Kase Johnstun: Cast Away

Where: St. Joes Catholic High School, Blackbox Theatre, 1790 Lake Street Ogden, UT 84401

When: Thursday, May 9, 6pm

What: Kase Johnstun will be discussing his new book.

About the book: Written with an abundance of humor and grace, Cast Away is a dual narrative that shines a brilliant light on a quirky and wonderful family as they experience displacement.

What would you do for your shot at the American Dream? Veronica Chavez and her great nephew Chuy immigrate from Mexico to the US, their journeys seventy years apart, each willing to do whatever it takes to build the life of their dreams. In 1922, Veronica’s romantic expectations are crushed by the dangers of living alone in a foreign country. Young and determined, she finds community in Utah’s desert railroad towns. Decades later, Chuy comes with his family to Salt Lake City, but his parents are soon sent back to Mexico. Out of place but together, Chuy and Veronica manage to connect across generations—hatching a plan to finally win it big on reality TV.

About the author: Kase Johnstun is an award-winning novelist, memoirist, and essayist. He is the author two novels, Let the Wild Grasses Grow (Torrey House Press, 2021) and Cast Away (forthcoming from Torrey House Press), the medical memoir Beyond the Grip of Craniosynostosis, and co-editor/author of Utah Reflections: Stories from the Wasatch Front. He is the current Manager at Utah Center for the Book.