Sporty Spec East Coast Launch

Video

2007-12-10T20:47:00.000-05:00

Finally, here are short videos of the authors reading their work.

Paul L. Bates

Alex Dally MacFarlane

E. C. Myers

Adam Nakama

Stephen D. Rogers

Todd Wheeler

The Big Event

2007-12-04T17:09:00.000-05:00

To quote an audience member, the East Coast Launch rocked. People attended, were entertained, showered with gifts, and fed. The writers had some fun as well.

Photo by Haz Harrower
We had a great turnout of attentive listeners.

Paul L. Bates took the lead-off spot, first reading a piece he wrote for another anthology, and then his Sporty Spec story.

E. C. Myers followed with tales of chess and pie holes, the latter gaining him a new fan.

Todd Wheeler first read Robert Frazier's poem, "Stealing for the Record", and then his own story, getting through both without losing his place, much.

Adam Nakama entertained with clockwork dragons and a lively rendition of Richard Pitaniello's "Librarian Gladiators".

Stephen D. Rogers read two pieces, but all agreed he was upstaged by his protege.

Rounding out the group, Alex Dally MacFarlane read. No crockery was harmed in the telling of the tale.

Photo by Haz Harrower
But wait, there's more! Winners were selected from the special Sporty Raffle Container by the Raffle Queen.

This gentleman won the snuggly bear ...

... and how slick is this stylin' messenger bag?

After the event people ate cookies and Mexican sandwich wraps, and there was much rejoicing.

Many, many, many thanks to the audience, to Pandemonium Books, to Karen A. Romanko, and not least, to the authors, without whom none of this would have happened.

Sporty Spec East Coast Launch

2007-11-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

When: Sunday, December 2nd, 2007
Time: 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Where: Pandemonium Books, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
Click here for directions to the bookstore.
Click here for a map of the area with parking locations.

Click here to buy the book!

Author Spotlight: Stephen D. Rogers

2007-11-28T06:36:00.000-05:00

Stephen D. Rogers may be the most prolific of all the writers appearing at the Sporty Spec book launch. With more than five hundred stories and poems appearing in over a hundred publications, his work has covered multiple genres, including fantasy, horror, literary, mystery, personal essays, romance, and science fiction.

A full list of all his publications can be found on his website. Also, each month a reprint of one of his works appears there as well. A recent story, "Daddy's Girl", appears online in Demolition.

More Promotion

2007-11-26T21:43:00.000-05:00

The store manager at Pandemonium has posted the event on some local calendars, such as this item through Boston.com.

I put up a notice as well in the National Novel Writing Month forums.

Finally, there are now some fliers in Central Square coffee shops for our event.

I think that should about do it for promotional efforts. ;-)

Author Spotlight: Adam Nakama

2007-11-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

Adam Nakama is currently a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, due to graduate next year.

According to his livejournal profile, he studies many things outside of school, among them the tango and cooking.

Adam's recent fiction credits include an appearance in Scifaikuest as well as the forthcoming Field Guide to Surreal Botany.

Parking

2007-11-19T23:04:00.000-05:00

Below is a link to a Google map with the location of the bookstore. The little arrows on the streets indicate the direction of the one-way street, essential to be aware of in order to navigate in Cambridge.

The markers show different parking lot options. One free lot is a chilly walk away from the bookstore, pay lots are closer.

However ...

There are metered parking spaces on Pleasant Street as well as the surrounding streets. As far as I can tell from the Cambridge Traffic, Parking, and Transportation website (and the Pandemonium store manager seemed to think this is correct), if the sign indicates an exception for Sunday (e.g. "8am - 6pm, ex. Sunday") then the meters are NOT in effect. That is to say, free parking.

Disclaimer: This is as far as I can tell. If you get a parking ticket, you're on your own. :-)

View Larger Map

Promotional Flier

2007-11-16T06:52:00.000-05:00

The official promotional flier is now available! It's straightforward, which means not very fancy. But it is suitable for framing.

The flier can be opened or downloaded as a .pdf file.

The flier has been sent out to a number of SF clubs in the area. I also hope to get it pinned up at a few locations near the bookstore next week.

Author Spotlight: E. C. Myers

2007-11-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

E. C. Myers lives and works in the Big Apple, NYC. The following is from his Sporty Spec bio:

"E.C. Myers lives in Manhattan, where he struggles to stay awake in the city that never sleeps. The results of his self-imposed sleep deprivation have appeared in a number of publications, including flashquake, Fictitious Force, and From the Asylum. He is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers' Workshop and a active participant in the writing groups Altered Fluid and Fangs of God."

His website has many links to his online work. A few of the more recent ones are:

The story She Danced For Him, featured in Lyrica.

Over on Behind the Wainscot you may read Feed the Hungry.

Finally, on Karen Romanko's Raven Electrick is the story Bequeathal

Special Delivery

2007-11-09T12:58:00.000-05:00

Best package I've received in months.

Author Spotlight: Alex Dally MacFarlane

2007-11-07T06:58:00.000-05:00

Ms. MacFarlane will gain the distinction of having traveled the farthest to be at the Sporty Spec East Coast Launch, all the way from England!¹

She is currently working on a novel as part of National Novel Writing Month². She has several stories and poems available online such as:

Roseilda's Tale at Reflection's Edge.

The poem Obedience on the Pyre can be read on The Pedestal Magazine.

Over on Farrogoblog: Behind the Wainscot, one may find An Epic of Egg-like Proportions

¹Okay, she didn't travel just to be at the launch. It's actually quite lucky for us that everything worked out the way it did. Still and all, I think she should get some sort of prize.

²a.k.a NaNoWriMo, and I hope she is getting more sleep than I am, as evidenced by silly blog postings.

Craigslist

2007-11-05T06:21:00.000-05:00

The book launch has been posted on the Boston Craigslist event listing. The post can be seen here:

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/eve/469303738.html

Poll of the Week: Drink

2007-11-02T07:10:00.000-04:00

The votes are in for last week's poll. Spicy Mexican edged out the other options.

By a strange coincidence, there just happens to be a Mexican restaurant that does catering and is close by to Pandemonium books. Funny how things work out like that.

If we have food, we should have drink. Unfortunately, it must be of the non-alcoholic variety. Vote for your favorite. Vote often! Vote today!

Author Spotlight: Paul L. Bates

2007-10-31T06:23:00.000-04:00

Paul L. Bates most certainly will be attending, and reading, at the Sporty Spec East Coast Launch. Unless it snows. Then things get a bit skiffy.

Who is he? You don't know? I'll let a more polished writer prevail here:

"Paul L. Bates has graced the independent press with his short fiction since the early 90's, blending or blatantly ignoring genres with tall tales published or pending publication in such discerning venues as Zahir, Withersin, City Slab, Sporty Spec, New Writings in the Fantastic, Desolate Places, and Ruins Extraterrestrial.

He is semi-retired from the construction industry, a distance swimmer, and happiest when absorbed in his writing. Imprint, the first novel in a series about the last city on earth was first published by Gale/Five Star in 2005; Dreamer, the second part of the trilogy, is scheduled for release in June 2008."

Alas, no stories seem to be available online. However, you may order his book or find a story of his in one of several anthologies:

Ruins Extraterrestrial
New Writings of the Fantastic
City Slab 1

Poll of the Week: Food

2007-10-26T12:23:00.000-04:00

I've added a poll to the right. Each week it will feature a very important and time sensitive question regarding the launch. Just like in Chicago, make sure to vote early and vote often.

Author Spotlight: Robert Frazier

2007-10-24T10:57:00.000-04:00

Five authors who live in Massachusetts appear in the Sporty Spec anthology. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, Robert Frazier will not be able to attend the east coast launch. That won't keep me from celebrating his inclusion in the book with his poem "Stealing for the Record".

A writer and an artist, Frazier's accomplishments can be read in the Wikipedia article about him. In addition, I'd like to point out a few of his poems that are available online.

"A Crash Course in Lemon Physics" can be read at Strange Horizons.

The award winning "Return to the Mutant Rain Forest", written with Bruce Boston, is available online through Chizine.

A more recent poem, "Wereman", was published last month, again in Strange Horizons.

On The Calendar

2007-10-22T07:13:00.000-04:00

The book launch event is now on the online calendar at the Pandemonium Books website.

It's Official!

2007-10-20T00:53:00.000-04:00

In addition to the west coast book launch party hosted by editor and publisher Karen A. Romanko, there will be an east coast launch as well. The details are in the sidebar to the right.

Updates and changes to the east coast event will be posted here.

Many, many thanks go to Karen for supporting the event and to the authors without whose participation this wouldn't be possible. Thank you!