DAVE BOLING

Some fun author events are coming up, particularly the weekend of March 10-11.

It's a great privilege to have been invited to take part in the King County Library System Foundation's Literary Lions Gala at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency ballroom on Saturday, March 1o. Drinks, dinner, program emceed by Nancy Pearl, and authors to sign books and chat. Please visit the website and consider taking part in an event for a worthy cause. http:/​/​www.kcls.org/​literarylions/​biographies.cfm

The following day, I'm taking part in a presentation at the Tacoma Art Museum as part of their Literacy Month Lecture Series. http:/​/​www.tacomaartmuseum.org/​Page.aspx?nid=349

Also, on Feb. 25, the Seattle 7 Writers group is going electronic with the Write Here, Write Now seminars. Check out the format at http://seattle7writers.org/events/

I've been asked to do a reading/signing event for "Guernica" at the University Place library on April 20th, 7 p.m. It's a new facility for the Pierce County Library system. It's been a while since I thought much about the writing of "Guernica," however April is a time I think a great deal about the bombing. This April 27th will mark the 74th anniversary of the tragic event. I hope that next year's 75th will spur renewed interest and attention to the topic on an international basis.

http://calendar.thenewstribune.com/university-place-wa/events/show/177503385-talk-with-dave-boling

Let's see ... the fine folks at the new library at University Place (near Tacoma) are setting up a date in early April to have a reading/signing event. We'll be finalizing the date soon and will pass that along. Since the last blog I've started a facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dave-Boling/117968408261572)and a twitter account (@daveboling).


A nice bookseller from Texas, Carla Smith, pointed out a video review of "Guernica" done in the UK by actor Benedict Cumberbatch. It is very nicely done ... a product of being named as one of the Summer Reads selections for the RIchard and Judy Book Club (a Brit tea time talk show). They sent him to a beach on the island of Mykonos as the backdrop. It is my opinion that they should have had the author fulfill those duties. I had not heard of Mr. Cumberbatch, but apparently he's a fine actor who has been very successful (cast as Sherlock Holmes in the recent BBC series).

Here's the link to the video review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aXsmHA43r0

Also, "The Novel LIve!" project that 36 local writers conspired to produce in a mad flurry in a week last October will be published by Open Road Media as a 60,000 word e-original novel in May, with much of the proceeds going directly to charity!

Dec. 10, 7-10 p.m.: Holiday book event at Kirkland Parkplace Books

Our good friends at Parkplace Books invited me to join a few other authors at their holiday party; we'll be there to sign books (always a nice holiday gift!)

Here's the release:

Parkplace Books is hosting our
Eighth Annual Holiday Celebration!

Please join us for an evening of merriment and good cheer
as we celebrate the holiday season with friends, family
and lots of wonderful PacNW authors. Enjoy tasty goodies,
imbibe wine and wassail while visiting with friends ...
or have a book signed by one of our guest authors.

Donate any children’s book to Santa’s Sleigh or food item
in the Gift Box located at the front of the store.
Parkplace Books and KITH (Kirkland Interfaith Transitions
in Housing) will distribute them to Eastside families in need.
Your gift can make a difference!

348 Parkplace Ctr. Kirkland ~ 425-828-6546 ~ parkplacebooks@integra.net
http://www.parkplacebookskirkland.com/

I got a wonderful invitation from the Seattle Art Museum to lead a tour of its incredible Picasso exhibit Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. Here is the SAM release: My Favorite Things tour led by Dave Boling, whose debut novel Guernica became an international best-seller translated into 14 languages. Part of his novel follows Picasso's creation of the mural “Guernica.” Boling will focus on Picasso the man, and discuss the exploitation of his mistresses as muses.

The exhibit featuress 150 pieces from Picasso's personal collection. Of particular interest to me, of course, were the detail studies for "Guernica" and also the photo series taken by Dora Maar, which show "Guernica" at various stages of completion. Those pictures were very important for me (when I viewed similar at Reina Sofia in Madrid) in recreating fictional scenes of his work in his Paris studio that spring of 1937.

Help Celebrate
National Reading Group Month

Great Group Reads Panel Discussion & Nancy Pearl!!!
October 26th 6:00 - 9:00 pm at Kirkland's Parkplace Books

Join PacNW authors, Jim Lynch (Border Songs), Dave Boling (Guernica), Robert Dugoni, (Bodily Harm), Boyd Morrison (The Ark), Carol Cassella ( Healer) and guest moderator, Nancy Pearl as they take a look at whatconstitutes a good read, ask and answer all sorts of quirky questions and help to celebrate...October is National Reading Group Month. The evening's event is sponsored by the Women's National Book Association and hosted by Parkplace Books.

If you weren't able to catch any of the production of The Novel: Live!, you can still read the work of 36 local authors at this site: http://www.thenovellive.org/novel/index.php?novel_part=1

What a wild and fun experience. There is some terrific writing in there, and I think it turned into a surprisingly cohesive and readable piece despite being written by authors with so many different styles, in two-hour segments, over the course of a week.

Garth Stein and Jennie Shortridge, in particular, did an incredible amount of great work on this thing. Information on the publication of the book will be forthcoming. Proceeds go to local literary causes.

Want to thank Kate Vrijmoet for asking me to sit for a portrait during the Center on Contemporary Arts Seattle marathon. Posing for a portrait is quite an experience ... and a privilege to be asked. She thought it might be nice to cross-pollinate some creative media during Arts Crush month. I suspect I should use her as a character in a story soon. I could do much worse.

She's very talented, with a unique style. In places on the canvas, she allows excess paint to drip off the form, giving it a "Persistence of Memory" feel. It was fascinating to watch the mechanics of it: the paint mixing and matching, and all the prep work. At one point, while working on the face, she used her wrist and lower arm as a palette, just mixing the colors on her own skin.

I'll include a photo of the painting on this page ... wherever I can make it work. Check out Kate's website ... particularly some of the paintings of underwater scenes. Great perspective.

We've got some fun events coming up. From 10-11 through 10-16, 36 local writers are participating in The Novel: Live!, in which we'll write in front of the public for 2-hour stretches at the Richard Hugo House on Capitol Hill. I'm writing from 4-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15. I"m one of the last writers, so I think I get to handle some pretty weighty plot points. Should be great fun and it's a privilege to be invited to participate.


In promotion of the event, Erica Bauermeister and Kevin O'Brien and I are reading and gabbing Oct. 13, 7 p.m., at Third Place Books, Ravenna.


A tangent to that: Part of the local Arts Crush activities in Seattle include the 24-hour Art Marathon Oct. 7-8. (www.cocaseattle.org). I just received an invitation from Seattle artist Kate Vrijmoet to sit for a portrait to be auctioned. Check out her website:
http://www.figurespace.com/Kate_Vrijmoet/kVrijmoet_Home.html. She has some amazing stuff there. The paintings can be seen at the Thursday Art Walk, 5-9 p.m., Oct. 7 at the Globe Building in Pioneer Square.


At the end of the month, Oct. 26, our good friends at Kirkland Parkplace Books have invited me to be a part of a panel with author friends Jim Lynch and Carol Cassella, and others. 7 p.m.