On November 11, 2025, LEAP students had the privilege of meeting Robert Olen Butler on his latest book tour. Butler, of course, is widely respected across the literary world and earned the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. His newest novel, Twice Around a Marriage, has taken him to the Texas Book Festival, the Louisiana Book Festival, and Fort Worth—where LEAP’s Professor Yawn and Stephanie Fors met him while seeing the always-generous Jeff Guinn. And when we saw Butler was appearing at Brazos Bookstore, we knew we had to get to Houston.
With the help of Jeff Guinn, however, we were unexpectedly offered something even better: dinner with the author himself. And so it was we found ourselves with Butler over dinner, asking him questions about his broad range of work, with a particular emphasis on Jealous Husband Returns in the Form of a Parrot, Boy Born with Tattoo of Elvis, Tabloid Dreams, and From Where You Dream.
Butler, a professor at Florida State University, is accustomed to interacting with students, but he is also genuinely a great conversationalist. For us, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to talk with a distinguished author and learn more about his unique writing process, which he says stems from a “dreamspace.” It is from this space that the senses and a sense of “yearning” leads, he argues, to the most effective writing. With so many majors around the table (Butler himself was a theatre major), everyone walked away with something a little different from the conversation.
At Brazos Bookstore, LEAP Alumnus and attorney Quinn Kobrin joined us for the booktalk. This provided us with something of a double treat, getting to catch up with Quinn…
…while also hearing Butler do a dramatic performance of two sections in his book.
As noted, Butler studied acting in college, and, indeed, he discusses the writing craft as akin to “method acting.” And this is the approach he takes to his book talks, where he carefully relays each sentence with emotion.
As a quick synopsis: Twice Around a Marriage follows a couple in their seventies who are trying to decide whether their second attempt at marriage is worth holding onto.
A sudden Covid lockdown traps them together in a tiny Paris apartment, forcing them to confront old memories and unresolved questions. They take turns telling stories from their lives to make sense of where they’ve been and where they’re going. While I haven’t read the book yet, Butler’s performance was the perfect precursor to the book!
Following the reading, we lined up to have our copies of Twice Around a Marriage signed.
With books in hand, we wrapped up the evening at Brazos Bookstore and headed back to Huntsville. It was a wonderful experience that we will cherish for a lifetime.
Afterwards, students were able to ask questions and were lucky enough to receive signed books by Mr. Reston.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 