Archive for December, 2010

We’re under 48 hours on the auction (details on why we’re holding the auction here) (view and bid on items here) and a hearty thank you to all who are participating.

For sale in the auction are two copies of Idaho Review.  By way of explanation, I first reprint a blog post from December of 2008:

Way back when Population 485 came out, a New York editor contacted me with kind words and said she would support my writing.  I thought this unusual, as she did not work for my publisher – in fact, she worked for a competing publisher.  But I quickly came to learn that this was simply the way Carol Houck Smith lived, and indeed she put in many kind words for me over the years.

I had the privilege of meeting face-to-face with Carol Houck Smith only two or three times.  She was graceful, stylish and tiny.  But above all, she had a common touch.  She would come down from the glass towers in Manhattan and out here to where the rest of us live as eagerly as if she were attending a black tie event in some grand New York edifice.  In my case, she would put me completely at ease in my scuffed boots and wrinkled t-shirt, speaking earnestly and – I especially loved this – heartily while simultaneously maintaining her old-school East Coast elegance.  Invariably she would discuss your latest work (I saw her do this with writers of all stripes and genres) with such specificity and detail that it became evident she had not only read it, she had read it closely and carried it with her.

I have no special claim on Carol Houck Smith, and we last communicated maybe three or four months ago regarding a book of poetry.  But she advocated for me over the years in ways I greatly appreciate and even more ways I will never know – just as she did for thousands of others.  I am simply grateful to have known Carol Houck Smith.

What I failed to mention in that post is that I once head-butted Carol Houck Smith, nearly becoming the clodhopper that clumsily abbreviated literary history.  With respect for Carol’s memory, that story is told in a brief essay included in the copies of Idaho Review currently available in the auction.

As announced here, we’re holding an eBay auction in support of Mike’s hometown food pantry.  The auction closes on December 8, so between now and then we’ll highlight some of the items for sale.

NOTE: Because there are duplicates of some items, all links go to the general listing so you can select the specific lot upon which you wish to bid.

Usually after Mike (hello, third-person!) performs his artificial bovine insemination routine (!) he performs a piece called ‘The Perfect Cow,” which is an, err-umm, very (obsessively?) detailed description of his Dream Cow.  Then he gets emails wondering if the piece is in print anywhere.  It has only been printed once, and that was in the very issue of Rosebud being offered for sale in this auction.  Bid here. Mike will personalize each copy upon request.  He will happily include some reference to the finer points of artificial bovine insemination.

Book tour t-shirts.  Please note there are several different t-shirts in different sizes.  These were made up for a book tour in which Mike went to Germany to celebrate the German-language release of Population 485.  Partway through the tour I discovered that the German publisher had gone kaput and there as no book.  Had a good time anyway, and sang a song on the same stage as Lemmy from Motorhead (he was there the night before, but still…).  For a full listing of all the other authors on the shirt, go here.  Mike will gladly personalize the t-shirt using his Special Silver Sharpie.  He will not write anything in German.  Except: kaput or Motorhead (with gratuitous heavy metal umlaut).

As announced here, we’re holding an eBay auction in support of Mike’s hometown food pantry.  The auction closes on December 8, so between now and then we’ll highlight some of the items for sale.

NOTE: Because there are duplicates of some items, all links go to the general listing so you can select the specific lot upon which you wish to bid.

This collection of stories from Runner’s World magazine includes a piece I wrote about Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall.  I traveled to California and spent time with his family, went to church with him, and spent some time at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.  The essay addresses the intersection of Hall’s athleticism and faith.  I also went for a run with Hall and kept up just fine.  It was just a two-mile run.  And on a recovery day.  He ran real slow.  Plus, I rode a bike.   Bid here. Mike will personalize the book upon request.  He will even happily inscribe “5:50″ (his most recent mile time) just to keep Ryan Hall looking back over his shoulder…

The Capitola Review is a handcrafted, numbered, limited edition publication.  This issue contains the poem, “Critics Say: Wisconsin Poets Obsessed by Weather,” by Michael Perry.  Also lyrics by Mary Gauthier.  This project is spearheaded by the gentle, cafe-friendly, and fabulously-named Richmond Powers.  Bid Here. Mike will personalize upon request…he cannot, however, sign Mary Gauthier’s name.