Tuesday, December 11, at 6pm, a presentation and book signing with Andrew Simonet, author of Wilder. Simonet, who will be an Artist in Residence at The Studios of Key West in November and December, will offer, “13 Thoughts on Writing and Fighting.”
This timely talk, geared towards teens and adults will include excerpts from his Young Adult novel Wilder, stories from his life, and reflections on masculinity and violence. Both funny and serious, Simonet offers a thoughtful and interesting take on the subject of toxic masculinity.
Andrew Simonet is writer and choreographer from Philadelphia. From 1993 to 2013, he co-directed Headlong Dance Theater, creating dances like CELL (a journey for one audience member guided by cell phone), and This Town is a Mystery (dances by four Philadelphia families in their homes). In 2013, he left his dance company to focus on writing.
Wilder, his debut YA novel has been called, “A page-turning, mind-twisting adventure that illuminates the complexity of male violence,” by Dashka Slater, the award-winning author of The 57 Bus. Slater goes on to write, “Jason’s story gripped me by the lapels
and refused to let me look away.”
Jason Wilder is in permanent in-school suspension for fighting. Meili Wen gets there by breaking a girl’s finger. Jason and Meili don’t just connect; they collide. Two people who would never cross paths—outsiders from radically different backgrounds—they form an exhiliarating, unpredictable bond. When circumstances push, they push back. There’s no plan. And there’s no stopping.
– From the book jacket