Two years ago, I decided to find myself and moved to New Mexico, somewhere between the middle of nowhere and Shirley MacLaine’s compound. After six years of sheltered living among the NPR-tote-bag and vegetarian crowd, it was a bit of a shock. Rather than totally freak out, I decided to embrace it, beginning with learning to fish. Miraculously, I ended my first day with two trout. After killing them by bashing in their heads, marinating them in tequila, and frying them up, I suffered a wave of guilt. Solace from my crime was only to be found in the work of Patrick F. McManus—humorist and enthusiast for Outdoor Life magazine. McManus nimbly walks the line between essay and short fiction, with frequent appearances by his long-suffering wife Bun and characters based on his friends from northern Idaho. After a couple of mystery novels, he’s back to what he does best: writing short stories about obsessing over lures in Venice and getting back to basics with buffalo hides. His recent columns are collected in Kerplunk!, out this month from Simon and Schuster. And like most campfire stories, these tales are best heard in person. So dig out your best waders and head out tonight to hear his tales of outdoor horror and hilarity.

Fri., Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., 2007