I've finally done the professional thing and started a FaceBook page for the exclusive use of my muses. Click here to "like" me and I will gratefully unleash my imagination on you.

The lovely article about me in today's Montclarion starts off,

It's a nice article that gives readers a nice overview and a good impression of my perfectly fascinating life.... Unfortunately, what I noticed was what she rhymed my name with. After a few emails ("Rhymes with RAVENous, not raven!" "Yeah, I know what your name sounds like, rhymes with maven!") we spoke on the phone. It's one of those tomato/tomato issues that you can't explain in print... but you know how different people say basil? Or aphids?

In the original Yiddish, maven rhymes with raven, even though one might hear people rhyme it with, say, Caven. I'm still in, like, my fourth minute of fame, so it's all still a little new to me, but I suspect I may suffer the dreadful fate of Brendan Fraser (rhymes with razor) or Michael Chabon (rhymes with maven....). Or my son, since every one of his middle school teachers calls him 'Cave-in" and he's too tired to correct them all.

I think I feel a song coming on....

Something always goes wrong. In every single appearance I've had since I first flashed my book around last October at a writer's salon at Mills, there has been some mix-up or other. That day, my name was spelled wrong on my placard. Before the big May 4th launch, a shipment of 50 books mysteriously disappeared in the mail just days before the event. Three weeks ago, I was being widely advertised as Kristin Craven. Posters I put up for another event mysteriously disappeared. Food did not arrive as planned. Essential nouns went missing from an article about me.

At Laurel Bookstore, the seemingly required mix-up actually turned fortuitously. I had been advertising my book signing on Thursday, May 27th. They publicized Friday, May 28th. What to do? What to do? I had two! "Fun will not be denied," declared Luan Stauss, the owner, and indeed it was not. There were TWO nights of wine and chocolate! Thursday's small crowd was kind enough to let me muddle through my barely-prepared speech and help me craft an entertaining, easy-to-follow presentation that represents the book accurately. On Friday, with the small crowd in the palm of my hands, I felt I had earned my diploma. The butterflies were gone. I finally feel like I know what I'm doing!

Spend the week before overthinking it. Prepare a Powerpoint slideshow about your entire career. Write a lengthy outline cross-referencing the pdf of your book. Borrow a projector and let your twelve-year-old be your AV guy. Obsess on what to wear but don't choose an outfit. Rewrite your Powerpoint slideshow an hour before the event. Forget to bring something to pass out for free as an excuse to shake hands, make eye contact, and make people smile.

Be nervous. Arrive late. Have technical difficulties, lots of them. Switch to a different computer and stand up on stage fiddling with it for 15 minutes as people come in. Set up tons of cartooning materials for sale to an audience really interested in the craft of writing. Jump up with enthusiasm and start babbling. Lose your place in the outline. Skip ahead. Get stuck on one thing. Show elderly people slides of cartoons with tiny, blurry writing. Make some references to your repressed sexuality. Be thirsty. Forget to bring water. Have cotton-mouth.

Become breathless when the timekeeper taps on his watch and gives you five minutes. Be sad about everything you didn't get to say. Tell everyone they should just buy your book and everything you're trying to say will make much more sense. Shout at them to sign up for your mailing list.

When, instead of coming to your table to buy a book at the book signing part of the event, people come up and give you advice on how to give a presentation, don't frown and say "I know, I don't know what I'm doing pretending to be an author." don't think about taking a photo anyway. Don't walk around the room and pass your book flyer out to people and thank them for enduring it. Don't pass out for free the postcards you brought to sell, to salvage the day.

When no one thinks about taking a picture, feel like a failure. Forget that this is a supportive audience. Forget that it was just practice!

Last night's launch of both my book and the strike anniversary celebrations was deeply moving and exciting. President Jan Holmgren, who started at Mills the summer after the strike and is retiring this year, spoke about the strike and the importance of women's education. Everyone told amazing stories and we all watched the video about the 1990 strike.

It felt so good to speak about my lonely process of drawing cartoons and creating a book for these women who inspired so many with their actions. It felt so great to have my book "officially" (and playfully) un-banned!  (Okay, even though the original cartoon collection was unbanned about the time President Jan arrived...) Blogged about the incredible satisfaction of completing the cycle here. More event pix here. L.A. Times article here.

On April 29th, the day of my first public book signing, there was a teacher's strike! This meant the kids weren't in school. This meant I could put them to work! I took Donald and two of his friends to Mills and made them all wear strike t-shirts to publicize the upcoming event. I taught them how to collect cash and suggestive sell and give away free stuff.
After a while they were set free to run around campus and shout and throw things at each other (reminding all who go there why it's so nice to have a place for women only).

On the way there, we stopped by to honk for the picketing teachers. The IRONY of me having my first book signing ABOUT a strike on the DAY my husband was ALSO on strike was not lost on anyone.

<< Here is my revolting husband. Here's what he learned from his strike.

Another teacher took this photo >>
of my book "hot off the press."

My forced grin expresses the excitement and relief of having a shipment of books in hand at the last minute, after the horror of it failing to arrive when scheduled and having to be replaced in an expensive rush. I had asked a friend, "What does this mean? Is the universe trying to tell me something?" Is there some sort of a curse that's warning me I shouldn't be doing this? "You're already doing it," she said. "Maybe it's a message to be more flexible." That's what I learned.

My first interview just came out in the Oakand Fashion Examiner. I got to blab about Oakland style!

Mills College just announced plans for the 20th anniversary of the student strike. Featuring: ME, signing books! Here's the flyer...
I'll also be signing books at the Mills Bookstore the Thursday before at lunch time. My cartoons will be on exhibit at Mills for a few weeks in the bookstore windows. Stop by and see!

Huge thank yous to Alumnae Trusteee Linda Jaquez-Fissori, Laura Gobbi, Alexandra Wong and Caitlin McGarty in the Alumnae House... also Judy Silva and Jeanne Herrera in the publicity office. Also, I really enjoyed getting to know the energetic Mandy Benson, director of Student Activities while organizing this event. Mandy you're such a fun brainstorming buddy!