ADA, Okla. – Fiction writer and ECU instructor, Peter Biles, is set to deliver a Book Talk on his newest publication, “Last November,” Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m. inside ECU’s Linscheid Library.

Biles is a native of Ada, Okla. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Wheaton College in Ill.

“I wrote most of these stories over a two-year period on the tail-end of COVID and into the waning years of the Biden era (2023-24)” said Biles. “Overall, these short stories point to a theme I've been wrestling with for about half of my life at this point, which is how to find and sustain meaningful relationships, both with other people and with the transcendent, in the modern world with all its pitfalls, distractions, and snares.”

“Last November” is described as a cacophony of voices, young and old, searching for validation in a world shorn of its relational fabric, “a long-lost brother comes home and converses with his forlorn sister. Time stops when two cousins climb their childhood treehouse. A space station explodes and a survivor searches for his lover amid the debris. A child prodigy gets lost on an Oregon beach in search of existential answers.”

“Most of these stories are quiet, set in ordinary locales, with characters who struggle (like me) to truly see the world around them,” added Biles. “I guess if anything, these stories are about unraveling some of our stupor and allowing ourselves to look around, give our attention, and actually live meaningfully. I tried to do this without being didactic or overt. Some of the stories might be better called vignettes, little snapshots of life.”

As inspiration, Biles credits, David James Duncan, Marilynne Robinson, Ray Bradbury, David Foster Wallace, Wendell Berry, C.S. Lewis and ECU’s own Dr. Mark Walling, Dr. Joshua Grasso and Dr. Ken Hada.

Biles will be reading from “Last November,” as well as discussing inspiration and background information on the collection. He will also be available to answer questions after the reading.

For more information about Linscheid Library events, contact Assistant Director and Public Services Librarian, Brandi Schur, at bschur@ecok.edu.    

-ECU-