Authors Tommy Orange and Kaveh Akbar embarked on a Northern California tour, visiting multiple bookshops to promote their latest works. Orange's "Wandering Stars" continues themes from his acclaimed debut, while Akbar's "Martyr!" explores the life of a young Iranian American man. Their friendship, cultivated through shared experiences and interests, has significantly influenced their writing. During a stop at Kepler's in Menlo Park, they reflected on their bond, the parallels in their stories, and their love for the Bay Area, emphasizing how mutual support has enriched their literary journeys.
Tommy came to read at Purdue University, where I was teaching at the time, just after "There There" had come out. I was in charge of taking Tommy around. Over the course of driving him around, we started to realize that there were all these uncanny symmetries in our stories, interests and experiences, from having a shared love of "The Simpsons" and basketball, to addiction in our various and sundry life story histories.
Our friendship has been a constant source of inspiration. Passing pages back and forth over the years has allowed us to build our narratives while encouraging each other to explore deeper themes.
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