Concordia College Author-in-Residence Event

Readings and Conversation

7:30 p.m. CST | Thursday, March 14, 2024
Centrum, Knutson Campus Center

Join guest moderator John Ydstie ’74 for a thought-provoking conversation about books and writing with Kristen Radtke, author of “Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness.”

The Readings and Conversation event is free and open to the public. A reception and book signing will take place in the Knutson Campus Center atrium following the event.

Meet the 2024 Guest Author

Kristen Radtke

Kristen Radtke’s most recent book is the widely acclaimed “Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness” (Pantheon, 2021), which The Los Angeles Times praised as “[A] resonant, haunting volume of graphic nonfiction written and drawn in the key of Edward Hopper.” It is the recipient of a 2019 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant and was on numerous most anticipated lists, including Vogue, The Washington Post, and NPR. Her first book is the genre-smashing graphic memoir “Imagine Wanting Only This” (Pantheon, 2017), a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a Nylon Most Anticipated Book. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Harper's, Marie Claire, The Atlantic, Elle, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and more.

Radtke received an MFA from the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program. She is the former managing editor of Sarabande Books and is currently the creative director of The Verge. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Event Host

John Ydstie

John Ydstie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College in 1974 with a major in English literature and a minor in speech communications. He covered the economy, Wall Street, and the federal budget for NPR for two decades and was a regular guest host on the NPR news programs Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Talk of the Nation. Ydstie retired in November 2019.

The Author-in-Residence program at Concordia is underwritten by Dr. Earl Lewis ’78 and Susan Whitlock.