Bookpleasures.com is delighted to host Garrison Keillor, the esteemed American author,storyteller, humorist, and radio personality, who has secured a lasting spot in the affections of audiences globally.

For those familiar with Keillor's extensive career, his renowned radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion," debuted in 1974 and concluded in 2017. 

The program showcased a delightful blend of comedic sketches, musical acts, and his distinctive monologue, "The News from Lake Wobegon," set in a fictional Minnesota town that played a pivotal role in the show's charm.

Garrison has recently published Cheerfulness  .

Norm: Good day Garrison and thanks for taking part in our interview.

GK:: My pleasure. We writers sit alone at our desks, doors closed, for days at a time. This is a welcome social occasion. 

Cheerfulness unfolds in a format resembling an autobiography with 20 chapters. How did you decide on this structure, and what challenges or advantages did it present in conveying your narrative?

GK: I wrote the book in four weeks, five days a week, January, 2021, a month when cheerfulness is a necessity, after a year when we’d been up to our necks in politics, and I set out to write a skinny book that people needed. 

Norm: The book weaves humor, nostalgia, and astute observations. How do you strike a balance between these elements to create a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking?

GK: Writing a book like this is simply a conversation in which you’re never interrupted, and when you’re my age, 81, you have more than enough in your head to do the weaving.

I don’t know about nostalgia --- I think of it as sympathetic journalism –– and “provocative”? I think I’m more reassuring.

I hear younger people talk about anxiety and trauma and being stressed-out –– I think it’s crucial to find your place in the world, your vocation, calling, a way to make a difference, and once you do that, other things fall into line. I also believe in good manners. 

Norm: The book seamlessly intertwines the warmth of rural Americana with universal themes of love, friendship, and personal growth. How do you navigate the balance between the specificities of your own experiences and creating a narrative that resonates universally with readers?

GK: I have to correct you, friend. I ain’t rural and haven’t been since I was 18. I live on the Upper West Side of. Manhattan. As for universal resonance, I think you’re flattering me. I’m just an old radio guy who branched out into fiction and duet-singing. It is, however, a great education to stand in front of an audience every week for forty years, accepting the obligation to give them a good time. A much better education than college gave me, writing term papers on books I’d hardly read. 

Norm: In the book, you humorously address the challenges of aging, including topics like erectile dysfunction. How do you approach incorporating humor into discussions of more serious or personal subjects, and what role does humor play in your writing?

GK: Old age is a comedy. In your heart, you retain traces of adolescence and youthful ambition, but you also have to watch out for wrinkles in the carpet lest you take a header. As for dysfunction, it comes as sort of a relief after years of hyper-erectility. When you realize that your time is running out, you make a sensible decision to savor the dailiness of life rather than worry about things you can’t change. There is no extra charge for this advice, by the way.

Norm: Reflecting on your departure from public radio and the controversies you faced, you describe a sense of liberation. How did this experience impact your perspective on your identity and career, and how did it influence the tone and themes of Cheerfulness?

GK: For one thing, you learn that there is no loyalty from organizations, commercial ones or non-profit, they’re all the same. Loyalty comes from individuals and organizations have no ethical feelings. When they throw you away, you feel liberated from the world of anonymous vice-presidents and you set out to work with honest people you trust. 

Norm: Where can our readers learn more about you and Cheerfulness?

GK: I write a twice-weekly column on SubStack, where I get to clear my mind. 

Norm: What is next for Garrison Keillor?

A Prairie Home Companion show January 11 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the place where I watched The Grand Ole Opry in 1973 and decided to start my own show.  

Norm: As we wind up our interview, your ability to balance personal experiences with universal themes is evident in the book. For readers who may be inspired by your approach, what recommendations do you have for them in crafting narratives that are both deeply personal and universally relatable? 

GK: All writing is rewriting, nothing is ever finished. So keep at it. It helps to read your work aloud to a friend or spouse and hearing your words in your own voice can alert you to any falseness or artificiality, any gaps, in the work. And believe me, when your listener is bored, you will know it. 

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of Cheerfulness.