Book Review Panel

As the Vice President of the Women's National Book Association, Nashville Chapter, I want to invite you to come to our next meeting on Thursday (see below). Know this is going to be a great panel! Hope to see you there.

WNBA, Nashville Chapter

Event: Come join us on Thursday, October 2nd, in the conference room located in Bronte Café at Davis-Kidd located in the Green Hills Mall, for the second program of the year. All WNBA programs are free and open to the public. We encourage members to bring guests; it is a great way to increase awareness of our amazing organization within the community. The informal pre-event gathering starts at 5:00pm at Bronte Café. For those who can make it, this is a great opportunity to meet other members and guests and enjoy the delicious fare Bronte Café offers. And please do not forget to bring your checkbook to renew your annual dues of $25.

This month’s meeting will run from 6:00-7:15pm. Jonathan Marx, former Book Editor of The Tennessean, Margaret Renkl Book Editor of Nashville Scene and Trisha Ping, Fiction Editor of BookPage, will discuss the role of the book review. It’s a timely discussion given the changes the publishing and media industries have undergone over the last decade. How are these changes impacting how consumer use book reviews and ultimately select which books to read given the proliferation in titles and increased popularity of the Internet and such programs as Oprah’s Book Club?

--Ginna F.

Reading at D-K

Local author and WNBA, Nashville Chapter member Michael Glasgow will be reading at Davis-Kidd on October 8th at 7pm. (I had a chance to hear Mike speak last year on a WNBA panel titled "True Crime, Mystery and Suspense".) You'll not want to miss it. As a lawyer who practiced for 20 years, he has an interesting perspective on the true crimes he writes about.


From the Publisher: Her Murder was Brutal and Savage, and the Nicaraguan People want Someone to Pay! In 2005, Eric Volz moved to Nicaragua to pursue his dreams. By 2006, he was living the worst nightmare of his life. Twenty-five year old Eric Volz moved to Nicaragua in 2005 in pursuit of paradise. Drawn by its pristine beaches, scenic mountains, lush rainforests, and economic potential, he quickly fell in love with the country. And when his start-up publication, EP Magazine, found success on an international level, Eric's life was taking off like a dream. Then, on November 21, 2006, Eric's ex-girlfriend, beautiful Nicaraguan Doris Ivania Jimenez, was found brutally murdered inside her clothing boutique in the Pacific coastal town of San Juan del Sur. The day he helped lay Doris to rest, Eric was arrested for her murder. His paradise quickly became his prison. Haunting and powerful, this is The Eric Volz Story.

--Ginna F.

Foodies Unite

I am a total closet foodie. More accurately, I am an aspirational cook / cooking voyeur. I love reading food related memoirs and novels. The descriptions of food and what food means to people just gets to me. Hard to explain; it's visceral. I have other friends who love reading cookbooks. Hmmm...

The Tennessean had a fun article in today's Life Section called "Read the Novel, Then Cook the Food". It referred to two of my favorites -- The Namesake and Like Water for Chocolate. Actually, I prefer Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies over the better known The Namesake but hey whatever they are both fantastic (smile). If I had written the article I would have added Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl, My Life in France by Julia Child, and The Complete Works of MFK Fisher.

From The Tennessean article

Mexican

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
(Anchor, 1989)

"Como agua para chocolate," an idiom used to describe a "hot" situation, comes from a traditional Mexican beverage that requires hot water for dissolving a chocolate candy. In LWFC, Mexican author Laura Esquivel writes passion we can taste.

EXCERPT: "Tita remembered that Nacha had always said that when people argue while preparing tamales, the tamales won't get cooked. They can be heated day after day and still stay raw, because the tamales are angry. In a case like that, you have to sing to them, which makes them happy; then they'll cook. Tita supposed the same thing had happened with the beans, which had witnessed her fight with Rosaura. That meant all she could do was to try to improve their mood, to sing. . . ."

DISH TO COOK:

CHURROS AND SPICED HOT CHOCOLATE

Question Girl / Smart Conversation

River Jordan, author of The Messenger of Magnolia Street, addressed an important issue in yesterday's blog entry on "A Good Blog is Hard to Find". She talks about how few questions are asked during the Q&A sessions at book readings and why this is a bad thing. As the self-anointed "Question Girl", she takes it upon herself to fill the void.

Q&A Tips from River Jordan
My questions tend to be 1) What did you parents discover you were a writer? Are they over it yet? 2) How long have you known you were different? 3) If you could only write one book, and it was the only book you would have to read for the rest of your life on a desert Island - what would it be? 4) Are you currently on medication?

Lacey G. and I are very familiar with the issue as we attend and host a good number of readings. In fact, we've designed an Evening with an Author with that very issue in mind. We have set the expectation from the beginning that the series is about "Books, Wine and Smart Conversation" with the stress being on the conversation part. We believe that community is built when people enter into lively discussions and allow themselves to be engaged by the material and by their neighbors. Once the bonds are forged between individuals, it is that much easier to address other issues facing our community like the need for more sidewalks / green spaces and better schools etc...

Tonight's Evening with an Author features Susan Gregg Gilmore at Martha's at the Plantation from 6-7pm. The reading is free and open to the public (send an email to eveningwithanauthor@yahoo.com to reserve your spot). If you would like to stay for dinner & music 7-9pm, there is a $25 per person charge (please call Martha's directly to make your reservation for dinner at 615-353-2828). Thanks and hope to see you there!

--Ginna F.

Vandy is at it again

Vanderbilt University has some great programming coming up this fall.

Elizabeth McCracken, author of An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir, is speaking on Thursday night at 7pm at Buttrick Hall. I have not read any of her books but understand that she is great!

Also, the Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences program (MLAS), which I am in and loving, is hosting the Saturday University: Lectures at the Commons this fall. This is a wonderful way to get back in the classroom and take advantage of Vanderbilt's close proximity. The professors and fellow students have impressed me to no end. See below for more details. Thanks.

SATURDAY UNIVERSITY: Lectures at the Commons

The fall series of lectures is presented in collaboration with the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS). World-renowned Vanderbilt faculty will address aspects of their current research, including:

* Oct. 25: Prof. Marshall Eakin (History & CLAS) will speak on “Why Brazil Matters.”

* Nov. 1: Prof. Leonard Folgarait (History of Art) will speak on the Mexican muralist painters (Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros).

* Nov. 8: Prof. René Prieto (Spanish) will speak on Gabriel García Márquez and Latin American literature.

* Nov. 15: Prof. Arthur Demarest (Anthropology) will speak on the rise and fall of ancient Maya civilization.

* Nov. 22: Prof. Helena Simonett (CLAS and Blair) will speak on the music and culture of the Mexican borderlands.

Lectures will be held over five consecutive Saturdays in the Commons. Each session will include lecture, plus Q&A, from 9:30 until 11:00 from October 25 through November 22. Participants will only pay a $99 fee for the five lectures.

For more information and registration forms, visit the website www.vanderbilt.edu/mlas, or contact Hillery McAlpine at 615.343-3140.

--Ginna F.

Read this: We Will Be Reviewed

I'm frequently asked what books I'm reading and reviewing these days. Margaret Renkl, book editor for the Nashville Scene, is asked that question even more. Because she cares about her readers (and cares even more about keeping the Scene book page alive and breathing) she's sending out a weekly email of Scene Book & Reading Recommendations. (That's my name for it, not hers. She's way more clever.)

It's simple--just email her at mrenkl@nashvillescene.com--and straightforward--"Check out these great book reviews. Here are the links free of charge." Once a reader links to the site, he or she will find not just that week's print offering, but even more books (a whole slew of them, really) recently reviewed online by Scene writers. A great way to offer more book coverage, it's all part part of the Scene's new, ramped-up approach to book reviewing.

It's a proactive approach, something Renkl, editor Pete Kotz, and managing editor Jim Ridley understand is increasingly important in today's newspaper industry. As a Scene writer, I view it as a vote of confidence on their part. They care, both about books and the folks who write about them. Book reviews are an endangered species in many newspapers; increasing online traffic to a newspaper's book page is a great way to show the Powers-that-Be just how much readers want those reviews to stay alive and well.

So send Margaret an email (again, at mrenkl@nashvillescene.com) and sign-up for a weekly dose of smart book info. When you visit the Scene's online book page, post a comment or two. It's time to get the word out: We've got a book page. We Will Be Read.

A Bit of Whimsy

Reading the papers has become quite a drag (aka the faltering investment banking system, plummeting worldwide stock market, and devastation from Ike to name a few). So, I thought we could all use some light-heart fun and a bit of whimsy. I happen to have just the thing thanks to one of Swift Book Promotion's new clients, Maggi Margaret Turner. She wrote a delightful new children's book called I the Fly. Its pithy story and colorful illustrations by Dennas Davis are sure to bring a smile to your face. Who doesn't love dancing flies and ladybugs?! If you would like to purchase a copy, you can do so online at Providence House or pick up a copy at the Southern Festival of Books (a portion of the proceeds of books bought at the Festival benefit Humanities TN.)

From the Publisher

Whimsically written by Maggi Margaret Turner, I the Fly, unfolds the charming tale of one bright little fly’s dangerous adventures in what might just be an ordinary house. Readers see the world from the fly’s tiny perspective, with microscopic and hilarious details brought sharply to life in vivid illustrations by acclaimed artist Dennas Davis. I the Fly focuses a magical lens on events and things people take for granted, but which prove to be heroic challenges to a courageous fly.

About the Author

Maggi Margaret Turner is a published songwriter and writer who lives on Green Pastures Horse Farm in Brentwood, TN, with her husband Cal. When she’s not composing jazz and blues or singing her heart out in a church choir, Maggi supports community organizations such as the Blair School of Music, the Nashville Institute of the Arts, the Tennessee Dance Theater, and the Nashville Zoo. I the Fly began as a poem – one of the more than five hundred that Maggi has written. She’s currently developing a children’s book about how kids see the universe.

--Ginna F.

Word Wars

I've got a recommendation for you. It's the documentary titled "Word Wars" that sheds light on the highly competitive world of Scrabble tournaments. I rented it a few weeks ago and cannot get it out of my mind. It's that good.

I had no idea that there was this competitive Scrabble sub-culture. If pressed, I would say I knew there were Scrabble clubs at places like rec centers -- think like chess clubs -- and I have more than a few friends who are fierce players who play on a regular basis. My own playing is reserved, for the most part, for online games on Facebook and on vacation where I coerce various family members into playing game after game. (Yes, the number of Scrabble games played is one of my metrics to judge how successful a trip is -- smile. On the most recent trip, we played 13 games. Excellent. Most excellent indeed.) So, if you are a casual fan or a hardcore word junkie, I think you'll also enjoy this movie.

About the Movie:

Tiles and tribulations…

There is a dedicated community of people for whom SCRABBLE is more than a domestic nicety – it is an obsession. They devote years of their lives to mental and physical preparation and travel the country – some full-time – competing in cutthroat tournaments. The dictionary is studied with religious devotion, each obscure word another weapon for the ultimate battle. For some, the game keeps them teetering on the safe side of sanity. For others, it has pushed them just over. Some scrape by on the meager winnings alone.

In another corner of the SCRABBLE universe - New York City’s Washington Square Park - you’ll find a ragtag bunch oblivious to anything besides the games at hand - restaurateurs, grizzled veterans, the seemingly homeless – all obsessing about words with a Q but no U: QAT, QAID, QINTAR...

This is NOT your grandmother’s SCRABBLE

Word Wars delves into both of these worlds, focusing on four of the game’s highest-ranked players (also featured in Stefan Fatsis’ best-selling book Word Freak), as they advance from heated competition in neighborhood parks and clubs to highly organized regional and national tournaments, culminating in the 2002 National Championship in San Diego, where the top prize is $25,000 and an appearance on the Today Show.

The filmmakers weave various elements of the SCRABBLE subculture into the main story: Laela Kilbourn’s camera captures the industrial beauty of the HASBRO factory where sets are churned out like lemmings; Conor O’Neill’s editing builds the intensity of a best-of-50 $1,000 marathon, played to exhaustion by two main characters; Eye-catching graphics by Cassidy Curtis and Mike Hackett visually illustrate the mental gymnastics; Music by Thor Madsen of Wax Poetic (Norah Jones’ former backup band) adds an up-tempo groove to the game play and a haunting resonance to the darker moments.

You may not want to be these “word warriors” , but you will definitely be drawn into their journey.

--Ginna F.

Nashville Bestseller List

What a happy surprise! On opening today's Arts & Entertainment section in the Tennessean, I saw that books written by local authors are #1 in the Fiction and NonFiction categories on the Nashville Bestseller List.

My happiness increased when I realized that one of them was Susan Gregg Gilmore's book as she is the featured author at this month's Evening with an Author on Thursday, September 25th at Martha's at the Plantation from 6-7pm! (All Evening with an Author events are free and open to the public; to be added to the mailing list send Lacey G. and me an email at eveningwithanauthor@yahoo.com with "Subscribe" in the subject line. Yup, it's that easy!)

I was equally happy to see that Life is a Gift topped the NonFiction list, as I saw Bob Fisher from across the lawn at yesterday's Rock the Vote held at Belmont University. (In case you missed it, it was an awesome event and the weather was to die for. I have been very impressed with Bob's leadership in securing Belmont as the venue for one of the three national Presidential debates and supporting such causes as Rock the Vote.)

And you'll also notice that David Sedaris made the NonFiction list. While he's not a Nashville-based author, he's coming in October for a reading at TPAC and his play Santaland Diaries is being put on by TN Rep in November and December. This makes him an honorary Nashvillian in my book-- smile.


Davis-Kidd Bestsellers
FICTION
1. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
2. Silks by Dick Francis
3. Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer
4. Being Elizabeth by Barbara Taylor Bradford
5. Home by Marilynne Robinson

NONFICTION
1. Life is a Gift by Bob and Judy Fisher
2. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
3. Empowering Your Health by Dr. Asa Andrew
4. The Obama Nation by Jerome Corsi
5. When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

--Ginna F.

Diann Blakely--Cities of Flesh and the Dead

Critical Mass, the blog of the National Book Critics Circle Board of Directors, published an interview with Diann Blakely, poet and author of the forthcoming Cities of Flesh and the Dead. Blakely, a former Nashvillian for many years plus Nashville Scene freelancer is also the author of two other collections of poetry, Hurricane Walk (1992)and Farewell, My Lovelies (2000) and co-editor of Each Fugitive Moment, a collection of essays about the late Lynda Hull. The Poetry Society of America awarded her the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award and for many years (12) she was poetry editor of Antioch Review.

Today, Blakely lives in Savannah with her husband--and iconic music writer--Stanley Booth. She was also a high school English teacher to yours truly, so please forgive any bias on my part. Honest, she's the real deal. Publications such as the Paris Review, the Southern Review, and the Yale Review all agree.

John Irving

It's hard to believe how many great book events are coming up in Nashville. There's the Southern Festival of Books (Oct 10-12th), David Sedaris reading at TPAC (Oct 17th) and Nashville Public Library Literary Award honoring John Irving at the Ryman Auditorium (Nov 8th) to name a few.

Nashville Public Library Literary Award

The foundation is pleased to announce that it will honor
John Irving
with the 2008
Nashville Public Library
Literary Award
November 7-8, 2008

2008 Literary Award Gala Co-Chairs

Elizabeth Fox and Kay Simmons

Patrons Party
Friday, November 7 at 6:30 p.m.
$500 per person/$1,000 per couple

Public Lecture at the Ryman Auditorium
Saturday, November 8 at 10 a.m.
Free to the Public
First Come, First Served

Literary Award Gala
Saturday, November 8 at 6:30 p.m.
$500 per person/$1,000 per couple
black-tie

The Nashville Public Library Literary Award was first given in 2004 to recognize distinguished authors and other individuals for their contributions to the world of books and reading. Proceeds from the Gala fund the multiple endeavors of the Library Foundation, including Bringing Books to Life, T.O.T.A.L. and the Summer Concert Series.

For information about the Nashville Public Library Literary Award Gala, please email the Nashville Public Library Foundation or call Barbara Sammons at 615-880-2613. For more info, please see here.

--Ginna F.

Proud Sponsor

Lacey G. and I are thrilled to announce that our company Swift Book Promotion, LLC is a proud sponsor of this year's Southern Festival of Books. With the Festival celebrating its 20th anniversary, we could not think of a better way to show our thanks and support for Humanities TN for helping to transform Nashville into a literary center.

And it's not too late for your company to become as sponsor as well. Contact Jennifer Chalos, development director, for further information. Jennifer's email address is jenniferchalos@yahoo.com. Thanks.



More on the Festival
On October 10-12, Nashville will be temporary home to approximately 250 authors from across the nation. They are coming here because for twenty years thousands of readers of all ages and interests have welcomed them as part of the Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written WordSM.


Southern Festival of Books hours are:

Friday, October 10 from Noon–6 pm;

Saturday, October 11 from 9 am–6 pm;

Sunday, October 12 from Noon–5 pm.

--Ginna F.

Visiting Author! Visiting Author!

Alex Espinoza, author of Still Water Saints, is coming to Vanderbilt University as part of the school's Gertrude and Harold S. Vanderbilt Visiting Writer's Program.

The reading is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9th, and begins at 7pm in Buttrick Hall, Room 102, on the Vanderbilt campus.

Here's a short interview with Espinoza by Belinda Acosta from the Austin Chronicle. A second, longer interview with librarian Dominique McCafferty for the Riverside Public Library is here.

This one gives a fuller portrait of Espinoza. I don't know Espinoza and though it doesn't always follow that good writers have great personalities (somehow warm and sparkling have a hard time with dark, brooding, creativity) his honesty in this latter one bodes well for his talk on Tuesday.

Here are his thoughts on his writing process. Fellow procrastinators--and those with a highly critical internal editor--take note!

DM: Yes, would you talk about that? Would you talk about your process?

AE: When I was a student at UCR, I remember writers saying stuff like, "I spend three hours a day writing," or "I spend two weeks not writing and then the next two weeks writing." And I would always shrink in my chair, you know? I'm just the biggest procrastinator. It wasn't until I got to graduate school that I would sit down and write everyday. But when I was writing Still Water Saints, I was in different phases of the book, and there were times when I would write for an hour, and there were other times when I would write for three. And then there were times when I would rewrite. But what I find really works for me now is writing a thousand words a day everyday. And I don't stop to edit. This is what I'm doing with the novel I'm writing now. I write my thousand words a day and I don't stop to edit. I don't stop to check the spelling. Right now I'm getting it out, and I'll reshape it later. But I do a thousand words a day.

Lisa See learned from her mom [Carolyn See] to write a thousand words per day, and I picked it up from Lisa. And it works for me. A thousand words a day. It's not as much as you think.

DM: Ooo! You're inspiring me.

AE: After I've written my thousand words for the day, I feel good. And at some point I go back and edit what I've written, and that's when the real work begins. That's when the heavy lifting begins. But for now, I'm writing a thousand words per day, and then I'll read either a section from a novel, or a short story, or a poem every day. That's it. And so that works for me. And like I said, if I can do it—and I'm the laziest person in the world—then I think anybody can do it. That's my work ethic. If I don't put the time in, it's not going get done. Sometimes it's really hard. I don't want to do it.

Saluting the Shopping Diva

If you've been reading this blog for the last few months, you know that I am a fan of Cathi Aycock writer of the "Daily Crave" column in the Tennessean (aka the Shopping Diva). She regularly features books and book related happenings in the community and for that I salute her. Today's column is a call to all book clubs to submit their book selections and a short review. Who knows, your book club may be the lucky winner and get to have lunch with her. Fun, huh?

What Women are Reading
"Kathy Schultenover of the Davis-Kidd Classics Club recommends The Women in White and The Moonstone, both by Wilkie Collins. Here's what Schultenover had to say about the books: "Both of these books, written in the 1860s, are considered some of the greatest mysteries/detective stories ever written...Both involve touching love stories and large doses of social commentary and humor."

What is your book club reading? Send us your pick for book of the month and your group could win lunch with the Diva. Email diva@tennessean.com with the book name, author and a short review.

--Ginna F.

Amazing Feat

How topical!

According to today's Shelf Awareness newsletter, La Vergne-based Lightning Source rolled out a print-on-demand paperback version of Sarah: How a Small Town Girl Turned Alaska's Political Establishment on Its Ear by Kaylene Johnson. Amazing that they were able to print 30K books over the weekend, especially given it was Labor Day. Hats off to Lightning Source!

Lightning Source Turns Around Epicenter's Palin Bio

Senator John McCain's announcement Friday that he had picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate caused a bit of an earthquake at Epicenter Press, the Kenmore, Wash., house that has the only biography of the Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah: How a Small Town Girl Turned Alaska's Political Establishment on Its Ear by Kaylene Johnson.

On Friday morning, Kent Sturgis, president and co-founder of Epicenter, wrote, "The incoming phone traffic at our little office, mostly from media looking for the author, kept our two lines tied up for six hours, unable to make outgoing calls because of volume. Thank goodness for cell phones!"

By 10 a.m. that day, Epicenter sold the last 3,000 hardcover copies it had of Sarah, originally published in April. Epicenter is distributed by Graphic Arts Center Publishing, which itself is handled by Ingram Publisher Services. By the end of Friday, IPS had orders for 40,000 more copies. On Friday, Epicenter arranged with Ingram's Lightning Source POD operation to print a trade paperback edition of Sarah. By Friday evening, Lightning Source received the necessary files from Epicenter and began printing books. As of last night, some 30,000 copies had been printed and are shipping today. The Lightning Source staff reportedly worked overtime over the Labor Day weekend to make this happen.

The new edition, with a slightly different subtitle, is called Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down and is priced at $15.95 (9780980082562/0980082560). The hardcover was 159 pages.

Ingram Content Companies chairman John Ingram said that the effort showed "our capabilities for helping our publishing clients seize the opportunities that come their way. No other entity in the book industry could have delivered this book to market as we did, so fast and so broadly."

Epicenter was founded 20 years ago by Sturgis and Lael Morgan, who were both Alaska journalists. The press specializes in general nonfiction titles about the state as well as books about sled dog racing and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. According to the Seattle Times, Sturgis decided to publish a biography of Governor Palin after meeting her at a fundraiser in 2006. "No matter what you think about her politics, she's an interesting and an unusual politician," he told the paper.

To write the book, Sturgis recruited Kaylene Johnson, who lives near Wasilla, the town where Palin was mayor and still lives. Johnson has contributed to a variety of publications and written several books.

Johnson told the Associated Press (via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer) that while working on the biography of the Governor, she met with Palin twice and corresponded via e-mail. After the book was published, she asked Palin for her reaction, but the Governor said she hadn't read the book because it was "too strange" to read about herself.

"The thing that made me feel good about the book was that her husband and her parents felt it was a good reflection of who she is," Johnson told the AP.

Epicenter's most popular backlist title is Velma Willis' Two Old Women, based on an Athabascan Indian legend, that was originally published in 1993 and has more than 500,000 copies in print, the AP said.

--Ginna F.

Writers in the Round

On Thursday, September 18th at 6:00 pm Barnes and Nobles in Cool Springs will host a reception for several local authors. Confirmed for the events are the following:

Sheg Aranmolate--iActuate
Matt and Bob East--Tommy Cat and the Giant Chicken
Alan Godwin--How to Solve Your People Problems
Mike Kellum--Trail of a Snake
Barry Kitterman--The Baker's Boy
Jim Robinson--Flower of Grass
Simply Sharon (Sharon Pawlak)--It's All in Your Head
Margie Theissen--Ghosts of Franklin
Ginger Williams--Coming Around

As literary events go, this is a great twist on book signings. Address all thank-you notes to Robbie Bryan. Not only is he coordinating the event, but he's encouraging what Lit Magic believes in--community.

Bringing several authors together for one event increases both reader attendance and author exposure. It's the living, breathing version of "If you like this author, then maybe you'll like this one, too." Light refreshments will be provided and isn't that a perk we all love!

Authors continue to be added so check in for updates.