MIDDLEBURY — Ryan D’Agostino, editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics magazine and author of the recently published nonfiction book “The Rising,” will appear at Middlebury College for a pair of events on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Thursday, Nov. 5.
On Wednesday, D’Agostino will deliver a talk titled “How to be a Reporter: Old-Fashioned Journalism in the Digital Age.” His talk is part of Middlebury’s “Meet the Press” lecture series and will take place at 4:30 p.m. in Room 220 of McCardell Bicentennial Hall.
On Thursday at 4:30 in Room 103 in the Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest, D’Agostino will read from his book “The Rising: Murder, Heartbreak, and the Power of Human Resilience in an American Town.”
Beginning with the harrowing events that befell the Petit family in Cheshire, Conn., in the summer of 2007, D’Agostino tells the story of Dr. William Petit, a man who lost his wife, two daughters and nearly his own life in a series of heinous acts of violence that left Petit broken and unsure how he’d go on living. “The Rising” has been called “a beautifully observed exploration of the redemptive power of love, which will leave you in awe of both its hero’s strength and its author’s soaring talent.”
Following the reading and a Q&A, D’Agostino will sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase.
A 1997 graduate of Middlebury, D’Agostino worked at Esquire for eight years prior to his appointment as editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics in 2014. He has earned two National Magazine Awards and a James Beard Award, and his writing has also appeared in the New Yorker, New York, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
Both events are free and open to the public.