May 1: Matt fogelson on Fatherhood, grief, and music

On Friday, May 1, 2026, at 7 pm, Phinney Books welcomes Matt Ferguson from Oakland to present his new memoir of fatherhood, grief, and music, Restrung: Fatherhood in a Different Key. He’ll be in conversation with his old friend Bob Ferguson, who, as you may know, is the governor of the state of Washington.

Matt is a writer and former lawyer whose true passion is music, primarily of the classic rock variety. His Substack, Fine Tuning, blends personal storytelling with a love for the music that makes sense of life, centering on new artists and the intersection of music and parenting. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scary Mommy, and NPR.

Weaving the author's coming of age in 1980s New York with his life as a father today, his Nick Hornby-meets-Cheryl Strayed debut memoir examines father-son relationships, the pain of early parent loss, and the importance of embracing your passions. For nearly fifteen years, Matt Fogelson didn't recognize how deeply the early death of his workaholic father had affected him. Then he had a son of his own and the floodgates opened, helping him realize that even deeper than the wound left by his father's death were the wounds inflicted by his absence while alive.

Restrung follows Fogelson from his beginnings as a music-loving kid combing through vinyl in Greenwich Village, through his struggles to overcome his grief during young adulthood, and into becoming a man who is startled by the reemergence of his long-suppressed passion for music after becoming a father. Told with humor, grief, and hope, it's the story of a passionate music lover's effort to break free of the real and imagined constraints standing between him and his best life--an effort that ultimately allows Fogelson's son to know his father in a way Fogelson never knew his.

Please join us! And if you’d like to order a copy of Restrung, click on the cover below.