Karen Russell talks Florida ghosts, cocaine cowboys and Lawrence zombies

Karen Russell, author of 'Swampland!' and 'Vampires in the Lemon Grove' spoke to over a 100 at Abe & Jake's on Thursday night for the second installment of the Lawrence Public Library's annual Ross and Marianna Beach Author series.

Krista Thorson and her husband, Jeff, sat on folding chairs with open minds on Thursday night, waiting to hear author Karen Russell speak at Abe & Jake’s Landing.

Other than hoping to hear a bit about how she works, the couple said they had no specific expectations for Russell’s address, though they were pleased to have such an event in Lawrence.

“I love it when they speak about their process and how they come up with their ideas. That’s always interesting to me,” Krista Thorson added.

Russell, author of the novel “Swamplandia!,” a 2012 Pulitzer Prize finalist, and several short story collections, spoke at the second installment of the annual Ross and Marianna Beach Author series.

Karen Russell, author of 'Swampland!' and 'Vampires in the Lemon Grove' spoke to over a 100 at Abe & Jake's on Thursday night for the second installment of the Lawrence Public Library's annual Ross and Marianna Beach Author series.

“(The series) is to bring a prominent author to Lawrence once a year,” said Kathleen Morgan, the Lawrence Public Library’s director of development and partnerships. “What it really does is put Lawrence on the map to host major authors, and we’re delighted for the community to be able to enjoy it without charge.”

Before the event, Morgan said, she was able to enjoy lunch with Russell and came to find that the author is “very Lawrence.”

“She’s delightful, she has a real off-beat and wonderful sense of humor,” Morgan said.

That sense of humor was quick to flare up as Russell approached the podium to deliver her lecture in a self-described “drunk grandpa” style.

She joked about Thursday’s Lawrence Zombie Walk, and at several points in her speech she glanced about the room, hoping to see one of the younger members of the undead, though none seemed to be in attendance.

“I don’t see any zombies in the crowd,” she said. “But maybe you’re just skillfully disguised.”

Throughout the evening, the Florida native, now living in Portland, spoke at great lengths about her connection with geography and other, often indeterminate, forces that affected her life.

In particular, she gave thanks for her childhood in South Florida, a place, she said, where fantasy and reality often coincide.

“Where you grow up has a profound impact on how you see the world,” she told the crowd. “Normal in Florida can read like a peyote-fueled dream in other parts of America.”

In addition, Russell spoke of ghosts, her literary influences, cocaine cowboys, race riots in Miami, the thoughts of parrots, Leo Tolstoy, Sigmund Freud and the Florida Everglades before opening up the microphone to a brief question and answer session.

“She’s just so bizarre,” said Linda Niehoff, who attended the event with her husband, Kenny. “It was interesting to see how her mind works and how quick she is.”

Niehoff said she found Russell encouraging, especially her thoughts on exploring a story’s setting and characters.

“It was really intriguing as a reader and as a writer,” she said. “I love her short stories. I feel like there’s a novel’s worth of info in each one.”