FROM TO
Archive Page How “Sideways” author’s personal connection with Geisel Library inspired his new book “The Archivist”
When Rex Pickett talks about UC San Diego, it is clear that the Library holds a special place in his life. From his time as a student to his career as a writer and filmmaker, the Library has served as more than just a place for him to study or read; it was where a world of opportunities and imagination opened up to him. “It wasn’t just a second home to me,” he says. “It was home to me.” Thus, it is only fitting that his life has come full circle and brought him back to Geisel Library, where it all began. Pickett is a renowned author, UC San Diego alumnus and longtime patron and champion of the Library. His newest book “The Archivist,” published in November 2021, is set in a fictionalized version of our very own Geisel Library and pays homage to the place that helped shape the person who Pickett has become. A San Diego native, Pickett recalls the establishment of UC San Diego, calling it a “magical place for the residents who hoped to go on and make something out of their lives.” When he began attending the university, Pickett spent much of his time in what was then known as the Central Library. He would take the elevator to the 7th Floor—his favorite—and immerse himself in the stacks of literature for hours. “I spent hours and hours there, reading, thinking, imagining, pullulating ideas, writing madly in journals,” he says. “I wanted so badly to have my own books on those shelves one day.” After graduating in 1976 with a degree in literary and film criticism and creative writing, Pickett moved
16 EXPLORE
