Tom Spanbauer (born 1946)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Tom Spanbauer is a Critically Acclaimed author and the founder of Dangerous Writing. As a writer he has explored issues of race, of sexual identity, of how we make a family for ourselves in order to surmount the limitations of the families into which we are born.

His three published novels Faraway Places, The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon, winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award for best fiction, and In the City of Shy Hunters, and the last published, Now Is the Hour, are notable for their combination of a fresh and lyrical prose style with solid storytelling.

As a teacher his innovative approach combines close attention to language with a large-hearted openness to what he calls 'the sore place'--that place within each of us that is the source for stories that no one else can tell. His introductory workshop is an underground legend among emerging writers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The community of writers that has formed around him is dedicated to the proposition that "Fiction is the lie that tells the truth truer."

Tom lives, writes, and teaches in Portland Oregon.

Source: http://www.tomspanbauer.com/

Further Readings:

Now Is the Hour by Tom Spanbauer
Amazon: Now Is the Hour

Rigby John Klusener is hitchhiking to San Francisco. The year is 1967, the town is Pocatello, Idaho. Fresh out of high school, Rigby John is leaving behind his bohemian ex-girlfriend, his prayerful mother, his distant father, and the hay dust of his harsh farm town Catholic upbringing. As he stands by the side of the road desperately waiting for that one ride out, he reflects on the events that brought him there: the discovery of love, friendship, literature, and all the small joys that set him free. At once a tale of sexual awakening, racial enlightenment, and personal epiphany, Now Is the Hour is the disarming and sweetly winning story of one unforgettable teenager who dares to hope for a different life.

A risky assay into the traditional bildungsroman, with this straightforward, but luminous tale. - Publishers Weekly

Spanbauer writes this fairly traditional coming-of-age story with a raw energy that makes it compelling. - Kirkus Reviews

Sophisticated, funny, poignant, sexy coming-of-age novel... - Booklist, ALA

Full of hope, sadness and humor, this is an extended ballad in the voice of an appealing narrator - People Magazine

Vividly reflecting...Grade: B+ - Entertainment Weekly

Spanbauer is a generous writer..."Now Is the Hour" is an engaging novel. - The Seattle Times

"Now Is the Hour" is at once beautiful and hilarious. - The Oregonian

More Particular Voices at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Particular Voices