UW’s Bergstraesser to Celebrate Debut Novel with Nov. 12 Book Launch

Paul Bergstraesser, a University of Wyoming faculty member and creative writing and literature instructor, will celebrate his debut novel, “The Less Said,” with a reading and book launch Thursday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m. in Room 506 of Coe Library.

The novel follows P—, a 60-something man who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Along with his wife and college-age son, P— plans a final celebration of life with friends and family. Over a single weekend, friends and family travel to a tropical destination to fete P— one last time. But P— also has hired a killer to kill him during the weekend, leaving the timing and circumstances unknown.

Against this backdrop, P— compulsively records random memories from his life into a voice recorder at the request of his son. What emerges is an end-of-life story that deftly balances the play of irony and heartbreaking humanity.

The Nov. 12 reading and book launch are free and open to the public.

Bergstraesser has taught at UW since 2007, teaching numerous courses in creative writing and literature. Outside of teaching, his work focuses primarily on writing, particularly fiction. He also enjoys spending time indoors and out with his wife and son.

His prose and poetry have appeared in magazines such as the Barcelona Review, Portland Review, Another Chicago Magazine and American Journal of Poetry. He was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts prose fellowship and has been a finalist for the Autumn House Press fiction prize numerous times.

“The Less Said” will officially be released Oct. 6. For more information about the novel, visit Bergstraesser’s website or email Bergstraesser at pbergst1@uwyo.edu.