On Father’s Day, Michael Cunningham (and his father) ventured to 826LA, where Michael read from and signed his new book Specimen Days.

After getting the okay from the audience to read from the science-fiction segment of Specimen Days—a genre he has long enjoyed— Michael exuberantly led the audience through a world nothing like his settings in The Hours or A Home at the End of the World.

The reading sparked a spirited Q&A session where the author discussed overlooked science fiction writers, the inspiration for an alien lizard-woman character, and his daily routine as a writer (first thing out of bed in the morning, for four hours).

Special thanks to the folks at Small World bookstore for their help at this event.