Mondays 

2:00 pm-4:00 pm

Online

7/13, 7/20, 7/27, 8/3, 8/10, 8/17

Six Sessions

This course is offered online via the free, easy-to-use Zoom program.

Zach Tonner’s life changes abruptly when he answers an intriguing personals ad:

                        Child of myth seeks god of desire.

                        Abandon your past; relinquish

                        your future; pursue only me.

Stuck in a loveless and childless marriage, Zach at forty had hoped for a romantic fling, but gets more than he bargained for when he meets Luna, a boyish young woman who never smiles, who has a passion for roller coasters, and who bluntly offers herself to him, no strings attached. Put off by her odd looks and manners, even doubting the soundness of her mind, Zach is nevertheless fascinated by a curious integrity he perceives in her, something lacking in himself. Against his better judgement he begins an affair with Luna and meets others whose lives she has touched: a millionaire amusement park mogul, an eccentric uncle who fights City Hall with his backhoe, an acerbic neighbor who provides the clue to Luna’s shrouded childhood. But most important Zach faces the meaning of his own life and learns at great cost that myth can be as vital to existence as reality. A dramatic reading of the complete novel by the author, Richard Matturro, in six installments with time at the end of each class for comments, questions, and discussion.

“The roller coaster serves as a metaphor for how Luna lives her life as well as for Zach’s budding relationship with her: control must be relinquished, and you have to hold on for a thrilling, scary, alarming ride.” –Magill Book Reviews

“I couldn’t put it down, nor could I escape its mysterious central figure. Throughout the work there are marvelous figures in the classic tapestry of the life of Luna. None are as emergent as she.” –J. Peter Bergman, The Berkshire Eagle

Richard Matturro, a native of Rye, New York, holds a doctorate in English with a specialization in Shakespeare and Greek Mythology. After sixteen years at the Albany Times Union, he taught literature at UAlbany for fourteen years. He is the author of numerous newspaper articles and six novels. Luna was published by Livingston Press in 2006.

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