If you ever considered leaving New York for a better life anywhere, you’ll want to hear Lori Soderland’s book about her adventures in pursuit of a better life out west.

COME TO THE FIRST BROOKLYN READING WORKS OF THE YEAR AND HEAR LORI SODERLAND AND MARY STERNBACH.

At the Old Stone House. 8 p.m.   Go here for a map and directions to the Old Stone House.
The Old stone House is located in JJ Byrne Park on Fifth Avenue between
3rd and 4th Street. Light refreshments and books are sold at all
readings. Scroll down for the complete 2006-2007 Readings Schedule.

September 21, 2006

Lori Soderland, author of CHASING MONTANA (UW Press) will read from her non-fiction work about leaving New York City for Montana.

Park Slope writer, Mary Sternbach will read from her novel, ROBERT FOSTER,
which examine race and artistic expression in 1930’s Hollywood. Mary’s work has been published in Paper Street and she was a contributor of
over 500 film reviews for the movie guide: SEE THAT, NOW WHAT.  She is
currently working on a non-fiction book about interactivity and
experiential experiences. 

HERE’S A BLURB ABOUT LORI’S BOOK, CHASING MONTANA:

Lori, the heroine of this rousing narrative, is attempting to flee the hectic East Coast for a better life in the West. She is a child of the Seventies who feels misled by the rebellious "boomer" generation and disappointed with life in 1980s New Jersey. Spurred by the tale of her pioneering grandparents, who immigrated to Montana, and following her friend Madeleine, who has all the answers, Lori quits her job, loosens her ties, and sets off into a wild frontier.

Lori’s story is one of love for people and for places that are more mythic than real. Her pursuit is as painfully familiar as it is impossible: she seeks meaning in life while working dead-end jobs, falls in love with uninterested partners, and plans a future that seems doomed from the start. Somehow, though, she persists and ultimately finds her place as a twenty-first-century pioneer.

"An understated and moving memoir that feels like a road trip with a really good friend. But more than that, it’s a subtle social commentary, a travel story, a coming out, and an epitaph for the ghost towns of the West. Chasing Montana will be a new road favorite for meandering women across the land."–Mack Friedman, author of Setting the Lawn on Fire

"I rolled down my window. The air rushed in like a flood of invisible cotton, soft and edgeless. It smelled like the earth baked in sun. Oh god: it could all be so beautiful, it could, it could, if we wanted. I yelled above the radio and the wind rushing in: ‘Madeleine, I want to be free as wild horses, I want to live among the buffalo, I want to let my hair grow to my knees and swim naked in cold rivers. I want to live, to live, to live until I die and nothing can stop me now. I WANT TO BE FREEEEEEE!’ "–Excerpt from Chasing Montana