The Olive Reader

The Santa Cruz arts weeky Good Times has a great review of The Cactus Eaters by Dan White: “The Lois and Clark Expedition.”

Last week, the Los Angeles Times Book Review chose The Cactus Eaters for their “Discovery” feature.

I also hear that San Jose State has adopted TCE for a new class next semester: “Feminist hegemony, class, gender and the politics of hagiography in The Cactus Eaters.” Sign me up!

UPDATE
There’s a phenomenal interview with Dan over at Little Clay Pig.

WQXR tells me that it’s 66 degrees in Central Park (not too summery but fresh). The clock tells me that I could probably hold my breath until it’s lunchtime. But since breathing rules, I’d like to share this interview en plein air with our very own publisher (and occasional blogger), Carrie Kania. She has been chosen as one of PW’s “50 under 40” — a great and holy honor. Here’s the article: “Branding with attitude.”

For all five of you who check this blog on a regular basis, I will be BLOGGING from BEA. And next week, I will share some lovely snapshots of our authors…..

ATTENTION BOOKSELLERS, LIBRARIANS AND ALL OF OUR FRIENDS ATTENDING BEA .. Check out our panel!

STEAL THIS BOOK! Selling and promoting literature on the edge. This panel is designed to help booksellers cultivate and establish cutting-edge authors. The panelists will discuss successful and not-so-successful approaches/strategies for reaching the intended audience – those elusive 20-something readers – and the challenges that exist in promoting emerging writers that don’t conform to general market tastes.

DATE, TIME & LOCATION – Friday, May 30th, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM at the LA Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA, room 404B

Free tote bag full of stuff if you come….

Head over to one of my all-time favorite sites and read what Josh has to say!

PEN has put together this quick little “5 things you can do to preserve freedom of expression at home & protect writers abroad” helpful list.

In praise of warmer weather, here’s Morning Edition’s selections for summer reading – as selected by lovely booksellers.

Morning Edition, May 23, 2008 · Novelist Henry James once said the two most beautiful words in the English language were “summer afternoon.” And what better way to spend a summer afternoon — or a spring, fall or winter afternoon for that matter — than curled up with a good book?

Our office neighbors and esteemed colleagues at Amistad Press have jumped into the fray, starting their own blog: Amistad Confidential. The site is still new but the copy looks promising. If you’re not yet familiar with them, “throughout its decades long existence Amistad Press has always been dedicated to publishing books by, for and about the people of the African Diaspora.” Up now is some good news about Washington: The Making of the American Capital by Fergus M. Bordewich; and if you follow the last link, you’ll access a wonderful interview with the author.

Squidfire celebrates its third summer of being in business by adding over 20 new shirts and all of them are $20! We’ve come a long way from selling t-shirts out of our trunk to being sold at 90 stores internationally and having our shirts on TV and the silver screen.

At long last The Cactus Eaters by Dan White is on sale! I’m the proud editor of this one and feel fluttery whenever I think of it trekking alone in the vast and dangerous marketplace. Fare thee well, book! Fare thee well!

I know Dan is more than up for the challenge. Two days ago he called me from the top of a mountain in the backwoods of Kentucy while doing research for an article. Just another day in the office, I guess. And after working on this book, I can vouch that he’s traveled tougher miles than those that lie ahead. For more information visit Powell’s INK Q&A where Dan talks about his favorite books and hoped-for ideals. But don’t just take my word for it:

“In the well-written, laugh-out-loud, self-deprecating spirit of Bill Bryson’s Walk in the Woods and Nora Ephron’s When Harry Met Sally, Dan White takes us along for a walk on the wild side of adventure and love. I couldn’t put it down.” — Eric Blehm, National Outdoor Book Award-winning author of The Last Season

“Dan White forges miles past travelogue to carve a poignant, uproarious, and deeply compelling love story between man, woman, and the land between.” — Franz Wisner, NY Times bestselling author of Honeymoon with My Brother

“Think Into the Wild with a touch of Annie Hall, as told by Woody Allen, and you begin to get the picture of Dan White’s riveting account of a long, life-altering walk most of us will never take. White’s tale of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail’s grueling 2,600 miles, from Mexico to Canada, is by turns funny and achingly painful — physically and emotionally. As White and his long-suffering girlfriend encounter a cast of extraordinary characters — as well as bears, rattlesnakes and nasty bugs — you feel like you are with them every step of the way. A wonderful read — even if your longest hike is usually out to the driveway.” — Kenneth C. Davis, NY Times bestselling author of America’s Hidden History and the Don’t Know Much About® series.

If you’re hands-on, read an excerpt:

You may have already seen this brilliant video on Gawker or elsewhere; we could ignore it for only so long.

Dennis is the author of Head Case: How I Lost My Mind Trying to Understand My Brain, which is now available in paperback. You’ll be relieved to know that we hooked him up with his widget. Pow!

This Sunday The Earl McGrath Gallery New York will open at its new location with new paintings by Joe Andoe. This will be Joe Andoe’s fifth solo show with the Earl McGrath Gallery. Joe Andoe has been exhibiting worldwide for over twenty years and his work can be found in numerous public and private collections; including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego.

This show will coincide with the paperback release of; Jubilee City: A Memoir at Full Speed, by Joe Andoe, published by Harper Perennial, scheduled for July of 2008.

Earl McGrath Gallery
200 West 57th Street, Suite 908
New York, NY 10019

I’ve clearly got Josh on the mind. Below you’ll find and no doubt enjoy the dramatic fruition of a soap opera long lost.
DALLASTY! from Candy Everybody Wants

Yesterday evening at the Bowery Electric, with the help of OUT Magazine, we celebrated the publication of Josh Kilmer-Purcell’s new novel Candy Everybody Wants. The recently opened Bowery Electric provided a smoothly lit atmosphere for a Monday crowd and the complimentary Christiana Vodka (perhaps “the world’s smoothest vodka”) kept everybody classy. I like mine with a twist! Things remained casual with the exception of some fine words delivered by Aaron Hicklin, editor-in-chief of OUT, and Josh, the man-of-the-hour. The trippiest visuals were most likely provided by the books themselves.

I would have taken one but it was in another dimension. We also had some special guests (well, close friends of the author) who came to lend their support.

Josh Kilmer-Purcell and James Frey took a moment to beam into the camera. Tonight these two handsome gentlemen will appear at The Blender Theater for a reading and book-signing.

The big James Frey novel — Bright Shiny Morning — has inspired a styled and enthused review from Janet Maslin: “Little Piece of Los Angeles, Done His Way.” It’s a coup!

The AP (Hillel Italie) reports that “A children’s story about a family of penguins with two fathers once again tops the list of library books the public objects to the most. “

The offending book, “And Tango Makes Three” is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins who, for a time, formed a couple in New York’s Central Park Zoo. The book aims to send the message that it is cool to be in or know someone who has a non-traditional family.

So the fact that this lovely CHILDRENS BOOK ABOUT PENGUINS is the top of the list of banned library books really, really sucks.

Here’s a link to the Live Penguin Cam from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

He’s gay.