Like all authors, I face an interesting paradox when I travel to teach and read in my hometown—or, in this case, my home state.
I am grateful that the hometown aura will bring in listeners, both to my class and to the reading I will give next Saturday.
We are all curious about people who grew up near us, or are our age, or nearly, with the expectation of a shared point of view (and prejudices)—or at least shared experiences.