Critics' Group NBCC Picks Huneven Among the Nominees for Prize--Everything Else is Gravy

It turns out that most major awards are determined by fellow writers? (Note to insiders--remember that the prime market here is my customer. Only maybe you've not really thought about it either).

Pulitzer--writers

National Book Award--writers

Man Booker--writers

Nobel Prize--friends of King Carl XVI Gustaf, some of them writers

Thurber Prize for Humor--writers, including last year's nominee Sloane Crosley, whose new book, How Did You Get This Number, is coming out in June. I still would like to get to 100 copies sold of her last book. If we can do this, we will have cake. We're in the 60's.

Et cetera.

But the National Book Critics Circle award actually comes from professional book reviewers, those other people (well, besides booksellers) we count on to find out what to read. There's a board (our former book editor from the Journal Sentinel, Geeta Sharma Jensen, was on that and so I occasionally got to hear some inside, thought not secret, scoop) and though many critics do write books as well (Boswell fave The Magicians was written by Time magazine book critic Lev Grossman, for example), it's certainly not required.

Of course, all other nominees were a blur after seeing Michelle Huneven's Blame nominated for the NBCC award for fiction. Man Booker winner Hilary Mantel and National Book Award nominee Bonnie Jo Campbell were also among the nominated in fiction.

In some ways, the NBCC puts more focus on serious nonfiction, with four categories--biography, autobiography, criticism, and nonfiction--in which to spread the love. The nonfiction then becomes a catchall of history and social criticism. It's also my thought that so many categories dillutes the impact. What we find in the store is that an already buzzed-about book that wins in one of these categories will have a greater pop, but it's hard for a title without too much momentum to break out, the way it can in fiction (which, as you'll notice, is not divided into genres and short vs. long form, or anything else).

I find it interesting that so many of the strong biographies last year were of literary figures. Instead of the Raymond Carver bio that the New York Times touted, nominees included Brad Gooch's Flannery O'Connor and Blake Bailey's John Cheever. In fact, the two lists (NBCC vs. NYT) had no fiction books in common, although they did share several nonfiction titles.

Perhaps they should do what the Kosta (formerly Whitbread) Prize does, and make the various nonfiction prizes battle it out for a superprize.

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While we're talking lauds, note that local fave Dwellephant's graphic novel Missing the Boat was named by Comic Book Resources to be one of the top 100 comics of 2009. Click here for some of the list (including MTB) and link to the rest.

We Interrupt This Blog for an Annoucement from Dwellephant

Here is an unabashed plug for an un upcoming event. If nothing else, you must come see the exquisite hand-painted books.

"This Saturday, I'll be tucked away somewhere in The Boswell Book Company , drawing and signing in every copy of my new book, Missing the Boat , that you buy. But before you can even reach me, like a force-field of purchasable awesomeness, will be my friends:

• Alverno Presents
• Cedar Block
• Corey Hengen
• hot*pop
• Teecycle
• WMSE
• Zewing Girl

And as if that weren't enough, rumor has it Pezzettino will be performing live, WMSE's DJ Dori Zori will be providing the overall soundtrack, AND there will be a raffle."

A raffle? A raffle. An AWESOME raffle. With original art from yours truly, as well as amazing gifts generously donated by RISHI TEA , TEECYCLE and others

I know what you're thinking: "Mr. dwellephant. What do all these people have to do with your incredible new book, MISSING THE BOAT?

EVERYTHING.

I wouldn't be who I am if it weren't for these people supporting me and inspiring me with what they do. Milwaukee is an incredible city. I wouldn't have moved here six years ago if it weren't. I wouldn't still be here SIX YEARS LATER if it still wasn't. And the only way to make sure one of us keeps doing what we're doing? Make sure ALL OF US keep doing what we're doing. Supporting them = supporting me. Embracing that philosophy will do you wonders in life. I promise. (And if you don't live in Milwaukee, apply it to YOUR city!)

Bring your kids. Bring your friends. And definitely bring your wallet."

Our First Email Newsletter Went Out on Tuesday and I'm Posting Most of it Right Here, Even Though That's not Really Correct Blog-i-quette.

They said it would never be done. I said it would never be done. It may never happen again. But on Tuesday, I sent out our first email newsletter. At Schwartz, we used to archive it on our website. Constant Contact has a function to archive newsletters as well. However, I was thinking of using the system to send sort of non-public emails, to staff, media, publicists, and those don't really make sense to be publicly archived. The short answer, is that I can't like you to the email right now. I can, however, print a bit of it.

You want poetry events? You've Got Poetry Events!
Monday, April 20th, 7 PM. Acclaimed poet and Wave Books editor Joshua Beckman reads from his new collection, Take It. Also appearing are local faves Derrick Harriell and Drew Blanchard.

Saturday, April 25th, 7 PM. A taste of a traditional Persian poetry night features several poems in English and Farsi. That's just a warmup for Roya Hakakian, acclaimed poet and author of the memoir Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iraq. (Hakakian is coming to Milwaukee through the sponsorship of Alverno College and the Wisconsin Society of Jewish Learning.)

Wednesday, April 29th, 5-7 PM. It's a pre-screening reception for the 2nd annual Poetry Everywhere collection of short animated films. It's also a shopping night for this worthy project. Ask for 10% of your sales to benefit the cause. Then head to the Downer Theater at 7 PM for the show. For more info, contact Christi Clancy.

We Just Couldn't Wait More Pre-opening Events
Sunday, April 26th, 11 AM-6 PM. It's a shopping day for SEED, the organization that helps Shorewood public schools. For more information contact Kathy at Fireball Communications.

Tuesday, April 28th, 7 PM. Acclaimed feminst Gerda Lerner appears for her new collection of essays, Living with History/Making Social Change, where she looks at how she transformed the history profession and established the women's studies as a mainstream field. Can't make this event? Lerner will be appearing at UWM Bookstore on Wednesday, April 29th. Contact Erik Hemming at UWM for more info

Grand Opening Preview

Our Upcoming Events. (More to come in our next email, when we hope our web site is up and running!)Wednesday, May 6th, 7 PM Wisconsin's own Jane Hamilton talks about and reads from her new novel, Laura Rider's Masterpiece.

Thursday, May 7th, 7 PM. The best of the undergraduate writers, hand-picked by C. J. Hribal and Liam Callanan. Come cheer your favorite at Boswell's first fiction smackdown.

Friday, May 8th, 7 PM. The big day, featuring Elinor Lipman appearing for The Family Man, Anita Shreve for the paperback of Testimony, and Mameve Medwed for Of Men and Their Mothers. It's Best Buddies Night--the authors are not just friends of Boswell, they're pals with each other. Bring your own best buddy. And here's my favorite part--all three authors will be guest booksellers on Friday afternoon, recommending their favorite books to all comers.

Saturday, May 9th, 2 PM. It's our talk and scavenger hunt featuring Dwellephant and Friends. It's all a celebration for the publication of Dwellephant's illustrations for the new and wonderful kids' graphic novel Missing the Boat, written by Wayne Chinsang and Justin Shady. Even I'm not quite sure how this is going to work, but five minutes with Dwellephant (you know his illustrations from WMSE, Alverno Presents, and the Milwaukee Art Museum, plus his exhibit at Hot Pop) and I was hooked!

Our In-Store Book Clubs, Mark Your Calendars
Tuesday, April 21st, 7 PM. The Shorewood Schwartz Mystery Book Group has moved to Boswell Book Company on Downer Avenue. This month they're reading Agatha-Award-winner Rhys Bowen's Murphy's Law. Contact Anne for more information.

Monday, May 4th, 7 PM. Yes, I'm trying to start an in-store book club. Why not? The first selection of the First Monday book club is Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor. All you folks who loved The Elegance of the Hedgehog have got to try this. Here's a rave from Jim Higgins in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact DG for more info.

I'm not going to copy my email newsletter into my blog every week (or as often as we send it out). That's not what a blog is. So really what you should do is sign up. For now, the best way is to send an email to info@boswellbooks.com and put "newsletter" in the heading. I've got about 600 subscribers, but I think I need more than that to get the word out.