from the May, 2013 issue of Kiai!

Upcoming Book Event:
Smile at Strangers by Susan Schorn

 

by Senpai Ryan Libel,
Director of Operations

From the murder of a friend’s mother at age 14, to beefs with old beloved proverbs, it’s Susan Schorn’s way with juxtapositions that always makes her an excellent read.  Smile at Strangers, the Austin-based author’s debut memoir soon to be released by Houghton Mifflin, offers jaunts both comic and poignant.  Susan, aka Senpai George, is a second degree black belt in Seido karate training at Sun Dragon Martial Arts in Austin, Texas.   In the book, she weaves her witty style into scenes from her everyday life at the dojo, at home, and in the streets — especially in the streets, where, for example, we find her retrieving a cigarette butt flicked out of a stranger’s car window and returning it to its rightful owner. 

Fans of her monthly McSweeney’s column “Bitchslap, A Column about Women and Fighting” will welcome the familiar tone and the occasion to explore with her in-depth those angrier parts of our psyches that many of us work on for a lifetime.  George charts progress as well as setbacks, and as with our karate-do, the journey is the real reward.  

Thousand Waves is proud to be hosting Susan Schorn for an author event on June 15 from 4-5:30 pm.  She will be reading from and discussing her memoir, and copies will be available for sale by Chicago indie bookseller The Book Cellar.  Please mark your calendars and join us!