Casey O’Banion to Speak at Friends of the Library Annual Luncheon
Friends, by definition, are allies. Friends of the Texarkana Library are strong allies who contribute to the finances and community outreach of the Texarkana Public Library. By managing a used bookstore and hosting an annual fundraiser, the Friends of the Library can offer financial assistance for needs not normally covered by the library’s operating budget. This year, the annual Friends of the Library fundraiser is proud to announce that it will host the author of Chinese New Year, Texarkana native Casey O’Banion, a graduate of Pleasant Grove High School, LSU, LSU law school and Antioch University.
O’Banion has fond memories of his Texarkana childhood. “I always get questions about what growing up in East Texas was like” O’Banion recalls. “People in Louisiana asked in college, and people in Los Angeles asked in grad school. A foreign exchange student who lived with my family in high school thought we rode horses to school, not a Chevy Suburban. I want readers to learn about Texarkana in essays like ‘Fire Ants’ and understand the unique area of the state and country it is, through stories worth telling and people worth telling about.”
O’Banion met Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm writer Larry David “a few years ago in Los Angeles through a mutual friend who had gotten David to read a couple of my essays. ‘Fire Ants,’ in particular, stood out to him. He told me he had to meet ‘this guy’ (my lifelong friend who the essay is about), especially if they could play golf together.” Another essay was nominated for an international writing award by a journal in India because the editor saw their mom saying much the same thing O’Banion’s mom, Malise, said in a voicemail she left for O’Banion’s wife about buying Christmas gifts for his family and getting a frozen trout past the TSA. O’Banion explains that “experiences like this show me that people from around the world relate to Texarkana in different ways.”
After earning his undergrad and one graduate degree at LSU, Casey O’Banion decided to attend LSU law school because learning to argue meant learning about “creative problem-solving: how to interpret a statute, how to convincingly position an argument within a pattern of facts” and “better tell a convincing, meaningful story that felt real.” His novel, Chinese New Year, recounts “many of the people, experiences, and anecdotes from my life – like, the Joy For All robotic pets, which are actual, tangible toys one can buy for $120 dollars. I really did celebrate Chinese New Year while working for a nursing home company.”
Chinese New Year depicts life in the great indoors, the adventures of a cat named Mack, and the widower Alton Tapscott. Originally published by TBP Press in 2023 and now by John Harding Publishing, reviewers describe the novel as witty and articulate. O’Banion will also read from his latest collection of essays about growing up in an unnamed city that sits in two states. Married and the father of four including infant twins, O’Banion lives in Baton Rouge. He writes that “the culture of Texarkana, which is so different from the rest of Texas,” is one he carries with him. “I went to Pleasant Grove and had teachers like Mrs. Copeland, Mrs. Whitson, Mrs. Coe, Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Campbell, Mr. Kirk, Mrs. Cox, Mrs. Wesley, Coach Henry, Coach Kubiak, and plenty of others who made me the person and therefor the writer I am. I was lucky to have these encouraging people who provided a comfortable place for me to grow and explore my interests.”
Casey O’Banion will speak at the Friends of the Library Annual Luncheon on Thursday, October 17, at First United Methodist Church downtown. The cost of the luncheon is $25.00 per person. Lunch will be served at 11:30 in the Cabe Fellowship Center. Award-winning chef Jeff Loving of Chef on the Run has promised his usual excellent fare. Friends of the Library Bookstore, 2024 Stateline will take reservations with a check or cash, or you can send a check to the Texarkana Public Library, 600 West 3rd St., Texarkana, TX 75501. Copies of Chinese New Year will be for sale after the luncheon. Support the Texarkana Public Library by joining us for what promises to be a delightful afternoon. And reserve your place quickly—the luncheon will sell out!
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