RiverVision does it again!

RiverVision Press, "Maine's Unique Small Press," announces the release of its newest title, T.W. Moore's I Love Today--Musings From New England.

Ever since I returned from my sojourn to NW Indiana, I've been in full-blown production mode, readying our latest title for release.

For those unfamiliar with publishing, particularly small press publishing, you can't fully appreciate all the details that go into releasing a book.

Until I took up the mantle of publisher, mostly by necessity, in order to release my first book, I wasn't aware all the minutia that goes into readying a book for printing.

From ISBN numbers, to copy editing, writing back cover copy, designing a cover that will entice readers to pick up your book, through the actual layout, reading and re-reading proofs, to selecting a printer, it takes real attention to detail to do it right. In addition, you have to be able to market your book, so readers will know about it and if you are a small press publisher, you need to be able to do that marketing on a shoestring.

I'm pleased to be releasing Mr. Moore's book and initial interest from bookstores has been gratifying. Much of that interest comes from cultivating relationships with my independent stores, as well as the chain stores, like Borders, which are quite supportive of local books; this is helpful when you are small and trying to maximize options.

Not only has RiverVision Press doubled its catalog, but we are turning two-years-old on Friday.

To celebrate the new book, we will be holding a book release event in Lewiston, on Saturday, June 23rd, at Percy's Burrow, 20 East Avenue. Mr. Moore will be reading from the book, as well as signing copies of the new book, from 4 to 6 pm. Afterwards, we'll be holding an after-party at the RiverVision Press compound, in Durham.

Hope some of our local friends can make it out and meet our newest author.

The garden plot

[The "Mayor," overseeing the manor]

[Mary doing some planting the old-fashioned way]

[Man's best friend, at least when it comes to backs]

[Garden plot with tomatoes, squash, carrots, kale, spinach and green beans]

[The herb garden, for what ails 'ya]

Mary and I (and of course, “the Mayor,” aka, Bernie) braved Saturday’s heavy morning mist and did a yeoman’s worth of work out in the yard and garden. Despite a forecast for rain on Saturday, we decided that the absence of rain, early in the morning presented a window of opportunity that could best be filled with the tasks at hand—mowing the lawn, prepping the soil for the herb garden and then later, sans the predicted deluge, picking up the rototiller at our niece’s house and going to town on our little plot, where we usually have our summer vegetable garden.

We had our first garden, back in the summer of 2001. Tired of talking about having a garden and wanting to grow something on our own, without relying on the supermarket, we prepped a small 12 X 20 foot area, erected a simple mesh fence to keep the critters out and our foray into growing our own food began.

Because we composted our own kitchen scraps and had a pretty good pile of organic material, filled with nutrients, we opted to go fertilizer-free with our garden. We’ve maintained the garden free of chemicals and fertilizers ever since.

While our garden is small and doesn’t yield enough to sustain our needs, it is a great supplement to supermarket produce. In fact, not only does it provide us with some wonderfully delicious and healthy vegetables, by supplementing our own yield with various farmer’s markets and roadside produce stands, the summer months provide us with a cornucopia of locally-grown foods. Additionally, I feel that gardening is symbolic and helps us reconnect with the earth, which I think is vitally important to our physical, psychic and spirtitual health. On a practical level, knowing how to grow one’s own food may become increasingly important in light of global events and the predictions of some that we cannot sustain our current way of life much longer, as society is currently configured.

There is something that happens when you are out digging in the dirt, smelling the rich aroma of the soil, getting it caked on your hands and under your fingernails. It helps you to recognize the labor required, or, in lieu of labor, the energy, almost always in the form of oil that it requires to produce our foods and truck them to markets, where we can buy them. Even produce and other items obtained at the local organic market requires large outlays of energy to get them to us.

Particularly pertinent to a discussion of growing your own food, are the recent revelations that pet food and now, human food, originating in China, have been contaminated, exposing the vulnerability of our food supply. In addition to contaminated food, is the question of availability of food, in light of corn being turned into ethanol to run our automobiles, which is having the affect of causing many other food products to escalate in price.

While a small garden plot won’t save the planet, it at least is a positive step in the right direction. Knowing where your food comes from is the first step in being more conscious about the issues that surround the politics of food, food security and it lessens our dependency, even in the smallest of ways, upon corporations for our survival.

A few more photos from Friday night

[Lara answering questions from the audience]

[Greeting her fans and signing copies of her book]

[Two writers talking craft]

[A photo snapped with the famous author]

Friday night book event

[Books, Etc., A Great Local Bookstore]

I haven’t been to an author’s event in quite some time. When I was finding my way as a writer, I was a regular at these events, hoping some kernel of wisdom would fall from the lips of that night’s author and would launch my sputtering writing career. Over time, I came to realize that success with my writing would only occur by practice, which meant to write at any opportunity I could find.

Once I published my own book, writer’s events became a chance to meet other writers and talk a bit about the craft and spend time with a group of peers, which is an opportunity that doesn’t always present itself.

Recently, I struck up a correspondence with a writer, who grew up in Maine, but now lives in the writing mecca of New York City. Lara Tupper, who hails from Boothbay, was giving a reading at one of Maine’s great local bookstores, Books Etc., on Exchange Street in Portland.

Having become a frequenter of MySpace, primarily to make some contacts and network, I had run across Lara and her book, A Thousand and One Nights, which is a fictional account of a young entertainer, just out of college, who lands a gig as an entertainer on a luxury cruise liner. The Maine connection immediately caught my eye and I inquired about having her endorse RiverVision Press’s latest book. Unfortunately, due to contractual issues, Lara wasn’t able to lend an endorsement for the book’s jacket, but she was gracious enough to offer a blurb on RiverVision’s behalf, to post via our website and/or use on any promotional material.

In a world of wannabes and poseurs, who pull rank and whose 15 minutes seem like an eternity, Lara came across as genuine and approachable, taking the time to call me and explain why she couldn’t endorse the book. This really showed her class and impressed me a great deal. When I received her email, announcing upcoming book events in Maine, I jotted the Friday night event in Portland on my calendar, with a commitment to be there, if at all possible.

In my new job, I find that I rarely get to Portland, after having spent a lot of time there over much of the past 15 years, with work, going out with my wife to movies, or cultural events, as well as being involved in a variety of activist organizations based in town.

It was nice walking around the Old Port, prior to the 7 pm reading, seeing the younger set, juggling and engaged in various performances in Tommy’s Park, listening to guitar players busking on the sidewalks, as well as sensing the palpable energy of the beginning of another Friday night of partying and merrymaking for many.

I arrived at Books Etc., just prior to 7 and chatted a bit with the bookstore staff. Always one of my favorite local bookstores, I had soured a bit on the store when I had some difficulty getting my own book into both the Portland and Falmouth stores. What I found out, only recently, is that I had been going through the wrong channels and all is now well between the store and RiverVision Press.

Lara was chatting with family and friends when I arrived. I introduced myself and she was very friendly and gracious, going out of her way to introduce me to her Mom, as well as other friends. While people occasionally leave Maine and acquire the traits and attitudes of their new home, it was obvious that Lara still possessed the ways of the Pine Tree State.

She spent about 20 minutes, or so, reading from the book, which sounds very interesting and should make for an interesting summer read and could very well end up being reviewed in the not-too-distant future, over at Write in Maine, as one of my summer beach books.

Always a sucker to know more about my favorite musicians, athletes and writers, I welcomed the question and answer time and Lara took a number of questions. One gentleman asked a couple of interesting questions, one in particular, which pertained to place and since she now lives “away,” did this negate her sense of Maine being home for her? Lara talked about people having a need to go away, to see other places, but she said that for her, this didn’t mean she had lost her sense that Maine is home, for her, which proves that you really can go home, again. The time she spent answering questions and talking to those in attendance revealed a very engaging writer, who really connects with her readers.

A Thousand and One Nights is somewhat autobiographical, in that Lara’s first job out of college was as a lounge singer on a cruise ship and she ended up doing this line of work for nearly 10 years. A Wesleyan grad, who did a MFA stint at Warren Wilson College, in North Carolina, she’s currently teaching writing at Rutgers University, in NYC and already planning a follow-up book to her successful debut novel. The new book will be historical fiction and will be based on the life of the wife of Paul Gauguin, which will be remarkably different than her first book and shows her obvious versatility as a writer.

I really enjoyed meeting Lara, hearing her read, as well as getting an autographed copy of One Thousand and One Nights, which is at the top of my “books to read” list for the summer.

American justice

With so many on the far right, clamoring for stronger immigration policies, fences and even mass deportation, it’s not a good time to be an immigrant, legal, or illegal, seeking a better life for yourself, or your family, here in the U.S.A.

According to Think Progress, a political appointee of the Bush administration has emerged as a central figure in the politicization of the Justice Department, particularly relating to policies on immigration.

Back in 2006, on the eve of the presidential election, Schlozman brought felony indictments against four members of ACORN, a respected organization committed to social justice issues, serving the needs of low and moderate-income individuals. ACORN’s track record shows a history of organizing and carrying out successful campaigns for better housing, schools, neighborhood safety, health care, job conditions, and more, certainly not the stuff worthy of law enforcement interdiction—unless social justice now is considered a criminal act in the Bush dystopia.

At the time of their indictment, the ACORN workers were conducting voter drives, registering low-income and minority voters, who historically, happen to vote for Democrats, not right-wing fascists like George Bush. Coincidence?

During testimony before a Senate Committee, investigating issues at the DOJ, Schlozman labeled groups like MALDEF and NAPABA, as “liberal,” when in fact, they don’t have any of the typical ideological orientation that right-wing groups like Heritage and the Federalist Society do, as pointed out by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

In his position as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Schlozman oversees a staff of 119, including 59 attorneys and 60 non-attorney support personnel. The district is headquartered in Kansas City, with staffed branch offices in Springfield and Jefferson City. The district is comprised of 66 of Missouri’s 114 counties, and encompasses the metropolitan areas of St. Joseph, Columbia, Jefferson City, Springfield, Joplin and Kansas City, Mo.

The nation’s 93 United States Attorneys are responsible for the prosecution of federal crimes such as firearms, narcotics, public corruption, money laundering, child pornography and fraud; the defense of civil cases brought against the United States; and the collection of debts owed to the United States and restitution owed by criminals to their victims.

The voter fraud charges against ACORN, were dismissed.

The Bush administration and its Department of Justice fired eight U.S. attorneys in December, eliciting charges from opponents that they were politically motivated.