Going out West Where the Wind Blows Tall

For those of you who don't recognize the Tom Waits reference, sorry.

At any rate, I've just returned to the East from a lovely visit to both Washington and Oregon.

In Washington, I visited Walla Walla to read before a large and enthusiastic crowd at Whitman College. Whitman runs a wonderful Visiting Writers Program, and will be hosting the poet Richard Wilbur on April 10. Many thanks to Katrina Roberts and the always-lovely Dalia Hagan for the invitation and warm reception.

From Walla Walla, I drove over the Blue Mountains for two events at Eastern Oregon University. At the invitation of Jodi Varner and David Axelrod, I visited with a creative writing class and spoke at an evening event in the library. Great fun, great folks, and a great time altogether.

And oh yes — I got my first look at the paperback version of Finn today. It looks even better in real life than on the page...

On The Road Again

With the arrival of Finn in trade paperback on March 11, I'll be hitting the road for a number of readings and signings. Hope you can make one...

Wednesday, February 20 — La Grande, OR
Eastern Oregon University • 7:30 PM

Thursday, February 21 — Walla Walla, WA
Whitman College • 7:00 PM

Monday, March 24 — New Canaan, CT
New Canaan Library • 7:30 PM

Tuesday, March 25 — New York, NY
Mercantile Library • 6:30 PM

Wednesday, March 26 — Falls Church, VA
Borders Bailey's Crossroads • 7:30 PM

Thursday, March 27 — Newtonville, MA
Newtonville Books • 7:30 PM

Wednesday, April 2 — Coral Gables, FL
Books and Books • 8:00 PM

Thursday, April 3 — New Orleans, LA
Garden District Books • Time TBD

Sunday, May 18 — Rehoboth Beach, DE
Browseabout Books • 1:00 PM

Menu Contest Deadline Approaches

Entries are piling up for the Finn Book Club Menu Contest, so now's a good time to get busy with yours.

All the details are here.

In a nutshell, we're looking for a description of the Finn-inspired dishes your book club might feast on while talking about the book. The best menu wins (A) a personal book-club visit from me and (B) a classroom set of trade paperbacks for your local high school.

Meanwhile, Finn's been named a finalist for the Quality Paperback Book Club's 2007 New Voices Award.

So get cooking, ok?