What is it like to live with anxiety and agoraphobia?
Join us for our interview with Highly Illogical Behavior author John Corey Whaley. This young adult book explores the life of teenager Solomon Reed and his two friends Lisa and Clark.
But does Lisa have an ulterior motive for reaching out to be Solomon's friend? And, will her ambition to be admitted to one of the top college psychology programs end up destroying their friendship?
"Solomon never needed to leave the house anyway. He had food. He had water. He could see the mountains from his bedroom window, and his parents were so busy all the time that he pretty much got to be sole ruler of the house."
John 'Corey' Whaley is an American author of contemporary realistic novels for young adults. His debut, Where Things Come Back, published in 2011, won the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and the William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award from the American Library Association. Whaley was also named a National Book Foundation 5 under 35 honoree that same year.
His second novel, Noggin, was a finalist for the 2014 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and was recently named to Time Magazine’s list of best YA books of all time.
His third book, Highly Illogical Behavior, was a finalist for the 2017 LAMBDA Literary Award in Children's and Young Adult Fiction. Whaley currently lives and writes in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Thank you to the voice actors in this episode: James McMath and Maddie Spickard as Lisa.
A special thank you to Ryan Sauders who wrote and performed the music in this episode. Donavan Suitt of Rural War Room provided additional futuristic soundscape.
Thank you to Stickyz Rock ‘N’ Roll Chicken Shack for keeping music alive and well in Arkansas. And, a very special thank you to all the talented musicians, composers, singers, and songwriters who so generously shared their work with us this past season. We appreciate and value our partnership!
Generous funding for this episode was provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Connect with us! Twitter: @ArtsLettersKUAR | Facebook: @artsandlettersradio | Instagram: @artsandlettersradio | YouTube: artsandlettersradio | Spotify Playlist: Arts & Letters Radio
Contact Arts & Letters Radio at artsletters@kuar.org or via phone at 501-916-6400. Our mailing address is: Arts & Letters Radio | KUAR 89.1 | 5820 Asher Avenue, Suite 400 | Little Rock, AR 72204.
Executive Producer and Host: J. Bradley Minnick Producer: Mary Ellen Kubit Sound Mastering: Simon Sound Services
