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I had a joyous day earlier this week, donning my boxing gloves and pounding away at the heavy bag in the back corner of my gym. Bad Moon Rising was blasting from my iPod; I was wearing pink and feeling strong; the more I hit the bag, the more I felt as if I was going to lift off the ground and fly.

The Taos Poetry Circus ended its run after 22 years in 2003. The World Poetry Bout Association, which ran the World Heavyweight Championship Poetry Bout ("The Main Event") during the circus, disbanded. But remnants of the circus exist, including video footage of the 10-round bouts, and this archived article from the NY Times: Bouts of Poetry (the Stress is on Beat,) published June 21, 1994.

"...the circus included readings by several American Indians, like Sherman Alexie, a 27-year-old poet from Spokane, Wash., of the Coeur d'Alene tribe. In a bout on June 9, he read several works, including "Song," which speaks of adolescence on the reservation:

I remember all your names, Indian girls I loved, Dawn, Loretta, Michelle, Jana, Go-Go, Lulu, all of you Spokane Indian princesses who never asked me to slow dance

To the music

That always found its way

Into the tribal school."

A recent NEA study has confirmed what many teachers, librarians, and booksellers have realized for a long time. Reading for fun is a declining pleasure, reading scores are plummeting in the classroom, and many adults suffer from low basic reading skills.

This discovery has begun a spirited discussion over how a child becomes addicted to the printed word and grows into becoming a lifelong reader. National Book Award winner, Sherman Alexie, who grew up on a Native American reservation, says that the book that made him love reading was The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

“It was the first time that I looked at a book and saw a brown, black, beige character, a character who resembled me physically and spiritually, in all his gorgeous loneliness and splendid isolation. The younger you are when you do that, the more likely you’re going to be a serious reader.”

As readers, whether we’re children or adults or somewhere in between, we are drowning in print. Bookstores and libraries teem with books, many of which are simply not very good. Our choices are overwhelming and, as we choose how to spend our limited amounts of time and money, our risks are great. Who can blame those who look at all of the possibilities, sample one or two unsatisfying selections, give up, and turn to other diversions?

“What I find with readers today is that they don’t go off on their own to another book. They wait for the next recommendation,” remarked Jonathan Galassi of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. For those who love nothing better than finding something new to read and taking a chance on it, his observation is dispiriting.

How do people become passionate and fearless readers, who happily move on to the next book, whether it has received the blessings of Oprah or the Newbery Medal or not? What is the book that made you a person for whom books are as essential as oxygen? What is your earliest “book memory?” How do you encourage the children you know and love to know and love books?

This is a conversation that needs as many participants and perspectives as possible, and we’re eager to hear what you have to say. Let’s talk.

Debut Author of the Month: Donna Gephart...

Donna Gephart's first book As If Being 12¾ Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President! was released just days ago by Delacorte Press. Here she tells us a little about her first book, how she found her agent and shares her 10 Very Important Pieces of Advice for Unpublished Writers.

Just in case someone out there can’t get the gist of your book from its great title, please tell my readers about it.

Six-word alliterative version: Angst. Athletic (As if!). Assassination attempt.

Slightly longer version: Preparing for spelling bees, having a secret admirer, and waiting for her chest size to catch up with her enormous feet are pressure enough, but twelve-year-old Vanessa must also deal with loneliness and very real fears as her mother, Florida’s Governor, runs for President of the United States.

Tell me a little about your path to publication. How did you find your agent, Tina Wexler of I.C.M?

Several years ago, Tina put out a call for writers on the SCBWI Discussion Boards. I sent her the book I’d been working on and a cover letter, in which I wrote one sentence about a gawky, awkward spelling bee champ thrust into the spotlight because her mother is running for president. Although Tina didn’t think she could sell the book I’d sent, she did like my writing and expressed interest in my story about the girl whose mother is running for president.

Unfortunately, it was little more than a short story at the time. With Tina’s encouragement and that of my critique group, I turned that short story into a novel.

Tina had many revision suggestions, such as writing less about Vanessa’s romantic interest and more about the inside scoop on the political process. I did months more research, kept only the first two chapters of the original novel and rewrote the rest. Tina loved this version and sent it to seven publishing houses. She warned, “It might take several months till we hear anything.”

Three weeks later, I got The Call.

How did you feel when you got The Call?

I was in the middle of folding laundry (very glamorous, I know) when I saw the New York exchange on our phone’s caller I.D. I screamed, “It’s my agent. Everyone be quiet!” My son was the only one home at the time, and he was being quiet.

None-the-less, I locked myself in my closet and listened as my agent told me not one, but two editors were interested in my novel--one from Random House, the other from Scholastic. At the end of the day, Stephanie Lane from Delacorte Press, a division of Random House, sent me an e-mail telling me she was delighted to have acquired my novel.

Once your book was under contract with Delacorte, what was the editorial process like? Were there any surprises?

My experience working with my editor, Stephanie Lane, and the talented staff at Random House has been a dream come true. I learned that publishing and promoting a novel is truly a team effort.

Stephanie, of course, made excellent revision requests. This is the stage where larger issues are addressed. I added a minor character and made several changes.

Next, I was asked to go over the manuscript after a proofreader had made corrections. During this pass, I realized how many minor mistakes I hadn’t noticed. Oops!

Finally, I proofread the manuscript after it had been set for printing. I was surprised by how many new minor mistakes cropped up.

Also, it was great fun to have some say in choosing the cover model. (I don’t think this is typical.) I thought designer Kenny Holcolm did a fantastic job with my cover.

Why did you decide to use the world of election politics as a backdrop for your novel? Did anything in particular spark your book idea?

Writers are often told, “Write what you know.” I believe more in the adage: “Write what interests you, what sparks your passion.” Politics interested me and still does.

At the time, there weren’t many books for children about politics. I hoped my novel would be a fun introduction to the political process for young readers. In fact, if readers want to learn more about the president and the political process, I’ve included Web sites at the back of my book and on my Web site, www.donnagephart.com.

Do you have anything in common with your main character Vanessa other than your shoe size?

Besides having large feet, Vanessa and I both love the color purple, reading, playing Scrabble and hanging out with cute boys who have big hearts. (I married mine.)

On a deeper level, this novel is about Vanessa’s warm, caring relationship with her mother. Unfortunately, Mom’s obligations as a governor who is running for president keep their time together to a minimum. In the novel, Vanessa’s mother misses a very important spelling bee and is temporarily unavailable when Vanessa gets injured. My mother, on the other hand, attended all my school functions and was available for every important childhood event, but because she was a single parent who worked full-time, she was often too busy or tired for us to spend much time together. Vanessa’s feelings of loneliness came directly from my early childhood.

Does the fact that Hillary Clinton is in the Presidential race make you happy (in terms of your book sales of course)?

Wasn’t that thoughtful of Hillary Clinton to run for president the same year my book about a mother running for president was released?

You’ve done all sorts of writing including greeting cards, articles and essays. What led you to write for young readers?

I enjoy all kinds of humorous writing, but when I’m creating funny novels for tweens, I feel like my writing voice has found a home. Seeing my words on greeting cards and in magazines like Family Circle and Highlights for Children was thrilling, but being part of the amazing collection of literature for children is a true honor.

You read a lot of books in 2007. How do you decide which titles to pick up? Any favorites?

I pay attention to what people are talking/blogging about. I read reviews. I check the “new books” section of my local library obsessively.

Unfortunately, even though I spend most evenings reading, I never seem to make a dent in my growing pile of books I hope to read.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak made a big impression on me. It’s a sad, but wonderful novel narrated by Death.

But if I had to recommend one book that I read this past year, it would be The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie [which one the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2007]. This novel contains so many elements of excellent fiction. I learned about a different culture, and was moved to laughter and tears often. It’s a sparse, honest and moving read.

Lately you’ve attended an SCBWI conference in your home state of Florida and attended the ALA meeting at which the Newbery, Caldecott and other ALA awards were announced. Does it feel any different attending these events as a published author?

I was delighted when Random House sent me to my home city of Philadelphia to attend the ALA Midwinter Conference. It was exciting to talk with librarians, who were passionate about getting good books into the hands of young readers. And sitting in the audience while the Newbery, Caldecott, etc. awards were announced was surreal.

As far as the FL SCBWI conference . . . I’ve attended this wonderful conference, run by Linda Bernfeld, since it’s inception six years ago. It was an entirely different experience being behind the podium, speaking about being a first-time author, though, than sitting in the audience, listening. I was also able to give a workshop during the conference – a great experience for my first time presenting at a conference.

Both events were possible only because of the publication of my book, so I’m grateful for the new experiences I’m having.

Your book release date was just a few days ago (February 12). What have you done in the way of promotion?

I’m very lucky because Random House has an excellent publicity department, and the person in charge of promoting my book has been very busy. They’ve sent out review copies of my novel, written press releases and created “Mom for President” buttons to promote my novel. There is also a big promotion at www.itsafirst.net, where the novels of first-time authors are showcased.

On my own, I hired a Web site designer, Lisa Firke at www.hitthosekeys.com, to create my Web site, www.donnagephart.com. Seven months before my book’s release, I began a blog at www.donnagephart.blogspot.com. I’ve had business cards, postcards, T-shirts, etc. printed.

I’ve done some interviews and speaking at local schools as well.

You’ve spoken to groups about not giving up on their writing. Please offer some advice to unpublished writers.

10 Very Important Pieces of Advice for Unpublished Writers:

1. Turn off the TV. Open a book.
2. Write even on days when you don’t feel like it, especially on days when you don’t feel like it.
3. Find or start a critique group. (Try to give more than you take.)
4. First drafts are never as perfect as you think they are, nor are they as horrible. But they are all you need to begin revisions.
5. Don’t compare yourself with other writers. Write the best book, story, poem, etc. that YOU can write.
6. Revision is important. Um. Revision is vital to creating good writing. Er. Being willing to make significant revisions time and again will be the difference between being unpublished and being published. (That was certainly the case for me.)
7. Act professionally, whether you’ve been published or not, in all correspondence, submissions, etc.
8. Don’t write about what you think you should or what topic is hot at the moment. Write about what matters most to you.
9. Read my article, “Six Reasons You Should Quit Writing and One Very Important Reason You Shouldn’t!” in the 2009 CWIM.
10. Don’t listen to writing advice.

Having a multicultural background can be a kind of disability for kids. Thus PaperTigers focuses on children’s books in English that, through their multicultural perspectives, are liberating and informative for children of all cultures. But kids with disabilities, whether otherwise multicultural or not, often feel like they’re from another country, if not planet. It’s natural, say the people at Bookbird, to link “the representation of disabled people with multiculturalism and the issue of bias-free books.”

Today’s tour of resources for children’s books about disabilities begins in New Zealand, where the wonderful website Storylines has an extensive annotated list of books for and about children with disabilities, from blindness to paralysis to Asperger’s.

An annotated list of children’s books about special needs is here, and here’s an excellent Amazon list of best children’s books on disabilities. An old (2001) but comprehensive list of books, organized by disability and followed by a list of publishers, with contact info and links, comes from the U.S.-based National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. The American Library Association presents the Schneider Awards, honoring authors or illustrators for a book that “embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.” Click here for current winners.

PaperTigers has more personal perspectives: Suzanne Gervay discusses her book, Butterflies (scroll down here for a mini-review), about a girl growing up with severe burns. Author Ann Bowler talks about her own learning disability. Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian, about a kid with multiple disabilities who’s negotiating multiple cultures as well, is reviewed here.

In Australia, I had the opportunity to meet a phenomenal woman who helps children who can’t speak to communicate in other ways. While not for kids, Rosemary Crossley’s book Speechless, about her work with children, offers insight and inspiration for us all, whatever our culture or disability.

Sherman Alexie is  brilliant.  But you probably already knew that.

This week, I finally got to read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Wow.  Just wow.

I won’t write a traditional review here, because plenty of other people have praised this book up and down, and there was that whole award thing, too….  What I do want to talk about is how this book impressed me by nailing some aspects of poverty that are rarely addressed in YA novels.

As a teacher in a small city school district, I know that about a third of my students are living in poverty, carrying with them each day the baggage that goes along with it.  We have breakfast programs and free lunch and a good library, and that helps.  Some.  What we can’t always do, no matter how hard we try, is provide that new way of thinking that Junior figured out in Alexie’s book – that moment when living in poverty becomes so unbearable that a person has to make the painful choice to leave.  In Junior’s case, it’s the decision to leave his reservation school to attend a more privileged white school in a nearby town.



There’s a scene in Part-Time Indian where Junior gives a lengthy and funny-but-true list of rules for fighting.  His rules.  The rules of the reservation.  Among them…

• If somebody insults you, then you have to fight him.
• If you think somebody is thinking about insulting you, then you have to fight him.
• If somebody beats up your father or your mother, then you have to fight the son and/or daughter of the person who beat up your mother or father.

Finding the best seven titles out of a list of 123 is... daunting, to say the least. The bloggers on this year's YA nominating panel embraced the challenge, and below you'll find the books that survived discussion and passionate debate through countless emails and one very long instant-message group chat. We're proud of our shortlist, and hope you love it as much as we do.
--Jackie Parker, YA Fiction Organizer

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
Little, Brown
Meet Junior, a skinny, teenage Spokane Indian with hydrocephalus, ugly glasses and too many teeth. He knows that to make his dreams come true, he has to go where no one in his tribe has gone before--a white high school outside the reservation. Sherman Alexie's semi-autobiographical novel comes at you with its chin up and fists flying. You're guaranteed to fall in love with this scruffy underdog who fights off poverty and despair with goofy, self-deprecating humor and a heart the size of Montana.
--Eisha, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Billie Standish Was Here
by Nancy Crocker
Simon & Schuster
Summer 1968. Billie Standish is a young girl with a lot of heart and soul whose life is about to change forever when the rains come pouring down. Newly befriended by a neighbor, Miss Lydia, neither suspect how close danger lurks to young Billie--and it's not danger from the rising storm waters threatening the town's levee. Billie Standish is a story of friendship, courage, and devotion that will charm readers young and old as they fall in love with Billie's world.
--Becky, Becky's Book Reviews
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Boy Toy
by Barry Lyga
Houghton Mifflin
Eighteen-year-old Josh Mendel can calculate batting averages and earned run averages in an instant, but coming to terms with his past has been impossible. Until, perhaps, now. Bypassing the tawdry and sensational, Barry Lyga takes a ripped-from-the-headlines plot (Teacher-Student Sex Scandal!) and explores the devastation it leaves behind. Told with intelligence and sensitivity, Boy Toy is a powerful story that may occasionally disturb, but ultimately captivate readers.
--Trisha, The YA YA YAs
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

The Off Season
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Houghton Mifflin
Farm girl and football player D.J. Schwenk's refreshing voice and self-deprecating humor return in this continuation of her hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking coming-of-age story. Catherine Gilbert Murdock's characters are authentic and fully realized, and the story perfectly captures the rhythms and conventions of life in a small, rural town. D.J.'s straightforward and endearing personality shines as she faces up to everyday adversity and struggles to find her voice.
--Anne, LibrariAnne
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Red Glass
by Laura Resau
Random
Sophie, an Arizona teenager full of insecurities and phobias, becomes the foster sister to an orphaned illegal immigrant boy. When the boy's family is located in southern Mexico, Sophie goes along on the trek to return him, all the while hoping he'll decide to come with her back to the U.S. As she journeys through Mexico and beyond, evocative settings and vivid characters immerse the reader in Sophie's world. Sophie finds guardian angels along the way, and discovers inner strength.
--Stacy, Reading, Writing, and Chocolate
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

Tips on Having a Gay (ex)Boyfriend
by Carrie Jones
Flux
Tips is in many ways a typical high school story--loves lost and won; navigating the social minefields of a small town; figuring out who you are, measured against the way others see you. It depicts a week in the life of Belle, a high school senior who's just been dumped by her "true love"--for another guy. Belle progresses through heartbreak to jealousy to anger, to genuine concern for Dylan (her ex), whose road will be much tougher than her own. And Belle's gradual realization that she and Dylan weren't meant to be opens her to new possibilities. Belle is a sweet and optimistic narrator with quirky but believable friends and family.
--Stacy, Reading, Writing, and Chocolate
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
Clarion
Condemned to spend every Wednesday afternoon alone with a teacher he is sure hates him, Holling despairs. When two demon rats escape into the classroom walls, and Mrs. Barker brings out Shakespeare, Wednesdays seem to grow even worse. But despair has no place in this very funny and deeply moving book about 7th grade love, the Vietnam War, heroes, true friendship, and the power of giant rats.
--Charlotte, Charlotte's Library
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Booksense

YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE WINNER: Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown & Company) - Interview (illustrations by Ellen Forney)

"If you don't have a crush on Sherman Alexie after watching this, well, we've got a problem."

Manuel Ramos

SHERMAN ALEXIE WINS NATIONAL BOOK AWARD



Congratulations to Sherman Alexie and his book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown, 2007). Alexie won the National Book Award in the category of Young People's Literature. He has described his book as "highly autobiographical" and a blurb for the book says that the "heartbreaking yet funny story chronicles the adolescence of one contemporary Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he seems destined to live." A short interview of Alexie on the National Book Foundation website, conducted by Rita Williams-Garcia, offers some insight into the author's process and his intimate relationship with the characters in the book. During the interview Alexie says that his protagonist would think that "if one reads enough books one has a fighting chance. Or better, one's chances of survival increase with each book one reads." Well-said, and well-done.

DAGOBERTO GILB, ROLANDO HINOJOSA-SMITH GIVEN TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND AWARD
At the recent Texas Book Festival, Dagoberto Gilb and Rolando Hinojosa-Smith were presented with the 2007 Bookend Award. According to the Festival website, each Festival honors a Texas author with its Bookend Award in recognition of a lifetime of contributions to Texas literature. Former honorees include Sandra Cisneros, Mary Margaret Farabee, Larry L. King, Walt McDonald, T. R. Fehrenbach, Horton Foote, William H. Goetzmann, John Graves, A. C. Greene, Shelby Hearon, Elmer Kelton, Stanley Marcus, Cormac McCarthy, Américo Paredes, Louis Sachar, Edwin "Bud" Shrake, Texas Monthly magazine (publisher Mike Levy; editors William Broyles, Gregory Curtis, and Evan Smith), and Bill Wittliff. There's a damn good interview of Gilb and Hinojosa-Smith here at this link, which features an audio presentation. These two writers open up in the interview. They offer opinions about the past and future of Chicano Lit; the influence of other writers and their own impact on literature; how the world, as opposed to North America, views and appreciates what they write; and other subjects that should be of interest to La Bloga's readers. Congratulations to both gentlemen. Well-deserved. The interview was conducted by John M. Gonzalez for the Austin American-Statesman.



MICHELE SERROS
Looks like this is the week to mention online writer interviews. Michele Serros has one that you can find by clicking here. She talks about her latest book, ¡Scandalosa! ( Simon Pulse, 2007), as well as writing YA fiction with "serious themes"; compromising, rather than selling out, to meet editorial demands; her writing process; and the pros and cons of being compared to Sandra Cisneros. The interviewer is Marissa Landrigan for the V.C. Reporter. And check out Michele's website. It's so pink.


JESSE BORREGO RETURNS TO SU TEATRO
Film and television actor Jesse Borrego will reprise his lead role in Su Teatro’s production of Drive My Coche. The play was written by Roy Conboy (El Cucui Walks) and is directed by El Centro Su Teatro Artistic Director Anthony J. Garcia. It runs one weekend only: November 29 through December 1, 2007. Drive My Coche is a bittersweet drama about a Chicano reflecting on his first love, his tested friendships, and the joy and turmoil he experienced the summer before he shipped out to Vietnam. The production also features local actress Concetta Troskie, who recently appeared in the Aurora Fox production of Anna in the Tropics and can also be seen in Su Teatro’s touring productions Papi, Me and Cesar Chavez and Francisca y la Muerte. Borrego is best known, perhaps, for his four-year stint on the television series Fame. Borrego can be seen in the recurring role of Nurse Javier on NBC’s ER. As part of his visiting artist activities, Borrego will be a guest instructor for El Centro Su Teatro’s Cultural Arts Institute—the organization’s arts education program.

For more information about Drive My Coche, or to set up an interview, please contact John at (303) 296-0219 or [email protected].

El Centro Su Teatro, 4725 High Street Denver, Colorado

POKER FUND-RAISING TOURNAMENT FOR EL CENTRO HUMANITARIO
The proceeds from this fund raiser will benefit El Centro Humanitario, a human-rights advocacy center for day laborers, and will help to open a new gathering place for day laborers in Aurora, CO. The mission of El Centro Humanitario is to "promote the rights and well-being of day laborers in Denver through education, job skills and leadership development, united action and advocacy." The tournament is set for December 7, starting at 6:00 P.M. Each player contributes $30, and the grand prize is one quarter of the proceeds.

El Centro Humanitario: 2260 California St. Denver, CO
Questions, or to RSVP: [email protected] 303-292-4115


RENÉ COLATO LAÍNEZ
And last but certainly not least, I want to give a shout-out to one of my fellow blogueros - René Colato Laínez and his book, Playing Lotería (Northland Publishing, 2005) on recently winning the New Mexico Book Award for Best Children's Book. Congratulations René. You make us all proud, and each week here on La Bloga you give us the best in children's and young adult literature.
Way to go, señor.




Later.

National Book Award and Other Stuff...

• The National Book Awards were recently given and Sherman Alexie won in the Young People's Literature category for his first foray into YA, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. (Little, Brown). This is cool. I like Sherman Alexie and have read a number of his books for adults. I was keeping my fingers crossed for Kathleen Duey, though, and I'm bummed she didn't win for A Resurrection of Magic: Skin Hunger. But it's cool that her book gets a silver finalist sticker and I'm showing her cover in this post and not Alexie's. (I hope you found the right shoes for the ceremony, Kathleen. Zappos seldom does me wrong.)
• The New York Times Book Review recently published a special section on children's books (which features a review of Alexie's aforementioned award-winner). You can find it here. Be sure to click on The Best Illustrated Books of 2007 for a wonderful slideshow.
• I can't stop watching Gossip Girl. Oh I love that Chuck Bass. Anyone else think he's Logan Huntsberger with a healthy dose of 1980s James Spader?
  
• I've been light on the blogging lately--busy, busy pre-holiday stuff. And I'm off work all next week, eating pumpkin pie and whatnot, so my blog will be pretty quiet. After the holiday, I'll be back with more updates to listings in the 2008 CWIM. Stay tuned!
  

Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown & Company) won the 2007 National Book Award (USA) in the Young People's Literature category. Want to know more about Sherman Alexie, his writing process, or his book? You can find reviews of The Absolutely True Diary of a ... Read the rest of this post

There is nothing like the vague, puffy language that describes some self-published books:

This (historical) picture book is a "charming mix of fact and conjecture."

The author is "world celebrated."

The illustrator is "award garnering" and the art is "delightful."

The age range is "2 and up" (if they'd said zero and up I wouldn't have been surprised.)

The promo copy reads "Awards: Check back often!"

The author is: Sherman Alexie, a poet, filmmaker and established author of adult fiction. Real words he wrote: "All my white friends can count their deaths on one hand."

The illustrator is: Ellen Forney, who teaches at Seattle Cornish College of the Arts, and her art is better than words can describe: see for yourself

The age range is: anyone who reads the first page, because after that, you're a goner.

The promo copy (here) reads: This National Book Award Winner was read by Sara Lewis Holmes BEFORE it won the award, a first for her. She wishes to congratulate Sherman Alexie on winning that very cool statue and thank him for writing one of the few books she's kissed this year.

Back in September, I got to hear Sherman Alexie do an interview with Minnesota Public Radio. He was part of the Talking Volumes series we have here. I had read his Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and had really liked it. He was just as entertaining in person as the book was on paper. Here are a few notes.

The people most influential to his writing were his father, his grandmother, Steven King, John Steinbeck, and the Brady Bunch. From his father and grandmother he got traditional stories and the pathology of the alcoholic mind (can't tell from my notes which came from who on these first two items); he thinks Steven King is the greatest storyteller in America; he loves Steinbeck's writing on social justice; and the Brady Bunch showed him a sense of timing.

"When a white guy starts whining about his lack of power, that's when I want to punch him."



Growing up on the rez was even more bleak than the book depicts. He has 3 deaths in the book, but in real life, there were 9 deaths the year he left to go to school off the rez.

He doesn't write about American Indian ceremonies, partly because it's boring. "Do we really need to read another story about a sweat lodge?"

He flirted with the interviewer, Kerri Miller. "We're gonna play captivity narrative later. Kerri's really hot." (I should listen to the whole program--see below--to see if they edited any of his less politically correct stuff out.)

He wishes he could be a musician. He's so jealous when he sees people in the audience singing along with the musical guest (they had live music at the event). When asked why he admires music so much more than, it seems, writing, he said: "Books work above the waist. And music works below the waist."

The far left has been jumping on him lately. "It's amazing the sharp teeth vegans have. I guess they've been honing them on their hypocrisy."

Alexie has a contentious relationship with his work. "All I see are the Band-aids."

"I'm so prolific, I think, because I'm running away from self-loathing. It's right behind me."

"It's about putting on masks...like the 9 I'm wearing tonight."

That last quote felt very true. Alexie was funny and irreverent and it was a bit like watching a comedian get interviewed. They're too busy doing their bits to really reveal much about themselves. But then there did seem to be moments when the masks came off, too. I'm looking forward to reading his forthcoming poetry collection, Brash, too.

If you want to listen to the whole radio program, visit MPR's site. By the way, this was before the National Book Awards nominations were announced, so there was no discussion of that.

National Book Award Nominees...

Finalists for the National Book Award for have recently been announced. Authors nominated in the Young People's Literature include 2008 CWIM contributor Kathleen Duey, for Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One (Atheneum) as well as Sherman Alexie for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown); M. Sindy Felin for Touching Snow (Atheneum); Brian Selznick for The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic); and debut author and Class of 2k7 member Sara Zarr for Story of a Girl (Little, Brown).

The full list is posted in GalleyCat. Winners will be announced in November 14.

Most of today's mail was about tomato juice, and how I should have covered the dog in it.

There were two reasons I didn't:

1) I didn't want a pinkish-coloured dog,

and more importantly,

2) I watched the Mythbusters episode where they tried a bunch of different things to get rid of Skunk smells, including tomato juice and beer and Skunk Odour Removal Liquid, and they concluded that the most effective thiol remedy was a mixture of Peroxide, Baking Soda and liquid soap.

So I googled last night, with an odorous dog beside me, found the page of the discoverer of this miracle mixture and read about it...

http://home.earthlink.net/~skunkremedy/home/sk00001.htm

Then I put it into practice. (It sounds so simple, put like that. It sounds like the dog cooperated. Hah. There was half an inch of water on the bathroom floor by the end of it...) It worked.

The bees were in a foul temper this morning, which is also probably skunk-related. Apparently, skunks do what they can to upset bees so they'll come out of the hive, looking for trouble... whereupon the skunks eat them like peanuts.

Hey Neil --Wasn't sure that you'd seen the news yet, but the McClouds' car was recently broken into on their tour. Fortunately, not much was lost; unfortunately, what *was* lost included Sky's extensive software and DVD book, to the tune of thousands of dollars. Sky is looking for donations of any extra copies of the items lost -- can you pass the word if you know anyone? The list is at http://tinyurl.com/2mtu2t and mail goes to:
Sky McCloudP.O. Box 115Newbury Park CA, 91319Thanks. Shawn

Happy to post it. Send Sky stuff.

Fortunately, not a question! Just something I thought you might like to know about. Sherman Alexie mentions you in an interview at powells.com, http://www.powells.com/interviews/shermanalexie.html in which he mentions how glad he was to run into someone he knew in Sydney. Loved his description of the two of you recognizing each other. Just thought you might like to see the interview. Thanks for all the information on Stardust. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie this summer. Congratulations on the new dog. He's gorgeous and looks so happy, just the way a dog should look.

That's so true, and it was just like that. He's an amazing author. I loved his upcoming YA novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and over at http://www.ellenforney.com/blog/2007/05/25/absolutely-true/ you can see the cover and learn about it from the perspective of the illustrator....

...
An edited version of my H. G. Wells The Country of the Blind intro is up for the curious at http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1900709.ece

Good morning.

Let's see. I bade my dog and family farewell and got on a plane to the UK. Slept a little on the plane, and also read Sherman Alexie's forthcoming ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, which was excellent in every way, poignant and really funny and heartwarming and honest and wise and smart. Seeing it's a YA book and that it contains alcoholism, an inappropriate erection and mentions of masturbation I have no doubt that in a year or so it'll both be winning awards and being banned.

Got to Gatwick, took the train to London. Checked in to hotel. Had a much-needed bath. Into town for a meeting with Hilary Bevan-Jones about THE ROAD TO EN-DOR and the mysterious Lyonesse, and from there to MARV films where I saw Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, and Stardust Exec Producer Kris Thykier, along with a new long trailer for Stardust, and a dozen 30 second TV spots, a couple of which I really liked, some were okay, and some were just wrong.

From there to see John and Judith Clute (and Farah Mendelsohn) in Camden. John was writing his review of the Yiddish Policemen's Union while I was there, and would occasionally put his head around from the kitchen and ask about Eruvs.

From there I ate dinner with J. Michael Straczynski (who is doing a signing today at Forbidden Planet). It was great catching up on all of the wonderful things Joe is doing. Back to the hotel and fell asleep like a dead thing.

Now off to Northampton.