There are few settings more fitting for a conversation about survival, resilience, and finding humor in life's most uncertain moments than an intimate dinner shared among fellow readers.
For the ninth chapter of the Chicago Literary Salon, we gathered inside Liminal in Evanston to celebrate the publication of Man Overboard! with acclaimed Chicago author Kathleen Rooney in conversation with Sheila Schuenemann of @bookedandbusyreader.
Guests were welcomed with cocktails before settling into an evening designed to feel less like a traditional author event and more like an unforgettable dinner party. Every guest received a signed copy of Man Overboard! courtesy of Three Avenues Bookshop, along with hand-illustrated bookmarks created especially for the evening by Petra Anyakem. Throughout the night, EEBauer Photography beautifully documented the conversations, laughter, and quiet moments that make these gatherings so memorable.
We were also honored to partner with Lilly Wehman Counseling as our wellness sponsor for the evening. As a licensed clinical social worker whose work centers on resilience, mental health, and personal growth, Lilly's practice echoed many of the novel's central themes, making her a particularly meaningful partner for this conversation.
After guests had a chance to mingle over cocktails, Sheila led a thoughtful conversation with Kathleen about the inspiration behind Man Overboard!, the research that shaped the novel, the surprising role humor plays in survival, and the deeper questions hidden beneath the story's thrilling premise.
When asked to describe the novel, Kathleen introduced readers to its unforgettable protagonist:
"It's about this guy, Kick... he's on a Thanksgiving cruise with his extended family, and he falls—or jumps—overboard around midnight and has to spend the rest of the novel trying to figure out what happened, and if he's going to survive... Every chapter is one hour in the water, and I wanted it to be like a thriller where you really don't know if he's going to make it or not. And it's a comedy."
One of the evening's most fascinating moments came when Kathleen explained how stories begin for her.
"Everybody has kindling... all the memories and experiences and fascinations that you're always accumulating by being a person in the world. Then there's the spark... and the fire is the book."
That spark, she explained, came from her lifelong fascination with real-life survival stories, paired with extensive research into the rare people who have actually survived falling overboard from cruise ships.
"I wanted it to be exceptional, but not impossible."
Although Man Overboard! unfolds as a gripping survival story, Kathleen shared that the emotional heart of the novel emerged organically as she wrote.
"You always need a central question... 'How did he get in the water, and is he going to die?' That's plot. But then the questions you're asking—the trauma, the grief, the relationships—those are the discoveries that emerge while writing."
Guests were especially delighted to hear about Kick's unexpected sense of humor—even while stranded alone in the Gulf of Mexico.
Kathleen reflected:
"Comedy is predicated on tension... I wanted it to be a thriller where you're desperate to know what's going to happen, but comedy is the thing that helps him survive."
She also spoke beautifully about the symbolic power of the sea:
"It's beautiful because it's terrible. It could kill you... He's someone who's been avoidant and skating on the surface, so he needs to go into the depths."
As always at the Chicago Literary Salon, the conversation didn't end when the formal interview concluded.
Guests transitioned into a shared dinner where discussions continued across the table—about books, creativity, fear, mental health, writing, and life itself. With intentionally limited seating, everyone had the opportunity to speak personally with Kathleen throughout the meal, ask questions, exchange stories, and enjoy the kind of meaningful conversation that's increasingly rare in our busy lives.
The evening concluded with one final highlight: Kathleen personalized each guest's copy of Man Overboard! during an intimate book signing, taking time to chat with every attendee before they headed home.
We're so grateful to Kathleen Rooney for sharing not only her remarkable new novel but also the curiosity, humor, and generosity that made the evening feel so special.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, to Sheila Schuenemann for leading such a thoughtful conversation, to Liminal for hosting us, to Lilly Wehman Counseling for sponsoring the evening, to Three Avenues Bookshop for providing books, to Petra Anyakem for her beautiful custom bookmarks, and to EEBauer Photography for preserving the memories.
We can't wait to welcome everyone back for the next chapter of the Chicago Literary Salon.
Wednesday, July 8 | 6:00 PM | Liminal, 915 Elmwood Ave, Evanston, IL 60202
Sponsored by Lilly Wehman Counseling
Drift into the deep waters of memory, survival, family, and dark comedy with nationally bestselling author Kathleen Rooney as she joins us for an unforgettable summer evening at the Chicago Literary Salon.
In her sharply funny and deeply human new novel, Man Overboard!, Rooney introduces Patrick “Kick” Kilpatrick—a former college swimmer who finds himself stranded in the open ocean after falling (or jumping?) off a Thanksgiving cruise ship somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. As he fights to stay afloat hour by hour, memories begin to surface: a volatile father, a distant mother, simmering family tensions, and the accumulated heartbreaks and absurdities that brought him to this impossible moment.
By turns hilarious, tender, surreal, and profound, Man Overboard! explores what keeps us alive when life feels unbearable—and the strange mix of fear, humor, regret, and hope that shapes the human experience. As Kick drifts through shark-filled waters and conversations with his own past, Rooney crafts a story about survival in every sense of the word: emotional, physical, familial, and existential.
Your evening includes:
A signed hardcover copy of Man Overboard! from Three Avenues Bookshop
An immersive evening at Liminal featuring:
A welcome cocktail and thoughtfully curated menu inspired by the novel
A lively conversation with Kathleen Rooney exploring themes of dysfunctional families, mother-son relationships, fear of the ocean, mental health, comedy as survival, and the fragile, stubborn instinct to keep going
Intentionally crafted conversation prompts to spark reflection and connection—no prior reading required
Whether you’re drawn to emotionally layered literary fiction, stories about complicated families, or novels that balance humor and heartbreak with remarkable precision, join us for an evening that dives beneath the surface—into the fears, memories, and relationships that shape who we become.
A portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to Rose Metal Press, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit independent publisher dedicated to literary hybrid genres.
Seating is extremely limited. Reserve your place today.
About Man Overboard!
From the nationally bestselling author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, comes a funny and moving novel in which a former college swimmer falls off a cruise ship and must keep treading water as memories and regrets wash over him—perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette; Florence Adler Swims Forever; and The Wedding People.
"Man Overboard! is destined to be the best book of the summer.” —Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The View From Lake Como
Patrick “Kick” Kilpatrick hates the ocean. Has always been terrified of it. And now he’s in a real pickle.
Drifting alone in the sea after falling (or jumping? He can’t remember as the all-inclusive drinks on the cruise he was taking with his extended family were, well, inclusive) Kick must survive. Breath by breath, hour by hour in the lonely sea.
As the waves crash over him, so too do the thoughts and memories of just how he got there. A Thanksgiving cruise with an obnoxious brother-in-law he has to bite his tongue to keep from screaming at. A father who gives the Great Santini a run for his money. And a mother, who already left the family boat, so to speak, a long time ago. His family may be complicated, and the pains of life may seem unbearable—infuriating enough to leap from the deck—but maybe the will to survive is stronger.
Man Overboard! is an inventive, slyly hilarious, and inspiring novel about what it means to be alive, stay alive, and what keeps us going no matter how choppy the waves of our journey become. Hold on for dear life!
About Kathleen Rooney:
Kathleen Rooney is a founding editor of Rose Metal Press, a publisher of literary work in hybrid genres, and a founding member of Poems While You Wait, a team of poets and their typewriters who compose commissioned poetry on demand. She is the author, most recently, of the novels Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk and Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey. Her latest poetry collection Where Are the Snows, winner of the XJ Kennedy Prize, was released in Fall of 2022 by Texas Review Press and her latest novel, From Dust to Stardust, came out in September 2023. Her debut picture book Leaf Town Forever, co-written with her sister, Beth Rooney, was released by University of Minnesota Press in the fall of 2025. Her fifth novel, Man Overboard!, is forthcoming with Gallery, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in July of 2026. She lives in Chicago with her spouse, the writer Martin Seay, and teaches at DePaul.
About Sheila Schuenemann:
Sheila Schuenemann is the creator of Booked & Busy Reader, a Chicago-based platform where she helps readers discover books worth their time. She has been reading 100+ books a year for over 11 years and shares curated recommendations with a community of more than 500,000 readers.
She is also the founder of the Booked & Busy Book Club, where she highlights one standout book each month and fosters thoughtful discussion among readers. Sheila is known for her approachable, insightful take across multiple genres including contemporary fiction and historical fiction, and her ability to connect audiences with stories that stay with them.