UCSB Arts & Lectures presents National Book Award-winning author Andrew Solomon, celebrated for exploring the human condition, in conversation with Pico Iyer, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at UCSB Campbell Hall.
The event marks the final conversation this season in the Speaking with Pico series. Books by both Solomon and Iyer will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Chaucer’s Books.
Solomon’s books include Far from the Tree: Parents, Children & the Search for Identity (an award-winning New York Times bestseller), which examines the means by which families accommodate children with physical, mental and social challenges; and The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression.
The latter is widely considered the definitive text on depression as it plays out in the self and in the world
In his most recent book, Far and Away, Solomon turns to his travels during the past 25 years to offer thought-provoking angles on his enduring themes of life, death and outsiderhood — and the dignity to be found within every one of them.
In an event related to the talk with Solomon, UCSB Arts & Lectures presents a free screening of the documentary Far From the Tree based on Solomon’s book as part of the Thematic Learning Initiative, 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at the Santa Barbara Central Library. Registration recommended.
Far From the Tree follows families meeting extraordinary challenges through love, empathy and understanding. The film urges viewers to cherish loved ones for all they are, not who they might have been. It offers an intimate look at families raising children facing unexpected challenges:
A mother and son determined to show the world that Down syndrome does not define him; a couple learning to communicate with their bright but nonverbal autistic son; a young woman dealing with what it means to be the only little person in her family; and parents whose deep love for their son persists even after he has committed an unspeakable crime.
With thanks to visionary partners, Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, for their support of the Thematic Learning Initiative.
Solomon’s books and essays explore the subjects of politics, culture and psychology with extraordinary humanity.
He received the National Book Award for The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. The book was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and was a worldwide bestseller published in more than 20 languages.
Acclaimed as a revolutionary feat of journalism, Far From the Tree: Parents, Children & the Search for Identity, looks at the means by which families accommodate children with physical, mental and social disabilities and how these unusual situations can be invested with love.
Solomon spent 10 years researching the book, interviewing more than 300 families and generating 40,000 pages of notes. NPR called the book “a work of genius.” Vanity Fair said, “Andrew Solomon’s empathy, heart and vast intelligence are in abundance in Far from the Tree.”
In 2017, Solomon released a young-adult version of Far From the Tree that explores the impact of extreme differences between parents and children. In 2016, he released a collection of essays examining his years of international travel titled Far and Away.
A regular contributor to NPR and The New York Times, Solomon is an outspoken activist and philanthropist for many causes in LGBT rights, mental health, education and the arts.
He is the founder of the Solomon Research Fellowships in LGBT Studies at Yale University and is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Jesus College, Cambridge and currently is the President of PEN American Center.
Iyer is the author of two novels and 13 works of nonfiction; his books have been translated into 23 languages. He has also written the introductions to more than 60 other works as well as liner notes for Leonard Cohen and a screenplay for Miramax.
Iyer is currently Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University and he will be releasing three new books in 2019, including Autumn Light and A Beginner’s Guide to Japan. He recently gave three TED talks in the space of three years; they have received more than 8 million views so far.
Andrew Solomon in conversation with Pico Iyer is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. Event sponsor: Anonymous. Speaking with Pico series sponsors: Martha Gabbert, Laura Shelburne & Kevin O’Connor.
Tickets are $20-$35 for the general public; $10 for UCSB students with a valid ID. For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 805-893-3535 or visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
— Caitlin O’Hara for UCSB Arts & Lectures.