Release Event

Saturday, 04 August 2012

Today, Jennifer and I attended an authors’ Book Release Party. I didn’t really know what to expect, but we had a good time.

The book Atheist Voices of Minnesota is being released later this month. I volunteered (and interned) as an associate editor for the book. Both Jennifer and I have essays that were accepted for inclusion within the book, too.

I’ve been to a few other events similar to this, but this one was the first time I’ve been to one just for the authors and their families. Back in 2010, for example, I drove over to my old college and attended a reception for the authors and anyone else interested. There was live music and food, and several authors (me included) were invited to the lectern to read an excerpt from the book (Breathing In, Volume II). There will be something like that next month, at a local library – and stay tuned, ’cause I’m inviting everyone I know to attend – but today’s event was more informal and intimate.

Okay, first of all: Pot Luck! So already I love it.

Second: Meeting so many of the authors in person was awesome. Of course, some of the authors I knew quite well before showing up today. A few others, I had met briefly, but don’t really know them. Still others, I’d never seen before. It was great to put faces with names. I kept thinking things like: “Oh, so that’s the lady who defied her parents’ wishes when she got married.” And: “Huh. That’s the the guy who grew up with a mom and grandma that channeled the dead? Weird.” And: “So that lady’s a vegan. I wonder what she’s gonna eat from the buffet? Oh well, more for me.”

About 25 of the 35 essayists were presnt, plus most of the editorial staff, the man who penned the book’s Introduction, the woman who painted the book’s cover, and people who worked on the book’s design and on the publisher’s publicity team.

Among the authors are…

Greg Laden, who writes one of my favorite blogs.

Shannon Drury, a self-proclaimed “radical housewife.”

PZ Myers, who writes what is probably the most popular science blog on the web.

and Norman Barrett Wiik, who I’d never met in person until today. Thankfully, he and his wife showed up with their kids, so my kids loved jumping around the room and causing mayhem with them.

Anyway, the book is for sale now, so please buy a copy. It contains many moving, insighful, and sometimes funny essays. Besides seeing what my wife and I wrote, if you are an ex-JW, you might be interested to know there’s another essay in the book from a former Witness. And if you are my co-worker, you might be interested to know there’s another essay in the book from one of our co-workers.

The book is for sale at Amazon. It’s slightly cheaper at Barnes and Noble. If Kindle is your sort of thing, it’s available for that, too. And if you’re super cheap (and you live in Hennepin County), you can get it from your local library.