Third Place Books welcomes back Michael N. McGregor for the release of his memoir, An Island to Myself: The Place of Solitude in an Active Life. In his twenties, McGregor traveled to the remote Greek island of Patmos to spend two winter months alone, 6,000 miles from home. Although he expected his solitude to be meaningful, he wasn’t prepared for how it would change him.
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About An Island to Myself. .
In his twenties, Michael N. McGregor traveled to the remote Greek island of Patmos to spend two winter months alone, 6,000 miles from home. It was a time before cellphones and the internet, when even a phone call was costly. Although he expected his solitude to be meaningful, he wasn’t prepared for how it would change him.
Before his island days, McGregor had spent years reporting on the world’s poor and months on the road. As he settled into days of rigorous writing, evening walks through fierce wind, and nights full of memories, dreams and spiritual encounters, he learned that solitude can be difficult and even dangerous, but also awe-inspiring and life-altering.
When he returned to his active life, McGregor sought solitude wherever he could—in nature, in libraries, in silent spaces—before returning to Patmos forty years later to repeat his youthful experiment.
Michael N. McGregor is an award-winning author and former professor of creative writing whose first book, Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax, was a finalist for a Washington State Book Award and several other prizes. The American Association of University Publishers named Pure Act one of its top ten books in American Studies. McGregor’s second book, The Last Grand Tour, received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, and his essays have been cited in the Best American Essays and Pushcart Prize series.
About Third Place Books
Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events
