Tuesday, April 17, 2012

California Bloggin'

It's been a hectic ten days.  My son, Ethan Goodman, is now Ethan Campbell-Goodman, having married his partner, Steven Campbell.

And now I'm in California for a very solid week (actually this week is so solid it's 8 days) of book events that begin tonight, April 17th at Santa Clara University.   Here's a link to that event:   http://www.scu.edu/scm/feature.cfm?b=439&c=12853.

Tomorrow, Wednesday April 18th, I'm reading at the University of Nevada, Reno, at 6:30 pm.  I've rented a powder blue Crown Victoria, a retro contemporary vehicle if ever there was one.  So if you see a powder blue Crown Vic on I-80 East tomorrow morning, you'll know it's me.

My hosts at these two events are two old friends and very fine writers:  Ron Hansen (Santa Clara) and Christopher Coake (Reno).

On Thursday night, I'll be reading and signing at Mrs. Dalloway's in Berkeley, at 7:30 pm.

I still have a limited number of official Twelfth and Race tour t-shirts, but they're going fast and not likely to come back.

Yesterday, I learned that Publisher's Weekly had reviewed Twelfth and Race.  A publicist at University of Nebraska wrote and warned me that it wasn't very positive.   That's like saying that the Klu Klux Klan isn't especially fond of African Americans and Jews.   I'd been waiting for, perhaps dreading, a review of this sort, a small-minded, poor reader, some nitwit who can't think beyond the fact that this novel is trying directly to engage the issue of race and love.  I'd expected that someone, somewhere, would misread in this way, mistaking honesty for racism. Happily, most other readers and reviewers have thought otherwise.  
I'd not going to provide a link to this review, but I'm sure you can find it if you would like to.  Let's just say it's the all-time worst.

To end this post on a more positive note, I'd like to mention that Dangerous World, the new CD from Kevin Kane and the Grifters, is now available for your listening pleasure (and download) at http://www.kevinkaneband.com/  and http://www.bcmtunes.com/

I wrote the lyrics for 7 of the 9 songs on this new CD.  It's the best work my long-time writing partner, Kevin Kane, and I have done.   Of this CD, Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls, has said, "He writes songs that stick like glue, with a voice I can't get enough of."

More soon, especially postings of next week's readings in Southern California.