This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Live From Prairie Lights

DOBRIAN TO READ AT PRAIRIE LIGHTS Will Launch New Novel At Public Event:October 7 At Iowa City’s Landmark Book Store IOWA CITY, Iowa—Journalist, essayist, and political activist Joseph Dobrian will celebrate the publication of his first novel, Willie Wilden, with a reading at Prairie Lights Books, the iconic bookstore located at 15 South Dubuque Street, here. The reading will take place on Friday, October 7, at 7:00 P.M. Willie Wilden (Rex Imperator, 538 pps., trade paperback, $18.95, ISBN 978-0-9835572-1-0) is a novel of political and romantic intrigue, set at Van Devander College in the remote little town of Wildenkill, N.Y. The story takes a satirical look at American attitudes towards politics, academia, literature, and family values. “Van Devander is a stodgy, old-fashioned college, with a new president who’s trying to modernize it,” Dobrian explains. “Some people support her and some don’t. The book’s main character, Roger Ballou, is a novice professor who has made a mid-life career change and doesn’t know much about campus politics—but he finds out, fast. “The title of the book, Willie Wilden, refers to the mascot of the college’s sports teams, who’s a funny-looking cartoon Indian. The question of whether that mascot should be retained is one of the hottest issues on campus—and Professor Ballou, being a football fan, can’t stop himself from getting involved.” Willie Wilden is contrarian social criticism, in the tradition of Thank You For Smoking or A Confederacy of Dunces. The author, who was the Libertarian candidate for Mayor of New York City in 2009, doesn’t pretend to take an even-handed approach. “Roger Ballou and his friends are fighting what they consider the forces of evil: progressivism and political correctness,” Dobrian explains. “Roger Ballou is almost a time-traveler from another generation, and he’s the first to admit it.” Dobrian himself is somewhat of an anachronism. Since he left New York in 2010, he’s become a well-recognized figure on the streets of Iowa City: usually wearing one of the 1930s-style suits that he designs himself. “I hope I’ve aroused enough curiosity around here to sell a few books,” he concludes. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Iowa City