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In the fall of 2012, Pretty Southern was privileged to interview Stephen Chbosky, author of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. This best-selling novel was translated to film this year, which the author was also able to adapt to screenplay and direct himself. “Perks” is a story of three friends coming into their own starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. After 15-year-old Charlie (Lerman) is taken under the wings of two seniors, Sam (Watson) and Patrick (Miller), who help guide him to “the real world”, Charlie ends up falling in love with Sam. Simultaneously, he is struggling to cope after the suicide of his best friend, (plus his own mental illness) while fighting the unrequited battle in high school of finding true friends. The introvert freshman is perhaps the mouthpiece of Chbosky’s own quest to discover meaning in a cruel world, as the author describes penning his first novel after a terrible breakup. Click here and fast forward to minute 3:30 to see our interview with “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” writer & director Stephen Chbosky.

Chbosky also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Rent, and was co-creator, executive producer, and writer of the CBS television series Jericho, which began airing in 2006. He is currently working to finish his second novel while raising a baby girl, Maccie Margaret, with his lovely wife, Liz. Follow him on Twitter to keep up with this brilliant author. Thanks again to the New York Public Library and Google for hosting this great hangout.