Eccles Center to Host An Evening with Author Neil Gaiman, 4/18

Bestselling and award-winning author Neil Gaiman comes to The Eccles Center on Saturday, April 18. A creative genius and master storyteller, Gaiman mesmerizes - and inspires - his audience on both the page and the stage. Park City Institute's An Evening with Neil Gaiman begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 435-655-3114 or online at EcclesCenter.org.

A self-described "feral child who was raised in libraries," Gaiman's bestselling fantasy novel, "American Gods," took the Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker, and Locus awards-as did his bestselling young adult story, "Coraline." He's an extraordinary raconteur, whose work tends to venture into dark and unusual places.

"When Neil Gaiman speaks, he casts a wonderful spell," says PCI executive director Teri Orr. "He doesn't book these types of gigs frequently. So, this evening is truly a rare gift and we will treasure it."

The British-born writer has peppered a prolific career with novels, scripts and appearances on stage and screen. Along the way, he has broken the rules; and he's been applauded for his audacity. He writes scary books for children (his children's novel "The Graveyard Book" won the Newberry and Carnegie awards). He's taken comics into a completely new realm (his "Sandman" comics won nine Eisner awards). And he's transformed a novelette into a performance piece ("The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains" debuted in the Sydney Opera house in 2010 and subsequently toured the world). And that's just a few chapters in the ever-evolving Gaiman story. He's done it all, from writing the script for an episode of BBC's "Doctor Who" to appearing as himself on "The Simpsons."

And he can ink a good yarn. According to The Times of London, "His prose is simple but poetic, his world strange but utterly believable-if he was South American we would call this magic realism rather than fantasy."

Gaiman has earned the No. 1 spot on The New York Times bestseller list and is the author of more than 20 books, including "Neverwhere

" "Anansi Boys," "Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett)," and the short story collections "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Fragile Things." His most recent book written for adults is "The Ocean at the End of the Lane;" and his most recent children's book is the bestselling "Fortunately the Milk."

Since he delivered his "Make Good Art" commencement speech at University of the Arts in 2012, the YouTube/Vimeo version has gone viral, receiving more than 1.5 million viewers. And his blog has more than a million regular readers; a recent New York Times article described his social media magnetism as a "Kardashian-scale Twitter following." Gaiman teaches at Bard College and is married to artist/musician Amanda Palmer with whom he sometimes performs.

Park City Institute presents An Evening with Neil Gaiman on Saturday, April 18 at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City). The evening begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $69* (20-percent discount for seniors, ½ price tickets for children ages 16 and under; $5 seats are available in the Copper Section for Summit County students (K-12). Tickets and information are available at The Eccles Center box office, 435-655-3114 or www.ecclescenter.org.

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