Join us as the National Writers Series welcomes Todd Goddard to Traverse City to explore the life of Jim Harrison through his powerful new biography. Jim Harrison (1937–2016) was widely considered one of the finest voices of his generation. His twenty-one books of fiction and fourteen books of poetry influenced a generation of writers. Harrison helped to shape the course of contemporary American literature, revitalizing in particular the novella form, of which he was a recognized master.

Harrison’s literary achievements were matched only by the literary persona that he cultivated during a fecund time in American letters and in the company of a remarkable cohort of friends, writers, actors, and artists, including Thomas McGuane, Peter Matthiessen, and Jack Nicholson. Writing for magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Playboy, Esquire, and Outside in the 1970s, his journalism won him a loyal readership who reveled in his high spirits and prodigious appetites.

For all his notoriety as a writer of prose, however, poetry remained his first and longest-abiding love. He cherished his geographic remoteness from what he called the “dream coasts” of New York City and Los Angeles, preferring to hunt, fish, and drink in the backwoods bars of Michigan, Arizona, and Montana. Based on more than one hundred original interviews and drawing upon Harrison’s collected papers, Devouring Time is the first and only literary biography of this beloved author, whose playful, irreverent, and spiritual work continues to find and delight new readers.

“Devouring Time will stand as a complete and moving portrait… Raw and revealing, yet with a sensitive eye for both the pain and the talent that made Jim one of modern America’s most intriguing poets and novelists.”

—Carl Hiaasen, New York Times bestselling author of Fever Beach

Todd Goddard is an associate professor of literary studies at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His work has been funded by the Mellon Foundation and a Bordin-Gillette Fellowship from the University of Michigan. He lives in Salt Lake City.

Event Details

The event begins at 7 p.m. and includes a Q&A and author signing. Tickets do not include a book. Books can be purchased at nationalwritersseries.org. Please note: signed books are only available at the live event. 

Ticket Information

Additional City Opera House transaction fees are applied at checkout.

Tier One indicates premium seating options with the best views, available on the main floor closest to the stage along with premium sections of the balcony.

Tier Two indicates standard seating options, available on the main floor and most of the balcony.

Tier One: $27

Tier Two: $17

Admits one person to the live event. Tickets do not include a book. Books may be purchased via the “Purchase Book” button above.

Student and Teacher Tickets: $12

No age restriction with a valid school ID, student and teacher tickets admit one person to the live event. Books are not included.

Group Tickets: 

For discounted rates on ticket packages of 20 or more, please contact [email protected]

About Our Book Sales

One of the most exciting parts of attending our events is getting a signed copy of the author’s latest book along with the chance to meet the writer and have them personalize it after the show.

Each sale benefits our local partner Horizon Books in downtown Traverse City, Michigan. The bundled price of National Writers Series books is always 20 percent below retail, so you also get a great deal.

If you do not want to buy the book for any reason, use the code BookChampion (one word) at the City Opera House checkout and a generous donor will pay for the book on your behalf.  

Virtual Option

Even if you can’t make it to the City Opera House, you can still enjoy National Writers Series events from the comfort of your own home on event night or later on-demand when it’s more convenient. Please navigate to the “virtual tickets” button above.