The Happy Booker

In Search Of...

No, we're not in search of the Happy Booker. We're right here where you've left us, recovering from the book release party for Grand Avenues held at our home this weekend.  75 close friends stopped by the house to party the night away and we're still picking up the pieces.  (photos posted later in the week, stay tuned!)

Today's "In Search of" comes from Beltway Quarterly editor Kim Roberts.  Can you help??

PUBLIC SCULPTURE IN DC COMMEMORATING FAMOUS AUTHORS

The most frequently depicted author in DC? Dante. Go figure. Here's a list I've compiled of outdoor sculpture of authors in our nation's capital. We're used to driving around all those circles with a man on a horse in the middle. But not all our public sculpture is of generals!

For a full list of museums, historic houses, plaques, and statuary having anything to do with authors in the greater DC area, see Beltway Poetry Quarterly.

Know of a statue I missed? Please let us know and help us with our list.

--Kim Roberts

Aleksandr Pushkin Monument
22nd and H Streets NW, George Washington University, DC.

Dante Alighieri Statue
Malcolm X Park, southwest corner. 15th and W Streets NW.

Dante Alighieri Statue
Casa Italiana, 595 1/2 Third St. NW.

Francis Scott Key Statue
M Street at 36th St. NW, near the entrance to Key Bridge in Georgetown, DC.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Statue
M Street and Connecticut Ave. NW, DC.

Khalil Gibran Memorial Garden
3100 block of Massachusetts Ave. NW, DC.

Library of Congress Busts of Eminent Men of Letters
Jefferson Building exterior. Busts of Demosthenes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Wolfgang von Goethe, Washington Irving, Benjamin Franklin, Lord Macaulay, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Sir Walter Scott, and Dante Alighieri.

Pablo Neruda Bust
Organization of American States, Constitution Avenue and 18th St. NW.

Rubén Darío Statue
Organization of American States, Constitution Avenue and 18th St. NW, DC.

Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz Bust
Organization of American States, Constitution Avenue and 18th St. NW, DC.

Taras Shevchenko Statue
P Street, between 22nd and 23rd Streets NW, DC.

Teresa de la Parra Bust
Organization of American States, Constitution Avenue and 18th St. NW, DC.

DC Event Tonight

Mary Kay Zuravleff and Doug Lang will be giving a benefit reading at  Westmoreland Church this evening at 7:30. This event will raise money for the Marie H. Reed Learning Center. Book-signing and reception will follow.

The reading is free and open to the public. All of Zuravleff's books have been donated and 100% of proceeds from book sales will go to the Marie H. Reed Learning Center,
a DC public school, community center, and clinic in Mount Pleasant. This program is part of Westmoreland Church’s commitment to helping children learn to read.

About the Authors:

Doug Lang is an expatriate Welsh writer who teaches at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. He has also worked as a photography editor in the BBC’s newsroom in London and as a laborer in a steel mill in South Wales. He has published novels, stories, poems, reviews, and essays. A volume of his selected poems is forthcoming from Edge Books.

Mary Kay Zuravleff is the author of two novels. The Bowl is Already Broken ("a tart, affectionate satire of the museum world" --The New York Times) and The Frequency of Souls, which won the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of the Arts

Turning Up The Heat—Richmond

Don't miss Literary Luvin': The How-tos of Passion, Erotica & Romantic Intrigue in Fiction at the Science Museum of Virginia, tonight at 6pm.

"Me love you long time" makes for catchy rap lyrics, but what is the stuff of seriously sexy prose? How should writers treat love/sex/relationships without reducing breathy exchanges to banal, amateurish entries best left to chat rooms? And what are the techniques for creating authentic intimacy and sublime romantic tension? Fresh off the Valentine's circuit, we'll delve into the A,B,Cs of XOXO, touching upon the business of classic romance, complicated love, and blush-worthy erotica. Featuring host Jason Tesauro, author of The Modern Lover: A Playbook for Suitors, Spouses & Ringless Carousers, along with authors Dallas Hudgens, Judi McCoy, Marliss Melton, Hope Tarr, and Diane Whiteside.

Tickets $10; $5 for students with valid college/university ID.

6:00 PM JRW Member Social
6:30 PM Writing Show begins

Fountain Books

Review News

Remember way back to last week when we talked about the two books we're looking forward to reading this month?

Well Grand Avenues is making some splashy news with a wonderful review by Witold Rybczynski in the Wall Street Journal on Friday. Unfortunately, the WSJ appears to be in lock down for non paying subscribers but here's a lovely excerpt:

"[Scott Berg] scrupulously reviews the historical record, makes informed guesses where he can and expertly guides the reader through the details of this fascinating and momentous story."

The book also garnered good reviews in The New York Sun last week and a strange but good review in the Tampa Trib —Dan Brown?? (Maslin should have read that review before she wrote this NYT piece.)

Speaking of reviews, BondGirl showed up in our BookWorld this weekend, writing about Science Fiction. It was Gwenda who recommended Girl in the Glass to us, a lovely well-written mystery that kept us turning pages. When Gwenda recommends, we listen.  She also pointed out this article in the Guardian on writers' rooms. A rare look at the writing spaces of A.S. Byatt, David Hare, Sarah Waters and more.  Enjoy!

Badonkadonk

900,000 readers of The Washington Post saw our butt this morning. While we were happy to share our work out regime, photos were not required.  Click here to READ about our early morning work out regime. (Sorry net readers, no phtos), and here for a description of our weekday routine. If you still have any unanswered questions about joining an exercise boot camp click here.

It's not all butts and guts in the WaPo this week. There was new fiction from some of our favorite authors: Ron Carlson, ZZ Packer, and Jill McCorkle.  Also, don't miss their fiction contest, that's right, a fiction contest in the Post. Information here.

Other non-Washington Post related news:

Bat Segundo chats with Heidi Julavits, our old acquaintance from Bread Loaf, about The Believer and clarifying her anti-snark manifesto. Listen in here.

Color us excited: Dan Wickett and Steve Gillis at Dzanc Books  acquired Yannick Murphy’s second short story collection, In a Bear’s Eye (due out early next year). Here They Come, Murphy's first novel was an earlier LBC selection and we have high expectations for this collection.

Spring is coming, or so they promise. Our road is completely iced over and the kids haven't been to school since last Tuesday—it's been a looong week here, folks. This weekend we're going to think warm thoughts and work on this project with the kids—Spring's gotta come, right?

Happy Weekend!  xoxo, tHB

Talk Radio

Turn your dials to 107.7 FM this morning and catch the Happy Booker. We''ll be on The Washington Post's radio station to discuss our upcoming article about what we've really been doing with our early morning hours: Exercise Boot Camp.  Hard to believe, we know. But you won't tell anyone our little secret, will you?

The Happy Booker discusses her work out regime on 107.7 FM at 11:20.  Tune in.  And look for our feature in Friday's WEEKEND section of The Washington Post.

Internet Quiz #567

We're a sucker for a quiz.  How did they know?

I'm terza rima, and I talk and smile. Where others lock their rhymes and thoughts away I let mine out, and chatter all the while. I'm rarely on my own - a wasted day Is any day that's spent without a friend, With nothing much to do or hear or say. I like to be with people, and depend On company for being entertained; Which seems a good solution, in the end. What Poetry Form Are You?

xxoo, tHB

We're back at the blog, just in time for our favorite holiday.  A day that started with breakfast in bed served up by the kids: Waffles with syrup in the shape of a heart and a piece of toast; we're a carb-craver household here..

So, a day of floral tributes and chocolate, what's not to love?  It's also a snow day, a wintery icy day with schools and offices closed up tight. A full day locked in the house with the kids.  Oh boy…

Here's a few things to get you clicking on a cold winter's day:

Spring titles have sprung over at the LBC. Go see what we're going to be reading and discussing in the coming months.

Birnbaum interviews Richard Ford about The Lay of the Land.  Bat Segundo also gets some sit down time with Richard Ford, catch a listen here.

In our absence it looks like Ms. BookSquare had a little work done —ooo la la…

Books we're looking forward to this month:

Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C. by Scott W. Berg.

All Saints by Liam Callanan.

Maybe next year we'll order some of these in time for the holiday, or this sassy accessory. Thankfully, these aren't sold out—keep reading close to your heart!—and this nifty craft project promises to keep up busy for the afternoon.

Happy Valentine's Day!  xxoo, tHB