bob tarantino

Under Arrest - Update 06.07.07

First the bad news: the publisher informed me today that Under Arrest will not be available for release on June 30, 2007, but will likely be delayed a couple of weeks.  Why?  I'll let y'all figure it out - I handed in the manuscript back in November.

Now the good news: it takes a lot more than a taciturn publisher to stand in the way of a blogstravaganza!  On Saturday, June 30, 2007, join us for the launch of James Bow's Fathom Five at Nicholas Hoare Books at 45 Front Street East in downtown Toronto (just west of Church Street).  From 2-4pm, James will be hosting the launch of the second volume in the Unwritten Books series - and I will be doing... well, something in connection with Under Arrest, though there won't be copies available for sale (you can pre-order, though!).  Immediately afterwards, we will rampage across the street to The Flatiron and Firkin, where a blogstravaganza will unfold.

I had the privilege of reading a late draft of Fathom Five, and I can safely say that anyone who enjoyed The Unwritten Girl is in for a treat: James has a gift for pitching the tone of his writing to match the emotional weight of the circumstances his characters encounter.  Fathom Five is thus darker, richer and more compelling than The Unwritten Girl - just as its characters mature, so has the prose.  And if you missed The Unwritten Girl, this is a great point to jump into the series: the volumes are all self-contained.

What's a blogstravaganza, you ask?  A gathering of bloggers, blog readers, friends and hangers-on.  This will be the first blogstravaganza I've hosted that has the added element of a book launch, so it should be interesting to see how it goes (reminder to self: drink after the book launch ... after).  We're looking forward to seeing y'all there.

Blogstravaganza! (Stay Loose)

+

+

=

blogstravaganza!

Damn straight.  For a few months now, fellow Dundurn author James Bow and I have been covertly planning a series of joint in-store and library appearances to promote our respective books: Under Arrest - Canadian Laws You Won't Believe and Fathom Five (being volume two in the Unwritten Books series).  Originally, we had hoped to start our grand tour of southern Ontario venues in late May.  Then we realized that our books were coming out nearly two months apart, that the "official" promotional efforts for them were unlikely to overlap, and that if James was going to wait until I had an actual book to flog, he'd lose precious time to promote his own work.  I like to think that my relative cluelessness about how the book industry works is part of my charm.

Anyways, we largely abandoned joint appearances until later in the summer, when we would both have copies of our books in hand. 

However. 

On Saturday, June 30, 2007, from 2pm to 4pm, James and I will be hosting a book launch at Nicholas Hoare Books, located at 45 Front Street East in downtown Toronto.  Immediately following the happenings at Nicholas Hoare, the assembled horde will flood like lemmings across Front Street to The Flatiron and Firkin, where a blogstravaganza will commence with great enthusiasm.  Because he is a righteous dude, Joey (Accordion Guy) deVilla has agreed to assist us in "hosting" the blogstravaganza - if we play our cards right, an eclectic group of us may just once again end up mowing through greasy Chinese food at a brightly-lit restaurant on Spadina at 2am, fighting over whether Ferris Bueller's Day Off was the best movie of the 80s.  (Yes, it was.)

[photo credits: Dundurn, Dundurn, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Night the Blogfather Came to Town

"Did you hear that?"

"No."

"That sound.  You don't hear that sound?"

"... No.  What the hell are you talking about?"

"I could have sworn I heard a sound."

"Pretty sure you didn't."

"... Nope, there was definitely a sound."

"You sure you're not just losing your mind?"

"Pretty sure.  You know what it sounds like?"

"... Are you waiting for me to give you an answer?"

"Yes.  Well, not anymore.  Anyways.  It sounds like, like... like a blogstravaganza."

"What the hell is a 'blogstravaganza'?"

"A gathering of bloggers.  And blog readers.  And their various accompanists."

"What are blog 'accompanists'?"

"Boyfriends, wives, girlfriends, husbands, buddies, enemies... you know, pretty much anyone who wants to show up."

"Ah.  Who the hell came up with 'blogstravaganza'?  That's a stupid name."

"Bob Tarantino."

"Who the f**k is Bob Tarantino?"

-----------------------------------------------

Saturday, February 17th, 2007 on the second floor of The Fiddler's Green, located at 27 Wellesley Street East in downtown Toronto, just east of Yonge and across from the Wellesley subway station.  Join us as Damian Penny makes his annual pilgrimage to the centre of the universe - everyone is welcome.  No cover and nothing is provided (other than good conversation and the occasional prospect of a brawl) - pay your own damn way, deadbeat!  See y'all there.

UPDATE: 8pm.  Don't know why I keep forgetting to mention that.  People will start showing up at 8pm.

there's a feeling I get when I look to the west

It's the feeling that I'm looking in the wrong direction - because Damian Penny will be coming to Toronto from the east.  Be sure to join a bunch of raging bloggers on Saturday, February 18 17th, starting at 8pm on the second floor of The Fiddler's Green, located at 27 Wellesley Street East in downtown Toronto, just east of Yonge and across from the Wellesley subway station.  All are invited and welcome - bloggers, readers, player-haters and hangers-on.

UPDATE: As Jason helpfully points out in the comments, it's Saturday, February 17th.  The 18th is a Sunday, and Sunday will be used for recovery.

The Annual Pilgrimage to the Centre of the Universe

Sometimes bloggers don't need even the vaguest excuse to get together for drinks.  Other times, one presents itself:

Damian Penny, a guy whose blog is so huge it takes five contributors just to run the damn thing, is coming to town!

Saturday, February 17th, will see a motley collection of bloggers, blog-readers, blog-haters, blog-reader-haters and assorted hangers-on assemble on the second floor of The Fiddler's Green, located at 27 Wellesley Street East in downtown Toronto, just east of Yonge and across from the Wellesley subway station.  Tell your friends.  Maybe even show up yourself, if you're so inclined...

UPDATE: 8pm is the time.  8pm.  Forgot to mention that.  8.

So Much for the Afterglow

James Bow has an interesting piece up about the Canadian political blogosphere, inspired by the love, peace and grease of last Friday's blogstravaganza. 

I feel that the Canadian political blogosphere is actually quite special, bucking several trends that we’ve seen develop over the years in the American political blogosphere. Where else would Liberals and Conservatives set aside their differences and work together to organize something that celebrated the spectrum as a whole? And this really is important. I met people on Friday that I agreed with, and I met people on Friday that I disagreed with. I even met one or two people with whom I shared a heated word or two, and yet we were able to smile, shake hands, laugh and talk. Despite how we may lean politically, events such as this remind us that we’re all not that different.

He also has a link to the worst Christmas carol ever, which really needs to be listened to in order to be believed.  Really. 

They Don't Actually Say That

People say to me, Bob! Where will you be Sunday night?  I say, here, watching the world's greatest rock and roll band.  Then they say to me, Bob! Where were you on Friday night?  I say, attending the blogstravaganza.  Photos are available at various locations, including over at Nicholas' (I kept saying to Kathy, "He's a hell of a guy, but he can't take a picture for the life of him".  She kept saying, "But he's got a new camera".  I kept saying, "No, seriously, he can't".  I'm pretty sure I got the better of that argument.) and James'.  Shouts to co-organizers Joey and Jason for pulling a pretty darned assorted group of bloggers together.

"over here to the rear / with your girl and the 40s of beer"

[new content below - this post will be at the top of the page until the fateful night transpires]

BLOGSTRAVAGANZA! TWO DAYS AWAY! TONIGHT! FEEL THE FUNK! SECOND FLOOR OF FIDDLER'S GREEN! WAAAUUGHHHH! (click below for more details)

50 Bloggers, 2 Weeks Away, 1 Night Only

We call it a blogstravaganza.  If you're not there, know what they'll call you? Sucka.

On Friday, December 8, 2006 on the second floor of Fiddler's Green (27 Wellesley Street East in downtown Toronto, right across from the Wellesley subway station on the Yonge line), will take place the greatest gathering of the tribes the Toronto blogging community has ever known (... or something like that).  Proudly co-presented with Joey (Accordion Guy) deVilla and Jason Cherniak, we issue a call to all bloggers, blog readers and blog hangers-on to meet for drinks, food and fights - whatever your political stripe, whatever you blog about, come on down and join in the frivolity.  An advance team (mostly consisting of me and Brooks glaring at each other) will be there from 6pm, so feel free to show up any time after that - if past events are any indication, people will start showing up en masse after 8pm.

(Please note that everyone is encouraged to purchase all their food and drink from the bar and server on the second floor - we've reserved the room, and we will need to hit a minimum tab of $500 over the course of the evening, or else I will be chained to a cutting block in the kitchen.)

You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea

The window had become nearly opaque with the rain pelting against it.

The voice came again from behind me, irritatingly measured.  "So you think there's something missing?  In your life, I mean."

I sighed.  Again.  "I don't think it, I feel it."

There was a pause, as if the speaker was casting his eyes upward in a silent plea for patience.  "Can you describe what it is that you feel is missing?"

"Not really... It's more that I can describe what the missing itself feels like."

A throat-clearing.  "Okay.  Well, why don't you describe it to me..."

The drumming of the rain on the window lessened for a moment, and instead of my reflection, I glimpsed the hillside.  "It feels... like... it feels like Sunday morning.  Sunday morning coming down."

"Like Sund...!? Oh, for f***'s sake, now you're just ripping off old Kris Kristofferson songs.  At least be original."

More rain.  I turned towards the voice.  "You know what?  It doesn't feel like Sunday - it feels like

FRIDAY!

DECEMBER 8th!

at FIDDLER'S GREEN

BLOGSTRAVAGANZA!

Proudly co-presented with Joey (Accordion Guy) deVilla and Jason Cherniak, please join us on Friday, December 8, 2006 at Toronto's Fiddler's Green, 27 Wellesley Street East - right across from Wellesley subway station on the Yonge line (so don't be a dumbass and drink and drive) for the latest blogstravaganza, a gathering of the tribes of bloggers, readers, friends and enemies.  The second floor bar has been reserved for us - so we'll have our own room and our own dedicated server. 

It's all full freight - there's no cover (but donations are appreciated - there's a $50 charge for reserving the space), but we're not providing y'all with anything either: just a gathering place.  Drinks and food are on you.

As in the past, it usually makes sense to start showing up a little after 8 - but there's people who work downtown who will probably be there earlier to grab dinner, so pretty much show up whenever the hell you want.  And if you don't recognize anyone at first - don't leave.  Just ask around, we'll eventually find you.  Last time around, we did a pretty damn good job at packing place, with people from across the political spectrum, along with bloggers who don't have time for politics and cover everything else under the sun - wherever you stand, whatever you blog, read or talk about - come on out.  We need bloggers from the left! the right! the centre! people who hate politics! people who blog about cats! and every! body! in! be! tween!  It'll be good times.

On a personal note, this promises to be one of the most economically punishing blogstravaganzas I've ever attended.  I owe Kathy Shaidle ten bucks for her accurate bet that I would return to blogging before the end of 2006.  I owe Taylor a beer for making essentially the same wager.  Selley is due a pint for my egregious blog sniping.  Since I'm in an expansively generous mood, one more beer is on offer: first person to correctly identify the source for the tagline which makes up the title of this post gets a free pint. See y'all there.