Tim Hall Uplifts the Positivicals on Act-i-Vate

Good friend and fellow Blacksmith for Literary Progress Tim Hall has a brand new exclusive series live on Act-i-Vate titled "Uplift the Positivicals." Never one to do the same thing twice, this is Tim's experiment in text comics. The first installment, "San Diego Sutra" went live a couple of weeks ago. Having just read Chapter 2, I can tell you the prose poem keeps getting better with each installment.

Click on these links to view each chapter:
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

You can also pre-order Tim's new non-fiction book-length essay, How America Died: A Letter to the Future. The first printing is only 25 copies, and won't be for sale anywhere except through Tim. Each copy will be numbered and signed, with an original, corrected manuscript page tipped in.

And of course if you aren't hip to Act-i-Vate, do check out the innovative work there. Conceived by Dean Haspiel, the site has become a home for outstanding web comics by some of my favorite graphic artists (both old and new) including Dean himself, Nick Bertozzi, Rami Efal, and Josh Neufeld. Do give it a spin, you won't be disappointed.

Tim Hall on Chicago Public Radio

Good friend and fellow Blacksmith for Literary Progress Tim Hall made an appearance last week on Chicago Public Radio for a segment titled, "I've Only Had To Call The Police On A Family Member Once." The title says it all. Needless to say it's an eerie tale, but Tim does a great job telling it.

Grab the audio here, courtesy of CPR's Vocalo site.

And do check out Tim's latest book, Full of It: The Birth, Death, and Life of an Underground Newspaper.

Tim Hall is Full of It

A new video promo for good friend Tim Hall's upcoming book Full Of It: The Birth, Death, and Life of an Underground Newspaper. You can pre-order a copy here.

The Love Book Release Party Recap

It was a hell of a time on March 22nd. A nice crowd of people and the rest of the Blacksmiths For Literary Progress joined me at Freebird Books in Brooklyn to officially celebrate the release of my new short story collection, The Love Book. We drank beers, huddled around with friends old and new, and made with the prose like circus performers. We even had a nice sunset coming through the front windows as we read (check the photo). It felt fantabulous to be back at Freebird Books, where we always feel at home and the readings have never failed turn out great. Many thanks to Rachel and Peter for making it all happen. And of course it made me proud to do the gig with my fellow Blacksmiths — Brian Cogan, Tim Hall, and Mike Faloon — as it was the first time we could all be in the same room in over a year-and-a-half. If you were there, I thank you for making the trek out and supporting The Love Book.

And for those of you who missed it, here is a video of me reading an excerpt from "Taking the Happy Bus on Home," the last story in the collection (and apparently the hands down favorite amongst fans). Also below, are a few pics from the evening. Enjoy.

The Love Book Reading/Release Party

What more could you ask for: booze, used books, and four bastardos a-readin'. I'll be celebrating the release of my new short story collection, The Love Book, by hosting a reading at Freebird Books. Joining me will be fellow Blacksmiths for Literary Progress, Brian Cogan, Mike Faloon, and (flying all the way in from Chicago) Tim Hall.

This will be the first all-original member Blacksmiths for Literary Progress reunion since the infamous McLintlock Affair at the Grassroots Tavern that disbanded the group back in '78.

C'mon down to scenic Red Hook and join us at the finest little book shop in all of Brooklyn. More info at www.freebirdbooks.com.

When: Saturday Mar 22, 2008 @ 7:00 PM
Where: Freebird Books
123 Columbia Street
Brooklyn, New York 11231