Dougie Coupland

As a college graduate, I picked up a book called SHAMPOO PLANET by Douglas Coupland.  I was living on the wood floor of a studio apartment in Old Louisville and fell in love with the way Coupland wrote.  Since then, I've always picked up his fiction and can admit to being a slight fan. I suppose, too, I envy his prolific writing career and wish I had his fortune with describing the world he does through his craft and originality.  One of his books, LIFE AFTER GOD, has been a bible of sorts for me and I think about it a lot, especially when posting onto this happiness blog. The conclusion of that text is we need God, and although the great entity isn't defined and enunciated into preachy pulpit benediction, his recognition of needing something to be out there connects to my world view.  I gave Kathie Maniaci, an art education researcher, a copy of POLAROIDS OF THE DEAD over the weekend and Coupland has been on my mind ever since.  He doesn't have a new novel on the horizon that is posted on his website, but I'm sure he's far from retirement.  I look at my youthful twenties and give a thumbs up for his writing and understanding of a bizarre world, and I am anxious for his next publication.  In the mean time, I'm content with what I've already read.