By Elizabeth Fitzpatrick
Elm Staff Writer
On April 9, the Rose O’Neill Literary House welcomed author Andy Mozina as part of their spring 2025 Fiction Reading Series.
Mozina is the author of two novels, “Tandem” and “Contrary Motion,” as well as two short story collections, “Quality Snacks” and “The Women Were Leaving the Men.” He lives in Kalamazoo, Mich., where he teaches literature and creative writing at Kalamazoo College.
Mozina read from “Tandem,” which is about the aftermath of a hit-and-run that kills two bicyclists. Set in Kalamazoo, the novel is dual perspective, following Mike Kovacs, the perpetrator, and his neighbor Claire Boland, the mother of one of the victims. Mozina explores themes of love, grief, guilt, and uncomfortable truths in his dark novel.
Interim Director of the Literary House Roy Kesey introduced Mozina’s book by sharing stories of his many childhood bicycle accidents.
“Those of you who’ve already read Andrew Mozina’s latest book ‘Tandem’ already know why I’m dwelling on these accidents. Those who haven’t yet read the book and are wondering why I’m dwelling on these accidents…no reason,” Kesey said.
Kesey praised Mozina’s tonal modulation and ability to merge comedy and tragedy in Mike’s misguided rationalization of his actions after reading a short passage from the novel.
Mozina read from the first chapter of “Tandem,” written from Mike’s point of view as he drunkenly drives to the beach in the middle of the night. Mozina described the scene of the split-second before the car crash in clear detail — “lit for an eternal instant as if by a flashbulb” — before jumping to the next chapter.
Chapter two is from Claire’s perspective as she wakes up early in the morning and wonders why her daughter did not come home the night before. These early chapters clearly establish the characters’ personalities, anxieties, and quirks.
Mozina similarly cut off reading from chapter two right as two grim police officers show up at Claire’s house. Attendees would have to read the book for themselves to find out how Mike was able to rationalize leaving the scene of the crime, or how Claire reacts to the news of her daughter’s death.
Following the reading, Mozina answered questions from the audience. He talked about the process of creating distinct characters and how he drew on his own experiences as an economist and a resident of Kalamazoo to craft the characters and world of his novel.
Mozina explained how an incident where he ran a red light and drove into an intersection inspired the novel. Although he avoided causing a car crash, he said it led him to think about how quickly one mistake can change everything. He wanted to explore both sides of the accident.
“My mom used to always say, when she was trying to scare us into behaving, she would say, ‘In one second…,’ and at a certain point she didn’t have to finish that sentence. It just meant in one second you could do the thing that destroys everything forever,” Mozina said.
Attendees enjoyed the reading, reacting with laughter at the witty and dark thoughts of the novel’s protagonists. Junior Isabel Bindewald praised the vivid imagery.
“After the accident I was so tense. When the mom discovered her child hadn’t come home yet I was like, ‘When is it going to happen?’” Bindewald said.
The Q&A section was also enjoyable and beneficial to many, giving an insight into how Mozina constructed the book.
“I really liked the Q&A part the most [and] hearing about how he wrote the different perspectives in the book,” senior Iris Scherr said.
The Literary House partnered with the Bookplate to sell broadsides and copies of Mozina’s books at the event. The profits from the sales were donated to the Nanticoke Tribe in Millsboro, Del. to support their college scholarship fund.
This event was the last of the Fiction Reading Series; however, the Literary House will be hosting the Senior Reading on April 23 at 5 p.m. to celebrate the writing accomplishments of graduating seniors.
Photo by Olivia Long.
Photo Caption: Mozina is the last outside speaker in the Lit House’s Fiction Reading Series.