by Mark Lawton
Microcosm
8/31/2022, booklet
SKU: 9781648411908
We all get old, if we're lucky. But Mark Lawton's irrepressible father, John, isn't going to do it quietly, no matter what rules the nincompoops at his retirement home try to impose on him. In this series of lovingly playful vignettes, Mark tries, and mostly fails, to keep up with his dad, supporting him through his trial for splashing in the serenity pool, cheering him on in walker races, teaching him to (kind of) use modern technology, and mediating his many disputes with geezers and wardens alike. "If you can't laugh, you'll cry, so don't cry" is Mark's advice to anyone supporting an aging parent in this gently humorous zine that does justice to a larger-than-life figure who's no longer quite as steady on his feet as he used to be.
About the Author:
Mark Lawton is a writer, math teacher, coach, and software designer, based in Portland, Oregon. His works in progress include a thriller about corruption in international soccer, a novel navigating political activism, and a series of essays on men making meaning. Mark has three Masters degrees (and one half of another dangling there as unfinished business). He was the recipient of a Klingenstein Fellowship in teaching from Columbia University and the Esther Dayman-Strong Lectureship in the Humanities. Mark is mildly accomplished in rock-climbing, kite-boarding, bike-racing and Spanish. He is recognized as an expert napper and has given demos on multiple continents.