Outside the Box is Where I Live

This line, midway through season one, was the reason I had to stop watching Battlestar Galactica. I know that mortally offends some people -- my apologies. But it's not a well written line.

Never mind. I've been thinking today about alternatives, other ways of doing things, things outside of boxes. For instance, I did a reading at Pacific Lutheran University's bookstore Thursday night. Their bookstore rocks so much harder than a) most campus bookstores and b) even most bookstores period. Their bookstore lives outside the campus bookstore box. How so?

1) It isn't located in the student union or even on campus. It's located two blocks from main campus on a busy street and also in a strip mall so that other people, people who are not students, might go. It even has its own name: Garfield Book Company.

2) It has, front and center when you walk in, a climber with sliding board plus some little tables with toys. Before I had a child, I imagined that you'd bring your kids to the bookstore and plop them in the children's section where they'd read quietly to themselves and then you'd let them pick one book to take home and all would be right with the world. Then I had a kid and realized that a children's section in a bookstore is no place for a child who will run around pulling all the books off the shelves and flipping them over the shoulder like Bret Boone. Having a sliding board, someplace to climb, and toys to play with? Well, that's much more promising. Kids who like to go to bookstores and bookstores with indoor (and thus dry) play structures make for parents who patronize bookstores.

3) They also have a fireplace, a lovely, full-size coffee shop (with gelato and, soon evidently, wine), and a whole floor dedicated to being a real bookstore while the upstairs is reserved for being a college bookstore (i.e. sweatpants, water bottles, and everything else on which you might write "PLU" plus books for courses).

4) The bathrooms are clean and nice and have those toilets where you press one button for half flush and another for full. Do decent bathrooms make that much of a difference? You bet.

5) They have a designated space for readings and community gatherings with the aforementioned fireplace, sofas and comfy chairs (with swivel writing desks for note taking), and a full kitchen for their brilliant book club Food for Thought which reads books about food BUT ALSO brings in a chef to cook stuff from the books. Book clubs through bookstores? Middling attendance. Book clubs with food? Much bigger draw. Plus, they've got the double draw going -- community and college campus, students, faculty, staff, and friends.

In a word: smart. We need more community, independent bookstores. Like everything and everyone these days, they're on the brink of not making it. So I'm saying, maybe outside the box is where they should live.

November

So far, I've been using this blog mostly to post events. This is lame. I should be using this blog to post interesting, insightful, inspiring, gorgeously worded observations about love, life, and literature (the three Ls) which are so interesting, insightful, inspiring, and gorgeous that they 1) cause people who stumble upon the blog to buy my book, 2) cause people who stumble upon the blog to forward the link to other people who themselves then 3) buy my book. Instead, I just post events.

Here, however, are the reasons:
1) The events need publicizing.
2) Full-time job with one hundred billion papers to grade.
3) Two-year-old to raise.
4) Book-the-second to write.
5) Now that it's November, it gets dark at like 4:15 which means by the time #3 up there's in bed, I'm too tired to do anything useful at all.
6) It's a lot of work. One must update one's website and blog and a couple facebook accounts and Goodreads and Amazon. The social network, such that it is, is wondrous but also boundless. And boundless, my friends, is big.

That said, soon, for better and for worse, I'm going to have less book news for a bit I think, and then I will be able to dedicate myself to blogging the old-fashioned way. Something to look forward to.

Meantime, here are some November events:

November 2011
Paperback release of The Atlas of Love.
Something else to look forward to.

Thursday, Nov. 11 at 7pm
Tacoma, WA
Garfield Book Co. at PLU
Spotlight Literary Series

Saturday, Nov. 20, 3-6pm
Seattle, WA
Seattle7Writers Holiday Book Signing
Phinney Neighborhood Center
This one should be fun. Come meet 20 local writers, mingle, chat, eat cookies, feel holiday cheer, buy some books for a good cause (Writers in the Schools), and then have them signed thus making them perfect holiday presents. Awesome, no?

Maryland My Maryland

I am doing two readings "at home" this week. Very special. And I am hoping to see lots of old friends there. Also very special.

Here are the particulars:

Wed. Oct. 13, 7pm
Howard County Public Library
Central Branch
Local Author Showcase
This one will be a quickie as I'm sharing stage time with four other authors, so I'll only read and take questions for about 15 minutes though I will be delighted to discuss, reminisce, sign books, chat, answer questions one-on-one, and otherwise hang out afterwards.

Sat. Oct. 16, 2pm
Barnes and Noble, Power Plant
Downtown Baltimore
Reading and Author Chat and Book Signing
This one will be a bit longer as it's all me all the time. Also hoping for much time to hang out and chat after.

Pass it on please! I'm looking so forward to seeing everyone there!

Debut Lit

Have just been advised (reminded) by a new friend today that being a debut author is something special. It only happens once (in fact, I suppose the curse is remaining a debut author forever). It's new and exciting. You have an excuse to know absolutely nothing at all. I also get to work with this amazing organization: Debut Lit. I am reading with them in San Francisco on Oct. 9. And I have guest blogged for them this week about my twelve first chapters. Not my first twelve chapters. My twelve first chapters. So. Many. Check out my guest blog post. Pretty cool.

Readings this Week

I have two readings this week. These have been nerve-wracking but fun. Speaking in front of people makes me very, very nervous. Certainly, that puts me in the majority, but it seems weird given that I speak in front of people every day for my job. Question: how is teaching different than speaking in front of people? Why is talking about books to my students different than talking about books at a reading? I don't know. But it is. Very.

The 'me' part of these readings has been challenging for me but great. The Q&A has been awesome. That is a lot more like teaching. It's been just amazing to meet people who are reading and enjoying the book. The kindness of strangers -- nothin' better.

So if you're nearby, do please come say hello.

Tacoma, WA
Thurs. Sept. 23, 5:30pm
University of Puget Sound
Trimble Forum
All are very welcome. There will be snacks!

Portland, OR
Fri. Sept. 24, 7pm
Powell's Cedar Hills

Bellingham, Sunday

In case you're nearby (or want a very nice road trip), I'm reading at Village Books in Bellingham, Washington this Sunday, September 12 at 4pm. Village Books is an awesome, old-school, independent bookstore with a very, very good cafe in an especially lovely part of the especially lovely Bellingham. So if you can, please come say hello. I'd love love love to see you.

Dog Love

Dog love is naked love. So this is appropriate on so many levels. I am interviewed and/or posted on a couple of Marshal Zeringue's other blogs today. Check it out. The pictures are lovely; the dog is miraculous; and I am much better at talking about Calli than talking about me.

Coffee With a Canine
Campaign for the American Reader