A Book-Signing with Adam Schuitema

 
We are excited to welcome back Michigan author, Adam Schuitema on Saturday, August 12th from 2 – 4 p.m. Adam will visit for a book signing of The Things We Do That Make No Sense, his latest collection of short stories. This is a free event.
We are guilty of actions that make no sense. We perform acts of beauty and acts of ugliness. We give in to hidden ambitions, latent hungers, and clumsy grasps at insight.
At the heart of these stories are the rituals—grand and small—in which we humans partake; the peculiar gestures we hope will forge meaning or help us glean some sort of understanding. They may be formally ceremonial and spiritual, like the imposition of ashes in a darkened church. But often they are secular, private, and bizarre. A woman slipping her son’s old baby tooth into her mouth as he’s led away to prison. A girl in a tunnel playing an invisible piano while bombs ravage the city above. A man with a laser machine, creating a private galaxy to rekindle lost love. A daughter frantically searching a wax museum for her mother’s second self.
The power of ritual weaves through this collection amid lush descriptions and poignant dialogue. And from both the everyday and the sacred, these characters piece together the strange mosaic of life. Set mostly in Michigan, these stories will appeal to those who appreciate literary fiction, especially those with a connection to the Midwest.
Adam Schuitema is the author of the short-story collections The Things We Do That Make No Sense (2017) and Freshwater Boys (2010) and the novel Haymaker (2015). His works have twice been named Michigan Notable Books by the Library of Michigan. Adam's stories have appeared in numerous magazines, including Glimmer Train, North American Review, Indiana Review, TriQuarterly, and The Southern Review. He earned his MFA and Ph.D. from Western Michigan University and is an associate professor of English at Kendall College of Art and Design. Adam lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife and daughter.