last night was super! thanks to everyone who made it out. extra special thanks to
ethan lipton for sharing his vocal expertise. i think it made the reading different, special, unique...which is always the goal.

thanks also to the good people at book court for inviting me to read. espcially zack. and thanks to holly messitt for the lovely comments comparing BE to lorrie moore. you made my year! i've reprinted your letter in the mailbag here.

posting some photos from the evening in the gallery.

today is the official release of the italian version of BE by sonzogno. they're calling it "the new nick hornby." check it out here. author, stefano bortolussi did, what i gather, is a very funny and accurate translation. so if you're reading this in italy, go plunk down 15 euros for a copy and let us know what you think. better yet, if you like it, tell roberto benigni what you think, and how perfect it would be for his next film. tell him if he acts now, we'll throw in a free iPod...or a tomato slicer-dicer-doo-hickey.

i'll be going to milan for a couple days next month to promote the book. stay tuned for more on that.

my month in the desert is coming to an end. (sigh, choke-in-the-throat, sniffle) but seriously, it's been perfect for finishing the new novel, which, i'm excited to announce: is now complete! (raise the roof people. raise it.) if you liked behind everyman, you'll hate the new one. (kidding!) honestly though, where BE was a quick read, the pervert, the hypochondriac, and the feminist isn't. where BE was character driven (for the most part), PHF isn't. where BE had a pretty simple, linear plot, PHF is all over the goddamn place. where BE had one protagonist, PHF has three. where BE took seven weeks to write, PHF took well over a year.

and it took going to arizona, renting a six-room condo, and spreading the chapters out in every room (well, okay, not the bathrooms) so i could keep track of the intricate plot-lines, to finish it. really, other than a trip to frank lloyd wright's taliesin project/community/600-acre-experiment where they're now replacing the redwood with steel (!), i did nothing but write, rewrite, edit and rewrite some more.

for the uncommonly curious or emphatically bored, here's a page of photos documenting the above.

now it's back to BE. and back to reality. for those in new york, on may 26th i'll be reading at book court in brooklyn (for some reason, the only link i could find was in japanese. sorry). joining me will be the terrifically talented, mr. ethan lipton. so come on down at 7 p.m.

so the LA trip went well. hectic and too short, as always, but met some wonderful people. on my last night there, i was guest of the glenridge book club, who invited me to attend after they read BE. thanks to phyllis and herb for hosting such a delightful evening. the food was delicious, and the discussion, on a level i haven't yet experienced on the tour. really, all of you gave me such wonderful insight to my own characters and plot lines. (yes, even you gita, with your dissenting voice.) the way you dissected and analyzed it all elevated the book to something approaching literary fiction. and for that, i am grateful. i honestly think you should read the new novel *before* i publish it. would probably do me a whole lotta good.

posted some photos from the evening in the gallery here.

tonight was my first university appearance, speaking to author maureen connell's class at ucla. big thanks to her for the invitation, and to all the talented budding authors who kept me busy with their interesting questions and comments.

was also a nice treat to write on a chalkboard again. don't think i have since my own college daze. there's something cathartic about putting chalk to chalkboard. don't you agree? the sound it makes, the way it feels in the hand. although the chalk has to be on the newish side. don't like those little nubbins you get when the chalk is long in the tooth. especially when they're so small your hand touches the blackboard. eek. that's borderline nail-scratching to me.

posted some photos from tonight in the gallery: here.

just a few updates from my publishers abroad...

the italian translation is done! (make some noize people!) i'll be in milan june 13th and 14th to launch it and do some interviews. more details as i have 'em.

meanwhile the hebrew translation has just begun. my translator, amit yariv, sent me the 1st chapter last night.

here's a sneak peek



i'm in arizona at the moment, putting the finishing touches on my new novel. then, next week it's back to BE with some engagements in los angeles. unfortunately they're not open to the general public. otherwise i'd post info on the tour page. but photos i can give you, and will, so stay tuned.