Meet Margaret Harrell, author of The Hell’s Angels Letters

Join us at Wonderland Book Club, co-sponsored by the NC Writers’ Network:

For Fans of Hunter S. Thompson--this is A DON'T MISS EVENT!

Meet Margaret Harrell and Friends, The Hell’s Angels Letters: Hunter S. Thompson, Margaret Harrell and the Making of an American Classic

The book is available for purchase now but only on the publisher’s website, Norfolk Press of San Francisco:

https://thompson.norfolkpress.com

Please note that this month's book is not on Amazon.

Our Esteemed Panel:

Margaret Harrell, author of "The Hell’s Angels Letters: Hunter S. Thompson, Margaret Harrell and the Making of an American Classic"

Ron Whitehead, founder of the Louisville Gonzo Fest

Dr. Rory Patrick Feehan, owner/editor of the popular Irish blog totallygonzo.org. Dr. Feehan is the recent author of the PhD dissertation The Genesis of the Hunter Figure: A study of the Dialectic between the Biographical and the Aesthetic in the Early Writings of Hunter S. Thompson

William McKeen, author of many books, including Outlaw Journalist and chair of the Department of Journalism at Boston University

Peter Richardson teaches humanities and American Studies at San Francisco State University. His latest book, about Hunter S. Thompson, will be published by the University of California Press. His previous publications include books about the Grateful Dead, Ramparts magazine, and Carey McWilliams, Thompson's editor at "The Nation" magazine.

Location: ZOOM Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86154324084

Friday, August 28, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. to noon
FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

About the Book:

The Hell’s Angels Letters: Hunter S. Thompson, Margaret Harrell and the Making of an American Classic is an important revelation in the legacy of Thompson, with letters that survived precarious shipping and travel over decades, cloaked away from the public. When Hunter secured a hardcover contract with Jim Silberman (Random House) in 1966, the known part of the story breaks off. To whip up the final edits, Margaret A. Harrell, a young copy editor/assistant editor to Jim, was—in a break from the norm—given full rein to work with him by expensive long-distance phone and letter. Knowing the volatility of the author and value of the book, Jim said to “keep him happy.” This galvanizing action led to a fascinating tale reminiscent of You’ve Got Mail. She uses the letters to resuscitate the cloaked, suspenseful withheld drama.

Bios:

Margaret A. Harrell is hands on with Life. A dual national, she has lived and written in Morocco, Switzerland, and Belgium as well as the U.S.
The copy editor/assistant editor of Hell’s Angels and other remarkable books at Random House, she also was the international coordinator
of a museum project in Belgium. Now living in Raleigh NC, she is a longtime freelance book editor, a light body meditation teacher,
and a cloud photographer. She has thirteen published books, including the Keep This Quiet! memoir series. https://margaretharrell.com

Ron Whitehead is the founder of the Louisville Gonzo Fest, Ron Whitehead is the Beat Poet Laureate of Kentucky (2019‒2021) who received the City of Louisville Proclamation (2019) for a Lifetime Achievement of Supporting the Arts. A poet, writer, editor, publisher, organizer, scholar, Ron has produced over 3,000 Arts Events from New York City to the Netherlands. Whitehead has also taught at the University of Louisville, New York University, Trinity College Dublin, and the University of Iceland.

Cover design: Grant Goodwine
Photo of Ron Whitehead in the Crazy Scientist’s Office (Hullu Teadlase kabinetti) in the University of Tartu Museum in Tartu, Estonia, 2019, by Jinn Bug
Photo of Margaret Ann Harrell: Hiltrud Wagner, taken in Belgium