Day: April 27, 2017

The Mansion Art Show was quite spectacular last night, there were about 20 entries in the contest. There were three Grand Winners, and about 15 semi-finalists and category winters. The show drew a full house in the Mansion Great Room, and Maria, Scott Carrino and I were the judges. Red worked the crowd.

The categories included Potato stamp, water color, college, drawing, pen drawing, paper to quilt and swirl. Joan was the first of the Grand Winners, for her work “So Blue” in the potato stamp category. (The artist dips a potato in paint and stamps it on paper.)

Joan agreed to sell me “So Blue,” it is going in my study. She was surprised and happy to win. Your donations of paper and ink and mattes and a dozen other things really made this show work, I have never seen the residents so excited, and so many are eager to continue their creativity. Jane told me the show had changed her outlook on life, she wants to take art lessons.

I’ll post the Grand Winners and a few others, this night had a great and warm feel to it, I’m thinking of proposing a music night and contest next. We’ll see what Julie Smith, the activity director, thinks of the idea.

Thanks so much, this really lit everyone up, and looks like it changed a few lives also. Joan was having a hard time, but not last night. She was overjoyed and Scott and Maria and I all felt the emotion in her piece.

Next Tuesday, my traditional opening for my 25th book tour for “Talking To Animals: How You Can Understand Them And They Can Understand You” will be at my hometown bookstore.

Our President is sucking up most of the oxygen in the media world, but I have high hopes fro this book, a study in very personal animal communications, an exploration of the ways in which we need to understand animals, and a history of my own quite complex and intensely emotional life with dogs and cats and donkeys and sheep and barn cats and a few cows and chickens and a pony or two.

It’s been quite a ride. The  book goes on sale nationwide next Thursday, but my tour begins in the usual place, Battenkill Books, my own bookstore.I’ll be reading and answering questions there from 7 p.m. There is no better place to kick off a book tour.

On May 3, I’ll be on the radio for an hour at  2p.m. (WAMC.org) with Joe Donahue talking about my book and dogs.

Then I’ll be off to Mystic Connecticut for the Connecticut Library Association (with Red) meeting in Mystic on May 4 at 4 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel.

Later in May, I’ll talking and reading at the Chatham Library, (May 5, 3:30 p.m.) and then Tuesday, May 23 I’ll be talking and reading at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, N.Y., from 6 to 8 p.m. (Red is coming.) I’ll post other appearances later on in the month.

I’ll also be posting topics daily  on my  Facebook page and answering questions there.

An increasingly important element in my book life now is Battenkill Books, which has already taken nearly 700 pre-orders for “Talking To Animals.” I will sign and personalize any book purchased there and the first 1,000 people who pre-order will also get a classy tote-bag, focused on literary dogs. I’ve been signing books there all week, I hope to get to 1,000 by publication date, and then we’ll get to work on the next 1,000.

You can also order the book by phone, 518-677-2515.

You can support my work, learn about animals, be challenged and perhaps surprised about your views on animals, and support a great independent bookstore if you order or pre-order through Battenkill. They take paypal and major credit cards and are quite nice. Check it out here.