Authors in D.C.
Fans of science fiction satirist Terry Pratchett were able to meet the author on Tuesday night at Olsson's Book and Record shop in Arlington, Va. The British author's dry sense of humor instilled itself throughout the evening. He talked with fans for a lighthearted hour about the future of the series, his inspirations and what life was like as an author. The questions from the audience were similarly lighthearted and ranged from how current events shape his writing to what his favorite video games were.
The chance to meet a favorite author is a rare but illuminating experience. It is a chance to see what kind of person they are and how that translates into their writing. Living in the D.C. metro area offers a tremendous opportunity to meet such authors as book tours frequently bring them to our nation's capital. Upcoming events include "Sex in the City" creator Candace Bushnell, pro wrestler Mick Foley and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Check the Olsson's, Barnes & Noble and Borders websites for listings of other authors coming to town.
Also coming up on Sept. 24 is the annual National Book Festival, held on the National Mall. Sponsored by the Library of Congress each year, it brings together dozens of authors from a variety of fields to speak and meet their fans. This year guests include Thomas Friedman, R.L. Stine and David McCullough. More information about the event can be found at www.loc.gov/bookfest.
-MICHAEL LUCIBELLA
Got Couch?
Students love three things universally: sleeping, traveling and getting things for free. Couchsurfing.com, launched in 2004, offers an impressive combination of all three. One part social networking (like Myspace.com) and one part people helping each other out (like Craigslist.org), Couchsurfing.com provides a forum for people to seek and/or offer free places to stay - often a couch - while traveling. Couch surfing, rather than staying at a hotel or hostel, can take travelers out of the tourist sphere and into the homes of locals, potentially offering a more authentic experience of the area. Currently, there are almost 30,000 registered couch surfers who speak one or more of 500 different languages located in over 7,000 cities and 150 countries, and the numbers grow every day. One of the four 20-something founders, Casey Fenton, describes his mission as "taking folks on the ride of their lives."
-ERIE MEYER
