I had a piece on the first settlers of Black Rock published on the Bridgeport History Center site and I didn't even know it. So much written over the past decade...I often forget what I submitted and what was accepted, even if I try to keep track. Read it here.
Afoot on the Farmington Canal Trail
Foundation of Summer Chapter 1
The startling new story collection!
Homebound Publications has released the first story from my collection The Foundation of Summer. Check it out here.
A Reason to Write
Just got a nice phone message from someone named Kate Gallagher who finished Becoming Tom Thumb and thought it was the best book she ever read. That's always nice to hear - balances out the occasional hate mail and the disingenuous review or two. It'll help keep me going through the next project. Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed my work and told me about it through reviews or personal messages over the years. You are one of the main reasons I keep writing.
Getting a laugh from Mr. Hotchner.
A.E. Hotchner
I had the privilege of seeing A.E. Hotchner at the Southport Pequot Library a couple weeks ago courtesy of WSHU. He talked about Hemingway in Love, his new memoir, in Hemingway's words for the most part. It describes the crucial situation between Hadley, Ernest, and Pauline, hinted at in earlier biographies and A Moveable Feast, but never described in full. The interview was recorded for the radio, and I asked one of the three questions to Mr. Hotchner, namely for him to describe the differences and similarities of Hemingway and Paul Newman, since he was good friends with both of them. Everyone seemed to like that question.
Hotchner is 95 years old, and still smart as a whip. It was an impressive performance. I hope I am still going that strong in fifty years, and telling stories to generations hence.
Thanksgiving Leftovers
Had a nice bit of leftovers from Thanksgiving, so I decided to take the Bun Lai approach to a meal, and turned some into a nice little roll. Really, all it is, as you can see above, is a wrap with goat cheese, Chinese oyster sauce, pickled wild onions (from our yard), turkey, and cucumber slices. Then wrap it tight, much tighter than a burrito. And with a sharp knife cut into sections (see below). With alittle sriracha this was delicious. The following day I tried it with avocado, as well. Eating things this way forces you to take note of the ingredients, and take care with each bite. You eat less and feel fuller afterward. And, dare I say it, you enjoy it more. Try it with your next leftovers, maybe from one of the dishes in A History of Connecticut Food.
The Story of Bridgeport's Revolutionary Corset Factory
I was interviewed as part of a story on the Warner Brothers Factory in Bridgeport last month, and it is now available here on WSHU. What was really cool was that I got to go into the old buildings and have a tour of the crumbling factory. Fantastic.
Make Way For Ducklings
Loved the "Make Way for Ducklings" statue at the Boston Public Gardens. The key to writing beloved childrens' books may be to locate them in a beloved place. That may go for other literature, as well!
With Legendary Publisher Roger Jackson
I had the opportunity to meet legendary Henry Miller publisher Roger Jackson last week. He is a fascinating guy who has lived a fascinating life, a collector, a preservationist, a creator. The amount of energy he has is inspiring, and I will measure my own against his as I begin to navigate middle age.
David Leff, Leslie Browning, Andrew Long, and Marc Moorash at Nomad's End.
The Sage of Collinsville
Check out the profile I wrote of fellow Connecticut scribe David K. Leff in this autumn's edition of The Wayfarer.
Jonathan Trumbull House This Saturday
This Saturday I will be giving a presentation at the Jonathan Trumbull house (actually next door in the Wadsworth Stable) in Lebanon on Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London. The presentation will begin at about 1:30, but I'll be there from 1-4. See you there!
http://www.govtrumbullhousedar.org/pb/wp_3c100a1b/wp_3c100a1b.html
Cap de Rosiers
Ten years ago at the Cap de Rosiers lighthouse, on the tip of the Gaspe peninsula, I realized that I would spend the rest of my life with Amy Nawrocki. Two years after that we were married, and this summer we returned to that first long vacation, and it was even better than the first one.
I look forward to the twenty year anniversary, when we will return to the Gaspe. Knock on wood.
The spectacular road (Route 132) on the north side of the Gaspe peninsula.
Back from the Gaspe Peninsula
Amy and I are back from our 10th year anniversary trip to the Gaspe Peninsula, an amazing place that most Americans are completely unaware of. We will (fingers crossed) be back again in another 10 years.
Amy Nawrocki, Eric D. Lehman, David Leff, and Leslie Browning
Connecticut Authors at Groton Bank
Bill Memorial Library and the Groton Heights monument.
More appearances!
This weekend I will be at the Groton Art on the Bank underneath the Battle of Groton Heights tower, signing books for Bank Square Books of Mystic, on Saturday from about 1-4 pm. On Sunday I will be giving a presentation at the Hempsted Houses at 2 pm on Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London. Shortly before that you can hear a long interview with me on WXLM in the morning (sometime between 10 and 12).
Eric giving a presentation at the church on Fisher's Island for the Henry Ferguson museum.
Upcoming Appearances
Check my appearances page for the new list. This coming week I will be with my wife at the Bethany Public Library on Tuesday at 6:30 discussing Food and Wine, at the Bridgeport Public Library on Thursday at 7 pm discussing Homegrown Terror, and at the museum on Fisher's Island on Sunday at 4 pm discussing Homegrown Terror. It's a busy week, and I hope I see you at one of my events!
Speaking at the Simsbury Land Trust Annual Dinner
I appear at about 18 minutes in. Enjoy!
Nutmeg Chatter with Amy Nawrocki
Check out Nutmeg Chatter in two days (July 1) for an article/interview about my lovely wife, poet Amy Nawrocki, and her new collection, Reconnaissance.
Madison Senior Center
I hope you'll all join my wife and I for a discussion of Connecticut Food and Wine - either Monday at 1 pm at the Madison Senior Center (for those in the southern tier of the state) or at the Enfield Public Library on Tuesday at 7 pm. We will also be in Bethany in July, but more on that later!
We Have Liftoff
