Mid-West Bound
Category: Travel and Places

This time, next week, I will be in Bloomington, Indiana, doing research.

Currently listening : Exciter By Depeche Mode Release date: 2001-05-15

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Zona Norte up @ amazon
Category: Travel and Places

Zona Norte has a November 1 publish date.

Currently reading : Knockemstiff By Donald Ray Pollock Release date: 2008-03-18

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Announcement
Current mood: awake
Category: Religion and Philosophy

See

http://blacklawrence.wordpress.com/

Currently reading : The Internet: An Ethnographic Approach By Daniel Miller

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Short Story Collection
Current mood: animated
Category: Writing and Poetry

I am happy to announce that Black Lawrence Press has accepted/contracted my collection of literary stories, Pictures of Houses with Water Damage.

This will be my first non-genre collection.

Currently listening : Mechanical Animals By Marilyn Manson Release date: 1998-09-15

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Helm 2 -- Vollmann and Carver Research
Current mood: awake
Category: School, College, Greek

Next week I go back to Indiana Univ. for my second Helm Fellowship at the Lilly Library.  Last time was for the Gordon Lish archives and this time I am there to closely examine the Vollmann book art objects they have there for an article and for the Vollmann bibliography; as well as a close critical examination of all the Raymond Carver limited ane collectir's editions they have, from stories done as fine art books to poems as broadsides. They seem to have them all there. This is for the Carver book but could also be a critical biblio essay.

Some nice, quiet, fun literary research.  I enjoyed Bloomington last March, although I must admit that land-locked feeling was weird. I don't like being away friom the water, the ocean...even in the desert, I know the ocean is only 150 miles away, unlike Indiana, thousands of miles away.

I enjoyed the academic atomospehre there -- very serious, even if it is Hooiser land.  Good libraries there. I enjoyed eating at the Steak and Shake.

I may apply for a Mendel Fellowship which could be anywhere from 2-9 months. The Mendel Collection has documents and books that could aid in my histirty of Mexican drug cartels, and expansion of my Reader artucle -- an agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Agency has expressed interest in repping such a book, and I have applied to the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation for a grant to support the time and research I'd need for this big, long project.

But what about flm?  There are other projects shooting, to shoot, to sell -- there are festivals to screen The Watermelon at...these will also be in my life.

Who needs sleep in 2009?

Currently reading : Cancer and Death: A Love Story in Two Voices (Health Communication) By Leah Vande Berg

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Post Film Festival
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

San Diego Film fest was fun.  The two screenings of my movie went quite well, despite some technical problems with the sound, and the fact they did not have a High Def projector for the DigiBeta screening copy.

The parties were wild, a lot of gorgeous women -- too many were models GQ and Tommy Bahma rum and Heinekin and other sponsors hired to just look good and mingle, and there were some call girls working the W Hotel as they work all hotels downtown.

Old friend Lissa Zappardino came down to see my film. She used to act in many of my plays.  Oh what would have Christine (the married woman I was seeing in 1996-1998 who was her friend) thought if she knew I had a movie finally? Probably much like Liv Kellgren: seething that an asshole like me got what they didn't.

There are still some sound cues and things that need to be fixed, but the movie looks and sounds good and is "almost" there.

Ready for more film fests now...

Saw some good short films and a couple good features.  The one that won two big awards I thought wasn't that good, I walked out half-way through. Art is subjective. The acting in it was good, so the lead did deserve best actor.

It was a learning experience. I have been doing the film fests the past two years with screenplays that are finalists...now, a film...these events are never as gala or glamorous as the pix on the web sites make them seem...they are filled with normal people and filmmakers and actors who are all divas and think they know everything.

Some strange, short filmmaker -- he was like 5 feet tall and in his 40s -- kept bugging me and telling me how Jerry Seinfeld was enterng his dreams.

"Jerry does that to people," I told him.

"You dream of him too?!" he asked, flabbergasted.

"Of course," said I, "doesn't everyone?"

Currently reading : The Essential Ellison: A 35 Year Retrospective By Harlan Ellison

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Weekend fun
Current mood: listless
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Well, the San Diego Film Fest has started and my movie has its fist screening ever tomorrow.  Am I nervous?  I am more worried about technical problems than audience reaction right now.  One movie I saw (and walked out half-way thru it was so slow and boring) started 15 min. late because they wouldn't fifure out how to play the exhibition copy -- not sure what format it was in, but it was annoying, as they did't show the trailers on preview night last week because the DVD player would not read the DVD. (I saw the trailers in the 944 Lounge on a flat screen and The Watermelon looked great!)

I was going to stay and see more films and go to opening night party, but I got maybe two hours of sleep last night and was cranky and tired.  There are a dozen more paties to attend over the weekend, anyway, and I have a room at The W Hotel, where I am writing from.

So came back and found an email telling me my paper, "Autoethnography as Stand-Up Cmedy," is accepted in the Dec. issue of the journal, CREATIVE APPROACHES TO RESEARCH, a new open access journal from Australia.  It seems to me qualitative researchers down under are far more open to experiments than the tight-asses in the U.S.

I'm trying to finish up the Gordon Lish book to submit next month. I see they changed the pub. date from March 1 to July 1, which makes more sense now.

I need to put finishing touches on the rewrite of the STAR TREK monograph and re-submit it to Wayne State UP.

Other books I need to finish by year's end:
THE REFLEXIVE GAZE OF CRTIFICTION (Guide Dog Books)
THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF PORNOGRAPHY (SUNY Press)
iBLOGGER (Hampton Press)
WOMEN IN THE WORK AND LIFE OF RAYMOND CARVER (McFarland)

I may even finish my novel, LUNCH IN THE GRASS.

This does not incude what essays/book chapters I need to warp up soon on:
Rape in David Lynch films;
teen titans and youth issues;
the last 3 books by Vonnegut;
Hamlet and the internet;
critifction and the rejection of the new critics
essay on money slaves;
essay on Jumbo's Clown Room (aka The Happy Room)
essay ..ion and memory

Well....
Off I go to type.

Currently watching : Desert Punk, Vol. 1 - Into the Desert (Limited Edition) Release date: 2006-02-28

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Modern Language Sudies
Category: Writing and Poetry

The Summer 2008 issue of Modern Language Studies contains a 3-page review I wrote of William T. Vollmann's Riding Toward Everywhere.

Currently reading : The Active Interview By James A. Holstein

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Me on TV
Current mood: awake
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

So I was on CW 6 San Diego "In the Morning" this morn at 8:40 a.m., doing a small interview to promote The Watermelon and the San Diego Film Fest.

Went okay, I think.  The news anchor, Amanda, who interviewed me, was hot.

Next Friday -- first screening.  We'll see how an audience reacts.

Currently listening : Portishead By Portishead Release date: 1997-09-30

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Next Book - ZONA NORTE
Current mood: angsty
Category: Writing and Poetry

My next book, ZONA NORTE, two years of ethnographic and qualitative research, is set for a November 1, 2008 publication date from Cambridge Scholars, in a nfty over-priced case laminate library hardcover:

http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/ZONA-NORTE--The-Post-Structural-Body-of-Erotic-Dancers-and-Sex-Workers-in-Tijuana--San-Diego-and-Los1-4438-0010-4.htm

I just got the cover proofs -- it rocks.  Picture of two Tijuana hookers in black and white.

Currently listening : The Dethalbum (Deluxe Edition) (2CD) By Dethklok Release date: 2007-09-25

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New Book Announcement
Category: Writing and Poetry

The Dybbuk Press in New York will publish my collection of 3 novellas and 3 stories, THIS OTHER EDEN, c. Feb. 09.

More later...

Currently reading : Karaoke Nights: An Ethnographic Rhapsody (Ethnographic Alternatives) By Rob Drew

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The Watermelon
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

My movie's page @ the SDFF:

http://sdff.bside.com/2008/films/thewatermelon_sdff2008

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Screening Times for The Watermelon
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural

Just been told when The Watermelon will screen at the San Diego Film Festival:

Friday, Sept. 26, 2:30 pm
Sunday, Sept. 28, 5:00 pm

The Friday time kind of sucks but Sunday is a good time, last day of fest, we expect to pack that theater like fudge in a basket, like corn in a cornholer, like sardines in a sardine shaker.

Currently listening : The Best of Joy Division By Joy Division Release date: 2008-04-29

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The Audacity of Democracy
Current mood: cynical

So LightSong Films has been hired to make a documentary about some funny and possible illegal dealings in the Obama Campaign and the people funding (pulling the strings).  The doc is produced by PUMA (Party Unity My Ass) and called The Audacity of Democracy. Right now, Brad and Lori are in Denver for the DNC.

It's been weird for them…much traveling…here is a trailer of some of what they have shot.

But there are those, it seems, who do not want this doc made…

Brad talks about it on his blog – going from JFK Airport to O'Hare in Chicago, he was pulled aside by the TSA and searched and questioned. That's no big deal, the same happened to me in March at the Indianapolis Airport – a 50ish tall TSA dude ZOOMED HIS SITES on me the second I walked in, I heard him say to another TSA guy, pointing at me, "He is a referral."  They searched all through my stuff (tho did not catch I had Tramadol in an aspirin bottle) and the tall guy asked me rapid-fire questions, the kind meant to trip you up, which does not work on me…

Anyway, Brad then says two rigid Air Marshall types sat on either side of him, not moving, not saying a word…coincidence, maybe…

But he found that both his XL2 cameras had been stolen.  How does this happen in a post-911 Orange Alert era…if someone can WALK OUT with two big cameras, someone could WALK IN with a bomb, eh…unless of course the people doing security do the theft….so it was either the baggage handlers for Jet Blue or the PSA guys…the Chicago cops told Brad they felt it was the PSA, and noted that Chicago politicos are corrupt, and there are many in Chicago who have vested interested in Obama…

PUMA bought him a replacement and they are trying to get Jet Blue to pay for the loss. I guess there was no insurance and Jet Blue claims they cannot be held responsible for a political black ops theft…still, I think the threat of having Homeland come down hard on their security should get them to pony up.

Brad says in his blog he did get threats…

Then Lori says she came home and it looked like the door lock had been messed with, an d missing from the apartment was a notebook that had all her contacts, info, schedules, etc., for who to interview and meet…

This is not hard to believe. PUMA has their lines tapped, this doc has been in the news from The Wall Street Journal to FOX, so Obama's people, whoever they really are (I feel Obama is actually fronted by the Republicans to keep Hilary off the ticket) are keeping tabs on this doc, and have done their intimidating…

I just hope they are okay in Denver and don't get tossed in those mass jails or get beaten up…this is all I need now that The Watermelon is getting its wings…then again, this sort of newsworthy matters could help the film in great ways… "Producer and Director of Hemmingson Indie Film Disappear at DNC, Without a Trace."

Kidding.

Well, this is the world we live in….we have free speech still, but they won't make it easy for us to express it.

Currently reading : Homewrecker: An Adultery Anthology

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San Diego Film Festival!
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Just got official word that my feature film, THE WATERMELON, has been selected for the San Diego Film Festival, Sept. 25-28, two screenings at the Gaslamp AMC 15.


Don't know dates yet, which will be posted on the site c. Sept.
1--

www. sdff. org

Come see Will Beinbrink, Jolene Hui, Steve Shields, Mike Ivy, Bob Goulb, Kiersten Morgan, Elyse Ashton, Julia Aks, Volt Francisco and many more on the big screen!

Currently reading : McTeague (Signet Classics) By Frank Norris Release date: 2003-08-05

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