ONLINE: George Saunders

media release: Barnes & Noble welcomes George Saunders, the New York Times bestselling, Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo and Tenth of December, for a live virtual event to discuss his new book, A SWIM IN A POND IN THE RAIN, a literary master class on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves—and our world today.

George Saunders will be in discussion with Cheryl Strayed, bestselling author of WILD.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For the last twenty years, George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University. In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us, offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years. Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it’s more relevant than ever in these turbulent times.In his introduction, Saunders writes, “We’re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world, made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn’t fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely, to ask the big questions, questions like, How are we supposed to be living down here? What were we put here to accomplish? What should we value? What is truth, anyway, and how might we recognize it?” He approaches the stories technically yet accessibly, and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster. The process of writing, Saunders reminds us, is a technical craft, but also a way of training oneself to see the world with new openness and curiosity.A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading, and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

George Saunders is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the Man Booker Prize; Congratulations, by the way; Tenth of December, a finalist for the National Book Award; The Braindead Megaphone; and the critically acclaimed short story collections CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, Pastoralia, and In Persuasion Nation. He teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse University.

This is a live, ticketed event. You must have a ticket to gain access. Please be sure your correct email is listed when you purchase and that your Eventbrite settings include updates on this event.

• This is for US-based customers ONLY; no international addresses or P.O. Boxes. Any non US orders or P.O. Box mailing addresses will be cancelled and refunded.

• Each ticket must have a different email associated with it to gain entry. Any repeated emails will be cancelled and refunded.

Ticket Information:

A ticket PER PERSON includes one signed copy of A SWIM IN A POND IN THE RAIN, along with admission to the virtual event space with George Saunders. (Tax and shipping costs to domestic, non-P.O. Box addresses only are included in your ticket price.)

Event Details:

• Access to the event will become available via your event confirmation on the night of the event on Thursday, January 14 at 7 PM EST. You will be directed to a JOIN NOW button. Please look for it then & be sure you are entering the email you used to purchase your ticket to enter.

• The book will be mailed following the completion of the live virtual event. Please allow ample time for delivery. We cannot deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• This is a US-based event ONLY. Any non US orders or P.O. Boxes will be cancelled and refunded.

• Each ticket must have a different email associated with it to gain entry. Any repeated emails will be cancelled and refunded.

Guidelines:

• Disruptive Conduct: Barnes & Noble wants to create a safe virtual space for all. You acknowledge and agree that Barnes & Noble reserves the right to remove you from the Virtual Event if B&N, in its sole discretion, determines that your participation or behavior create a disruption or hinder the Virtual Event or the enjoyment of the Virtual Event content by other attendees.

• By registering for a paid George Saunders Virtual Event Ticket, you agree not to share, sell or trade your access. If Barnes & Noble determines that you have violated this policy, B&N may cancel your access, retain any payments made by you, and ban you from future Virtual Events.

• Recording, Live Streaming, and Videotaping. Participants may not record or broadcast audio or video of Barnes & Noble Virtual Events.

• This is a US-based event ONLY, and please allow ample time for delivery. Due to complications around shipping during the pandemic, delays can be common. All tickets include the cost of shipping to domestic, non-P.O. Box addresses only.

Please note that Eventbrite is the only authorized dealer for this event. Each person must have a ticket to enter.

Refunds:

We cannot guarantee a replay of the program. Please keep this in mind before purchasing a ticket. There will be no refunds for missing the live event.

Event guidelines are subject to change.

Join Barnes & Noble for future virtual events! See our upcoming line-up here.