I just jumped on the MBT bandwagon. Picked mine up today at Nomadic Outfitters and took them for a spin in Golden Gate Park. The verdict? They’re not as sinfully ugly as they used to be–I chose the black Kaya (think Mary Janes on steroids), which actually looks pretty good in a weird interplanetary walking-on-rubber-tires sort of way–nor are they as difficult to walk in as this article in the Chronicle suggests. They actually feel pretty good, and yes, I do feel different muscles activating when I wear them. Too early to tell if they’re as great for your legs and bum as the disciples (and there are many!) claim. If they turn me into a svelte goddess in thirty days or less, I’ll let you know.
Last night I did a reading at The Depot in Mill Valley, CA. Five minutes before the reading was scheduled to begin, there were only three people in the room, all of whom I knew.
Then a gentleman wandered in, very tall and broad, dressed in a motorcycle jacket. Because readings always breed in me a certain brand of desperation, I walked up to him and said, “Are you here for the reading?” He looked confused for a moment, then told me he wasn’t, at which point I sort of jokingly begged him to stay. One wants to fill the seats, of course, even at the price of one’s own dignity.
By the time we began we were up to ten or eleven. Much to my surprise, the stranger in the motorcycle jacket was among them. Because of the small group I decided to forgo the formality of the podium and sound system and do the reading sitting down. It happened that the person sitting closest to me was motorcycle man, and I quickly realized how awkward it is to read to another grown-up face to face, so close one’s knees could almost touch. It’s very intimate, uncomfortably so, more like a date than a reading. Read the rest of this entry »
Booklist gave Cooley Windsor’s forthcoming story collection, Visit Me in California, a starred review: “These stories give new and devastating insight into what it means to yearn and what it means to falter; they commit the rare and essential accomplishment of exposing their characters as wounded, flawed, and wholly human.”
And Publisher’s Weekly had this to say: “Windsor’s stories possess the startling, memorable quality of the brightest fiction.”
Matthew Iribarne, whose Astronauts and Other Stories is a favorite of mine, calls Visit Me in California “a remarkable, deeply affecting piece of work.”
I can’t wait to get my hands on it. If the book is half as smart and funny as Cooley himself, I know my head will be spinning.
My friend Wade Williams (who has appeared in every one of my books to date, as a folk singer, banjo player, Hollywood producer…but who in reality is a Houstonian purveyor of torts) is guest blogging over at Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle, the ginormously popular blog with the self-explanatory name.
I’m guest-blogging at Ecstatic Days through tomorrow…thus my relative silence here.
I’ll be talking about NO ONE YOU KNOW tonight at Rakestraw Books in Danville, 7:00. Thanks to everyone who came to my readings this week, and a shout-out to Craig Newmark,Ken Garcia, and the rest for making the scene at Booksmith on Tuesday night. Thanks also to the gracious Thomas Gladysz for hosting the event and conjuring up those terrific author trading cards, which I’ve been eying with envy for some time now.
I’m blogging this week over at Ecstatic Days, the blog of author and editor Jeff VanderMeer. Please stop by if you get a chance and heckle me in cyberspace.
Ben and I will be talking about NO ONE YOU KNOW today on his weekly radio show, Backstage with Ben Fong-Torres. Tune your dial to 106.9 KFRC from 8 - 9 this morning or 8 - 9 this evening. In addition to chatting about the book, Ben will be playing songs related to No One You Know, and some foggy tunes to pair with The Year of Fog. This is gonna be fun! Go here to see the archives.
Ben Fong-Torres is on KGO AM 810 as we speak, talking about Elvis, Quincy Jones, the movie Almost Famous, and other stuff. He also talked about three books he’s in at the moment, including No One You Know. I’m about to call in and heckle him. You can tune in live here.
Sans Serif began as a literary blog in September of 2005. Over time it has evolved into a more eclectic venture, with posts on books, politics, current events, literary happenings in the San Francisco Bay Area, publishing news, the writing life, and writing exercises. This blog is written by Michelle Richmond, author of four books of fiction: The Year of Fog, Dream of the Blue Room, The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress, and No One You Know (forthcoming, 2008).
