||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY |||
Orcas Island Public Library and Darvill’s Bookstore are proud to present a special book launch for At Last, the latest novel by New York Times bestselling author Marisa Silver.
Silver is an acclaimed contemporary novelist whose works include At Last; The Mysteries; Little Nothing (a New York Times Editor’s Choice); Mary Coin (a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Southern California Independent Bookseller’s Award); The God of War (a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize); and No Direction Home. Her story collections include Alone With You and Babe in Paradise, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year.
Her short fiction has won the O. Henry Prize, been included in The Best American Short Stories, and appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and many other publications. Silver is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at The New York Public Library.
Falling in Love with Orcas
Silver and her husband, film and television director Ken Kwapis, first visited Orcas in 2004 at the invitation of longtime islander and dear friend Dennie Gordon, also a film and television director.
“We were immediately captivated—how could we not be?,” Silver recalls. “We came back after another ten years for a longer vacation and were equally smitten. Another ten years passed, and we decided to take the plunge and buy a home here. Being captivated turned into being smitten, and being smitten turned into falling in love.”
Since buying their home in 2022, the couple has spent summers on the island and is now beginning to enjoy the winter season here as well.
A Family of Creatives
Ken Kwapis has been directing film and television for more than forty years, with credits ranging from The Office to He’s Just Not That Into You. Their son Henry is a Los Angeles–based music producer and drummer, while their son Oliver is completing his PhD in music composition at the University of Oregon.
Becoming Part of the Community
“When we bought our home here in 2022, we knew one person on the island,” Silver says. “It’s 2025 and we feel like we have a community. The sense of warmth and welcome we’ve received has been so heartening. The chamber music festival is wonderful, and the Library Fair might be one of my favorite events of the calendar year! We look forward to finding ways to further our involvement in the life of the island.”
Please help us give Marisa Silver an islander’s welcome! Space is limited—arrive early to ensure your spot.
Date/Time: Thursday, September 4 at 5:30 PM
Location: Darvill’s Bookstore
What to Expect: Light refreshments, a moderated conversation between Silver and island author Ayn Gailey, book signing, and camaraderie.
This event is presented in collaboration by Orcas Island Public Library and Darvill’s Bookstore, with support from HALO.
For questions, please email sgailey@orcaslibrary.org.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
Thank you to the library and Darvill’s for hosting this literary event. Living on an isolated island means our writers have fewer opportunities to learn from and be inspired by authors at in-person events. This makes up for that.