The characters Nelson draws for Funny Once: Stories include a group of siblings stumbling through the aftermath of an older brother’s death; a man in a nursing home and his adult daughter; a mother worried about her teenage son’s no-good girlfriend; and a couple who have only their bad behavior in common. Several threads run through the stories; the characters tend to act now and think later (not such a good plan when it comes to drinking or casual sex). They regret both what they’ve done and what they haven’t done, but somehow manage to look ahead to what they hope will be a better life.
A Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and current holder of the Cullen Chair in Creative Writing at the University of Houston, Nelson reads from and signs her book Funny Once: Stories at 7 p.m. Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet. For information, call 713‑523‑0701 or visit brazosbookstore.com. Free.
Mon., June 23, 7 p.m., 2014
