Portland Author Profile: Kristopher Young

Kristopher Young is the man behind the curtains at Another Sky Press, which came about after he finished Click, his debut novel.  Looking to validate an idea he had for a publishing house built around the idea of neo-patronage (an honor/trust based donation system), he decided he had to be the first one to test the waters in order to show other artists it could be done.  Since Click’s release, Another Sky has gone on to print ten other titles and counting.

A lot can be learned about Young by reading through a couple discussions he led revolving around Click.  After his book was chosen by The Cult (Chuck Palahniuk’s official site) for one of their monthly book readings, Young engaged his readers in a lengthy dialogue that brought out interesting detail including his approach to writing, the inspiration for stories found in Click, and how he dealt with his fear that the narrative was getting too abstract and would only be intelligible by him.

Another reading group discussion, this time over at Oxyfication, includes the divinity of Click’s narrator, Young’s discomfort with the labeling of the narrator as “simply psychotic”, and how a game of Russian Roulette proves the narrator’s sanity.  In total Young’s responses to these group questions pull you into the book, making you want to read it if for no other reason than to “be in on the joke.”  They also, in conjunction with the mission of Another Sky, teach us a lot about the author: his willingness to engage his audience, his belief in the inherent good of others, and above all the honesty and sincerity with which Young approaches life.

Sounds like an interesting dude. The best way to meet this local author?  Buy one of his books, and instead of having it shipped, offer him a cup of coffee at the nearest Stumptown.  In fact that sounds like a pretty good idea, I’ll let you know how it goes.