As founder of The Jargon Society, Jonathan Williams has dedicated his life to publishing and creating works that defy conventional classifications. An alumnus of the avant garde Black Mountain College in the 1950s and now a part-year resident of Highlands, Williams will be at City Lights Bookstore in downtown Sylva at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 25, to read from his newest book, A Palpable Elysium: Portraits of Genius and Solitude.

In A Palpable Elysium, Williams has assembled a collection of photographs and reminiscences. He includes portraits of an assortment of better-known artists, musicians, architects, and writers and brings them together with woodcarvers, roadside doll makers, and other backwoods visionaries. Through well-chosen quotes and anecdotes, Williams draws out those characteristics that make them all members of an elite yet unappreciated league. In doing so, Williams reveals something of himself and his remarkable career as a photographer, poet, writer and publisher.

For more information about this event, or to reserve a copy of the book, call City Lights at 586.9499.