Inklings cartoonist will be in #LNK Wednesday 11/10/10

When Jeffrey Koterba was six, he started drawing his first cartoons, painstakingly copying from the Sunday Omaha World Herald’s funny papers and making up his own characters. With a pen and a sheet of white paper, he was able to escape into a clean, expansive, and comfortable refuge from the pandemonium surrounding him. The tiny house Koterba grew up in was full-to-bursting with garage-sale treasures and televisions his father repaired and sold for extra money. A hard-drinking one-time jazz drummer, whose big dreams never seemed to come true, Koterba’s father was subject to violent facial tics, symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome, a condition Jeffrey inherited. From the canyons of broken electronics, the lightning strikes, screaming matches, and discouragements great and small, emerged a young man determined to follow his creative spirit. Inklings is an exuberant heart-felt memoir infused with an irresistible optimism all it’s own.

You can see some of Koterba's favorite cartoons, read his blog, and more at his website. He'll be at the University Bookstore on Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. for a reading and signing.

Wine, Writers, & Song Festival this weekend in Brownville, NE

Every year, we spend the last weekend in April celebrating wine, literature, food, music and history with a program of fun events for all ages.

I'm super late posting this (sorry, Cinnamon!), but I don't think it's too late to get in on the action--it starts tomorrow. Check out the Brownville website for the full schedule and info about the authors and musicians.

There's a little more coverage on the UNP blog:

Several University of Nebraska Press authors--Paul Johnsgard, Beef Torrey, and Sean Carmichael and Maggie Pleskac--are participating in the festivities

Events include:
- a writers' workshop
- a songwriters' roundtable
- pairing food & wine program
- music by Jumpin' Kate
and much more!

Upcoming Book Signing for Captive Arizona, 1851-1900 on 4/28 #LNK

UNL Professor Victoria Smith to read and sign copies of her newest book Captive Arizona, 1851-1900 at the University Bookstore on April 28th, 2010. Smith’s presentation on Captive Arizona, 1851-1900 will begin at 7:00pm Wednesday April 28th with a book signing to follow.

Captivity was endemic in Arizona from the end of the Mexican-American War through its statehood in 1912. The practice crossed cultures: Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Mexicans, and whites kidnapped and held one another captive. Victoria Smith's narrative history of the practice of taking captives in early Arizona shows how this phenomenon held Arizonans of all races in uneasy bondage that chafed social relations during the era. It also maps the social complex that accompanied captivity, a complex that included orphans, childlessness, acculturation, racial constructions, redemption, reintegration, intermarriage, and issues of heredity and environment.

This in-depth work offers an absorbing account of decades of seizure and kidnapping and of the different “captivity systems” operating within Arizona. By focusing on the stories of those taken captive—young women, children, the elderly, and the disabled, all of whom are often missing from southwestern history—Captive Arizona, 1851–1900 complicates and enriches the early social history of Arizona and of the American West.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week : September 14-18, 2009

Book Blogger Appreciation Week : September 14-18, 2009

Check it out: there will be awards, prizes, and giveaways. Nominate your favorite book blog; follow BBAW on twitter; be a part of the book blogging community.

Reminder: David Sedaris Reading is Tomorrow!

Bestselling author David Sedaris will read from his latest book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 20 (tomorrow!) at the University Bookstore. He will sign copies of all his titles after the reading. Come early to get a good seat and enjoy music and stand-up comedy beginning at 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact the store at 472-7300.

From what I've heard, the plan is to issue numbers to customers as they arrive and the number will correspond to a seat. I'd suggest getting there early!

David Sedaris Update 3

This just in:

Bestselling author David Sedaris will read from his latest book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, at 7 p.m. June 20 at the University Bookstore. He will sign copies of all his titles after the reading. Come early to get a good seat, and enjoy the stand-up comedy of Scott Muilenburg, Cody Hustak, Ryan Cownie, Joe Choi and Christian Stokes. Comedy begins at 2:30 p.m. For more information contact the store at 472-7300.

Link to NYTimes review of When You Are Engulfed in Flames

David Sedaris Update 2

His upcoming visit to Lincoln is now listed on his website (under "June 2009 US book tour"). I should mention that this tour is in support of the paperback edition of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (I think. No, I'm pretty sure.). When You Are Engulfed in Flames (d'oh).

Perhaps there's a book or two from the University of Nebraska Press that he'd like. Hmmmm . . . might I suggest:

Microfictions by Ana María Shua (translated by Steven J. Stewart)
The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession by Ken Alder
From Our House: A Memoir by Lee Martin

Shameless, I know.

Update: David Sedaris Book Signing

I stopped by the University Bookstore the other day to pick up the new Laura Lippman (success!), The Cloud Atlas (still on order; showed up the next day—of course), and the Dooce book (on order). While there, I cornered Steph and made her tell me more about the June 20th David Sedaris event:

• First, I made her look me in the eye and swear she was telling the truth. I now believe her.
• She said that she scored this event partially because of a previous, very successful Harry Potter event.
• No photos will be allowed.
• Sedaris often likes to spend a couple of hours at the store before the event, so get there early!
• So far, I can't get her to promise a front-row seat for me. Come on, Steph—don't make me beg. But! Maybe I can hand books to him while he's signing (I've already started practicing).
  

David Sedaris is coming!

A little bird has told me that David Sedaris will be appearing at the University Bookstore on June 20th. For free! Holy cow!

I hope to be helping out at the event (please please please, Steph!), but you can be sure I'll be there regardless.

I'll post more details as they become available. Until then, you can prepare by reading some of his recommended books.

Vacation slide show

Some photos from our trip to Manistique, Michigan (it's in the UP, eh). It's a very small town and I'm related to a large percentage of the population. We try to get up there every summer to visit my grandparents. We usually rent a cabin on Indian Lake (from Sunset View Condos). Actually, the first photo up there was taken from just outside our cabin.

New episode of Titlepage

Featuring Simon Winchester, author of one of my all-time favorite books, The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Watch it here.

My Library of Congress

The new www.myloc.gov site launched a few weeks ago. From the site:

New exhibitions enhanced by interactive technology offer a chance to encounter rare and unique items, such as the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Gutenberg Bible, the 1507 Waldseemüller map that first named America and Thomas Jefferson’s recreated library.

My current favorite part is The Declaration of Independence: From Rough Draft to Proclamation

Students analyze Thomas Jefferson’s “original Rough draught” of the Declaration of Independence, compare its text to that of the final document adopted by Congress, and discuss the significance of wording differences.

You can thank HBO's John Adams for my renewed interest in American history.

Tarn-X

Before, during, and after

I finally used my Tarn-X and I have to say, it worked pretty well. It was especially impressive when I just dunked the silver item in the Tarn-X—much like the old commercial. On the downside, it smells terrible. Sort of like perms used to smell. Also, apparently you're supposed to be careful with this stuff.

CAUTION: Contains thiourea, sulfuric acid, corrosion inhibitors, and detergent. AVOID CONTACT WITH SKIN AND EYES.

Also,

WARNING: This product contains thiourea, a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.

Holy crap. Silly me, I thought the sulfuric acid sounded scary. I guess they meant it when they advised me to wear gloves. Oops.

Reunited

I caught up with some old friends at the Omaha Punk Reunion a couple of weeks ago. We got in contact with each other through the magic of MySpace (see, it's not only for kids!). The ever-lovely DeeAnna Shelton put this reunion together and flew back to Omaha from California for the weekend. Shelby and Amy came all the way from Seattle. Doug, Heather, Stacie, Cindy, Dave, and I live in the general area.

I can't even describe how great it was to spend time with them all again. Hope to see you all again soon!

Laura Lippman book signing

Some friends and I attended the Laura Lippman book signing last night at Lee Booksellers and it was probably my favorite author event ever. I'm always a little afraid to go to these things when I already really love the books because occasionally you realize that you maybe don't like that person too much. And it can kind of ruin the books for you, even if you realize that what's really going on is that you had unrealistic expectations (of, for example, the author being BFF material. Which, by the way, Laura totally is).

She mentioned that she somewhat regularly gets called "sir" even though she doesn't particularly present as masculine and how that is related to the idea of people being invisible. That we're not seen or don't see others. This used to happen to me regularly as well, but it wasn't until she brought it up that I realized that it hasn't happened since I quit working retail. When I worked at the University Bookstore, for example, I once had an entire conversation with a woman who called me sir throughout.

I bought copies of Another Thing to Fall (the new Tess Monaghan) and Every Secret Thing (the first stand-alone novel—I can't believe I haven't read it before).

I'm such a dork: I forgot my camera, remembered I could use my phone, then forgot all about it. I also forgot to ask Td's question about who she'd like to see play Tess in the movie (if it's ever made). What can I say? I was flustered. Or maybe it's all that meth in the water.

From the description for Another Thing to Fall

The California dream weavers have invaded Charm City with their cameras, their stars, and their controversy. . . .

When private investigator Tess Monaghan literally runs into the crew of the fledgling TV series Mann of Steel while sculling, she expects sharp words and evil looks, not an assignment. But the company has been plagued by a series of disturbing incidents since its arrival on location in Baltimore: bad press, union threats, and small, costly on-set "accidents" that have wreaked havoc with its shooting schedule. As a result, Mann's creator, Flip Tumulty, the son of a Hollywood legend, is worried for the safety of his young female lead, Selene Waites, and asks Tess to serve as her bodyguard/babysitter. Tumulty's concern may be well founded. Not long ago a Baltimore man was discovered dead in his own home, surrounded by photos of the beautiful, difficult superstar-in-the-making.

What I learned over Easter weekend

1. Liberty, Missouri is not the bland suburb of Kansas City that I had assumed. It is a charming town with a lively square full of shops and restaurants.

The sight of first armed bank robbery in the United States in peacetime. One of the robbers was Jesse James.


2. Everything I've heard about Kansas City BBQ is true. Gretchen and Mark suggested we go to Johnny's (I think that link is correct). I was too busy digging in to take a picture of our meal, so you'll have to settle for the leftovers.



3. RJ and Jamie are twins! According to Tessa, anyway.

Ze cranes! Ze cranes!

I'm not exactly your nature-loving outdoorsy type. Sure, I like to see interesting animals and their habitats—on TV. And, to be honest, I generally find birds pretty boring—I've never understood bird watching. Maybe it's because I have such poor eyesight. However, I have experienced firsthand the sandhill crane migration through Nebraska and it is quite the spectacle. Is it because the birds are so big? Or just because there are so darn many of them (over 400,000!)? I don't know, but I highly recommend the experience.

Even if you haven't seen them in person you'll enjoy the amazing photographs by Michael Forsberg in On Ancient Wings: The Sandhill Cranes of North America. He is also featured in Crane Song, a documentary from NET Television (Nebraska's PBS station). Also, (boy does he get around) there is currently an exhibit featuring Forsberg's photos at Morrill Hall (the University of Nebraska State Museum).

About On Ancient Wings:

With 153 stunning color photographs, On Ancient Wings presents sandhill cranes in their wild but increasingly compromised habitats today. Over the course of five years, Michael Forsberg documented the tall gray birds in habitats ranging from the Alaskan tundra, to the arid High Plains, from Cuban nature preserves to suburban backyards. With an eye for beauty and an uncommon persistence, the author documents the cranes’ challenges to adapt and survive in a rapidly changing natural world. Forsberg argues that humankind, for its own sake, should secure the cranes’ place in the future. On Ancient Wings intertwines the lives of cranes, people, and their common places to tell an ancient story at a time when sandhill cranes and their wetland and grassland habitats face daunting prospects.

Also from UNP is Paul A. Johnsgard's Crane Music: A Natural History of American Cranes:

Paul Johnsgard follows these elegant birds through a year’s cycle, describing their seasonal migrations, natural habitats, breeding biology, call patterns—angelic to the bird-lover’s ear—and fascinating dancing.The largest and most spectacular migratory concentration of cranes happens each spring when the Platte River valley becomes the staging ground for an amazing gathering of four hundred thousand to five hundred thousand sandhills en route from the South to the Arctic tundra. Johnsgard describes this incredible event as well as memorable personal encounters with the cranes. His knowledge of them transcends natural history, covering their importance in religion and mythology.

Looking forward to

• reading Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business
  


• going to Kansas City for Easter: hanging out with Jamie's awesome sister (and her equally awesome husband) and eating good BBQ


• reading Web 2.0 for Dummies in Book Business magazine
  

  Now in its third century of publishing, John Wiley and Sons is finding new ways to connect its customers with its content.

New craft projects

This tutorial shows how to make these rings:

They're homemade ShrinkyDinks!! I love them. I'm going to try it—is anyone else interested?

Also, this no-sew jersey scarf (instructions here):


I ran across both of these via the craft and found blog.

One for the crafters

Over at Mason-Dixon Knitting they're holding a teeny Project Runway contest. Some of the rules:

• Your choice of NON-BEAR, non-human stuffed animal, statue, figurine, taxidermy, whatever.
• It can be any size from teeny to a maximum of 24" (60 cm). We don't care what sort of animal it is, so long as it's not a bear.
• Your garment must be completely your own creation. Nothing made from a pattern.
• The garment must be knitted. Crocheters can go make up their own contest.

For more details, and the rest of the rules, see the Mason-Dixon Knitting website.