In Search of the Good Life in Today’s America, 2/6

28 Jan In Search of the Good Life in Today’s America, 2/6

Telluride’s Between the Covers Bookstore welcomes Mark Sundeen, author of “The Man Who Quit Money,” back to town for a conversation with poet/author Amy Irvine at the Telluride Library, on Monday, February 6, 7 p.m.

Today’s Americans are looking to escape …

Faced with drastic increases in climate change, the rise of the One Percent, and a suffocating 24/7 work culture that seems to be keeping an entire population chained to their smart phones, it comes as no surprise that we are now, more than ever, yearning for “the simple life.” Organic eating continues to gain popularity and minimalistic Tiny Houses seem to be popping up everywhere.

But why?

In “The Unsettlers, author Mark Sundeen follows a diverse group of Americans — urban and rural, female and male, black and white — on their complicated quest for an alternative way of life.

Mark Sundeen by Isan Brant.

Sundeen’s writings on off -the-grid movements have appeared in the New York Times, Outside Magazine, The Believer, National Geographic Adventure, and McSweeneys. His previous book, The Man Who Quit Money, was a sleeper hit, which Outside hailed it as a “critique that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt remorse on the treadmill of getting and spending,” cementing Sundeen’s reputation as one of the preeminent translators of alternative communities and movements for the mainstream.

Sundeen’s last appearance a few years ago for his “The Man Who Quit Money” packed the library and the book is still a perennial seller at BTC.

Sundeen and Irvine are colleagues and writing instructors at the MFA Residency Program at Southern Hampshire University.

On deck for February 12, 6 p.m. at the library: Author Steph Jagger with “Unbound: A Story of Snow and Self-Discovery.”

According to BTC co-owner Daiva Chesonis:

“Steph quit her big-time job, mortgaged the house, sold everything but her skis and laptop, bought plane tickets and followed winter around the world for a year. In the process, and unbeknownst to her, she set a world record, skiing over 4 million+ vertical feet in one year.”