Interviewing The Local Author: Third Episode with Matt Geiger
Author and humorist Matt Geiger believes Jorge Luis Borges when he says the thing philosophers really seek - more than truth, more even than knowledge - is the opportunity to be amazed. With this as his starting point in his new collection of stories and essays, Geiger sets out in search of comic profundity and awe.
He turns what poet Kimberly Blaeser called his “philosopher’s vision” to his own Neanderthal DNA, parenting, competitive axe throwing, death, the holidays, dandelions, doppelgangers and much, much more. With a nod to the limits of human knowledge and understanding, particularly his own, he blends whimsy and gravitas while unveiling beauty, joy, and happiness in a seemingly broken world. From the 83-year-old model whose image adorns the cover of the book, to the two-headed calf he finds in a rural gas station, he finds reason after reason to smile, nod, and be astonished by everyday life.
Geiger is a Midwest Book Award Winner, a national American Book Fest Finalist, and an international Next Generation Indie Book AwardFinalist. He is also the winner of numerous journalism awards. He appears regularly on public radio.
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini has called Geiger "a writer of deft humor and exceptional insight. By turns poignant and hilarious, his witty, empathetic observations of fatherhood, family, and community evoke laughter and touch the heart in equal measure." His stories have been praised by the Pioneer Press, the Capital Times, the Midwest Book Review, the St. Augustine Record, Writers on Writing, Curled Up With A Good Book, and many others. His writing has also been lauded by authors including Kirsten Lobe, Alex Bledsoe, and bestselling novelistKathleen Ernst, who said his stories have “universal appeal”: “Matt Geiger delves into the heart of common experience with wit, humility, and vivid detail.”
Interviewing The Local Author: First Episode with Nick Chiarkas
Nick Chiarkas’ extensive legal and law enforcement background allows him to write from a place of powerful personal experience. He doesn’t just write about crime and mystery. He’s lived it. Readers will enjoy writing which stems from his experience as Research Director to the President’s Commission on Organized Crime and assisting domestic and international organizations in developing public defender policy.