51 Great Bob Dylan Covers: A Chronological Guide
Friday, February 26th, 2010 Posted in Greatest Hits, Music | 10 Comments »I'm a sucker for cover tunes. I'm always curious to hear a fresh new take on a song, almost any song. It's like a conversation between two artists, a nod, a wink, a genuflection. Sometimes it's pure fun; other times, ...
Dear Teacher: An Author’s Take on School Visits
Monday, February 15th, 2010 Posted in Greatest Hits, In the Classroom, School Visits | 4 Comments »I have been enjoying school visits for the past 15 years. I've played a role in great successes and I've had visits that have felt flat and, for me at least, unrealized. Same guy. What was the difference? Which is another way ...
Overheard: Endlessly
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 Posted in Family, Greatest Hits | 4 Comments »It was one of those mornings when I clung to my cup of coffee, newspaper on my lap, and waited for consciousness to take hold. (Like that kitty above, but not as cute.) So, naturally, Gavin and Maggie were especially chatty. Maggie announced: ...
The Charles Chips Man
Sunday, November 15th, 2009 Posted in Family, Greatest Hits | 10 Comments »Does anybody remember Charles Chips? I do, or just did, recently, after not remembering it for years and years. Suddenly, once again, there it was: a specific object of memory newly recovered, pressing up against my skull. That big 16-ounce drum ...
And So It Goes: Rereading Vonnegut, and a quote on semicolons
Monday, November 2nd, 2009 Posted in Family, Greatest Hits, Interviews & Appreciations, Readings | No Comments »Listen: I've been on a little Vonnegut kick lately, and it's been a happy time. I just reread Breakfast of Champions, and I'm halfway into Cat's Cradle, after tearing through this one, published posthumously: While I've got you -- as my father ...
What Is a Book for Boys? One Suggestion: “Patrick and Ted” by Geoffrey Hayes
Monday, October 26th, 2009 Posted in Along Came Spider, Greatest Hits, Interviews & Appreciations, the writing process | 7 Comments »I've been dwelling lately on the concept of "books for boys." It's a huge topic, one that I can't possibly address in a single blog entry. I mean, yes, we're all aware of the gender gap in reading, that many ...
“So How’s the New Book Going?”
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 Posted in Bystander, Greatest Hits, the writing process | 8 Comments »Today, I got asked this question three times before ten o'clock: "So how's the new book going?" It's a well-intentioned question, and it comes from friends. I don't know how to answer, in part because I don't know the answer. It's ...
James Preller Interviews . . . Lewis Buzbee, Author of “The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop.”
Sunday, October 4th, 2009 Posted in Greatest Hits, Interviews & Appreciations | 2 Comments »As a kid, I used to come home from St. Frances De Chantal Elementary in the late 60's and early 70's to find my grandmother sitting in front of the television, sipping brandy, watching the soaps. She especially loved "The ...
When I Stood By and Did Nothing
Monday, September 28th, 2009 Posted in Bystander, Greatest Hits | 8 Comments »As I write this, my bully-themed novel, Bystander, is due out in stores tomorrow, the 29th. There seems no better time to share John's story . . . During my work on the book, I naturally reflected on my own experiences ...
My Brother John . . . in BYSTANDER
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 Posted in Bystander, Family, Greatest Hits, the writing process | 2 Comments »When I was writing the first draft for BYSTANDER, I had to contend with the issue of the new boy in town, Eric Hayes. I knew he would have a problem with a bully -- but why? My sense of ...