BRATTLEBORO — Grab your favorite drink and join author and sports writer Tom Callahan on Friday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m., for a discussion of his book Gods at Play, an entertaining reflection on a life covering the great sports figures of our time.
This book is a penetrating look behind the curtain of the sports world, from a writer who was there for decades as both a newspaper and magazine columnist.
Callahan, a former senior writer at Time and sports columnist at The Washington Post, is the author of nine books, including The GM, In Search of Tiger, and the New York Times bestseller Johnny U. He lives in Reston, Va.
Callahan wrote 30 cover stories for Time during his tenure there as the magazine's sole sport columnist, after stints with various newspapers - indeed, the festival describes Gods at Play as “also a requiem of sorts for the bygone days of great newspaper sports writing.”
“It is loaded with as many laughs as it is with poignant reflections on sports legends like Muhammad Ali, Roberto Clemente, Pete Rose, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wayne Gretzky, Arthur Ashe, and even Secretariat.
“And it takes a clear look at discrimination in sports, be it about race ('Race has been the biggest element in my time around sports, and still is....') or sexual orientation, with an extended piece about the closeted life and AIDS-related death of NFL star Jerry Smith.”
Callahan will be in conversation with local golf and beer writer Tom Bedell in this free online event. Register at bit.ly/LitCocktail5.
Registered participants will be able to interact with the author in a question-and-answer session. You can also watch the event livestreamed on the Brattleboro Literary Festival's Facebook page without registering.