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Home - Books
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Politics Unusual - |
The existential existence of Martin Eisenstadt
By Jesse D. Stanek
Martin Eisenstadt is a heavyweight Beltway player, a D.C. insider and popular pundit with his fingerprints all over the 2008 presidential election. He interned on the racially insensitive Willie Horton ad campaign, he put Michael Dukakis in a tank on national television, he spent time in Iraq championing cell phone sales and pushing for casinos in the green zone, he lost his virginity to Fawn Hall, he bought Sarah Palin’s election-year wardrobe, he was a McCain adviser in the 2008 election and perhaps most notoriously he was the “anonymous, disgruntled McCain staffer” who leaked that Palin thought Africa was a country. And, as a hardly relevant aside, he’s not a real person. |
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Booked - |
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Wednesday, Sept. 1, authors Caroline and Charles Todd will be at The Bookworm, 87th and Pacific, to sign copies of their latest novel, An Impartial Witness: A Bess Crawford Mystery, at 6 p.m. The second book in a series featuring British nurse Bess Crawford, the book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who lauded the book’s “realistic characters and intricate plot,” going on to say “In addition to supplying a challenging puzzle, Todd (a mother-son writing team) does a superb job of capturing the feel of the battlefield and the emotional toll taken on those waiting back home for a loved one’s return.” |
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Great Grand Tour - |
Omaha native pens second memoir, signs at Bookworm
By Leo Adam Biga
Playwright, essayist, blogger and author Rachel Shukert (Have You No Shame?) mines “the ruins” of her life again in her new Harper Perennial memoir, Everything Is Going to Be Great. Its subtitle, An Underfunded and Overexposed European Grand Tour, gets to the heart of her expatriate experience. |
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Booked - |
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If you haven’t already booked some time for this year’s (downtown) Omaha LitFest or if, God forbid, you’ve never participated, by all means grab your calendar and get to markin’. Though the event officially runs Sept. 10-11, satellite events begin this week with a lit fest preview at Joslyn Museum Thursday, Aug. 26, at 6:30 p.m. with poets reading from original work inspired by pieces in the Josyln’s modern collection. There’s no cost to attend other than the regular Joslyn admission fee. For details on all the events, go to omahalitfest.com. |
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Booked - |
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If you haven’t had much luck at eharmony or match.com, there’s a new literary dating site that might help you find that special someone. Alikewise.com is a new dating site that matches people based on their reading tastes. Best of all, it’s free. |
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Booked - |
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There’s a lot going on at the Bookworm in Countryside Village, 87th and Pacific, this week. Thursday, Aug. 12, authors Jon Cotner and Andy Fitch will be on hand at 6 p.m. to sign copies of Ten Walks/Two Talks, a new take on the meandering and meditative form of the Japanese poet Basho’s diaries in which they combine a series of 60-minute, 60-sentence walks around Manhattan. |
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In This Lifetime - |
Novel’s mother-daughter thing makes it to the screen
by Leo Adam Biga
Omaha native Carleen Brice often doubted she’d complete, much less get published, her first novel, Orange Mint and Honey (One World/Ballantine). But she did, and it broke big in 2008. A Lifetime Movie Network version of it premieres Sunday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. (CST).
The movie, Sins of the Mother, stars Jill Scott and Nicole Beharie as a mother and daughter struggling to heal their broken relationship. Scott is a powerhouse as Nona, the mother in recovery from alcoholism. Beharie is intense as Shay, the resentful daughter whose childhood was stolen by Nona’s drinking and carousing.
Long estranged, the two find themselves living together when Shay’s unresolved turmoil leads her back home from grad school. She finds a changed woman in Nona, who works a steady job, keeps a tidy home, stays sober and cares for a new daughter, Sunny. Her 12-step recovery infuses her life — from affirmations taped everywhere, to meetings to sponsorship. |
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Folding and Binding - |
Rough year in publishing
by Kyle Tonniges
Every industry was hit hard by the recession this year, and publishing was no exception. High-profile magazines like Home, Cottage Living, Vibe, Blender and even the mighty Gourmet ceased to exist. Even industry rags like Kirkus Reviews and Editor and Publisher are gone.
Then the almighty Oprah, beloved anointer of instant bestseller status, announced her retirement. Love her or loathe her, she was a force in book sales. She renewed interest in reading among many.
And though her retirement wasn’t immediate (she just recently moved to Sacramento), the departure of the former Director of the Omaha Public Library Rivkah Sass was a profound loss. A tireless champion of literacy and the power of books, Sass will be sorely missed by patrons and staffers. |
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Booked - |
* If you live in Ralston (or even if you don’t), try to stop by the city square Thursdays for Tunes in Town Square with Poetry Reading. The evening starts at 6:30 p.m. with music. Invited poets read during a brief intermission, followed by more music until 8:30 p.m. Poet Roy Reichle performs this week. The event’s free. Look for the gazebo and bring your blanket or lawn chairs.
* This Friday, July 30, is the big Omaha Poetry Slam Team send-off show at the Pizza Shoppe Collective, at 6056 Maple St. in Benson. Friday’s show will feature the Seven Doctors Project, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns and performances by Team Omaha as they get ready to venture to Saint Paul, Minn. for the National Poetry Slam, Aug. 3-7. Admission is $5. |
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Booked - |
* Poetry reminder of the week: every Wednesday, KENO Kings/Royal Crown Lounge at 6553 Ames Ave. hosts the Midwest Poetry Vibe from 9 p.m. to close. The weekly event features poetry, R&B and neo soul, live performances and a different concert DVD in addition to food and drink specials.
* Fun Internet find of the week: I Write Like, from the book bloggers at GalleyCat. I Write Like is a web game in which you paste a few paragraphs of your writing — could be a blog post, an email, whatever — and the site will analyze it and tell you which famous writer you most resemble. According to the site, Booked writes like Vladimir Nabokov. So there. See who you write like at http://iwl.me/.
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Booked - |
Omaha’s Linda Boatright was recognized for her entry in the Western category of this year’s Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, an annual competition for writing the world’s worst opening sentence to an imaginary novel.
The competition that began in 1982 at San Jose State University and is named after Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton, the man who gave us “It was a dark and stormy night.”
Her winning Western sentence: “He walked into the bar and bristled when all eyes fell upon him — perhaps because his build was so short and so wide, or maybe it was the odor that lingered about him from so many days and nights spent in the wilds, but it may just have been because no one had ever seen a porcupine in a bar before.” |
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Booked - |
* You’ll get two, count ’em, TWO chances to see the 2010 Omaha Poetry Slam Team in action this week. The group will perform at the OM Slam at the Omaha Healing Arts Center, 1216 Howard St. in the Old Market, Saturday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. and again at Shout Your Mouth Off III at the Hideout, 320 S. 72nd St., Tuesday July 13, at 9:30 p.m.
The OM Slam will feature the slammers as well as the group’s annual silent auction in which poetry fans can bid on Film Streams memberships, gift certificates to local restaurants and more. An open mic kicks off the evening at 7:30 p.m. (you’ll need to sign up prior to that if you’re hoping to get some stage time), followed by the performance. There’s a $7 suggested donation. For more info on the auction go to PoetryMenu.com/auction.html and for more info on the event, go to omahaslam.com or call 345.5078. |
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Booked - |
* New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson will be at the Oak View Barnes & Noble store this Tuesday, July 6, to sign copies of her latest book, Undead and Unfinished. The ninth book in her “Undead” series (Undead and Unpopular, Undead and Unemployed, Undead and Unappreciated, etc.), The Southwest Florida News-Press lauded Davidson for her “smart, sarcastic, frequently profane, and manically inventive” heroine Betsy Taylor. The event starts at 7 p.m.
* If you’re more of a poetry person, swing by Ted and Wally’s at 1120 Jackson St. in the Old Market Tuesday night for Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together, an event pairing Ted and Wally’s ice cream with the linguistic stylings of the Omaha Poetry Slam Team. Things start at 7 p.m. Bring some extra cash to help get the team to the National Poetry Slam this August, and pick up a poetry team chapbook. |
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Booked - |
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* The 24th season of Shakespeare on the Green in Elmwood Park (south of UNO’s bell tower, 64th and Dodge) kicks off this Thursday, June 24. This season features two performances: Two Gentlemen of Verona (the Musical) and Romeo and Juliet. This week’s performance (June 24-27, then July 8 and 10) is Two Gentlemen of Verona (the Musical); performances will alternate with Romeo and Juliet and run through July 11. As always, performances are free and open to the public. Events begin around 5:30 p.m., performances start around 8 p.m. Get there early, bring a picnic basket and bring some cash to donate. Visit nebraskashakespeare.com for more information. |
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Booked - |
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* Pinot, Pigs & Poets, a fundraiser for Camp Fire USA, will be held at the Happy Hollow Club, 1701 S. 105th St., this Friday, June 11, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The evening includes a Pinot Noir tasting, vintner competition for best wine, Hog Heaven cuisine, and live entertainment by performance poets Maxwell Kessler (from Boston), Big Poppa E (as seen on “60 Minutes”),and local mainstay Matt Mason. The Boiler Room, Dante’s, Gusto Cuban Cafe, Happy Hollow, Ryan’s Bistro, Stokes, Twisted Fork, Taxi’s and Mahogany will handle the food. It’s 21 and over, and the cost is $75 if between 21 and 30. If you’re 30 or older it’ll cost you $100 per person. Make your reservations at campfireomaha.org. |
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Booked - |
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* Popular thriller writer Craig Johnson will be at The Bookworm in Countryside Village at 87th and Pacific this Wednesday, June 9, to sign copies of Junkyard Dogs, the sixth and latest book in his Walt Longmire series. Johnson’s novels have been warmly received by critics and fans, with many garnering starred reviews from trade publications such as Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. The signing begins at 6 p.m. |
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Booked - |
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This weekend will mark the 11th anniversary of the Omaha Public Library’s Mayhem in the Midlands, a weekend-long event devoted to crime fiction. This year’s session kicks off Thursday, May 27, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in the Old Market with panels and interviews as well as a “Gritty City” guided tour of historic buildings and notorious crime scenes. Participants can attend workshops and panel discussions with more than 30 presenters and authors such as Sean Doolittle and Alex Kava, as well as Guest of Honor Deborah Crombie, author of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery series. Other activities include a Sisters in Crime buffet and a mystery dinner. Prices vary, and participants can attend all or only some events. For more information go to omahapubliclibrary.org or find Mayhem in the Midlands on Facebook. |
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Confessions of a Nerd - |
Wendy Townley debuts first book, Nerdy Thirty
by Jasmine Maharisi
It wasn’t hard for Wendy Townley to gather enough material for her debut book, Nerdy Thirty. In fact, the 31-year-old writer had more trouble selecting which essays to include in the book than writing new content. But it was well worth it, and the result is the compilation of 13 humorous and entertaining essays that illustrate Townley’s experiences as the odd girl out.
“I’ve been a nerd for many, many years,” Townley writes. “After turning 30 and looking back at my life, I found myself in countless awkward and cringe-worthy situations, many of which I’m able to laugh about now.”
Though these early awkward moments are long passed, the same sense of humor that proved life-saving to Townley in her formative years seeps through the pages of Nerdy Thirty. In a charismatic, laugh-out-loud narrative voice, Townley describes her unique experiences such as meeting Jessica Simpson at a rodeo, “Yes, THE Jessica Simpson. The one with the handbags, and shoes, and cosmetic line,” as well as roughing it in the great outdoors “Much like corrective dentistry and Indian cuisine, I am willing to try anything once. Camping falls neatly into this category.” |
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Free Press - |
Omaha’s indie poetry presses celebrate of
National Poetry Month
by Jasmine Maharisi
When prolific New York School poet Kenneth Koch was in college, he wrote his class notes in iambic pentameter.
Although Natasha Kessler, Tom McCauley and Zach Vesper weren’t quite that intense as students, they were successful in starting Strange Machine, an online poetry journal and independent press. Take that, Koch.
“When we began, we didn’t have money or funding,” Kessler said. “We weren’t affiliated with the university, so it’s not like they were our sugardaddy. That’s why online was the best way to get it started.” |
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Booked - |
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The Hideout at 320 S. 72nd St. will host a special edition of its Shoot Your Mouth Off poetry slam Thursday, April 22. The evening will start with an open mic at 9:30 p.m. followed by a performance by Amy Steinberg, winner of numerous awards including Songwriter of the Year from the Songwriter Showcases of America and Best Solo Performer from the Orlando Music Awards. She’s also shared the stage with Ani Difranco, Alix Olson, Lisa Loeb, Melissa Ferrick, Meredith Brooks and Vonda Shepard. There’s a $3 suggested donation. Check myspace.com/shootyourmouthoff for interviews, features and more information. |
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