Brooklyn Bookbeat: James Lasdun and Michelle Orange to speak at powerHouse Arena
Two celebrated writers – James Lasdun and Michelle Orange – will appear at DUMBO’s powerHouse Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 27 to celebrate and discuss their new work, which explores the sometimes alarming implications of modern media and communication on our lives.
Lasdun has recently released his latest book, an eerie memoir titled “Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked.” Lasdun, a poet and fiction and screen writer who has taught at several prestigious universities, reveals in this book how a student relentlessly ‘cyberbullied’ him and nearly destroyed his reputation.
“Give Me Everything You Have” is a chilling investigation of verbal abuse, online stalking, and internet conduct. By chronicling his own experience, Lasdun sheds light on a new type of personal threat that the internet allows for; Lasdun’s former student, an Iranian woman referred to as Nasreen, repeatedly assaulted him online for five years. She modified his Wikipedia page, authored malicious reviews of his books on Amazon and Goodreads, and emailed several of his colleagues (including his new boss) to accuse him of sexual and professional misconduct.