Pat Cawiezell: Combining Fatherhood with a Little Magic

In this episode

In this episode I sit down with Pat Cawiezell, the buyer and author program coordinator at Magic City Books in Tulsa. Pat and I go way back — I've known him since he was 17, when he first visited from Eastern Iowa and fell in love with a 70-degree December day on the University of Tulsa campus. We trace his whole journey: from a sports management student who dreamed of working for a pro team, to a university ambassador giving campus tours, to admissions and fundraising work, and finally to helping build one of Tulsa's most beloved independent bookstores.

I love that Pat's path wasn't a straight line — it was a series of things he genuinely enjoyed, one leading naturally to the next. We talk about what it really takes to bring someone like Tom Hanks to Tulsa (and yes, two tons of books that had to be signed and hand-delivered), the special magic of a smaller author event where a community of readers gets built, and the honest tension of working nights while raising a four-year-old and a one-year-old.

We also get practical — Pat shares book recommendations for grown-ups and kids, how he decides what earns precious shelf space, and the events Magic City Books has going on. And when I asked how he lives purposefully, his answer stuck with me: he's tracked every book he's read since high school, and now chooses intentionally to read outside his own experience. That's such a beautiful, doable way to connect, learn and grow. Keep going, friends — this one's a treat.