Michael McGregor in conversation with Gene Openshaw- The Last Grand Tour

Join Village Books and best-selling author Gene Openshaw in the Readings Gallery to celebrate Seattle-based author Michael McGregor's debut novel, The Last Grand Tour!

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Joe Newhouse has guided Americans through the mythic lands of western Europe. Now, with his marriage failing, he faces one last trip to Venice with a surly group and a beautiful woman who turn his final tour into a web of conflict, secrets, and kindled desire.

Michael N. McGregor is a Seattle-based author, journalist, editor, and former professor of creative writing. His previous book, Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax, was a finalist for a Washington State Book Award. Before becoming a professor, he spent over a decade leading European tours. Today, he hosts the Cascadia Writers-in-Conversation series and runs the website WritingtheNorthwest.com. You can find him on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Gene Openshaw is the best-selling author of numerous travel books and PBS TV shows with travel guru Rick Steves. Their latest book, Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces, highlights classic works of art. Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler is still going strong after three decades. Their guidebooks--to Paris, Rome, London, and more--are some of the best-selling guides in the English language. Gene and Rick's 1978 adventures "On the Hippie Trail" are chronicled in Rick's recently published journal of the trip.

For television, Gene has co-authored the popular PBS documentaries The Story of Fascism and the ambitious multi-part series Art of Europe. Interviews with Gene can often be heard on NPR radio. As a composer, Gene has written an opera called Matter.

Gene's latest book, Michelangelo at Midlife, takes the reader from Florence to Paris to Rome in search of Michelangelo's most notorious masterpiece. Kirkus Reviews calls it "a delightful combination of art history and light drama... told with intelligence... conveyed with impressive emotional poignancy... an entertaining treat."For more on Gene, see geneopenshaw.com

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