Appearances
A tale of two story slams
On Thursday night, I performed alongside four other storytellers at The Wilbur Theater in Boston as part of a Moth Mainstage. We told stories to a sold out audience of 1,200. It was an amazing night. Last night I hosted a story slam at Word Up, a small, community bookstore in Washington Heights run by…
Read MoreThe career of an author is not all angst and loneliness. Some of the time.
I am not a starry eyed author. I expect little from my publishing career. When I published my first novel, Something Missing, in 2009, I was not under the illusion that I would be quitting my day job anytime soon. I saw that book as a small, uncertain, precarious step into a new career that…
Read MoreSeptember storytelling
A few upcoming events for anyone interested: I’ll be telling a story on Friday evening at 7:00 at the Mark Twain House for The Mouth, a storytelling organization run by NPR’s Chion Wolf. The theme of the night is Luck and Serendipity. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased via the Mark Twain House’s website.…
Read MoreWhy am I willing to look less presentable than my female counterparts?
All may be true, or none may be true. You tell me. I have worn the grubbiest of clothes for Skype chats with book clubs, whereas my female author friends, based upon a sample of recent tweets and Facebook posts, would never think of doing such a thing. Is it because I am a man…
Read MoreUpcoming speaking engagements
I’ve had a few readers (mostly in New York) ask about events where I’ll be speaking next, so I thought I’d share a list here. This is my speaking schedule for the next three months, barring any unforeseen additions to the calendar. In all likelihood, additional Moth events will be added in the coming weeks.…
Read MoreIn 2014, I will wear a flesh-colored speedo in front of an audience of readers and talk about my books. Here’s why.
Sometime in the fall of 2014, I will be seated onstage with international bestselling author Sarah McCoy, speaking to an audience of readers and booksellers about books and writing, and I will be wearing a flesh-toned speedo. You may wonder how or why this happened. I’m still wondering this myself. Here’s the sad tale. Slate’s…
Read MoreMy eleven year old publicist
One of my students arrived to school on Friday with a business card in his hand. “I booked you a speaking gig,” he told me and handed me the business card with the name of a manager of a Barnes & Noble bookstore where I have never spoken before. “What?” I asked. “Are you making…
Read More“Book club date night” is probably not the most romantic way to spend an evening with your wife
Since publishing my first novel in 2009, I’ve visited with more than one hundred book clubs throughout Connecticut and beyond, oftentimes in person and many times via conference call, Skype or a similar platform. I’ve video chatted with books clubs in Canada, Finland, Australia and the UK as well as clubs throughout the United States.…
Read MoreRedefining the Author Appearance: Four Proposed Categories
I took my friend to a local bookstore to listen to a well-known, New York Times bestselling author speak. He was excited. He had never listened to an author speak before (other than me), and my hope was that this would be one of many author events that we could attend together in the future.…
Read MoreMy middle school visit included a comparison to a Boston mobster, an accusation that I am old and time spent in the ladies restroom
I spent the day at a middle school in New Hampshire on Friday, talking to students about writing. A few notes from the day: 1. I started the day by accidentally walking into the ladies restroom. It’s bad enough that I do this in malls, libraries and other public locations, but a middle school is…
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