Ben Tanzer's Blog, page 195
March 29, 2011
We need your help picking a new author photo. Really.
Totally. Its pretentious we know. And yet, if you could help us pick 2-3 possibilities from this album, yes this one, or that one, which is this one, we would be quite geeked. Quite. Geeked. And appreciative. So, what do you say, will you help? Killer. And big thanks to Jacob S. Knabb as well for his most wonderful, and yes, mad, skills.
March 28, 2011
March 27, 2011
Writers Read. You Can Make Him Like You. Trifecta.
Wait for it, there you go, and yes, we have a Campaign for the American Reader You Can Make Him Like You trifecta. The Page 69 Test. Check. My Book, The Movie. Check. And now a Writers Read post where we get to celebrate the work of Victor David Giron, Ray Charbonneau and Alex Kudera among others. Big thanks, yet again, to Marshal Zeringue, please enjoy the below excerpt, and please read, and buy, independent books, it does a heart good."I've actually been in a really interesting stretch over the last month where I've been reading three debut novels, okay, two novels, and one memoir for those of you counting at home, all three by authors I have become friendly with, and all quite different in tone and texture, but still all debuts, and self-published or from new, small presses, so quite cool, fun to dig into and deserving of a wider audience."
March 26, 2011
Jesse Bradley action.
We know, we know, its not time for Interview Sundays, which is still be focus-grouped anyway, but we were having a Jesse Bradley moment, so there you go. We have published Jesse in This Zine Will Change Your Life. Nice. We are so most likely reading with him in May at the Quimby's. Very nice. And he had some awfully kind words about You Can Make Him Like You. Most nice. So it is a moment, and we are digging this review of Jesse's collection Dodging Traffic and interview from Tangerine Tree Press, and now we are sharing it, plus some excerpt, enjoy, prosper and be Bradley.T.T. You do a lot of performance work. How has that affected the way you write? And has it affected what you write about? The immediacy of your audience and critics must make a difference, the lack of barriers between the poem and the minds receiving it.
J.B. Performance work helps give a better attention to how the poem or story sounds aloud. Originally, when I was neck deep in slam, it affected what I wrote about, trying to write what could win now and again. Now, I write what I want. My flash fiction chapbook The Serial Rapist Sitting Behind You is a Robot shows an evolution in my style. I think I'm only going to get more interesting.
March 24, 2011
My Book, The Movie. You Can Make Him Like You. Yar.
Our good, maybe best, friend, Marshal Zeringue from the Campaign for the American Reader, who earlier this week invited us to write a You Can Make Him Like You piece for their The Page 69 Test blog, has now asked us to pen a You Can make Him Like You joint for their My Book, The Movie blog, where we not only get to identify who we would cast in the movie version of the book, but what we look to see, or is that hear, in a soundtrack and who we would like to direct the movie as well. We are quite appreciative for this opportunity, just as we were when Marshal first asked to write something similar for Lucky Man long ago, and in a galaxy far, far away. Please enjoy enjoy some excerpt and big thanks to Marshal and the whole crew at the campaign."Once upon a time, and in a galaxy far, far away I was once asked to tackle the challenge presented by My Book, The Movie for my novel Lucky Man. At the time I expressed a handful of desires and recommendations. One, that when Lucky Man was optioned, and for the record it's still available, so please do contact my representatives, quickly, I hoped that one result would be that
March 23, 2011
The You Can Make Him Like You readings. Week one. Photo action.
Right, so, the first You Can Make Him Like You reading was going to be on March 16th at the Rediscovered Bookshop in Boise, Idaho. The turnout was uhhhm, light, but the staff rocked, and the signage was most sweet.
We then moved on to more familiar turf hitting the Orange Alert Reading Series at The Whistler, where the drinks were flowing, the crowd was most kind and the readers were sublime.
The always easy on the eyes and wonderfully reflective Victor David Giron.
The quite awesome Natalie Edwards talking dogs and copulation. Yes, you read that right. Next.
Chicago's greatest disembodied poet Luis Humberto Valadez doing his disembodied thing. And more soon. Promise.
March 22, 2011
"The Catcher in the Rye for those who read Catcher when they were Holden's age." You Can Make Him Like You gets tnb'd. And likes it. A lot.
Big, humbling and overwhelmed thanks to Nik Korpon and The Nervous Breakdown for their killer review of You Can Make Him Like You. It left us feeling quite warm inside. And a little weepy. Drinks on us, for sure, when next we cross paths.
"Comparisons to High Fidelity--the film, specifically--are bound to turn up, and they aren't inaccurate. There's the Chicago setting, the good clubs, good bands, good films. But You Can Make Him Like You is, I think, the book High Fidelity could've been, wanted to be. Where Rob Gordon uses all of the references to deflect real life in High Fidelity, Keith fluently speaks pop culture, uses them as a means to find his way through the process of becoming an adult and a father."
We, well, we and the Sarah Gallien, are Madore's Corner.
So true, we have podcasted with the Madore as part of his new series Madore's Corner, and said interview has been merged with one that the Madore did with the terrific Sarah Gallien and the result is Episode Two: Sarah Gallien Didn't Take a Gender Studies Class & Ben Tanzer Talks to the River, sure to change lives, we think, and hope, though regardless, we are thankful, big thankful for the opportunity to talk, and then talk some more.
March 21, 2011
The Page 69 Test. You Can Make Him Like You. Way.
The always awesome Marshal Zeringue overseer of all things Campaign for the American Reader, has invited TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer to write an essay responding to The Page 69 Test for You Can Make Him Like You. We are most appreciative for this opportunity, as we were when Marshal invited us to do so for Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine as well. Please do take a look, please enjoy the below excerpt and again, big thanks to Marshal and the whole team at the Campaign."The question is whether or not Page 69 of my new novel You Can Make Him Like You is representative of the rest of the book and would someone skimming that page read on? In terms of the latter question I am contractually obligated to tell you that of course they would read on, You Can Make Him Like You is like a magnet, or more accurately the Death Star, though a good literary kind of Death Star, drawing you in to a magical world where everything everywhere else but the world you've been drawn in to ceases to momentarily exist."
The Page 69 Test. You Can Make Him Like You. Yay.
The always awesome Marshal Zeringue overseer of all things Campaign for the American Reader, has invited TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer to write an essay responding to The Page 69 Test for You Can Make Him Like You. We are most appreciative for this opportunity, as we were when Marshal invited us to do so for Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine as well. Please do take a look, please enjoy the below excerpt and again, big thanks to Marshal and the whole team at the Campaign. "The question is whether or not Page 69 of my new novel You Can Make Him Like You is representative of the rest of the book and would someone skimming that page read on? In terms of the latter question I am contractually obligated to tell you that of course they would read on, You Can Make Him Like You is like a magnet, or more accurately the Death Star, though a good literary kind of Death Star, drawing you in to a magical world where everything everywhere else but the world you've been drawn in to ceases to momentarily exist."
