BOOK DOCUMENTARY Earlier this year, filmmaker and writer Mason Engel set out on a mission to visit a bookstore in each of the 50 states and interview a local author in an effort to learn more about America’s relationship with books and explore the idea of the Great American Novel.
Oh, and he did all of this in 50 days while also reading 50 books by the authors he met along the way.
Now Engel, who lives in Columbus, Indiana, is documenting his travels and experiences in the film Books Across America and has taken to Kickstarter in an attempt to raise the $50,000 needed to complete the film. Visit booksxamerica.com to view the trailer and find out more details.
On Feb. 22, the 41st day of their trip, Engel and his two-man crew visited WordsWorth Books in Little Rock and interviewed Ayanna Gray, the Little Rock-based bestselling author of Beasts of Prey and Beasts of Ruin.
“I was really excited to meet her,” says Engel, who is a fan of the fantasy and speculative fiction that Gray explores in her novels. “Reading our research into her background made me excited to read her work and meeting her in person was a real treat.”
Gray is in good company. Other writers Engel interviews in the film include Joyce Carol Oates (New Jersey), James Patterson (Florida), Anne Patchett (Tennessee), and Ross Gay (Ohio).
It was hard not to feel awe when talking to some of the film’s literary characters, Engel admits.
“I’m a reader first and foremost, and I’m a fan of these people. It was a challenge to calm my nerves before a big interview.”
Engel’s other films include the short documentary The Bookstour about his visits to independent bookstores across the US while promoting his self-published novel 2084, and the yet-to-be-released short Story Road featuring interviews with authors Andy Weir, Nnedi Okorafor, Christopher Paolini and Hugh Howey.
Engel’s stop in Little Rock happened to fall on his 28th birthday, and his mother, who was in Indiana, made sure he celebrated with a chocolate cake from Blue Cake Co. in Little Rock.
“She had it delivered to the bookstore before the interview,” he says. “It was tasty.”
OBAMA FAN Ashley McBride’s “The Devil I Know,” the title cut from the Mammoth Spring native’s upcoming album, is one of former President Barack Obama’s favorite songs this summer.
“The Devil I Know” was among 41 songs on Obama’s summer 2023 playlist, which he announced last week. Other tracks include SZA’s “Snooze,” Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe,” Aretha Franklin’s “Dr. Feelgood (Love is a Serious Business),” and more. Listen to everything on Barack Obama’s 2023 summer playlist on Spotify.
Email: sclancy@adgnewsroom.com