Largely illiterate Southern California surfers flock to writer’s symposium as Pulitzer Prize winner Bill Finnegan set to speak on “the North Pole of irresponsibility!”

Sit at the feet of the master.

Southern California’s surfers are known for many things including quick tempers, strong opinions and bubbling resentment. They are not known for overwhelming literacy and so, as you can imagine, social scientists became extremely baffled when, on Wednesday morning, caravans of Sprinter vans began making their way from all points south of Santa Barbara to San Diego for today’s Writer’s Symposium by the Sea.

Hosted at Point Loma University, the yearly event promises “to inspire readers and writers alike, featuring evocative conversations with exemplary writers from various genres, backgrounds, and perspectives.”

And this year’s guest?

One William Finnegan.

The author of Barbarian Days, who calls New York home, will travel in to share about the one book every surfer has at least attempted to read. Finnegan, himself, calls the work “maybe the long story of trying to become an adult,” and told the local public radio affiliate, “I’ve had this kind of bipolar life and surfing is the North Pole of irresponsibility. But then there’s the other impulse to be a responsible citizen, to contribute — and in my case — as a writer, to have opinions and inform my readers. So does that tension — that tug of war — I think all through the book.”

Will you go and sit at the master’s feet?

Gather pearls of wisdom?

Buy tickets here.

Or, if you prefer, you can stay home and ready yourself for another twist in the story of two illicit lovers who just so happened to travel to Mexico.

Win/Win.