Riverside Chats

Karen Russell's “The Antidote” follows five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their fictional small town of Uz, Nebraska. Together, the group of outcasts join forces to reveal the town’s secrets and show the importance of remembering and acknowledging injustices to create a better future.

Russell has received MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her debut novel “Swamplandia.” She has taught literature and creative writing at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the University of California-Irvine, Williams College, Columbia University, and Bryn Mawr College, and was the Endowed Chair of Texas State's MFA program. She serves on the board of Street Books, a mobile-library for people living outdoors. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she now lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, son and daughter.

“The Antidote” is Russell's second novel. She will be at The Bookworm at 6 p.m. on April 3 in conversation with Broc Anderson of the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Russell and Michael Griffin discuss the role of intellect and imagination in writing, the natural world’s influence on the artistic process and the symbiotic relationship between the author and reader.

Shaq Jones, aka Scottie Pigeon, is a dancer and DJ.

Jones uses his platform to center the experience of Black men in the arts. He grew up in North Omaha and attended Lincoln University of Missouri, a historically Black college, where he led the school’s dance troupe before graduating in 2017. He returned to Omaha and began collaborating with various performing arts organizations around town, including AP’s Legacy Dance Studio, the annual Omaha Beautillion event, Omaha Performing Arts and Opera Omaha.

Scottie Pigeon is Jones’ DJ persona. He began teaching himself the skill in 2019 at the encouragement of his father, who is also a DJ. 

The Union for Contemporary Arts selected Jones for the 2024 Inside/Outside Fellowship, where his work centered on sound and movement exploration.

Jones and Michael Griffin are talking about where Jones finds inspiration, how his dance and DJ experiences inform each other, and how he uses his work to curate emotional experiences for an audience.