Join us for an evening with Scott Simon, who will share his new book, Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known. A conversation with Thomas Pierce will follow. This in-person event will be free and open to the public. We recommend arriving early for the best seating.
About the Book: From the beloved host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, moving tales of the marvelous animals who have crossed his path.
Scott Simon’s household does not make much distinction between humans and other animals. Whether two-legged or four-, flesh-covered, fur-covered, feathered, or gilled—everyone is family. Today, Simon lives with the haiku-writing and absolument charmant French poodle Daisy and the daringly audacious foster cat Gato Blanco. But that’s just the start.
In Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known, Simon warmly philosophizes on the unforgettable and utterly ordinary moments between species, along with their joys, worries, love, and humor. Depicting a lifetime of remarkable, enduring relationships with pets, Simon explores the difficulty of expressing the strong ties we feel: a kinship between humans and animals that’s more familial than “owner,” and more mutual than “caregiver” or “guardian.”
Paired with the charming, whimsical illustrations of renowned New Yorker cartoonist Liana Finck, Simon reflects on how pets unlock our hearts and burrow into our lives beginning with his family’s dog guiding his first steps. From a cat who escaped the British Embassy (Simon had to promise to raise her as British) and street dogs during Sarajevo’s siege to a series of beta fish all named Salman Fishdie and an energetic, cage-escaping hamster named Bagel, he reveals how our animals change not just our lives but how we see the world. Enchanting and thoughtful, Ulysses S. Cat is a profusion of exuberant memories and musings on a life spent in animal company.
About the Author: Scott Simon hosts NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday and Up First, and is special contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning. A winner of Emmy and Peabody Awards, he is in the Radio Hall of Fame and the Illinois Lincoln Academy. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and two daughters.
About the Moderator: Thomas Pierce is a screenwriter and the author of the novel The Afterlives and the short story collection Hall of Small Mammals, for which he was honored with the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Zoetrope, and The Oxford American, and been anthologized in The Best American Non-Required Reading and O. Henry Prize Stories. He has reported for NPR and National Geographic Magazine. He lives in Charlottesville, VA.
