WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2010 >>>

1. Coldnote plays smooth, sexy soul and funk that's more Marvin Gaye than Prince at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

2. William Hazzard, M.D., will speak on "Living Life to the Fullest ... to the Very End" at 7 p.m. inside Kilworth Memorial Chapel on the University of Puget Sound campus.

3. Architect and City Councilperson David Boe, author and Pierce county Prosecutor Mark Lindquist, and Dr. Hans Ostrom from the University of Puget Sound are the panel for a community conversation concerning the Tacoma Reads Together book The Maltese Falcon at 7 p.m. inside the Olympic Room at the Tacoma Pubic Library Main Branch.

4. Learn easy gardening tips and tricks and how to start a raised bed garden from Master Gardener and TAGRO guru Gordy Behnke at 10:30 a.m. inside the City of Tacoma EnviroHouse.

5. Kareem Kandi Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. inside Pour At Four wine bar in the Proctor District.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

COMING THIS WEEK >>>

Rainier beer fan. New York Times bestselling non-fiction writer. Corner Bar patron. Magician. Father. Fox News Network endorsed wacko.

Depending on whom you ask, University of Washington Tacoma professor Michael Allen is many of those things - if not all of them.

The truth, of course, is not as cut and dry. It never is.

Allen, a professor of history and American studies at UWT, with his signature Yosemite Sam mustache and matching belt buckles - has become quite a story, and it all starts with a simple 800-plus page book, A Patriot's History of the United States.

Published in 2004, A Patriot's History - written by Allen and right wing religious conservative Larry Schweikart, a professor of history at the University of Dayton - is a seriously right of center leaning rebuttal to liberal Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, an equally massive work published in 1980 that took a view on history that few had bothered with up until that point (or shortly before it, as Zinn and many likeminded liberals were coming to control academia after the '60s). A People's History showed the formation of our country from a working class perspective, history from the eyes of those who were trampled, lost or purposefully forgotten - and it's a monumental work. There's a reason - whether Allen and Schweikart like it or not - why A People's History helped redefine and focus our country's complex story, and why it's now part of high school and college curriculums across the country. There's a reason Matt Damon takes his shirt off every time he reads it.

Allen and Schweikart are rebels of sorts. In the world of academia, non-liberals are hard to come by. Allen is as Libertarian as they come. I have never met Schweikart - and he and Allen have only hung out on a few occasions, once watching Team America World Police in a small hotel room (picture that shit and tell me it's not funny!)- yet Schweikart comes off like your stereotypical, delusional, Fox News blowhard ... at least from my liberal perspective. If you didn't know any better, you'd expect pretty much the same from Allen.

And, really, those last two sentences are the key to all of this. We wouldn't be having this blogular conversation if it wasn't for Fox News, perspectives and perceptions -  liberal and conservative, right and left.

You see, a funny thing happened one day. After selling modestly, as you might expect an 800-page history book with an agenda to, Schweikart appeared on Glenn Beck's show. Soon, after being handed a copy, Glenn Beck had endorsed A Patriot's History, saying, "This book has taught me more about our history than any I've read in years." Naturally, Schweikart made return appearances on the show.

The rest, of course, is New York Times bestselling history. In scared, misinformed, government hating, Fox News worshipping households across the country, Beck is gold - and anything he touches shares the wealth - including little ol' belt buckle wearing, history teaching Michael Allen, right here in Tacoma. Our Libertarian man in T-town doesn't have any reservations about accepting the Beck bump.

Over the last month I've gotten a chance to know Allen, interviewing him at length on two separate occasions in his UWT office. He's even showed me a few magic tricks.

That story is coming in this week's Volcano - and it's one you're going to want to catch.

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT >>>

What's a Wayzgoose? Back in the day it was the end of summer bash thrown by the master printer for his shop underlings and apprentices. Wayzgoose in Tacoma began six years ago as collaboration between King's Books public relations guru sweet pea and Jessica Spring, a professor at Pacific Lutheran University. They both had a desire to recognize Small Press Month and local printers.

I dropped by the sixth annual event today at King's Books and mingled with the type nuts, artists, letterpress printers, typographers, graphic, type designers and letterpress enthusiasts. Hundreds were in attendance.

Tacoma artist Chris Sharp manned the steamroller letterpress. Here's a pictorial of his handiwork:

LINK: More photos in our Photo Hot Spot

BLOGS? WHATEVER >>>

Before everyone and his great aunt were clogging up fiber-optic networks with quiche recipes and sociopolitical minutiae, there were zines. But even though zines are tangible, handmade publications invested with character and soul, zinesters are sometimes as isolated as bloggers - which is why local letterpress printers, book artists and King's Books have teamed up to present Wayzgoose, a celebration of printed word, Sunday, April 25.

Various print-related activities will be held at the free event, giving tips on everything from watching letterpress printing in action to creating your own book. Of course, attendees should expect to walk out a few bucks lighter - and a few pounds of letterpress-printed wares heavier.

Seventeen groups will be in the house - including Springtide Press, Beautiful Angle, Guinea Pig Press, Anagram Press, C.L.A.W., and Notta Pixie Press.

And most importantly – How many chances do you have to see sweet pea, of King's Books, driving a steamroller? While those in pea's inner circle may witness such majesty on a regular basis, average folks aren't as lucky -one of the many reasons why the sixth annual Waygoose "letterpress and book art extravaganza" is so damn cool.

Sure, there are plenty of other reasons, like tons of hands on demonstrations from artists and printmakers, but we settle on sweet pea behind the wheel of a big-ass steamroller doing letterpress as reason enough to check it out. Seriously.

[King's Books, Sunday, April 25, 12-4 p.m., free, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.8801]

LINK: Buttload of wayzgoose information

MICHELLE MERRITT'S MEMOIR CONTINUES >>>

"I left Tacoma on April 1 in my Ford Escape," writes Tacoman Michelle Merritt from Wilmington, N.C. "At the moment, I'm couch surfing at a friend's house. I was supposed to be in Italy right now, but had to postpone the trip until May 10. After my stops in Orlando and Tampa - and a little side trip to see Cape Canaveral - I will move on through Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, then leave my car at my son's house in Tucson to fly to Italy for a week. Once I'm back in the states, it's Hollywood and four stops in California."

Such is the life of author Merritt who is on a national promotional tour for her new memoir, One Night in Rome and the End of Life as I Knew It.

Instead of flying, Merritt is couch surfing her way across the country with the help of friends. Her adventures described above detail the first half of her 8,500 mile, 28 state promotional road trip. She has already visited 14 cities and broadcast the adventure via her YouTube channel, Web site, Facebook, and Twitter. Tonight, she will do an impromptu book signing at ladies night at the Melting Pot in Wilmington.

"I could go on about all of the amazing people who have opened their doors and homes to me," says Merritt. "Most of them are folks that I had never even met before: The college student who took me on a tour of Butte and loaned me blankets for the night, my second cousin's wife in Minnesota, a Facebook fan in Fort Wayne, Ind., the 82-year-old parking lot attendant at Oprah's studio in Chicago, my cousin's house outside of Pittsburgh, And the launch party for Over 40 Females in New York City."

Merritt's memoir picks up after the death of her parents in 2007 when she embarked on a soul-searching journey with her stepsister. After a series of unexpected events, Merritt found herself alone on her journey. While in Southern Italy, Michelle reunited with the fascinating man she met one night in Rome. Romance ensued.

"I wrote this story in the hopes that it would inspire others to overcome their own personal tragedies and learn to live again," Merritt writes in her book's press release, "and the people I've met on this trip have made every mile matter."

She will return to Tacoma at the end of May - maybe with experiences for another memoir.

One Night in Rome and the End of Life as I Knew It is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels and will soon be available at bookstores around the globe.

LINK: Merritt hosts a contest for a night in Rome

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 >>

1. Cherie Priest reads and signs her steampunk novel Boneshaker at 7 p.m. inside the Garfield Book Company, off the campus of Pacific Lutheran University. Read the full story here.

2. Riding a wave of positive vibes, the Third Thursday ArtWalk ART BUS is back this month with two tours featuring the same stops: Two Vaults Gallery, Brick House, Fulcrum, 253 Collective, Mad Hat Tea Co., and Sanford & Son Middle Merchants from 5-9 p.m. beginning at the Speakeasy Arts Cooperative.

3. Tacoma's Drinking Liberally group gathers on Tax Day to discuss the national march of Tea Partiers and militias while pounding booze at 7 p.m. inside The Hub.

4. You know how you often suspect the whole, gigantic, monstrous machine is run by multi-zillion dollar companies and insurance shills? Check out the rest of the story, and if there's any hope for us, at 7 p.m. inside King's Books during a conversation on campaign financing organized by Americans in Solidarity, a grass-roots organization looking out for working families.

5. The Matt Coughlin Band, Carmen Caruso, and The Black Sails play an 8 p.m. show inside Bob's Java Jive.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 >>>

1. While there's at least one UWT professor with a mustache - who happens to be on the New York Times Bestseller List - that might not appreciate Howard Zinn, you have to respect what the man stood for. Zinn looked at history like few people were willing and revealed real truths about our roots. He looked at social activism and saw the possibilities of the human spirit. He looked at life, and all the shit we're fed, and never backed down. Zinn will be celebrated at 7 p.m. inside King's Books.

2. Somali pirates board a cargo ship off the coast of Kenya. In Zimbabwe a group of villagers gather in a learning circle. Twenty-five people go to a Web site and loan $25 each to a woman-run business in Bolivia. And in Tacoma, a group of college students and community members come together at a local arts co-op to make quilts and talk with a local author. Explore the connection between these seemingly disparate events with author Ken Miller and the University of Washington Tacoma Book Club from 12:30-2:30 inside the Tacoma Art Place. After the discussion a quilt making will bust out.

3. Saint Martin's University will host nationally known poet and MacArthur fellow Lucia Perillo at 4 p.m. in the O'Grady Library Reading Room on the University's main campus. Perillo, a native of Olympia, will read selections from her five books of poetry.

4. Singer-songwriter Daniel Adams will perform an all-ages show at 7:30 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

5. The multimedia performance art extravaganza Tranny Roadshow will feature poets, rappers, filmmakers, storytellers, breakdancers, rock bands, comedians, actors, folk singers, photographers, zinesters, and others at 8 p.m. at The Evergreen State College.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010 >>>

1. White Ribbon - the 2010 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film -  is an unsettling story set in a small, pre-World War I German village. Strange things are happening. Fear and suspicion spread as everyone tries to discover who is responsible. Featuring monochrome cinematography, the film was shot in color and the color was then removed. Roger Ebert calls the effect "visually masterful" and says "color would be fatal to [the film's] power." It will screen at 9 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater.

2. The State Capital Museum hosts historian Karen Johnson who will discuss the history of The West Shore at noon.

3. The Graphic Novel Book Club will discuss Me and the Devil Blues I: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson by Akira Hiramoto at 7 p.m. inside the 1022 South lounge on Hilltop Tacoma.

4. Loose Gravel & The Quarry will fill The Swiss with blues at 8 p.m.

5. Jazz singer Greta Jane performs at 8 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

CONGRATS ERIK! >>>

City Club of Tacoma Executive Director Erik Hanberg has released his e-book today. Here's the press release:

In 2007 I started working on a novel called The Saints Go Dying, and I'm happy to say that I am releasing it today as an e-book. The novel is a detective mystery with some fun cat-and-mouse games between a detective and a killer.

It's reached #11 (so far) on the Kindle Police Procedural mystery bestseller list, which means it's even been selling better than some books by James Patterson, John Sandford, and other well-known mystery authors! (at least, in ebook form).

At $2.99 per copy, it's not going to make me rich (especially after Amazon's cut) but getting it read and getting it out there will help me build a readership for the sequel, The Marinara Murders, which I want to publish next year, or perhaps even to get this book noticed by a traditional publishing house. 

How to Buy

The book is exclusive to the Kindle, but you don't need a Kindle to read the book! Just download the free Kindle reader for Mac, PC, Blackberry, iPhone, or iPad. Virtually every computer or mobile device has a Kindle reader for it, so not only would you be helping me out, but you'd have a really fun mystery novel to carry with you on your phone or read during a break at your desk at work.

I hope you'll consider downloading and reading!

Here's the key links:

1) download the Kindle reader (if you don't already have a Kindle or the reader)

2) purchase the book

MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2010 >>>

1. Microcosm Publishing's Post Punk Extravaganza West Coast Author Tour hits Northern in Olympia at 7 p.m. The free show will feature: traveling vegan chef/author Joshua Ploeg doing a "cooking show" from his book In Search of the Lost Taste as well as making some interesting vegan snacks for all; Joe Biel will be showing the Plan-It X Records documentary, If It Ain't Cheap, It Ain't Punk!, hosting a Q&A on DIY publishing, and setting up a well-stocked zine/book table; Mia Partlow and Michael Hoerger of the upcoming Edible Secrets book and the brand-new Curious Case of the Communist Jell-O Box poster zine will be showing up with a mobile museum and document library on the fascinating secret history of food and espionage.

2. The Artist's Cut - a retrospective of Toot Reid's body of work - will show from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside the University Gallery at Pacific Luthern University.

3. The Washington State History Museum staff will discuss volatile volcanoes from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Garfield Book Company next to PLU. Then the Weekly Volcano's phone lines and email boxes will be flooded with complaints.

4. Fallujah, Fallen Figure, and Super Happy Story Time Land will play an all-ages show at 7 p.m. inside The Viaduct in Tacoma.

5. Jazzbones' notorious Rockaraoke live band karaoke begins at 9 p.m.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound