting World of “Warriors” with Linda Forte-Spearing

Inspired by Erin Hunter’s “Warrior” series about a domestic cat trying to survive in the wild, participants will explore how to create a story from an animal’s perspective.

So You Want to be a Writer! with Paul Hammock

Participants will get down to the basics of writing and learn narration and dialogue techniques, character creation and how to make your story a page-turner.

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Graders

The Amazing Writing Race with Sarah Magill

Join our version of the TV show, The Amazing Race, to travel places near and far, gathering clues at pit stops to discover different genres of writing including poetry, stories and travel logs.

Attack of the Killer Plot Device with Kathy Matthew and Dan Mushalko

Stretch your imagination (and writing skills) as we dive into tales of aliens, dragons and more! Learn how to use science and logic to craft your own “invasion plot” storyline.

Registration is now open, so don’t delay as classes are on a first-come, first-serve basis and will fill up quickly! The deadline for enrollment is January 13. Click here to register online. For more details on time and location, visit our website.

"Swamplandia!" is Russell's bestselling novel set in the Florida Everglades about the Bigtree family and their adventures in trying to save their alligator theme park.

Russell takes the stage to share inspiration behind the story and offer a glimpse of how she gave life to the hysterical band of alligator wrestlers.

The audience listens intently as Russell captivates their attention with the novel's creative storyline and hilarious characters.

After the reading and Q&A, Russell met with fans and signed their copy of "Swamplandia!"

Thank you Karen! We had a wonderful evening and were so honored to have you as our guest!

Overall the evening was a huge success and the perfect conclusion to the Fall Evenings with Authors series. If you weren’t able to make it out this fall, stay tuned to our website, Facebook and Twitter as we’ll soon announce our Winter and Spring series line-up!

Join us this Thursday for our final event featuring Karen Russell who will read and discuss her bestselling novel Swamplandia! This rip-roaring story takes readers down to the Everglades of Florida and introduces them to a clan of alligator wrestlers who own a rundown tourist attraction.

Russell has garnered attention from bestseller lists across the country and received accolades from numerous reviews. She is a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award; featured in The New Yorker’s list of “20 under 40 Authors to Watch”; was nominated for the Orange Prize; and is currently a writer-in-residence at Bard College in upstate New York.

This is one event you won’t want to miss out on! The reading begins at 7:30 p.m. and takes place at the Columbus Performing Arts Center. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here (along with more details).

We hope to see you there!