The UT Humanities Center has formed a regional partnership with Union Avenue Books, downtown Knoxville’s independent bookstore, to create a free public book discussion masterclass.
The first masterclass book is “Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery” by Margaret Lazarus Dean and Scott Kelly. It details astronaut Kelly’s experiences in space, including a real-time interview with Dean.
On Wednesday, April 22, at 6 p.m. Kelly and Dean will join readers on Zoom for the masterclass. Here are the rules:
Step 1 – Purchase a Book: Union Ave Books is offering curbside and home delivery of books. You can order online or call the store at 865-951-2180.
Step 2 – RSVP: After you purchase your book, RSVP for the online masterclass discussion at RSVP at unionavebooks.com and you will be sent a link to the Zoom discussion. Attendance is limited to the first 250 people who log in to the Zoom link.
The book details Kelly’s life, as well as that of his twin brother, Mark, as they became naval aviators and test pilots and then were both selected for NASA Astronaut Group 16.
Margaret Lazarus Dean is an associate professor of English at UT, where she teaches fiction writing and nonfiction writing.
Scott Joseph Kelly is a former military fighter pilot and test pilot, an engineer, a retired astronaut, and a retired US Navy captain. A veteran of four space flights, Kelly commanded the International Space Station (ISS) on three expeditions and was a member of the yearlong mission to the ISS. In October 2015, he set the record for the total accumulated number of days spent in space, the single longest space mission by an American astronaut.