Eggers in Meadville

Really big news from Justin:

Big time author Dave Eggers will be in Meadville, tonight at the Tattered Corners Used Books (247 Chestnut St.) at 7:00 p.m. promoting Egger's book what is the what.
Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of this engrossing epic, was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war-the bloodbath before the current Darfur bloodbath-of the 1980s and 90s. In this fictionalized memoir, Eggers makes him an icon of globalization. Separated from his family when Arab militia destroy his village, Valentino joins thousands of other "Lost Boys," beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on their march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where Valentino pieces together a new life. He eventually reaches America, but finds his quest for safety, community and fulfillment in many ways even more difficult there than in the camps: he recalls, for instance, being robbed, beaten and held captive in his Atlanta apartment. Eggers's limpid prose gives Valentino an unaffected, compelling voice and makes his narrative by turns harrowing, funny, bleak and lyrical. The result is a horrific account of the Sudanese tragedy, but also an emblematic saga of modernity-of the search for home and self in a world of unending upheaval.

How did Eggers wind up Meadville? Deng now attends Allegheny.

Hands of Steel (No, not the crazed cyborg movie) a film about Youngstown Steel Workers is looking for extras at Y-town's Our Lady of the Afflicted Shrine Social Hall on Januray 17th at 7 p.m. Call 330-506-3907 for more info.

The Sobol Award Which had been a chance for agentless writers to win money and a Simon and Scuster contracted, has been cancelled.

The Costa Book Award (which I still call the Whitbread, its old name. Not because it's cool to do so, but because I can't remember anything.) has been announced:
William Boyd's Restless
Stef Penney's The Tenderness of Wolves
Brian Thompson's Keeping Mum

This weekend is Allegheny's "8 Hour Drawing" invitational show. Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Perfect spring semester T shirt? f(X) =sheep(x)m

The region's foremost nature photographer, John M Karian, took time to answer my search for Jerry Sowden prints:

I've purchased prints at the Transit Fine Art gallery. His work is now available at Victorian City Art and Frame

Thanks John. And thanks for dropping by!
Victorian City Art & Frame can be found at
1273 Liberty Street
Franklin, PA 16323
(814) 437-9509
(800) 909-1444
viccity@csonline.net

While you're there, pick up some of John's work as well!

I've updated the Venango County Author's Bibliography to include my new book, Masterpieces of Beat Literature ; Jill Mattson's book, Transformative Power in Sound, Intelligence, Health and Energy through the Magic of Music; John M Karian's Allegheny Waterway and Wetland Splendors and Allegheny Wetland Splendors: Up Close; and Jamie Denton's new romance, The Matchmaker. I also cleaned up a few MLA errors. Download it from the link on the left, take a look at it, tell me what I'm missing or have done wrong, and make sure you circulate it. If you're using it for educational purposes (schools and libraries for example) and need the list in bulk, drop me a line and we can work something out to get you as many copies as you need for the price of postage.

Speaking of Rouseville's romance writer Jamie Denton (who has an appearance schedule that I envy and, from her photo on her webpage, looks incredibly good for a six time over grandma. Apparently love (or at least writing about love) really does keep one young:

For a free autographed bookplate, cover flats, magnet, bookmarks and other fun goodies,send a self addressed stamped 9x12 envelope with $.87 postage to the postal address below.Or you can send a regular business size self-addressed stamped envelope with $.39 postage for autographed bookplate, magnet, and bookmarks.
Jamie Denton
PO Box 39
Rouseville, PA 16344

Do me a favor and tell her you saw it on venangago-go.blogspot.com

It's embarrassing to admit that I hadn't realized that Titusville's Four Sons Brewery had closed.

The Franklin Club is looking for a buyer. Which is kind of strange, because if the Celtic can't find a buyer for 400K (or 525K, depending to whom you're talking), what chance does a building that has a long list of maintenance issues (does that split pillar on the upper deck frighten anyone else...) have unless it's at a bargain basement price -- and that would really be a shame.

Venangoland tackles the Franklin Club issue as well...

Clicking around last night I ran into the Allegheny Musarium site. Although it's a well thought out proposal, my first thought was to be cynical. But then I realized that two years ago, I would have laughed heartily about the idea of a hunting and fishing museum becoming a reality...