Friday, February 26, 2010

Next stop: Watchung (Books)


Now that the snow has - for the most part - stopped, tomorrow's event at Montclair's Watchung Booksellers (above) is still on for 1 p.m. Sat. (2/27). I'll be signing books, giving away CDs and possibly some baked goods. WB is at 54 Fairfield St. in Watchung Plaza, Montclair, N.J. (973) 744-7177.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Words and sounds

A nice review of GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER, posted today over at Bookgasm.

Also, the unabridged audio edition, read by actress Karen White, is now available for sale and download.

And for those in N.J., signed copies of GTN are available, while they last, at Barnes & Noble stores at Monmouth Mall (Eatontown), Holmdel, Howell Township, Freehold and - soon - Paramus.


Sunday, February 21, 2010

Poetic justice

The folks over at THE LINEUP - that annual roundup of crime-related poetry - are taking pre-orders on Issue #3, which will be out in April. That issue contains my poem "Independence Day, 1976," which l wrote shortly after the death of Jim Carroll. It also features work by James W. Hall, James Sallis, Reed Farrel Coleman, Patti Abbott and others. Details below.

The Lineup #3

The Lineup #3 (April 2010)

Edited by Gerald So with Sarah Cortez, R. Narvaez, and Anthony Rainone

ISSN 1945-7510
6" x 9", 48 pages, saddle-stitched
$7.00

Poems by Patricia Abbott, Joe Barnes, Henry Chang, Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez, Michael A. Flanagan, Anne Frasier, James W. Hall, David Hernandez, Amy MacLennan, Carrie McGath, James M. McGowan, Kristine Ong Muslim, David S. Pointer, James Sallis, Jackie Sheeler, Wallace Stroby, Larry D. Thomas, Francine Witte

Pre-orders accepted through March 15, 2010.

Saturday, February 06, 2010

The GTN mix


I've compulsively made mix tapes and CDs over the years, a practice that seemed to naturally extend itself to writing. With each novel, I've made a personal CD mix collecting songs that roughly fit the tone and content of the work-in-progress. There's a lot of music in GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER, more so than the other books, and the mix that eventually emerged was a mash of styles, but with a certain thematic unity. Some of the songs made it into the book, most didn't. But here's the tracklist of the CD I made while writing it - and went back to when I needed inspiration. This was homemade and strictly for personal use, of course. It exists only in my iTunes playlist:

1: Gone Till November – Wyclef Jean (needless to say, an inspiration for the title)
2: Everybody Always Leaves – Matthew Ryan (off his 2006 CD "From A Late Night High Rise ")
3: I Still Miss Someone – Johnny Cash (title says it all)
4: I Miss YouHarold Melvin & The Blue Notes (with the late Teddy Pendergrass on vocals)
5: Regina – Bunny Sigler (a Philly soul classic)
6: Jane, I Still Feel the Same – Matthew Ryan (a simple, yet heartbreakingly beautiful, song)
7: Gone For Good – O.V. Wright (deep soul from a Memphis master)
6: Great Expectations The Gaslight Anthem (young N.J. band with a lot of heart)
7: Trailer – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (only a b-side, but one of their best songs)
6: Ramblin' Man Hank Williams (chilling, simple, perfect).
7: Cure For Pain Morphine (essential track from the too-short-lived Boston band)
8: Nothing Stays The Same ForeverPercy Mayfield (philosophical R&B from the other Mayfield)
9: Keep Movin' On – Sam Cooke (America's greatest pop singer. His voice has healing properties)
10: Streets Of Philadelphia – Bettye LaVette (greatest Springsteen cover ever)
11: People Get Ready Blind Boys Of Alabama (the Curtis Mayfield classic, further elevated)
12: A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke (there's nothing else like it. Sounds like church. Sounds like death).
13: (I Won't Be) Leaving – Dave Alvin (a spare, late-night version of a song he wrote for the Blasters, from his "King Of California" album)
14: Everybody Always Leaves – Matthew Ryan (an EP-only alt. acoustic version. An almost painfully intimate song of love and loss).

If I dig up the CD track lists for the first two books, I'll post them at some point as well.


Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Support an indie

Signed copies of GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER are available for online order from the following excellent independent bookstores:

Monday, February 01, 2010

WBGO 88.3 FM features


Here are specific links for the now-archived WBGO-FM interview and features:

The interview as aired: http://www.wbgo.org/realfiles/jrnl2010/100129/article4.ram

The extended interview: http://www.wbgo.org/realfiles/jrnl2010/100129/article5.ram

A web-only reading from GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER: http://www.wbgo.org/realfiles/jrnl2010/100129/article6.ram

A downloadable podcast of the entire WBGO Journal: http://feeds.feedburner.com/WbgoJournal

Note that the reading contains an "adult language" advisory.