Writeful

a weblog for readers and writers

Friday, September 30, 2011

Tracks is Haute

Talent in Motion magazine ran a review of Tracks in their summer issue.


The review describes Tracks as “a novel of stories about people whose lives are connected when they take a train from Baltimore to Chicago. The tales are as diverse as the characters on the train. Each of their chance encounters shed a closer understanding to … why we are stronger by the stories we share. Who we are and what we do with life’s uncertain circumstances make us better human beings... or not...”


Talent in Motion magazine is a glossy print magazine that reports on fashion, beauty, theater, movies, television, travel, nightlife, and books.


Tracks did not make the cover, usually reserved for a hot model. But here’s what Talent in Motion had to say about the cover of Tracks: “The Tracks cover was designed by Jamie Keenan, who has worked on covers for such authors as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Stephen King, H.G. Wells and George Orwell, amongst many others.”


Check out Talent in Motion magazine (and some of their recent covers).
http://timmag.com/tim.html



Read their review of Tracks!
http://www.timmag.com/Summer11/pdfs/Page_54.pdf






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Monday, September 26, 2011

Tracks @ Max's

Tracks @ Max’s, the official release party for Tracks: A Novel in Stories, is happening on Tuesday, September 27 in Max’s new Notre Passion side bar. The party runs from 5 to 8 p.m., after which it may spill over into one of the main bar areas. Light fare will be served.

Your first drink is on us; RSVP by midnight tonight for a free drink ticket! The event coincides with happy hour, which means $1 off most draughts.

Max's Taphouse is located at 737 S. Broadway, in the center of historic Fells Point. With 140 beers on tap, 5 cask ales, and 1,200 bottled beers in stock, Max’s has Baltimore’s best beer selection.

Max’s is featured in Tracks: A Novel in Stories, making it an ideal setting for the release party. And a book with a story called “A Good Beer Needs a Good Stein” belongs at an establishment known for its good beer.

Tracks: A Novel in Stories was released by Atticus books on June 30. It takes place on a train traveling from Baltimore to Chicago. Copies will be available at the release party.

How often can you get your books and beer in the same location? Hope to see you there; it’s sure to be a fun ride!

Tracks @ Max’s evite:

http://new.evite.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fb_share_widget&utm_content=fb_link&utm_campaign=invite#view_invite:eid=0064AARBSZ35RYIKCEPA3AAUIDKQOA&gid=fb



Tracks @ Max’s Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=172256029518172&view=wall&mid=4d4a0b1G289a11b9Gff75f93G23&bcode=2cTqkpWN&n_m=edgewriter%40gmail.com

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Friday, September 23, 2011

Baltimore Book Fest Underway Now


Rain or shine, lit-lovers are in for a festive weekend. What many people in the local literary community refer to as our “literary new year” is here: The Baltimore Book Festival.


The book fest began today and is already underway. It runs through Sunday and offers a little bit of lit for everyone. The event is free and fun!


As a part of the festival, the “Lit & Art at the Watermark” series will bring fiction, poetry, non-fiction, live music and original artwork to the Baltimore Free School Lit and Language Tent on Saturday, September 24 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Featured readers include
Katherine Cottle, Barbara Morrison, Liz Mozer, Holly Myers, Rick O’Connor, Fernando Quijano III, Nitin Jagdish, and Sally Whitney. The Lit and Art house band Red Tractor Factory and Manzar will provide music. There’s even an open mic session, so bring five minutes of your own work to share, and be prepared for a short sample from Tracks.

http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/schedule/event-detail/158/Lit-&%20Art%20&%20You


Chime in on the event’s Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=259032807452195


Then, on Sunday at 3 p.m. join me, Susi Wyss (The Civilized World) and Dave Rosenthal (The Baltimore Sun) as we discuss the novel in stories as a format, and read from our own debut novels in stories. As the festival’s website puts it, “Books by two Baltimore writers have recently been published that are described as "a novel in stories": Eric D. Goodman's Tracks and Susi Wyss's The Civilized World. Join Eric and Susi for a reading and discussion about the form, which seems to be back in vogue.”
http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/schedule/event-detail/21/Novels-in%20Stories


Chime in at the event’s Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109402892495986


These events, and the Baltimore Book Fest as a whole, have gotten lots of ink in The Baltimore Sun, City Paper, and in the media. Here are a couple of recent shout outs.


CBS Baltimore:
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2011/09/19/connecting-readers-and-authors-16th-annual-baltimore-book-festival/


CityLit Project:
http://www.citylitproject.org/index.cfm?page=news&newsid=98


Note that Tracks, my novel in stories, will be on sale throughout the weekend at Cyclops Books, next to the CityLit Stage. Catch me at one of my events and I’ll be happy to sign your copy. And look—my very own Baltimore Book Fest author’s page!
http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/participants/author/178/Eric%20D.-Goodman


Learn more about the Baltimore Book Festival and all it has to offer at the festival’s official website at
www.baltimorebookfestival.com.

Or, just stop by!

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

National Book Fest Hits the Mall

As though the fun and festivities of the Baltimore Book Festival this coming weekend were not enough, there’s another nearby literary festival going on: The National Book Festival in Washington DC. It takes place Saturday, September 24 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 25 from 1 to 5:30 p.m.


More than 100 authors will headline the two-day National Book Festival, including David McCullough, Russell Banks, Dave Eggers, Pulitzer Prize-winners Siddhartha Mukherjee and Jennifer Egan, Garrison Keillor, Amy Chua, Toni Morrison, Steve Berry, and Julianne Moore.


The National Book Festival is organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are honorary chairs for the event. The festival is free and open to the public.

http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

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Monday, September 19, 2011

Lit & Art at the Baltimore Book Festival


What many people in the local literary community refer to as our “literary new year” will be here before you know it: The Baltimore Book Festival takes place on the weekend of September 23-25 and offers a little bit of lit for everyone. The event is free and fun!

As a part of the festival, the “Lit & Art at the Watermark” series will bring fiction, poetry, non-fiction, live music and original artwork to the Baltimore Free School Lit and Language tent on Saturday, September 24 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Started in October 2007, the Lit and Art series provides a unique opportunity to sample a wide variety of artistic sensibilities in one sitting. The program will feature series regulars Katherine Cottle, Barbara Morrison, Liz Mozer, Holly Myers, Rick Connor, Fernando Quijano III, Nitin Jagdish, and Sally Whitney. The Lit and Art house band Red Tractor Factory and Manzar will provide music.

Come experience what has been called “the best excuse to get lit in Baltimore on a Sunday afternoon.” Only this time it's on Saturday.

Learn more about the Baltimore Book Festival and all it has to offer at the festival’s official website at
www.baltimorebookfestival.com.

You can also learn more about the Lit & Art event at www.baltimorebookfestival.com/schedule/all-events.

Visit the Watermark’s online gallery at www.manzar.net.

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Friday, September 16, 2011

Historic Giles House Features Tracks


Ending a week-long writing retreat in the hills of Kentucky, I’ll be reading from Tracks tomorrow at the historic Giles House.


The festivities begin at 9 a.m. Central (10 a.m. Eastern) and run through 3 p.m. Central. Authors and poets from Kentucky or with a Kentucky tie will read from their works.


Stop in tomorrow and see me and other authors share our work. After my reading, stop by my booth to chat. I’d be happy to sign a copy of Tracks for you. Here’s more information:


http://columbiamagazine.com/index.php?sid=46687


If you’re not in the area, here’s a taste of the Bluegrass State: my appearance on the From the Inkwell radio talk show from Louisville, KY.


http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/101904/Tracks_on_From_the_Inkwell


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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Podcast of the Inkwell Interview

This week, I’m on a writing retreat in the countryside of Kentucky. What better time than now, in the midst of the Bluegrass State, to share the podcast of my interview on From the Inkwell, the literary radio program in Louisville, Kentucky?


From the Inkwell is a literary talk show hosted by author and poet Sheri Wright. Each week Sheri sits down and talks writing with a guest author. For the broadcast that aired on September 3, that author was me. Now, that broadcast is available as a podcast.


Tune in at the link below for a literary conversation. Sheri and I talk about writing, where stories come from, how they evolve, and why we write. She also asks me to share a few excerpts from Tracks: A Novel in Stories. The program lasts about an hour, so grab a cup of coffee or a rail drink before tuning in.

http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/101904/Tracks_on_From_the_Inkwell

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Monday, September 12, 2011

Falling in Love with Reading


Most people who love to write first fell in love with reading. I’m included in that group, and was invited to write an essay on the topic for Three Guys One Book.

3G1B runs an ongoing feature of “When We Fell in Love” essays written by authors who write about how they fell in love with reading.

Read my own essay and learn how I fell in love with reading. Whether you favor Steinbeck or Seuss, it may remind you of your own budding love affair with the written word.

http://threeguysonebook.com/when-we-fell-in-love-eric-goodman

Friday, September 09, 2011

Word Trains Put Words in Motion


Here’s a new sort of train. Check out the “word trains” crossing the screen in this book trailer produced by Gary Wood for Tracks: A Novel in Stories.


Like a train, like the book, it starts slow and steady and builds until you can’t even read everything that crosses the screen. And that’s sort of the point. You almost have to watch it more than once to take it all in.


That’s easy to do since it clocks in at only a minute. So take a minute now and catch the word train!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y24JMa4F5kE

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Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Novels in Stories at Baltimore Book Fest

The novel in stories has been around for a long time in one form or another. But in recent years, with novels in stories winning Pulitzers and National Book Awards, it seems that the form is making a big comeback.


Perhaps that is why the CityLit Stage decided to host “Novels in Stories” hour at the Baltimore Book Festival. As the festival’s website puts it, “Books by two Baltimore writers have recently been published that are described as "a novel in stories": Eric D. Goodman's Tracks and Susi Wyss's The Civilized World. Join Eric and Susi for a reading and discussion about the form, which seems to be back in vogue.”

http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/schedule/event-detail/21/Novels-in%20Stories


“Novels in Stories” at the Baltimore Book Festival’s CityLit Stage, takes place on Sunday, September 25 at 3 p.m.


Learn more about Susi Wyss, whose book was picked as a book to watch by Oprah, at her website.

http://www.susiwyss.com/


And here’s my page on the Baltimore Book Fest website.

http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/participants/author/178/Eric%20D.-Goodman

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Monday, September 05, 2011

JMWW—Fascinating Cast of Characters

The popular literary journal JMWW recently published a review of Tracks: A Novel in Stories. Here’s what they had to say …


“… a fascinating cast of characters … Goodman’s voice is gentle as he explores motivations and interactions. The scenes in these stories expand to include all kinds of human fears and sorrows, regrets and grateful joys.

“Managing a large cast of characters is not an easy task, but one that Goodman accomplishes with ease. The characters interact throughout, creating a seamless narrative out of their different tales.

“Tensions mount as inner and outer conflicts come into play. Incidents from each story increasingly affect the outcome of the others, as the connections between the characters, however transitory, become stronger."


Read the entire review at the following link. In fact, while you’re there, take a look at some of the original fiction, poetry, and art in the latest issue.

http://jmww.150m.com/Goodmanrev.html

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Friday, September 02, 2011

Friday Night Fiction Podcast

It’s Friday—how about some Friday night fiction? No reading necessary—just sit back and listen to an abridged story from Tracks this podcast from Baltimore’s NPR station, WYPR. It’s called “Mountain of Sand,” and it’s about 15 minutes, set to music.


“Mountain of Sand” was originally broadcast on WYPR’s The Signal the day after Tracks was released by Atticus books. The podcast is available now at the following link.


http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/98472/Mountain_of_Sand


Get your fix of Friday night fiction! Should you listen in the front seat, listen in the back seat, listen on your living room couch—which seat should you take?


http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/98472/Mountain_of_Sand


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