Arts, Etc.Literature

Novel explores fatherly angst

Author Scott Nadelson reads a few chapters of his novel “Between You and Me” Tuesday in the Interfaith Chapel. “Between You and Me” is an episodic comedy that follows a man named Paul’s 20-year journey after he marries a suburban woman. Nadelson has won numnerous awards including the Oregon Book Award for short fiction and the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award. / photo by Meghan Attaway
Author Scott Nadelson reads a few chapters of his novel “Between You and Me” Tuesday in the Interfaith Chapel. “Between You and Me” is an episodic comedy that follows a man named Paul’s 20-year life journey after he marries a suburban woman. Nadelson has won numerous awards including the Oregon Book Award for short fiction and the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award. / photo by Meghan Attaway

Brooke Grasso
Editorial Director

Author Scott Nadelson read excerpts from his new novel “Between You and Me,” an episodic comedy that follows an ordinary character for 20 years through different stages of life, to students Tuesday in the Chapel.

“Between You and Me” was inspired by the fears and uncertainty Nadelson had felt before his daughter was born.

Five years later, Nadelson said that while fatherhood was harder than he could have imagined, it was even more amazing.

“It is partly based on my father’s biography, but largely on my anxiety of becoming a parent,” Nadelson said. “I started writing the book just before my daughter was born and sort of all of my anxiety of not knowing what I was going to do, all of that came out in the book.”

Sean Bernard, associate professor of creative writing, chose Nadelson to come speak to the students because he has known him for a few years.

“His approach to fiction is, in some ways, the grand old approach – laden, thoughtful and patient,” Bernard said. “It is always great to see wonderful work from writers who approach the craft differently.”

Nadelson graduated from Oregon State University’s master’s in creative writing program just months before Bernard enrolled there. He was spoken of highly by the students and faculty, Bernard said.

Nadelson has had his work published in literary magazines and journals such as Harvard Review and Crazyhorse. He also teaches at Willamette University and in the writing workshop master’s of fine arts program at Pacific Lutheran University.

He has written three collections of short stories, “Aftermath,” “The Cantor’s Daughter” and “Saving Stanley: The Brickman Stories;” a memoir, “The Next Scott Nadelson: A Life in Progress;” and “Between You and Me.”

His awards include the Reform Judaism Fiction Prize, the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award and the Oregon Book Award.

Nadelson also served as the judge for the national fiction contest held by Prism Review, the University of La Verne’s literary journal.

John Abbasi, senior creative writing major, will go to the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University, where Nadelson teaches, so he was particularly interested in coming to the reading.

“Before meeting him I got to read some of his work, and he did amazing work with his short stories,” Abbasi said. “So I was intrigued and after meeting him, he is a very kind person, super down-to-earth and mellow. It’s nice because he may be one of my teachers in the future.”

After reading Nadelson’s short story “Squatter,” Abbasi felt inspired by his writing.

“I immediately thought, I’m going to try a story like this because that’s amazing and something I never even thought of,” Abbasi said.

Abbasi came to the reading with his friend Marc Salomon, senior creative writing minor. The two bought books from Nadelson and got them signed.

Salomon said he enjoyed the reading because he was able to find connections in Nadelson’s stories to his own life.

“I’m always thinking about how I can make myself better and he really talked about being in the present and in the moment and that isn’t only important for creative writing but life,” Salomon said.

It is a theme that runs throughout Nadelson’s work.

“The biggest advice I always give to writers is to love the process more than anything else and always return to the part of that that you love, so other considerations don’t get in the way of being the kind of writer you want to be,” Nadelson said.

Brooke Grasso can be reached at brooke.grasso@laverne.edu.

Brooke Grasso, LV Life Editor
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