Ryan Chapman in Conversation With Justin Taylor

An unnamed Sri Lankan inmate has barricaded himself inside a prison computer lab in Dutchess County, New York. A riot rages outside, incited by a poem published in The Holding Pen, the house literary journal. This, our narrator’s final Editor’s Letter, is his confession. An official accounting of events, as they happened. As he awaits imminent and violent interruption, he takes us on a roller coaster ride of plot and language, determined to share his life story, and maybe answer a few questions. Smart, wry, and laugh-out-loud funny, Ryan Chapman’s Riots I Have Known (Simon & Schuster) is an utter gem – an electric, uproarious, and biting debut novel and an approachable send-up that packs a punch. Chapman will be joined in conversation by Justin Taylor, author of Flings.