Kansas author and former pro basketball player to visit Manhattan for book signing

This Saturday, Paul Shirley, a former pro-basketball player, is returning to his home state of Kansas for a book signing of his second memoir, “Stories I Tell On Dates.”

The book is a collection of some of Shirley’s favorite stories, also known as the ones he tells on dates. It was published by Fourth Bar Books on Oct. 17, and since its release Shirley has begun traveling the country to talk about his second collection of stories.

Locally, Shirley will speak in Wichita the morning of Nov. 18, and will then travel to Connected, a retail fair trade store in Manhattan for a signing and book discussion. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at 327 Poyntz Ave. After the signing, guests can join Shirley across the street at Tallgrass Tap House for some drinks and to share their own stories.

Shirley grew up in Meriden, Kan., and after graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from Iowa State, played basketball for a number of NBA teams, including the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. In 2007, he released his first book “Can I Keep My Jersey?” which told of Shirley’s time on 11 teams, playing in five countries over the course of four years. In his latest book, Shirley talks about living in Spain, playing in the NBA, and having his heart (and spleen) broken, as well as growing up in small-town Kansas, triumphant spelling bees, catastrophic middle school dances, and a sex education class taught by his mother.

When not on book tours, Shirley teaches writing in workshops and private tutoring sessions, does speaking engagements about his past life as a basketball player and adapting to life’s curveballs, running his website (a writers’ group called Writers Blok) and is an experienced podcaster.

For more information about his Manhattan stop, visit the “Stories I Tell On Dates — Manhattan Launch” Facebook event page or storiesitellondates.com.

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