Columbus Arts Festival
It’s almost June, and that means the Columbus Arts Festival is not far away. In addition to the many visual artists’ tents lining the streets, there is a “Word Is Art” tent where authors and poets read from their work. I’m happy to say that this year I’ll be on the schedule!
I’ll be doing a short reading (probably 10 minutes) from my upcoming new stand-alone fantasy novel, Taylenor. The time slot is from 11-12 on Sunday, June 9 — but the tent is active all weekend, and you can check out many other creatives reading from their stories or poetry.
Here’s a link to the arts festival website, with lots of visitor information, maps, etc. If you love art, and if you’re in the area, this is an event worth attending!
Also, this deer will be there (photo from 2017).
Authors at the Loft
I’ll be one of several authors at the Book Loft on June 2 for Authors at the Loft, an event that highlights independent and published authors. There will be opportunities to get books signed and readings at this free family event. The event is sponsored by YourBookMyBook.com.
The Book Loft is a Columbus treasure and a great place for an event like this! I’m looking forward to it! For more info, including a list of authors, here’s a link to the event page on Facebook.
Pictures from Basel
Here are a few images from my recent trip to Basel, Switzerland. Basel is located on the Rhine and has a beautiful Old Town and Basel Minster, a Catholic Cathedral (now a Protestant Church) that was built between 1020 and 1500.
Georgsturm and Martinsturm, the two towers of Basel Minster.
St George and the dragon on the facade of Basel Minster
Basel Minster courtyard
Rathaus Basel, or the Basel Town Hall, in the Marketplatz (with bonus Piadina Stand!)
Guy with an attitude, Old Town Basel
Basel’s heraldic animal, the basilisk. To be seen in several places around the city.
Lovely homes along the River Rhine in Basel.
Cleveland ConCoction — My Schedule
Here’s my schedule for Cleveland ConCoction on March 1-3 in Aurora. In addition to the author’s track, the fan-run convention has gaming, cosplayers and more. Link to the entire online program is at the bottom of this post.
Fri Mar 1 4:00 Villains: More than Just Black Hats (with Cassandra Morgan, Linda Robertson, Troy Maynard, & Vik K Walker)
Sat Mar 2 11:00 Author Showcase Panel (readings with Cindy A Mathews, Barbara Doran, Rose Withering, and Megan Mackie)
Sat Mar 2 noon Author Autograph Session (with the above authors and also Weston Kincade)
Sat Mar 2 3:00 Bring Your Hooks (bring your first page for sharing and critique! With JW Troemner, Marshall Stephens, Mary Turzillo, and Geoffrey A Landis)
Link to the online convention program: http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/schedule-2019.html
Color Mage Books: New Covers!
The Color Mage books, now published by Hydra Publications, will be receiving new covers and titles. The new versions will be available soon on Amazon. Here’s an advance look at the new cover images for the books!
Snow Day February 2019 (image)
Here’s an evergreen tree, holding the snow in little cups. This is usually a scraggly tree, but it’s beautiful today.
Springfield Book Fair Author Info
Here’s the blog post from Hen House Publishing, with info about yours truly for the Springfield Ohio Book Fair! Several other authors are attending this Feb 10 event, and their info is available at the Hen House site as well. Links are below:
Cleveland ConCoction 2019
I’ll be participating in this year’s Cleveland ConCoction convention, held March 1-3 in Aurora, Ohio.
This will be the 6th year of the convention, and my third time attending. The fan-run convention has some of everything — including science fiction, gaming, cosplay and a vendors room. It also has my favorite thing, Authors’ Alley, which includes panels, workshops, and readings — list of attending authors is here.
Here’s a link to the convention website, with info about guests and activities. When I know my panel schedule, I’ll post it here.
Green Book: My Thoughts
I have a soft spot for this kind of movie — movies about people who wouldn’t be expected to form a bond and who nevertheless do. I liked The Intouchables (2011) for much the same reason.
Two fantastic actors make Green Book work. Mahershala Ali is the musical genius Dr Don Shirley, an African-American classical and jazz pianist. Viggo Mortensen plays brash, vulgar “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, a New York bouncer looking for a job after his nightclub is temporarily closed.
We see the racism of the 1960s through the eyes of these two individuals.
Tony is a racist character, as insular as they come in his Italian-American enclave in New York, living in the same neighborhood as all his extended family. Before meeting Don, he goes so far as to throw away the glasses two black repairmen drank lemonade from. I had a little trouble believing Tony was so naïve about what Don would have to face in his tour through the Deep South, especially since racism existed all around him.
As for Don, he is shown as a brilliant, lonely, highly educated man who chooses to face the dangers of the Deep South as a matter of principle. But he was a musical prodigy, and it was difficult to believe he’d never heard the music of Little Richard, Aretha Franklin and others.
The two characters form a bond through two months of the southern tour. There were a few scenes that made me wince — the fried chicken scene, for example. But watching these two completely different people connect was rewarding.
Obviously there are a lot of instances of racism in the movie – that’s the point. I found it telling that the people who hosted Don in their estates and concert venues as a mark of their sophistication, were the same people who refused to let him use the nearby restroom, eat at their restaurants or stay at their hotels. The movie’s title refers to the real Green Book, which listed hotels and restaurants that would accept black travelers.
This isn’t a movie about saving the world, and it isn’t perfect. Racism wasn’t “fixed” when the story was over. It’s simply a story about two individual characters, seeing humanity in each other, and growing a little. I like that.
The movie has won several award nominations — and won three Golden Globe awards — but also drawn criticism for how it handled the divisive issue of racism. Here’s some more info about the movie, including some criticisms:
From the Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/true-story-green-book-movie-180970728/
From the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/green-book-won-big-at-the-golden-globes-will-it-hold-up-under-increased-scrutiny/2019/01/08/5eb0365e-135e-11e9-90a8-136fa44b80ba_story.html?utm_term=.aee6d4d189f2
From Vulture: https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/green-book-flopped-but-who-was-it-supposed-to-be-for.html
