Nickolas Butler was born in Pennsylvania, raised in Wisconsin, and educated at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop. His first novel was the internationally best-selling and prize-winning Shotgun Lovesongs, which has been optioned for film development and has been translated into over ten languages. Beneath the Bonfire, a collection of short stories, followed a year later. In 2017, he published The Hearts of Men which was short-listed for two of France’s most prestigious literary prizes even before its American publishing. In 2019, his fourth book, Little Faith was published to critical acclaim. Butler published Godspeed in 2021, a literary thriller set in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that was longlisted for the Reading the West Book Award. His latest, A Forty Year Kiss is a small-town love-story set in Chippewa Falls, WI.

In this episode, Jenn and Kelsey talk with bestselling author Nickolas Butler about his latest novel, A Forty-Year Kiss. Listen to hear what in-real-life overheard conversation sparked the inspiration for this life-affirming love story, how he crafts the sublime from the ordinary, and why second chances are so compelling.

Find it on your favorite podcast provider or visit https://www.kwit.org/podcast/first-fifty to listen online.

First Fifty Pages is produced by KWIT-KOJI: Siouxland Public Media.

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