Visiting Author Series - Annie Liontas and Jeff Parker at UMass Amherst

Authors Annie Liontas and Jeff Parker visited the University of Massachusetts Amherst as part of their Visiting Writer Series. Jeff Parker is the author of Where Bears Roam the Streets: A Russian Journal. This book looks a past of complicated politics, and takes a humorous look at a friendship of two men who are on opposing sides of the Cold War. Parker reads here an excerpt from his book The Manner of Being:Writers and Their Mentors. The author also shares a recently completed short story, of a son growing up with a "birthday clown" mother who must accompany her as Superman. Other works of his can be found in publications like The Tin House and The Walrus. Parker currently teaches at the MFA program for Poets &Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Annie Liontas read excerpts from her debut novel Let Me Explain You. Liontas's novel was featured on the New York Times Book Review and was also selected by the American Booksellers Association in 2015 as "Indies Introduce Debut." The book follows the life of Stavros Stavros Mavrakis, a Greek immigrant and proud diner owner who believes he only has ten days left to live. This talk was recorded in Memorial Hall at UMass Amherst.