Pittsburgh author Karuna Das returns to Riverstone to celebrate the release of his not-quite-memoir SEX, DRUGS, AND SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT
After our rollicking evening with Karuna Das last year for his sci-fi page-turner, Kat's Cradle, we can't wait to have him back for the launch of his new coming-of-age novel, Sex, Drugs, and Spiritual Enlightenment (but mostly the first two).
On the cusp of turning eighteen, it's time for Drew Lovell to become a man. But deep within, Drew has questions-ones he doesn't know how to phrase-about what that means and how to go about it.
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During three intense stretches between 1985 and 1993, taking him into his mid-twenties, Drew undergoes a series of profound experiences-often wild, sometimes painful, and always revealing-that force him to rethink his current assumptions. Only after nearly dying from trying to conform to conventional models of masculinity does he begin to become the man he wants to be and not the one he thought the world required him to be. Still, he's unable to live with full integrity until interaction with a pair of awakened humans inspires new awareness that helps him at long last embrace the truth of who he is.
Karuna Das (Sanskrit for “servant of compassion”) is the pen and spirit name of Kyle Bostian. Born in Wisconsin, he grew up in Massachusetts and presently resides in Pennsylvania. He holds a BA in English (UMass), an MFA in Playwriting (UW - Seattle), and a PhD in Theatre and Dramaturgy (FSU). His short piece “Irony of the Second Degree” appears in 24 Gun Control Plays (NoPassport Press) and has been performed around the world. His full-length play Pyramid Builders will receive its world premiere production by Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company in April 2023. In addition to his dramatic writing, he’s published the novels Sex, Drugs & Spiritual Enlightenment (but mostly the first two) and Kat’s Cradle: Webolution Book One, as well as short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. He and life partner Ti share their house with five wonderfully wacky cats.