1/7/19 @ 9am pst = Author Matt Geiger joins Janeane to talk about his book, Astonishing Tales! Stories and Essays

ASTONISHING TALES!* Stories and Essays *Your astonishment may vary By Matt Geiger “Matt Geiger is definitely interested in strange things—bearded Norwegian axes and transubstantiation and elderly models, for example—but also in making ordinary things seem strange, in the best possible way. It's just chickens or a car seat, but you're laughing out loud and then, suddenly, your eyes are filling with tears because he's sideswiped you with his profound tenderness. I wish he were my friend IRL (as the kids say), but in the meantime, I'll reread these funny, shimmering musings on everything that matters and more.” -Catherine Newman, author of “Catastrophic Happiness” Author and humorist Matt Geiger believes Jorge Luis Borges when he says the thing philosophers really seek, more than truth, more even than knowledge, is the opportunity to be amazed. With this as his starting point in his new collection of stories and essays, Geiger sets out in search of comic profundity and awe. Geiger turns what poet Kimberly Blaeser called his “philosopher’s vision” to his own Neanderthal DNA, parenting, competitive axe throwing, death, the holidays, dandelions, doppelgangers and much, much more. With a nod to the limits of human knowledge and understanding, particularly his own, he blends whimsy and gravitas while unveiling beauty, joy, and happiness in a seemingly broken world. From the 83-year-old model whose image adorns the cover of the book, to the two-headed calf he discovers in a rural gas station, he finds reason after reason to smile, nod, and be astonished by everyday life.