On Sept. 30, author Emily St. John Mandel made a visit to the University of Wisconsin Platteville campus for a special event. The event itself had a variety of activities that were all centered around Mandel’s book “Station Eleven.” The doors opened at 5:15 p.m., with the activities starting at 6 p.m. and lasting until 7:30 p.m.
Mandel is a Canadian author born in 1979, and her writing career started in 2002 when she wrote her first book “Late Night in Montreal.” She also wrote articles for an online magazine, “The Millions.” Before releasing “Station Eleven,” Mandel had written three books, but she did not get any major publicity until a year after “Station Eleven’s” release in 2014. The main plot follows characters dealing with a deadly pandemic that swept across the globe. The book is quite akin to the real-world pandemic that humanity faced in 2020, although the virus in the novel—the Georgian Flu—had a much higher mortality rate, with 99 percent of humanity succumbing to the virus. The events in the book may differ, but many similarities remain, such as what supplies were most often taken, and how isolated everyone felt.
For the first activity, Mandel read an excerpt from her book. The section that Mandel read focused on the first days after the pandemic had spread. The consequences of death were on a massive scale, with electricity going out after a few days, and lots of food and water being taken. This resulted in scarce resources for everyone around them. It also included one of her favorite sections, that of the Museum of Civilization. Characters put relics from the age of technology into a museum, having lost their purpose.
After Mandel had finished reading, she was asked several questions by Carrie Van Hallgren, the assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Education here on the Platteville campus. One of the first questions asked was in regard to the Museum of Civilization. Van Hallgren asked why the characters turn to art, and Mandel responded with: “I think, though, that we turn to those things because they remind us of our humanity.” Later in the interview, she was asked for advice for students going into careers like hers. Mandel had expressed that for students in the arts, that “…the thing that gives you meaning, and the thing that pays your rent might be two very different things, possibly forever- and I think you have to find some peace with that.” Mandel goes on to say that she spent most of her career being an administrative assistant. What she highlighted about the job was to find one that was very manageable with stress where your work doesn’t follow you home.
To end off the night, there were two more events focused on the community: a Q&A session with any participant able to ask Mandel a question about herself or her book, and a book signing session where those with their free copy could have Mandel sign it.
The event overall was a big success, with not only those from the campus in attendance, but anyone from the Platteville area coming to see the gathering, which brought the entire community together. With the ballroom being almost fully packed, and Mandel’s writing bringing everyone together, this event is sure to be remembered for weeks to come.