Marc Acito

"Tonight's featured author is Marc Acito.

Marc Acito is a very funny guy. He's also a heckuva storyteller.

When I sat down with his first novel, "How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater," I wasn't sure what to expect. The Oregon Book Award sticker on the cover was promising, but I don't always agree with OBA selections. The subtitle, however, made it seem as if there was something here for everyone, so I dived in.

For some time I just romped through the novel, admiring the zany characters and strong writing, and I wondered about the plot and subplot threads spinning every which way. But somewhere shortly after page 200, the action took a sudden (and surprising) turn that wrapped all the threads together. And I started to laugh. Out loud. I laughed so hard that my husband called from the next room, "What the heck are you reading?"

"A book you'll probably like," I answered (we knew the same weird set of people in our salad days). And as soon as I discovered that the book had a real ending with a real resolution, I knew my retort was true. He's reading the book as I'm writing this, and I'm waiting for the laughing to start.

Acito's second novel, "Attack of the Theater People," continues the story of Edward Zanni and his misfit collection of friends, a little older now and trying to confront the world of adults. Acito throws in a little timely plot thread about corporate espionage.

But you can figure all of those things out for yourself. So without further ado, please welcome Marc Acito." (Intro Written by Marianne Klekacz)










http://www.opb.org/programs/artbeat/videos/view/211-Marc-Acito

http://www.marcacito.com/

Video Copyright Carla Perry