Meet the Man Who Discovered Lucy
Thursday, April 26, will see the Institute of Human Origins 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner take place at the Phoenix Zoo. This year’s featured speaker will be world-renowned paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, Ph.D., founder of the Institute of Human Origins and the discoverer of the famous “Lucy” skeleton. Read more
goodreads
Today I joined goodreads, which is like an online bookshelf for all your books — those you’ve read, those you want to read, and those you’re currently reading. I discovered it a while back but put off taking the plunge, I’m not sure why. I wish I hadn’t waited so long, though. Now that I’ve signed up, I’m excited about all the organizational and recommendation features. But then again, I’m kind of weird like that. Read more
Young Adult Writing Conference
At the beginning of this month, I mentioned the Indie Author Publishing Conference & Pitchapalooza, and here’s another conference you might be interested in.
It’s not too late to register for this upcoming Saturday’s Young Adult Writing Conference, taking place at Burton Barr Central Library.
Presented by Phoenix Public Library and Changing Hands Bookstore, the Jan. 28 event is scheduled to be held between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and will include writing classes, a box lunch, and a writing panel of standout authors of YA fiction, including several New York Times bestsellers. Registration is $85. Read on for more details, including which authors will be present and which classes are on offer. Read more
Indie Author Publishing Conference
On Saturday, Feb. 25, Changing Hands Bookstore and the Phoenix Public Library present the Indie Author Publishing Conference and Pitchapalooza.
The event’s goal is to give participants the tools they need to jumpstart their endeavors in publishing. One lucky individual will even win an introduction to a literary agent during Pitchapalooza. Continue reading for more info regarding the various conference sessions. Read more
“Between Two Worlds” by Zainab Salbi
I’m finishing up a book called Between Two Worlds: Escape From Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam, written by Women for Women International founder Zainab Salbi (with Laurie Becklund), and I simply cannot recommend it enough.
Salbi was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and while she was growing up, her father was ordered to work as Saddam Hussein’s personal pilot. Her memoir describes what life was like for Iraqis under the dictator’s rule, including the psychological abuse that she and her family suffered as Hussein and his supporters controlled their every move. Read more
Author Alice Hoffman at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
Have you ever heard of the movie “Practical Magic,” starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman? It was based on a book of the same name, written by Alice Hoffman.
On Saturday, Nov. 12, Hoffman was in Phoenix for a speaking engagement, as well as a book signing later that evening at The Poisoned Pen independent bookstore in downtown Scottsdale. At the signing she discussed her latest book, “The Dovekeepers,” as well as answered some questions about her previous works — including what she thought of Sandra Bullock and the film “Practical Magic.” Read more
5 Books That Changed My Life
I used to read a lot. Well, I still read a lot, it’s just that what I used to read were a whole lot of novels, and now I read more magazines and blogs and text files for work.
In an effort to remedy that, I recently went through my bookshelf to sort all the “Books I Bought And Still Haven’t Read But Definitely Plan To Read” from all the “Books I’ve Already Read Or Will Likely Never Read” in the hope that seeing just what’s on my shelf might encourage me to start turning pages again. (Or at least remind me of what I already own so that I don’t buy any more until I can clear some space …)
You know how music albums and songs can sometimes jolt you back to what your life looked like in the past? I think books can do that, too. A number of novels over the years have influenced me as a writer, as a reader, and as a person — but I’ll spare you the master list and present just five of them here.
Q&A with Catherine Powers of Inspired Home
Image courtesy of Inspired Home
I have a fun surprise. Today I give you a Q&A with Catherine Powers, the artist/poet/candlemaker (forgive me) powerhouse behind Inspired Home, a boutique artisan-owned company offering the most deliciously scented, handmade luxury soy candles (I might be addicted to the Coconut/Lemongrass combo), as well as a book (soon to be plural) of poetic reflections, and prints of vibrant, limited-edition fine art. And her studio is right here in the Valley!
If Inspired Home isn’t already on your radar, it definitely should be — especially now, while we’re in the months leading up to the holidays. The one-stop-shop could provide you with just the Citrus Spice-scented candles you need to turn your home into a holiday wonderland, not to mention gifts for your relatives (it’s never too early to start shopping for your mother-in-law, right?), plus work colleagues, party hostesses, and others.
So how does Catherine pull off her trifecta of home inspiration? You’ll have to read on to find out. Read more
The Query Shark
Even if you’re not a writer — and even if you’re not a fiction writer — you’ll enjoy The Query Shark blog.
The blog’s author, who works in the fiction publishing industry, posts reader-submitted queries on the site and then, well, chomps them to bits. (A query is a letter that a novelist sends to a publishing house. The query letter is supposed to make the publisher want to know more about the author and the novel and, fingers crossed, publish the book.)
What makes the site so entertaining is that 1) many of the queries are so astoundingly bad and therefore, very humorous to read, and 2) The Query Shark does not pull any punches when it comes to pointing out as much. Read more
Bad Writing: A Documentary
Poster by David Pearson
Although it was made a few years ago, the documentary Bad Writing just recently crossed my radar. At the time of its release, there was buzz about it generated by USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other reputable sources.
The concept is this: An aspiring poet seeks some answers regarding the process of writing from those who have gone before him — and who have succeeded — namely, David Sedaris, Margaret Atwood, George Saunders, Brenda Shaughnessy, D.A. Powell, Alex Steele, Claire Davis, and many others.
What the filmmaker receives from these literary leaders is a whole lot of insightful commentary on writing — bad writing, to be sure, but good writing too, and all that lies in between.
Check out the trailer below. Read more
“The Tao of Travel” by Paul Theroux
American travel writer Paul Theroux’s latest nonfiction book is called “The Tao of Travel.” Read more
The Rights of Writers
Mark Fowler is pretty cool.
He works as an intellectual property and media lawyer at a reputable firm in New York, but for eight years before attending law school, Fowler worked as a writer and editor, authoring magazine articles, books, poetry, advertising, textbook chapters and more.
On his personal blog, “Rights of Writers,” he merges these two perspectives by dissecting complicated copyright matters (is there any other kind?) and explaining what’s in writers’ best interests compared to what the law dictates.
Hugely helpful stuff for authors and publishers. Read more
NaNoWriMo 2010 Update and a John Green Pep Talk
Monday was Nov. 15, the halfway point of NaNoWriMo, which I previously wrote about here. To reach a total of 50,000 words by the end of November, writers (at least the ones who are going about this methodically) should have reached roughly 25,000 words around Monday.
So, where’s my word count? Read more
