Book Lovers of the South, it's time to get on your knees. There's news today that Wanda Jewell has been diagnosed with breast cancer. If you have any pull with any Deity, make the call.
Wanda heads up SIBA, the Southern Independent Booksellers Association. She's as fierce a fighter for those besieged institutions as you'll find. She is creative, diligent and relentless. Even if you shop at B&N, you owe her thanks (and probably an apology). Her work hasn't just helped Southern bookstores survive, but over the years, Wanda's efforts have helped turn many a first-time novelist into a bestseller. Wanda has reshaped the Southern literary landscape.
Wanda has never been interested in being known to anyone but her bookstores, but she is a giant in the industry, and her name is gold.
Keep her in your prayers.

The DBF press launch was Monday evening at Eddie's Attic. The only question left at this point is "why didn't we do it this way before?" The party was a lot of fun, and we generated a lot of good press.
But the star of the show, aside from Caroline Herring and her guitar, was the poster. Scott Sanders did an absolutely fantastic job with the design on it, and I have heard great comments from everyone, except for one or two people who object to the books "Pure" and "Hell" being highlighted on the cover. I assumed it was because Terra McVoy is an FSU grad, and Robert Olen Butler teaches there. I expected we'd get the Bulldog hackles up featuring so much FSU print.
But nope, it turns out that the objection is to the title of Hell appearing at all.
Go Dogs.

The Georgia Writers Association held its big gala this past weekend, and there was a great crop of books honored. But I have to give a special shout out to Jack Riggs--and his book The Fireman's Wife. Go buy it, read it, talk it up to your friends.
Here's the announcement from GWA page:

Poetry: Ed Pavlic, Winners Have Yet to be Announced. Pavlic is the author of several books, including Paraph of Bone & Other Kinds of Blue (2001), winner of The American Poetry Review / Honickman First Book Award. He was the founding managing editor of the Madison Times and has taught at five universities. He now lives in Athens, Georgia, and teaches at the University of Georgia. He also directs the M.F.A. / Ph.D. program in creative writing at the University of Georgia. Judge: Kathy Fagan
First novel: Raymond L. Atkins, The Front Porch Prophet. Atkins lives in Rome, Georgia, and has been writing for thirty-five years. His stories have been published in Christmas Stories from Georgia, The Lavender Mountain Anthology, The Blood and Fire Review, and The Old Red Kimono. His columns appear regularly in the Rome News/Tribune and Memphis Downtowner Magazine. His second novel, Sorrow Wood, will be released in August, and he is working on his third novel. Judge Tom Hazuka’s comments: The Front Porch Prophet is the clear winner of the contest. It’s truly an impressive book that grabbed me on page one, kept my unflagging interest throughout, made me laugh out loud numerous times yet is also a serious, thoughtful work. Atkins is a superb writer.
Fiction: Jack Riggs, The Fireman’s Wife. Riggs’s first novel, When the Finch Rises, won the Georgia Author of the Year’s First Novel Award in 2003 and was chosen by Booklist as one of the top ten first novels of 2003. Riggs is a teacher and writer-in-residence at the Writers Institute at Georgia Perimeter College. He grew up in North Carolina and now lives in Decatur, Georgia. Judge Debra Monroe’s comments: Jack Riggs's novel, The Fireman's Wife, is the clear winner because, from the first sentence forward, its voice has so much authority I felt I wasn’t reading and was instead inhabiting another person’s body: thinking her thoughts, breathing her air. It’s a masterful use of point of view. Each detail of this invented world feels all the more real for being perceived through the consciousness of this unforgettable character. And the novel has a momentous, even cinematic sense of plot.
Children’s picture book: Gail Langer Karwoski, River Beds: Sleeping in the World’s Rivers. Karwoski is an award-winning children’s book writer. She is also the author of Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean (2005), for which Karwoski won Mom’s Choice Best Children’s Picture Book Author for 2005. She is also the author of Tsunami: The True Story of an April Fool’s Day Disaster (2006), Quake! Disaster in San Francisco, 1906 (2006), and Julie the Rockhound (2007). She lives near the University of Georgia. Judge: Karen Thompson
Children’s mid-reader: Pamela Bauer Mueller, Aloha Crossing. Mueller is the author of several books, including Hello, Goodbye, I Love You: The Story of Aloha, A Guide Dog for the Blind (2003), Neptune’s Honor (2005), and An Angry Drum Echoed: Mary Musgrove, Queen of the Creeks (2007). Mueller has won several awards, including two previous Georgia Author of the Year Awards. She resides on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Judge: Jennifer Dail
Young adult: Ted M. Dunagan, A Yellow Watermelon. Dunagan was born in rural southwestern Alabama. He attended Georgia State University and served in the U.S. Army as a member of the 101st Airborne Division and Special Forces Training Group. He is retired and lives in Monticello, Georgia, where he writes features and a weekly column for The Monticello News. His second young adult fiction novel, The Secret of the Satilfa, is forthcoming from NewSouth Books. Judge: Katherine Mason
Creative nonfiction biography: Frederick L. Downing, Elie Wiesel: A Religious Biography. Downing is head of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Valdosta State University. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Biblical Literature, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and the American Schools of Oriental Research. Downing is also the author of To See the Promised Land: The Faith Pilgrimage of Martin Luther King, Jr. He has traveled widely in the Middle East and worked on the supervisory staffs of several archaeological excavations. He is currently working on a biography of Clarence Jordan, whose spiritual vision inspired the founding of Habitat for Humanity. Judge: Scott Cairns
Creative nonfiction essay: Katherine McClymond, Beyond Sacred Violence: A Comparative Study of Sacrifice. McClymond received her B.A. from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a comparative historian of religions. She has served as co-chair of the Comparative Studies in Hinduisms and Judaisms Group for the American Academy of Religion and currently sits on the steering committee for the Comparative Study of Religion Section. McClymond received the 2002 Distinguished Honors Professor Award and the 2006 Outstanding Teaching Award in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University.
Creative nonfiction history: Paul A. Lombardo, Three Generations, No Imbeciles. Lombardo is a lawyer and historian. He has been instrumental in the movement to solicit apologies and legislative denunciations of past state eugenic laws. These efforts have been successful in seven states, so far. Lombardo has also published numerous articles on topics in health law, medical and legal history, and bioethics. He is a professor of law at Georgia State University’s College of Law. Judge Senator George Hooks’s comments: Although this subject has been well covered and studied in law schools, it has never been fully explored by general publication. The author does credit to the legal and historic research in an interesting and readable fashion.
Creative nonfiction memoir: Benyamin Cohen, My Jesus Year. Cohen is the son of an Orthodox rabbi who married the converted daughter of a former Christian minister. He was the founder and editor of the award-winning national magazine American Jewish Life and the online magazine Jewsweek. Prior to that, he edited Torah from Dixie, which later became a book. Cohen is now the content director for the environmental news and information website Mother Nature Network. He lives in Atlanta. Judge: Phyllis Barber
Creative nonfiction specialty: Doug Janousek, Home Cookin’ Illustrated. Janousek has been cooking since his childhood in Nebraska and credits his mother as his first and, in many ways, best teacher. He earned his B.S. degree in journalism and English, with a minor in political science. In 2004, he attended Le Cordon Bleu program at Orlando Culinary Academy in Orlando, Florida. For the last several years, Janousek has worked as a freelance food/recipes columnist as well as a personal chef in Florida and Georgia. Judge Patricia B. Cardona’s comments: This book blends story, art, and wonderful recipes to create more than just a collection of home cooking moments. It merges art, story, and inspiration to create a most entertaining and visually appealing book. The organization of the recipes, stories and art told a multi-dimensional story of life lived well, life lived long, and life lived deeply. As for the recipes, Vidalia onion & prosciutto bruschetta sounds like the perfect appetizer for any meal. And I am eager to make sweet potato pone.
Lifetime achievement: Furman Bisher. Bisher is a legendary sports editor, columnist, and author. He has been sports editor of the Charlotte News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and has written countless articles for many national publications, including Sports Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and The Saturday Evening Post. He was granted the only post-1919 interview with Shoeless Joe Jackson concerning Jackson’s involvement in the 1919 World Series “Black Sox” scandal. Bisher has covered every Kentucky Derby and Masters Tournament since 1950 and attended the first NASCAR race. He has also covered every Super Bowl but the first. Bisher is also the author of several books, including Strange But True Baseball Stories (1966), Aaron, RF (1968), The Masters:Augusta Revisited, an Intimate View (1976), The Furman Bisher Collection (1989), Thankful (2001), and Face to Face (2005). In 1961, Time magazine named Bisher one of the nation’s top five columnists, and he was bestowed the PGA Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award in 1996. Bisher has been inducted into five Halls of Fame, including the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 1989. At the age of ninety, Bisher still writes a sports column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

link: Georgia Writers Association - 45th Annual GAYA

Aside from doing a lot of stuff around books, I have an unhealthy fixation on the bags and brief cases. I prowl REI's looking for new releases, I've hand stitched elaborate leather satchels and given them as gifts, and we're about to roll out a bunch of upcycled Decatur Book Festival bags, hand made from last year's banners.
But I just learned that the best SF writer of his generation, William Gibson, has a whole line of shoulder/laptop bags. I wonder if I can get them to send me one for review, because at $340 a pop, I don't see myself getting one by other means. But if you ever had any question about what Tally Isham uses for luggage, now you know.

Porter x Buzz Rickson x William Gibson by Doug Black Porter, the famed Japanese bag makers, are back with a new collection of vintage military-styled bags. Its design comes from Buzz Rickson, the company responsible for Sugar Cane Denim, as well as iconic flight jackets and Army attire dating back to the WWII era. The bags are drawn from the William Gibson line, which is inspired by the science fiction writer of the same name. The collection features a shoulder bag (pictured at right) and laptop variety. The material is the same nylon used in the military's bulletproof vests, which is five times as strong as the normal nylon found in everyday wear. The accents use genuine horse leather similar to that on Buzz Rickson's A-2 jackets. Both bags come complete with a miniature Porter MAG light on the zipper, plenty of inner and outer pockets and removable shoulder straps. The shoulder bag costs $340 while the laptop bag goes for $530. The bags are exclusively available in limited numbers from Self Edge in San Francisco. The store is also planning on hosting a William Gibson party on 9 November with the man himself. More images after the jump.

link: Porter x Buzz Rickson x William Gibson

I've been looking for info on the Iranian election since Saturday morning. I've seen little dribs and drabs showing up on CNN, and some rather insulated reportage from the NYTimes.

Then I tried the #Iranelection hashtag over at Twitter this afternoon.
Twitter is on the ground, with documentation, photos, and real voices. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not the only old guard that is in danger today. Traditional medial has been lapped as a news source today, and we're going to watch them play catchup in these situations for years to come.

A few weeks back, I was over at Mingei World Arts cooking up another hare-brained scheme with Ann Van Slyke, and her friend Sally Wylde, Decaturite was brimming with news she couldn't tell me. Intriguing indeed.
Well this weekend, she emailed to tell me she'd just returned from the UK, where her son-in-law, Michael Thomas, won the nicely lucrative Dublin Impac award. His wife is from these parts, and we are proud to claim him as an Atlantan by marriage. (The picture is him with the Mayor of Dublin, and some mighty bling.)
It couldn't have happened to a better book. The unnamed hero of Man Gone Down has a fantastic voice, and you can't help but feel the desperation in his all-too-familiar story of immediate personal and financial collapse. Published in 2007, the book is perfectly ripe for the summer of 2009.
If you missed it when it came out (and it wasn't for lack of trying from Grove/Atlantic, his publisher), time to circle back and get this one. A really fantastic book.

Atlantan David Fulmer is a very good writer. He's won a Shamus, which ain't chicken scratch.His 2003 book was a Booklist Best New Series. His 2008 book The Dying Crapshooter's Blues got four stars from Paste Magazine.
David is a talented writer who works hard, takes his work seriously and does everything he can to sell books. His latest book, Lost River, is better than his first. And his books make some money for his publisher, which is something to keep in mind.
So why in hell can't this guy get a contract? David has started pursuing non-traditional publishing methods, and the first step is the e-publishing of The Last Time. Here's the blurb from Amazon, which is offering the book as a Kindle Edition:

Rough voices mutter in the darkness and a body tumbles from an outcropping of rock to land hundreds of feet below. The night goes still again as a life ends in one sad breath. So begins The Last Time, a mystery intertwined with a tale about the deepest bonds of friendship as it winds to a fevered climax of blood and betrayal, all caught in the glare of one deadly moment.
This riveting suspense novel by LA Times Book Prize nominee and Shamus Award and Benjamin Franklin award winner David Fulmer - author of Chasing The Devil’s Tail, The Blue Door and Lost River - is sure to add to his legions of loyal readers.

It's telling that the reviews attached to the book are for Fulmer's previous books. Nobody reviews a kindle edition (yet).
Many people look at David as an example of how screwed up the publishing industry is, and how good writers are going to survive in the long run.
So go check out the book, and download it if you have something to read it on.

This looks promising. I wish I could make it--I'm signed up for other duties.

Don't miss this joint program from the Atlanta Press Club,
the American Society of Journalists & Authors SE chapter (asja.org),
sponsored and held at the Georgian Terrace hotel! Hope to see you
there!

Using Technology to Tell the Story

These days, it is virtually impossible to ignore sites like Facebook,
MySpace, LinkedIn and YouTube. Though many see them as “time-wasters”
and mindless destinations for fun and socializing, they can also be
valuable tools for journalists.

Join the Atlanta Press Club and the Southeast chapter of the American
Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) for a compelling panel
discussion, Using Techology to Get the Story,on Thursday, June 4 at
The Georgian Terrace. Panelists will share their insights on using
social networking sites for reporting, non-traditional ways to use
technology to promote your work, and how blogging adds extra
dimensions to stories.
Also enjoy:
• free hors d'oeuvres,
• free parking at the Georgian Terrace Hotel, and
• a cash bar...

Panel
Amani Channel, freelance journalist, Visual Eye Media
Jen Gordon, web designer, visit her online at http://whoisjengordon.com/
and http://www.aclevertwist.com/
Rodney Ho, reporter, Atlanta-Journal Constitution
Urvaksh Karkaria,Technology and Health Care writer, Atlanta Business
Chronicle ,
http://tinyurl..com/ABC-AtlanTech
Moderator
Grayson Daughters, social media consultant and writer, WaySouth Media,
INC

WHEN
Thursday, June 4
6-7pm Networking in the Bar & Livingston
7-9pm Panel Discussion and Q&A

WHERE
The Georgian Terrace Hotel
659 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
Toll free: (800) 651-2316
Telephone: (404) 897-1991

R.S.V.P.
This program is open to the public. APC and ASJA members and students
receive complimentary admission to the event. Please R.S.V.P. so we
know how many people to expect. Nonmembers may purchase tickets for
$15. Tickets may be purchased by visiting the Atlanta Press Club
website (www.atlantapressclub.org) or by calling 404-57-PRESS. Payment
must accompany reservations, and there is a 48-hour cancellation
policy.

This can be a quick one. Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

I got tagged on Facebook for a list of 15 unforgettable reads. I started to post there, but there wasn't space for my useless comments--so here they are in all their glory. (Not in any order.)

• Dune—Frank Herbert (This was my bible in high school)
• Love in the Time of Cholera —Gabriel Garcia Marquez (ah, Fermina Daza)
• A Princess of Mars—Edgar Rice Burroughs ( I await the movie with dread and hope equally)
• Loop’s Progress—Chuck Rosenthal (The funniest book I have ever read—aside from its sequel)
• The Habit of Being—Flannery O’Connor (ed. Sally Fitzgerald) (Would you like to know how a great writer thinks?—here you go.)
• The Hobbit-JRR Tolkien
• Watchmen—Alan Moore and some other guys ("Why would I be interested in finding Raw Shark?")
• Robert Christgau’s Record Guide(1983 Editon)—Rober Christgau (Trivia quiz: Who got this four word review “Speak for yourself, Ferdinand”)
• Life of Greece—Will Durant (I read the first seven books in this series, but read the second one first. Suddenly I loved history.)
• Cat’s Cradle—Kurt Vonnegut [Ice, Ice (nine) baby]
• The Outsiders—SE Hinton (Stay Golden, Ponyboy)
• Cold Mountain—Charles Frazier (More than any other, this book made me understand the beauty of restraint in language)
• Blink—Malcolm Gladwell (In the end, his real gift is telling you how smart people think. I read Blink before I read tipping point.)
• Bread Alone--Daniel Leaderer (I learned how to bake bread and how to use a kitchen)
• Green Eggs and Ham—Dr. Seuss (Its exploration of nihilism and despair scarred me forever.)
• 
  
• 
  

From the LA Times

Alice Munro wins Man Booker International Prize According to the official announcement, Alice Munro has won the International Man Booker Prize. "I am totally amazed and delighted," she said in a press release. The judging committee, which included Southern California writer Jane Smiley, noted that Munro's reputation as a master of short fiction was deserved, but implies that the form was less meaningful than the quality of her work. Alice Munro is mostly known as a short story writer and yet she brings as much depth, wisdom and precision to every story as most novelists bring to a lifetime of novels. To read Alice Munro is to learn something every time that you never thought of before. Munro, who is 77, will be awarded a trophy and 60,000 pounds on June 25 in Dublin, Ireland. -- Carolyn Kellogg Photo: George Waldman for the Los Angeles Times