Jon Raymond, an Oregon Book Award-winning author and Emmy-nominated screenwriter, will be the first speaker for the Cannon Beach Library’s 2023-24 NW Authors Series. His presentation will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 in the library or online. This is a hybrid event; attend the talk at the library or watch online: www.cannonbeachlibrary.org.
Raymond’s recent book, Denial, a futuristic thriller about climate change, was a New York Time’s Book Review Editor’s Choice in 2022. The book, nominated for an Oregon Book Award, will be available for purchase at the event.
A Newsweek review calls Denial “enthralling.”
“The not-so-distant future of Denial questions much of what we think we know about life and death and the consequences of our decisions…This subtle and morally engaging novel is a simple yet thought-provoking read,” the Newsweek review adds.
Fellow Portland author Omar El Akkad says Denial is a “subtle exploration of what justice means on the other side of human-driven climate calamity.” “There are no easy answers in this novel, only a deeply humane look at the chasm between crime and punishment, cause and consequence,” El Akkad says. Raymond also is known for his novels The Half-Life and Rain Dragon.
In 2008, Raymond published his first collection of short stories, Livability, which won the Oregon Book Award’s Ken Kesey Award for Fiction in 2009. Two stories from that collection (Old Joy and Train Choir) were adapted into feature films directed by Kelly Reichardt. Raymond was nominated for an Emmy for his teleplay writing with Todd Haynes on the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, starring Kate Winslet. His latest collaboration with Kelly Reichardt is Showing Up, which premiered at Festival de Cannes in 2022. Raymond’s writing also has appeared in several publications. He lives in Portland with his partner, writer Emily Chenoweth, and their kids, Eliza and Josephine.
The Cannon Beach Library’s NW Authors Series committee hosts authors from September through May. Local writers also are invited to participate in the Writers Read event in March.
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