Monday, March 26 at 7:00pm

“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in a life. For some of you, those things have already happened. Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will.” — Sugar, 5/5/2011

The “Dear Sugar” column on the literary website The Rumpus began as an experiment — how would a seasoned novelist, protected by anonymity and armed with a lifetime of experience, tackle the everyday dramas that trouble all of us? Quickly, the experiment became a cult-hit, and “Sugar” was soon delivering the kind of incisive wit and wisdom to her army of “sweet peas” that could explode your heart. She became the web’s best anonymous girlfriend, doling out Oprah-meets-Proust truth with a no sense of condescension or irony. “This is how to live,” she seemed to say from a place deep inside ourselves. “Here is someone.”

Her words are incisive, soothing, often controversial, and most intriguing, backed by a secret identity. We’ve all been dying to know who this oracle is. And now, with a new book coming out under her real name, Sugar is finally revealing her identity and is ready to meet her fans. We are throwing a BIG party to mark the occasion. And you are invited!

So now you know: Sugar is none other than Portland-based author Cheryl Strayed, and she will be reading at our big coming-out bash from her new memoir, WILD: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Knopf), on shelves March 20. Come meet Cheryl/Sugar, and to celebrate her work with our fantastic lineup of special guests, including authors Pam Houston, Paul Lisicky, Mary Beth Williams, Stephen Elliott, Elyssa East, Max Fenton, Emily St. John Mandel, Alexander Chee, Gabrielle Hamilton, Aryn Kyle, David Gutowski, and your hostess for the evening, Miss Rachel Syme.

Musical guests Dayna Kurtz and Widowspeak will keep the evening rocking until closing time at Housing Works, when the fun moves to the afterparty at nearby Botanica Bar ($1 off drinks with a book purchase!).

All tickets include a commemorative poster by illustrator Andrea Sparacio, and entry into a raffle to win prizes like copies of WILD, “Write Like a Motherf—ker” Sugar swag, and a chance to win a one-on-one advice session with Sugar herself. We will also have a “Dear Sugar” box on site, where you can drop your secret questions and inspire one of Sugar’s future columns.

A WILD Night with Sugar is co-sponsored by McNally Jackson, who will be selling WILD books at the event. All ticket sales and bar proceeds from A WILD Night benefit Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, a nonprofit bookstore, cafe, and event space that raises money to fight AIDS and homelessness.

Praise for WILD:
“No one can write like Cheryl Strayed. Wild is one of the most unflinching and emotionally honest books I’ve read in a long time. It is about forgiveness and grief, bravery and hope. It is unforgettable.” —Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle

“While reading Cheryl Strayed’s stunning book about her arduous solo journey along the Pacific Crest Trail, I kept asking myself—what would I do if I were stripped bare of everything—money, job, community, even family and love? Thoreau once said, ‘In wildness is the preservation of the world.’ For Strayed, it is clear that in wildness was the preservation of her soul. She reminds us, in her lyrical and courageous memoir Wild, of what it means to be fully alive, even in the face of catastrophe, physical and psychic hardship, and loss.” —Mira Bartók, author of The Memory Palace

“This is a big, brave, break-your-heart-and-put-it-back-together-again kind of book. . . . I snorted with laughter, I wept uncontrollably; I don’t even want to know the person who isn’t going to love WILD. This is a beautifully made, utterly realized book.” —Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted and Cowboys are My Weakness

This event is now sold out.