Cal Hoffman presents 'Easy to Slip: A Novel'

Third Place Books is pleased to welcome Cal Hoffman to our Ravenna store for a conversation about his novel, — a story about a young man experiencing psychosis who finds remarkable strength within himself as he begins a journey towards recovery.

This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!

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Sam Kovner reads messages on walls and hears voices in the hall, and wonders: if you find yourself losing your mind, how do you get well?

Winter, 1976, Columbia University. Hearing voices and seeing hateful writing on walls, early admission Sam Kovner walks the New York streets, sleepless thirty-six hours. Through the radiant specificity of memory, he reckons with a hard-driving father, a caring, sometimes careless mother, a generous, self-involved uncle who's just become a movie star, and star-struck grandparents. Sam fears the undertow of feelings: he's not quite spent the night with someone he's fallen for. Home for high-school graduation, a prom night affair reminds Sam of how he once knew love, freeing him to face his encroaching psychosis. Entering a hospital, he confronts traumatic, repressed memories with unflinching courage. With irrepressible humor and pathos, Easy to Slip recalls an era when youth mattered and people healed from psychiatric illness.

Cal Hoffman is a writer, educator, and actor. He graduated from Catholic University and attended Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London and the MFA Fiction Writing Program at Columbia University. He has taught English and creative writing to children of immigrants, private school students, and young people in foster care. As an actor, he has performed in regional theater across the country and starred in the acclaimed New York revival of Jules Feiffer’s play, Elliot Loves. Cal lives with his wife, Victoria Leacock Hoffman, and their son, Harry, in Washington, DC.

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Third Place Books - Ravenna, 6504 20th Ave NE, Seattle, United States