Random Quotation
“The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels & God, and at liberty when of Devils & Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devils party without knowing it.”
—William Blake (1757-1827)
Why I Publish
By Lester | October 9, 2011
Imagine you’re a clumsy, bookish kid with no real talent for sports. Your otherwise good marks in school are marred only by the humiliation of Gym class, where you eke out a passing grade mainly due to the occasional written exam. Naturally, the other kids taunt you.
Now imagine your folks split up about the time you turn sixteen. Suddenly you’re living in a different town, going to a different school, with a belly full of hurt and a whole new group of kids to taunt you. After the first day of Gym, you’re sitting in the locker room, tying your shoes, and a couple of bullies approach. (They never come alone.) You don’t know how to fight—you were raised to turn the other cheek—all you know is how to suffer. You steel yourself for what’s coming.
Suddenly, around the corner of the lockers strides this other kid, a big guy, fit to be a linebacker. “Leave him alone,” he barks. “He’s my friend.”
The bullies shuffle backward, saying, “Sorry, Allan. Sorry. We didn’t know.” It’s almost comical watching them try to sort of bow and run away at the same time.
The big guy, ‘Allan,’ pats you on the back. “So what’s your name, new kid?” he asks. “If we’re gonna be friends, I gotta know what to call you.” And you realize you’ve just met your first real-life hero.
True story. The bookish kid was me, of course. Allan stuck by me through the rest of high school, despite our having nothing much in common. Later, we worked eight years together in a factory, before a layoff prompted me to try my hand at college and led me to a publishing career in Wisconsin. In the meantime, Allan fought, and beat, a bout of cancer. He wasn’t going to let that bully him, either.
Allan inspired me to stick up for the underdog myself. I strive to apply his example any way I can. Which brings me to Popcorn Press. This little part-time publishing venture allows me to apply the skills I’ve learned in my career to help everyday people get worthy projects into print—without charging them for it, the way many services do. Many of our books contribute funds to the Milwaukee office of Feeding America.
But now I’d like to mention a specific project.
Recently, Patricia Harkness approached me about publishing a biography of her father, Bob Sampson, a real-life hero who, despite having had muscular dystrophy, accomplished much in the 20th-century fight for disability rights. Pat had written a first draft of his biography, but she needed help finishing it, and she needed a publisher. Bob’s life story struck me as so important, so worthy, that I had to do something to help. So I introduced Pat to Doug Niles, one of my professional novelist friends, and together the three of us launched www.WhatIftheGlassBreaks.com to tell people about the project.
Here’s how you can help: Visit the site, and if you agree that it’s a worthy cause, please spread the link to your friends and family.
That’s all. Just please spread the link. www.WhatIftheGlassBreaks.com.
Thanks much,
Les
Topics: Announcements | 5 Comments »
Bob Sampson, Disability Activist
By Lester | September 29, 2011
Last night was one of the more satisfying moments in my life: a contract signing to publish a biography of disability-rights activist Bob Sampson. (Here’s an overview of Bob’s life by the Washington Post).
Pictured above, from left to right, are myself, Bob Sampson’s photo, Douglas Niles (author), and Patricia Sampson-Harkness (Bob’s daughter, coauthor), signing the contract to move this project forward.
Pat’s job to this point has been compiling information, organizing photos, and so on. Now Doug will join her to write a polished draft. He is the author of more than 50 books (including the recent nonfiction title We Were Berliners, which tells the true story of a German man and woman who met and fell in love during World War II, of his subsequent struggles as a foot soldier on the Western Front, and hers as a civilian as the Russians invaded Berlin). My job, as Popcorn Press, will be to publish and promote Bob’s biography, a pleasure.
Bob Sampson’s life was amazing, an inspiration to everyone it touched. If you haven’t yet read the Washington Post article, please do. You’ll be grateful for the link.
More details about the project, including how you can help make it happen, will be posted in the next few days.
Wish us luck!
—Les
Topics: Announcements | 2 Comments »
My First YouTube Appearance
By Lester | September 16, 2011
Ed Healy recently did something he called a “Gamerati Tour,” driving across the US from hobby store to hobby store, to promote local shops and the game hobby in general. (Thanks, Ed!) Along the way, he shot a bunch of short videos of people involved in the hobby. Here’s my recounting of a creepy dream:
Don’t miss my friend and fellow Alliterate Matt Forbeck‘s memories of first playing D&D, and Phil Glotfelty’s wonderfully funny, touching story of being a blind store owner dealing with his first ever deaf customer.
Plus, you’ll find many more gamerati videos where those came from. Enjoy!
Topics: Announcements, Game Design | 1 Comment »