00:00
52:52
Today on "State of Wonder," we talk finalists for the Oregon Book Awards in fiction, poetry, graphic literature, and more.

"Strange the Dreamer" with Laini Taylor — 1:42

Laini Taylor possesses an epic imagination. In her best-selling “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” series, she dreamed up a world where a girl who has a monster as a foster parent gets caught up in an epic war with not-so-benevolent angels. And now she is starting a new series with “Strange the Dreamer,” the story of a day-dreaming librarian who journeys to a fabled land living in the shadow of a war it has yet to recover from. The book received Michael L. Printz Honors for Young Adult lit and is a finalist for the YA Oregon Book Award.

"American War" with Omar El Akkad — 11:46

Journalist Omar El Akkad has spent his career covering the Arab Spring in Egypt, military trials at Guantanamo Bay, refugee camps in Afghanistan and the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, MO. Now he’s poured all of his experiences into his new novel “American War,” a story about a second American civil war over fought over fossil fuels and set in a Louisiana that is underwater from rising sea levels.

"Field Theories" with Samiya Bashir — 19:36

In her newest book, Samiya Bashir has named her poems after scientific principles like “Plancks Constant” and “Synchronous Rotation.” Their verse plumbs the space where theory collides with real life: from the back seat of a taxi cab to jazz clubs, early morning cigarettes, gun violence, and tall tales. Bashir is a creative writing professor at Reed College and a consummate artist who can’t be contained by the page. "Field Theories” is a finalist for the Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry.

"Fetch" With Nicole Georges — 30:45

What do we owe the pets in our lives when they don’t make our lives easy? And what can we gain from taking care of these animal companions despite their foibles? These are some of the questions illustrator and comic book artist Nicole Georges asked when writing her graphic memoir “Fetch: How a Bad Dog Brought Me Home.” The book focuses on Georges’ symbiotic relationship with a spirited, neurotic and sometimes fearfully aggressive dog named Beija, and it's a contender for the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature.

“In the Pocket of Small Gods” with Anis Mojgani — 38:34

The poet Anis Mojgani isn’t up for one of Literary Arts' Oregon Book Awards — at least not this year — but he is a Literary Arts favorite. He regularly emcees Verselandia, the annual high school poetry slam organized by Literary Arts, and he is himself a two-time National Poetry Slam Champion who tours the country reading and performing.

Mojgani’s work is known for its optimism and joy, but his newest book,“In the Pockets of Small Gods,” is all about vulnerability, particularly as it relates to grief.
Today on "State of Wonder," we talk finalists for the Oregon Book Awards in fiction, poetry, graphic literature, and more. "Strange the Dreamer" with Laini Taylor — 1:42 Laini Taylor possesses an epic imagination. In her best-selling “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” series, she dreamed up a world where a girl who has a monster as a foster parent gets caught up in an epic war with not-so-benevolent angels. And now she is starting a new series with “Strange the Dreamer,” the story of a day-dreaming librarian who journeys to a fabled land living in the shadow of a war it has yet to recover from. The book received Michael L. Printz Honors for Young Adult lit and is a finalist for the YA Oregon Book Award. "American War" with Omar El Akkad — 11:46 Journalist Omar El Akkad has spent his career covering the Arab Spring in Egypt, military trials at Guantanamo Bay, refugee camps in Afghanistan and the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, MO. Now he’s poured all of his experiences into his new novel “American War,” a story about a second American civil war over fought over fossil fuels and set in a Louisiana that is underwater from rising sea levels. "Field Theories" with Samiya Bashir — 19:36 In her newest book, Samiya Bashir has named her poems after scientific principles like “Plancks Constant” and “Synchronous Rotation.” Their verse plumbs the space where theory collides with real life: from the back seat of a taxi cab to jazz clubs, early morning cigarettes, gun violence, and tall tales. Bashir is a creative writing professor at Reed College and a consummate artist who can’t be contained by the page. "Field Theories” is a finalist for the Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry. "Fetch" With Nicole Georges — 30:45 What do we owe the pets in our lives when they don’t make our lives easy? And what can we gain from taking care of these animal companions despite their foibles? These are some of the questions illustrator and comic book artist Nicole Georges asked when writing her graphic memoir “Fetch: How a Bad Dog Brought Me Home.” The book focuses on Georges’ symbiotic relationship with a spirited, neurotic and sometimes fearfully aggressive dog named Beija, and it's a contender for the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature. “In the Pocket of Small Gods” with Anis Mojgani — 38:34 The poet Anis Mojgani isn’t up for one of Literary Arts' Oregon Book Awards — at least not this year — but he is a Literary Arts favorite. He regularly emcees Verselandia, the annual high school poetry slam organized by Literary Arts, and he is himself a two-time National Poetry Slam Champion who tours the country reading and performing. Mojgani’s work is known for its optimism and joy, but his newest book,“In the Pockets of Small Gods,” is all about vulnerability, particularly as it relates to grief. read more read less

5 years ago