An Evening with Lukas Gage

Author events are the new concerts. I am a frequent concertgoer. I’ve had the privilege of seeing bands like The 1975, The Black Keys, New Order,  Interpol, Thee Sacred Souls, and Local Natives perform live. I’ve seen artists like Florence + the Machine, Kid Cudi, Adele, The Weeknd, and, most recently, Chappell Roan.  I’ve also seen Peso Pluma, Mana, Mon Laferte, and Café Tacuba. I’ve seen my favorite bands, The Killers and alt-j, three times. 

Recently, however, I noticed a change in habit when I started attending author events. Last year, I attended one hosted by Libélula Books & Co., a queer and BIPOC bookstore in Barrio Logan, where I had the honor of meeting Kim Guerra, whose brand “Brown Badass Bonita” inspires and empowers women to self-love. This year, I met content creator Dylan Mulvaney, who published her memoir titled Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer, and award-winning author R.F. Kuang. Known for The Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, and Yellowface, Kuang wrote a new novel called Katabasis, a dark academia fantasy. Listening to Kuang explain the research and time she spent writing the book was inspiring. Hosted by Warwick’s, in partnership with Writer's Symposium by the Sea, I had an amazing time. Though I did not have the opportunity to meet her in person, I did leave the event with a signed copy of Katabasis. After the event, I was inspired to seek out more author events.

On Monday, October 17th, I attended an event with actor Lukas Gage, where he discussed his new memoir, I Wrote This For The Attention, hosted by Warwick’s and USD’s College of Arts and Sciences and Humanities Center. Lukas Gage is best known for his role in the first season of The White Lotus. He has also appeared in Amazon Prime Video’s comedy series Overcompensating and season five of Fargo, and appeared in films such as Smile 2 and Companion. 

When I arrived at USD, I had trouble finding parking, but I managed to find a spot behind the building where the event was taking place. Once in the building, the staff scanned my ticket and presented me with a signed copy of the book. Inside the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre, I found a seat just three rows from the stage. A few minutes later, Lukas Gage arrived with Lili Simmons, an actress and close friend of Gage. The two exchanged experiences working in L.A. as actors and memories of living in San Diego. It was interesting to learn that Gage is a native of San Diego! He also answered questions asked by the audience, and he agreed to recreate his infamous grin from Smile 2.

After the Q&A, the staff alerted us to form a line outside the theater to take a picture with Gage himself. When my turn arrived, I greeted Gage and hugged him. I let him know that I loved him in the show Overcompensating. He thanked me and informed me he will be back for season 2! I was starstruck. I took the picture, thanked him again, and left with my signed memoir and a story to tell.