Mark Salzman, the author of Iron & Silk, will read from his work at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart on Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m. A book signing will follow the reading, which is free and open to the public.

Mr. Salzman has written on a variety of subjects, from a novel about a Carmelite nun’s ecstatic visions and crisis of faith (Lying Awake) to a memoir about growing up a misfit in a Connecticut suburb (Lost in Place). As a boy, he dreamed about becoming a Kung Fu master, but his academic achievements, along with his
proficiency on the cello, facilitated his acceptance to Yale at 16. He soon changed his major to Chinese Language and Philosophy, which took him to mainland China where he taught English for two years and studied martial arts.

“We are very excited to welcome Mark Salzman to campus,” said Dr. Patty L. Fagin, Head of School at Stuart.” She continued, “His theme of how people struggle to reach an ideal or a goal is one that I feel will resonate with students, parents, and community members.”

Mr. Salzman’s first memoir, Iron and Silk, inspired by his years in China, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction and received the Christopher Award. His book True Notebooks is a look at his experiences as a writing teacher at Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for violent teenage offenders. He is also the author of the memoir Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia, and the novels The Laughing Sutra, The Soloist, and Lying Awake. Common to each of his works is a theme of how people struggle to reach an ideal but often fall short, and the quiet change that takes place in facing the discouragement and the possibility of never achieving their goal. His newest work is the non-fiction title The Man in the Empty Boat

Mr. Salzman never gave up music, and his cello playing appears on the soundtrack to several films, including the Academy Award-winning documentary Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien. He has also played with Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax at Lincoln Center. His unusual combination of talents – as both a well-known author and a concert-proficient cellist – led to a feature profile about him in The New Yorker magazine. He was also recently presented with the Algonquin West Hollywood Literary Award.

As part of the Visiting Author Program, students, faculty, and staff have been reading and studying Mr. Salzman’s work and Stuart’s Senior Scholars have worked with Lower and Middle School girls in preparation for his visit. In addition to the public reading on April 9, Mr. Salzman will spend the day on campus on Friday, April 10. Besides meeting with students of all ages at Stuart to share his expertise on the craft of writing, he will spend time with K-4 Lower School girls, share lunch with the Stuart Senior Scholars, and give a private reading to Middle and Upper School students.