Chelsea Martin in Hollywood this weekend!
Chelsea gets interviewed and talked about!
Buy Chelsea's book and get a signed copy while they last (I have about 20 signed ones).

Gary Lutz's Partial List of People to Bleach reviewed here.
Frayn Masters (of Haiku Inferno) hosts the next Back Fence on Wednesday night. One of the guests will be Dayvid Figler, author of Grope.

Also...um, there is a Future Tense page on Facebook if you're on there. Stop by and join.

Plus, pssst. Secret news...our next book will be a chapbook by Claudia Smith.

Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to let you know that Chelsea Martin's awesome book, Everything Was Fine Until Whatever, is now at the printer and will be out before the end of the month. You can pre-order it now at our web site!

And some of you may have heard about the upcoming collaboration between myself and Reclinerland (aka Michael Johnson). He's recording a bunch of song based on some of the memoirs from my book, A Common Pornography. You can hear a couple of the songs now on my profile page (and maybe more on his own Myspace page). The collection of songs (which will be called Secret Notebook) will be available for download this spring.
Many of these stories (that the songs are based on) will be in the memoir I'm doing with Harper Perennial next year, The Suitcase.
And hey--there's a song on my profile by the elusive expat author Charles Ullmann. Check out his page and say hi. Tell him to write more!!

I hope to see people at some of these upcoming events: Smallpressapalooza on 3/16 at Powell's (fiftenn readers, 5pm-10pm, I'm hosting, Riley Michael Parker is reading last!), Chelsea's book release parties on 4/7 at The Maiden in Portland and in Seattle on 4/8 at Neptune Coffee.

See ya later!
Kevin

Hello friends,
It's official--Bob Gaulke's book, Embrace Your Insignificance (Lessons Learned Teaching English in Japan) is now out. And we thought we'd throw in a bonus for anyone who wants to order it from us. If you go to our ordering page, and put one of these beauties in your shopping cart, leave a message in the Notes box and let us know which of our other 2008 books you'd like for free--that's your choice of Riley Michael Parker's brutal office comedy Our Beloved 26th or Suzanne Burns's magical and strange flipbook, Double Header. Thank you so much for your continued support. You can catch Bob in Portland at a special book release party at The Press Club on January 17th at 7:30pm. He'll be joined by another very funny travel writer, Chuck Thompson.
In other news, Elizabeth Ellen was spotlighted recently on my favorite litblog HTML Giant.
Suzanne Burns has two cool pieces in the new Dogzplot.
I have a fun batch of brand new things in the new Portland Review.

Thanks for reading. Before I wrap up, since this is probably the last blog post before 09 rolls around, I will leave you with my favorites of 2008...

Fave books: Knockemstiff, Things the Grandchildren Should Know, The Flying Troutmans, A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness, The Film Club

Fave movies: Man On Wire, Snow Angels, The Auteur

Fave CDs: Against Me!, She & Him, Vampire Weekend, Deerhoof

Fave new Portland eatery: Pine State Biscuits

Until next year,
Kevin

Just a quick reminder that I'm reading at Wordstock Saturday at 12:30 at a place called The Community of Writers Stage, which I think is actually one of those rooms out in the hallway (not on the main floor). Maybe next year I will read at an actual giant stage and then I can walk around and gesticulate like Bono.
If you can't make the reading, come by and say hi. I'll most likely be hanging out at the table for Time and Skin Media, my friends who just republished the Kurt Eisenlohr novel.
At that table, I will have a few Future Tense Books to show off, including the newest beauty--a paperback release of Embrace Your Insignificance by Bob Gaulke, which can be purchased now on the Future Tense site or at Powell's!

See y'all soon.

Kevin

Hi friends,
It's almost Halloween and suddenly there's a whole bunch of fun times to be had.
This week, I've found myself with not one, but TWO shows to host. The first is this Thursday (10/30) at The Maiden (639 SE Morrison) at 6:30pm. This is a special night for me because it's basically a hand-picked batch of newer Portland writers that I have been wanting to see read for a while (so I just thought--alright, I'll throw them into one reading together!). Patrick deWitt, Sarah Royal, Zachary Schomburg, and Future Tense's Riley Michael Parker will each read at the "Shock of the New" reading. It's free and you can discover some new dynamic writers in town, so come on down!
Then, just two night later (11/1), I'm hosting Booty Call 6. This time, we're back at Disjecta for this 8pm event that will feature readings by 3 fantastic folks: Kevin Keck (making a special rare trip out from North Carolina, he is one of my favorite dirty/funny writers--check out Oedips Wrecked), Shanna Germain (probably Portland's most widely published young erotica writer), and Magic Garden legend and writer Viva Las Vegas.
In other news, I'll be reading at Wordstock on Saturday, November 8th and I hope you'll come see me there (the vast open area of the Convention Center can feel kind of lonely). I'm appearing on the Community of Writers stage at 12:30. Some of my favorite writers (Aimee Bender, Willy Vlautin, John Hodgman) appear that same afternoon, so there are plenty of reasons to come by.
Also, I am hoping to have finished copies of Bob Gaulke's Embrace Your Insignificance to show off. The cool kids at Time and Skin Media are allowing me to share a table with them. They're the ones who are republishing Kurt Eisenlohr's cult classic novel, Meat Won't Pay My Light Bill (which Future Tense originally released in 2000). For more info on these and other events, go to my Goodreads page and see what I'm up to.



Links? Sure. There's a bunch.
Part of my memoir-in-progress (first draft due next week!) was recently up at the great Smith Magazine.
I interviewed Diane Williams in the new Believer.
I reviewed the awesome new Miriam Toews book for the Oregonian. (also she was here for a reading recently and I told her that I was going to make a Miriam Toews fans page on Facebook. Watch for that!)
I was in Smokelong Quarterly!
I am interviewed on this fun new interview blog, Thunk.
I really like this new small press book blog, HTML Giant.
Suzanne Burns not only has a book out next year with Dzanc, but she also scored big in the Pudding House Chapbook contest and will have a poetry collection out from them as well.
Elizabeth Ellen is showing off her two minute mind.



That's it for now. Thanks for hanging out.
And GO OBAMA!



Kevin

Hello dear friends,
It's just past midnight on a Friday night and I'm here in the kitchen stapling books with the newest Future Tense boy wonder, Riley Michael Parker. His chapbook, Our Beloved 26th, sold out at the Portland Zine Symposium two weeks ago, but now we've got more (if you already ordered it, it's being mailed Monday). I'm telling you it's a doozy. In fact, I was kind of scared to release it because, uh, it's sort of volatile and uh, offensive. I had to keep telling myself "this is satire...this is satire." So if you can keep that in mind, it's actually quite wonderful. Heh heh.

Riley was kind enough to bring over a bottle of rum tonight and he actually did most of the stapling. I thought I'd let him take over the blogging now so I can sip some beverage. Ahhh.

Take it away, RMP:

I don't know exactly what I'm expected to say here, so I suppose I will just talk about my day, why I wrote the book, and then tell a pathetic, embarrassing, but true story about misguided lust.

I spent most of the day drawing and coloring movie stars, namely Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, and Heather Graham. I am making a Boogie Nights movie poster for the theatre I work for, so I was actually paid to draw these people. After work I listened to a mix CD an ex-girlfriend had sent to me recently, read a few of her more recent letters as well as some mini-comics that she sent me. It was an interesting experience - fulfilling in a way, but afterward I felt as though I had been robbed of something. I miss her a lot and I don't know who to blame. Then I caught the train to Kevin's house and have been here ever since... It is interesting to visit a friend's home for the first time. He is tidy, and welcoming, but does not provide snacks. I am not all that hungry, but I could go for a nosh. He doesn't care.

Our Beloved 26th just showed up one day. I didn't ask it over; it didn't call ahead. I woke up one morning and began to write about a few vile, perverted men, and I just couldn't stop. Well I could, and I did, for little spurts, but it all came out rather quickly. Rape is never funny. Really, it isn't. I tried to make it funny. I'm sorry.

And this one time, when I was twenty, I considered sleeping with my third cousin. We hadn't seen each other in years, and she was totally into me. I had no interest in sleeping with her, and then a week later I was one-hundred percent interested but had no place in which to perform, and then a week or two later when I got my new apartment neither of us were into it anymore. I told my cousin Paul this story less than a month ago, and all he said was, "Yeah, she's a cute girl."

Thank you, Riley! That was refreshing. Sorry about not having snacks but I don't think food and books are a good combination. Suck it up, boy.
And now, it's just after midnight and we're done with stapling and it's time for bed. (RMP stumbles off to catch the bus back to his comfy NW apartment)

Until next time,
Kevin

First off, I want to again thank everyone who came out to my Midwest readings (see last few blog entries). It was a super fun time and I feel like I have many more close friends now.

But now it's time to get local again!
Portland folks--please come to my reading at the Powell's on Hawthorne today (meaning Sunday) at 4pm. It's an afternoon delight.
Check out the nice write-up for Creamy Bullets in this week's Mercury and in Bookslut.

Coming up in July, I'll be bringing back the Booty Call! The first Booty Call reading in more than three years is coming up at Plan B on Sunday, July 13th at 8pm. The night will feature dirty stories by Steve Almond, Jami Attenberg, Zach Plague, and Melissa Lion, along with bootylicious music spun by The Incredible Kid.

The Booty Call will be preceded by two other Northwest readings with Zach Plague, Thursday night, July 10th at the Monroe Street Cafe (7pm), and on Saturday night at the Hugo House in Seattle. I believe there are very special guests at these events as well.

In other Future Tense news...

Elizabeth Ellen, as always, is a force of nature. Newer Proof: In Dogzplot and in Juked. Not to mention an in depth interview with Donald Ray Pollack, whose book Knockemstiff is probably my favorite so far this year.

Suzanne Burns' wonderful flipbook, Double Header, was recently featured in New Pages.

Frayn Masters of Haiku Inferno has two new fresh fictions out there--at Hobart (man, they have good taste) and Monkeybicycle. She has also started an exciting new storytelling series called Back Fence PDX. Their first show was this last week and it was sensational. Their next show will be in July.

Myriam Gurba, award-winning author of Dahlia Season, was recently interviewed on this podcast.

That's all for now, friends. See you soon.

Oh hey--there's some new pics up too. Fun!

xoxo
Kevin

Woke up this morning with a big orange cat licking my face.

Went down to where all the Pilcrow stuff was happening and went to various panels throughout the afternoon, including one about blogging and another about hosting good readings. Both of these panels included my pal, Jami Attenberg, who I hung out with most of the day. I felt like a VIP today. Between panels, I sat down with Jim Purcell, a roving blogger at the fest. He blogged me while I had my morning coffee. After speaking on "The State of the Small Press" panel, I was interviewed on camera for a new Chicago webzine (uh, I forgot what they're called. I'm sure their card is buried in my tote bag somewhere). There were 8 publishers on the panel and 3 of them mentioned Future Tense as an inspiration for their work. I was very flattered. Later on, my pal Joseph (see previous post) asked if I was the grandaddy of that panel and I realized, yes, I probably was. Then I was called "The Lou Reed of the small press world."

At 7pm we were at Quimby's for my reading with James Stegall and Jackie Corley. Both of their readings were great. Jackie read a super-charged and heartbreaking piece about two brothers. I think it was the title story from her upcoming book, The Suburban Swindle. James read a piece from his upcoming book too (a funny piece about the Lands End catalog that was previously in Nerve). I read two short pieces from Creamy Bullets. "What Great Tragedies" and "Jailbreaker." After the reading, I saw friends like Kevin Fanning and Portlander Laural Winter. Plus, I sold the last four copies of my book. Joseph, his girlfriend Anna, Laural, and Jami all went out for pizza. Chicago deep dish style. Spinach, pepperoni, and garlic at Giordano's. Good stuff.

Now, I'm back at Joseph's place and getting ready for bed, after a few sips of Maker's Mark & Coke. I'm meeting Aaron and Elizabeth at the Fixx Cafe (Pilcrow's central location) at 1:00 and we're driving back to Ann Arbor. It's been a super fun trip and I'll send a wrap-up later this week after getting back to Portland. Thanks to everyone whom I saw on this trip (and to Amy Guth, who organized the whole Pilcrow Fest).

 

I had my first White Castle experience today. As Elizabeth and Aaron and I drove through Indiana headed to Chicago (yeah, I didn't know you had to drive through Indiana either), we stopped for an afternoon snack at White Castle. My only real knowledge of WC is through the Beastie Boys. But guess what--they're wrong. White Castle fries come in more than one size! I didn't order any though. First, I had two cheeseburgers, not knowing they were so small. I gulped them down and was still hungry. I needed something more. I ordered something called Chicken Rings. Imagine Onion Rings with chicken instead of onions. Pretty good actually. The burgers? Not so good. They reminded me too much of soybean burgers or something. Like a school lunch burger.

Once we got to Chicago, A & E settled in to their hotel and then we went to the Hideout for the Dollar Store reading. I was amazed to find it packed. Jonathan Messinger started the show with a great new story of his own, followed by the very funny Diana Slickman, who is a favorite of the Dollar Store crowd. I closed the show with Songs For Water Buffalos, which got a standing ovation. Just kidding (I've had a few drinks). But I did sell some books afterward and saw some old friends like Julie Shapiro, Rob Christopher, and the one and only Jackie Corley!

I also met up with Joseph Lappie, a fomer Powellsian who now lives in Chicago. I'm staying with him the nect two nights. Tonight he showed me some of his mind-blowing new art. This guy was good when he lived in Portland, but now he's crazy good. Check out his site (which actually doesn't include his newest work but he promises to update it soon).

We just got back from the after-party action and the lights are out in the apartment so I gotta go. More tomorrow night. Sweet dreams.

KS

Tonight I had to compete against a couple of things--Kanye West, the Detroit Pistons game, and...James Frey reading across the street from me! Whaaaaat? Oh well, at least I wasn't here on Tuesday night when Chuck Palahniuk read with Donald Ray Pollack (I'm so glad CP is pimping Donald Ray because that old Ohio dude is a master).
Anyway, it all turned out great as we (myself, Barry Graham, and Matt Bell) entertained a small room full of folks at Shaman Drum Books. Matt read a funny story about a video game where you have to get laid in a two-hour span before the clock strikes midnight and Barry wowed the crowd with a seedy tale about a reluctant bikini judge. Hobart editor Aaron Burch introduced each of us while buzzing nicely from the pre-reading mojitos. He said something about a new game called "Six Degrees of Kevin Sampsell" and then I read my story. I decided to read "Krystal." This is a story I read in Seattle as well and it's fun to read because I get to do a big radio DJ voice and I also get to describe the effects of crystal meth.
After the reading, I signed books and chatted with my old Portland friend, Jeff Meyers, who I hadn't talked to in about ten years. His chapbook, Half Empty, was one of the first ones I published when I moved to Portland. He's currently the film critic at the Detroit Metro Times.
I also talked with Stefan Kiesbye and his wife, Sanaz. I was totally entranced by his German accent and straw hat. Then there was Dan Wickett, he of the Emerging Writers Network and Dzanc Books. He told me that Dzanc's distribution deal with Consortium will be starting soon. That's a big step for them and they deserve it.
After some beers at a bar down the street, we all caravaned back to the Hobart House and told top secret slices of gossip to each other.
On the way there, Jeff Meyers drove me by his house and said it cost them half a million. Apparently, Ann Arbor is more expensive than Portland. Yikes.
Alright folks, I'm going to go to bed at a decent hour tonight. Gotta drive to Chicago tomorrow. I'll blog when I get a chance. Good night.