A Boulder Gathering for Literary Types and Regional Author News

By Jenny Shank, 2-20-08

As I mentioned last week, NewWest.Net/Books is sponsoring a Boulder get-together for writers, journalists, publishers, publicists, editors, writing teachers, book lovers, and all-around literary types.  It’s an opportunity for people to make contacts in the local literary community.  The event takes place at Trilogy Wine Bar on Monday, February 25, from 6 to 9 p.m.  The guest list is filling up fast, so if you’d like to come, please send .  Please stop by and say hello, and I’ll set you up with some exciting NewWest pens and stickers.  Well, they are exciting to me, at least.

An update from the Department of Shameless Self-Promotion: My novel, Mile High was just named a Top 100 Semifinalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award!  There were 5000 original entrants.  Editors at Penguin are reviewing the remaining manuscripts and reviews to determine the 10 finalists, which they will announce March 2, and then Amazon customers will vote for the winner. I am so pleased and grateful to have made it this far, and thank all of you who took the time to read my excerpt and leave a comment.

Galleycat recently mentioned a misfortune that befell western and mystery writers James Reasoner and his wife Livia Washburn, who lost their Azle, Texas home and belongings in a fire. There are photos of the devastation on Reasoner’s blog.  As reported on Bill Crider’s Pop Culture Magazine blog, The Western Writers of America established a fund to help them, and they are currently accepting donations. The couple lost all of their large collection of books, and so Washburn’s agent is accepting donations of books to replenish their library.

This week, Boulder author and University of Colorado English Professor Paul Levitt will be out promoting his new novel, Come with Me to Babylon (University of New Mexico Press), the story of the 1910 emigration of the Cohen family from Russia to the United States, where they settle in New Jersey.  Levitt will be reading at the Boulder Book Store on February 20 (7:30 p.m.), and at the Tattered Cover (Colfax) on February 25 (7:30 p.m.).

Speaking of the Tattered Cover, the multi-talented Dave Eggers swung through there this week to promote the paperback release of his wonderful novel, What is the What.  Check out my interview with Eggers for the Rocky Mountain News.

Have some regional literary news or events to share?  If so,