Michael Blades hails from Indianapolis and has lived in Key West since 1991. He and his wife, Katheryn Kilroy, are longtime Friends of the Fair who’ve been enjoying the annual event for more than 20 years. Michael works for the nonprofit RPM Nautical Foundation, which locates, studies, and protects maritime heritage, primarily in the Mediterranean.
How did you learn about Miami Book Fair?
It must have been on WLRN or something – I can’t remember. But I do remember that I first went to the Fair in 1992.
How long after that did you become a Friend?
I probably joined that year; if not, then the next year, for sure. I loved it and wanted to offer my support. It’s my favorite literary event – or any kind of event, really.
Which FOTF benefit do you most appreciate?
I enjoy them all, but I’d still be a Friend even if none of them existed. I really like the lounge. It’s nice to have somewhere to go just to decompress.
You’ve been going to Book Fair for 30 years. That’s a whole lot of memories. Which ones really stand out for you?
Yeah, there are a few, but the one that stands out the most is going to see Chuck Palahniuk, who wrote Fight Club. He famously read his short story, Guts, and it is a visceral experience. He keeps track of how many people pass out while he’s reading the story. And I knew that had happened [at previous readings], but I really didn’t think, I mean, I thought, there’s no way. Why would you pass out just from hearing something being read? And then I went to hear him and people were passing out. It showed me how powerful the written word can be over the physical body.
That sounds crazy bananas.
It was unbelievable! If you Google you can see images of people passing out at his readings.
Did you get woozy?
I got a little queasy but I didn’t pass out. [laughs] It’s a tough story and a tough read and a tough listen, for sure. I really was a skeptic until I was there.
Are there any non-vomit-inducing moments that come to mind? [laughs]
We saw Barack Obama before he was president, which was a great event, and let’s see … there’s just been tons. There’s always something at the Fair that grabs me.
Is there an author you weren’t familiar with before seeing them at the Fair, someone you began reading afterward?
Yes, I remember it distinctively. It was Colson Whitehead, after he wrote his first book, The Intuitionist. He’s a great writer, obviously, but he was a dynamic speaker. His presentation was amazing, and I immediately – I’m on the board of the Key West Literary Seminar – I immediately went back and said, “We have to get this guy to come here,” which we did.
A lot of times at Book Fair you get that feeling of being on the ground floor, of seeing someone before they’re super famous. Whitehead was so good at his reading, and I saw him again when he came back to the Fair and I remember just being blown away.
What’s the last great book that you read?
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. It’s fantastic. It’s a multigenerational exploration of mostly Chicano women – she’s a Chicano American writer – and it dates back to the 1800s through today with different storylines following different generations of the same family. It’s terrific.
That’s something I really love about Book Fair – you get to hear different voices that you’re not familiar with. I mean, I’m not a Chicano woman in the 1800s [laughs], but reading about that puts you in that place. That’s what the pleasure of reading is – journeying to different places or having different experiences that you couldn’t possibly have (otherwise).
Are you reading anything good right now?
I just started reading Fencing with the King, which is Diana Abu-Jaber’s latest book.
Oh, she’ll be at Book Fair in November.
She was there last year, too. She’s great – really nice – and I think she lives in Miami. I haven’t gotten too far into Fencing yet, but I love her other work.
Were you a kid who always had his nose in a book?
Yes. [laughs]
Did you have a favorite?
I was a Lord of the Rings freak, that’s what really got me into reading. So I read The Hobbit and all the Lord of the Rings books, and I can still go back to them. The films are good, but the books are a whole different experience.
If someone wrote a book that told the story of your life, what would it be called?
That’s a good one!
Thank you. [laughs]
I would say something like Follow Your Instincts. The path that was set out for me – if I had stayed in Indianapolis and gone to law school like I was supposed to – that path wouldn’t have been nearly as pleasurable as the one I actually ended up choosing.
Do you Katheryn always Book Fair together?
Generally, but we have different interests so we’ll go there together and then separate. We also have a number of friends that we’ve met through the Fair and other friends from Key West who come up for it, so we usually all meet for dinner afterward and talk about the day.
What was your favorite program at MBF 2021, either in person and/or online?
I loved the Evenings With session with Deesha Philyaw and Dantiel Moniz. Deesha wrote The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and Dantiel also wrote a collection of short stories, called Milk Blood Heat. They were terrific! Deesha, she is so funny and personable and wonderful and enjoyable, and both of them together were new voices who were excited to be there, excited to share their work, and very engaging – it wasn’t just another stop on the book tour for them. They were very happy to be at Book Fair and that came across in the way they interacted with the audience.
If we came to you and said, “Michael – you’re great and we want to give you something special. Tell us who you want to see at the Fair.” Who would that be and why?
Well, she’s probably been to the Fair already but I haven’t seen her there, but Alice Walker. I saw her speak when I was in high school and I’d love to see her again.
In high school? How did that happen?
She appeared at Butler University, near where I lived. She was speaking at the school but it was open to the public.
What drew you to a reading by Alice Walker? It’s not an expected interest for a kid in high school.
I guess I was a geek, I don’t know.
[both laugh]
I enjoyed the written word, even then, and I had a really fantastic teacher in high school – Mrs. Ney – who really engaged the students to read, and not just read because it was an assignment, but read to get something out of it.
Wherever you are, Mrs. Ney, thank you!
You know, she was in Key West one year, and we were having a party for the Literary Seminar and it was at Judy Blume’s house, so I took Mrs. Ney. And there were all these authors there and I felt like, “OK, Mrs. Ney, here’s your repayment for everything you did for me.”
That’s so great!
It was, and I have a picture of her standing with like, seven or eight well-known authors, and she’s right in the middle. [laughs]
Interview by Elisa Chemayne Agostinho.
