Geer, Charlie 1970–

PERSONAL: Born 1970, in Charleston, SC. Education: College of Charleston, B.A., 1994; University of Florida, M.F.A., 2001. Hobbies and other interests: Travel.

ADDRESSES: Office—Department of English, College of Charleston, 66 George St., Charleston, SC 29424. E-mail—geerc@cofc.edu.

CAREER: Educator and fiction writer. Worked variously as a circus roustabout, orchard keeper, commercial fisherman, high school teacher, and carpenter; College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, instructor. Visiting instructor at University of Charleston. Assistant editor, Crazyhorse.

AWARDS, HONORS: Fellowships from University of Florida and South Carolina Academy of Authors; winner, South Carolina Fiction Project and Piccolo Fiction Open.

WRITINGS:

Outbound: The Curious Secession of Latter-Day Charleston (novel), River City Publishing (Montgomery, AL), 2005.

Contributor to periodicals, including Tin House, Sun, and Bloomsbury magazine.

SIDELIGHTS: Charlie Geer has given readers a lighthearted social satire with his debut novel, Outbound: The Curious Secession of Latter-Day Charleston. In the story, three major festivals take place at the same time on the peninsula where Charleston, South Carolina, is located. The weight of all that humanity causes the peninsula to break off from the mainland and drift out to sea. The locals find themselves trapped on the newly made island together with far too many tourists, yet the U.S. government, the Coast Guard, and the media all seem unconcerned by the situation. Geer pokes fun at several types—pampered artists, tour guides, yacht club members and more—as the characters in his book bicker and complain. He exposes the "elitism, pettiness, racism, greed, and lust" of his characters, indicated a reviewer for the Charleston City Paper. Although his characters are not well developed, because "the author's too busy cracking jokes and hammering home his points to flesh out the protagonists," the fast-paced story will keep readers from being too concerned about whether or not the plot makes sense, according to the critic. "If readers enjoy Outbound half as much as Geer obviously enjoyed writing it," the critic added, "they're in for a grand ride." A Kirkus Reviews contributor stated that the story is "implausible, but a good romp with plenty of characters who ring true."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2005, review of Outbound: The Curious Secession of Latter-Day Charleston, p. 248.

ONLINE

Charleston City Paper Online, http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/ (June 9, 2005), review of Outbound.