Loretta Stinson has been cruising up and down the West Coast doing all sorts of book events for Little Green this summer. So the map and wheels in this book trailer above by Loretta’s partner Ben Rosenberg have a double meaning these days in regard to Little Green and Loretta.

Last week, Loretta was in the Bay Area doing readings and events at Book Passage, Green Apple Books and meeting with folks from San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium and The Riley Center. We’ll give you a report on that and other events Loretta did along the way shortly with images and videos but for now here are a couple posts that she did for the Wordstock blog recently. Click on the image and it will take you to the post…

Loretta Stinson spells it out...

Quick Q&A with Loretta over at the Wordstock blog...

Loretta Stinson's friend Anja Spence of Miss Zumstein's Cakes and Desserts made a beautiful Ganesh ganache cake for the celebration. Tasted as good as it looks!

So many great people showed up last night for Loretta Stinson’s Little Green book launch party. Even though it was a Sunday night and on the later side with a 9pm start — it was a packed house. Some people in attendance include Debra Gwartney, Eduardo Fernandez, Tony Wolk, Hawthorne Books authors Kassten Alonso and soon to be Hawthorne authors Lidia Yuknavitch and David Rocklin. Here are a few snapshots from the night…

Some songs were sung by Loretta Stinson...

Rhonda Hughes introduced Loretta...

Loretta chatting it up with the lovely Debra Gwartney.

Hawthorne Books author Kassten Alonso with senior editor Adam O'Connor Rodriguez and his wife Sarah Flynn.

Books, books and more books.

Thanks to everyone for coming out!

Little Green in good company at Powell's City of Books.

Even though it’s summer and summer is the sleepy season for many industries including publishing Little Green has been raking in great reviews just in time to launch Loretta Stinson’s book tour. Here’s the book event scoop as of now but please check Loretta’s website regularly for up to the minute events.

Wednesday, 14 July 2010 :: 7.30 – 9.00 pm
Powell’s Books | 3747 Hawthorne, Portland, OR 97214. (503) 235-3802 :: Reading.

Sunday, 18 July 2010 :: 9.00 – 11.30 pm
Mississippi Pizza Pub | 3552 North Mississippi Ave · Portland, Oregon T: (503) 288-3231. :: Please join us for the book launch party of Loretta Stinson’s debut novel, Little Green! Free pizza and beer and music.

Thursday, 29 July 2010 :: 7.00 – 8.00 pm
Eliott Bay Book Company | 1521 10th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122. (206) 624-6600. :: Reading.

Wednesday, 25 August 2010 :: 7.00 – 8.30 pm
Green Apple Books | 506 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94118. (T) 415 387-2272. :: Reading.

Thursday, 26 August 2010 :: 7.00 – 8.30 pm
Book Passage Cafe | 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, CA 94925-1145. T: (415) 927-0960 :: Reading.

Tuesday, 14 September 2010 :: 6.30 – 7.30 pm
Multnomah County Library | Belmont Branch #1038, SE 39th Ave, Portland, OR 97214, T: (503) 988-5382 :: Reading.

Recent coverage:

“Stinson, thankfully doesn’t allow the narrative to wallow or glorify, and the hope found is hard-won and genuine.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Stinson’s first novel is a brutal but ultimately empowering story about the long road one girl has to travel, literally and figuratively, before she can find out who she is.” —BOOKLIST

The Rumpus review
Brain Candy Book Reviews
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
ForeWord Reviews debut author feature
Biblioklept
Reading Local

Visit this blog for all things Loretta and Little Green...

Little Green is out and about and along with its pub. date on the first of June comes a lot of book events. The latest and greatest is below but please check back here for continual updates. You can also bookmark Loretta’s blog for all sorts of good info. and thoughts.

Loretta Stinson Book Tour
Saturday, 22 May 2010 :: 11.45 – 1.15 pm
Portland State University Ooligan Press | Neuberger Hall, 724 SW Harrison Street, Portland, Oregon 97201. 503.725.9748 :: Loretta Stinson to participate on a panel at the Write to Publish, a conference organized by Ooligan Press.

Thursday, 03 June 2010 :: 6.30 – 8.30 pm
Portland State University | Smith Hall, Room 333, Portland, OR :: Loretta Stinson reads from her debut novel, Little Green.

Thursday, 17 June 2010 :: 7:30pm
Annie Bloom’s Books | 7834 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, OR :: Loretta reads from Little Green.

Thursday, 24 June 2010 :: 7.00 – 9.00 pm
Blackbird Wine Shop | 3519 NE 44th Avenue, Portland, OR 97213. T: (503) 282-1887 :: Loretta Stinson reads from her debut novel, Little Green.

Tuesday, 29 June 2010 :: 7.00 – 8.30 pm
Broadway Books | 1714 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232. 503-284-1726 :: Loretta Stinson reads from her debut novel, Little Green.

Wednesday, 14 July 2010 :: 7.30 – 9.00 pm
Powell’s Books | 3747 Hawthorne, Portland, OR 97214. (503) 235-3802 :: Loretta reads from her debut novel, Little Green.

Thursday, 29 July 2010 :: 7.00 – 8.00 pm
Elliott Bay Book Company | 1521 10th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122. (206) 624-6600. :: Loretta Stinson reads from her debut novel, Little Green.

Wednesday, 25 August 2010 :: 7.00 – 8.30 pm
Green Apple Books | 506 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94118. (T) 415 387-2272. :: Loretta Stinson reads from her debut novel, Little Green.

Thursday, 26 August 2010 :: 7.00 – 8.30 pm
Book Passage Cafe | 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, CA 94925-1145. T: (415) 927-0960 :: Loretta Stinson reads from her debut novel, Little Green.

Frank Meeink's talk last night at Powell's Books downtown PDX...

Frank Meeink of Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead has been in Portland for the past several days doing all sorts of great book events including a book launch party at Mississippi Pizza Pub and a reading last night at Powell’s Books downtown. If you haven’t seen him this time around tonight is his last Portland event — a reading/talk at the Clackamas Town Center Barnes & Noble at 7pm.

Tuesday, June 8 2010 :: 7.00 – 8.00 pm
Barnes & Noble | Clackamas Town Center, 12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97086. T: (503) 786-3464 :: Frank Meeink, Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead.

On bookshelves nationwide!

Although publication dates are sometimes a bit slippery with books (you’ll often find titles on shelves a week to three weeks before pub. date) it’s still a momentous occasion for the writer and the publisher. Today Loretta Stinson’s Little Green is officially out in the world. We are very happy and so are a lot of you. We know because you’ve told us and so have the reviewers. Here are a few of the reviews rolling in…

Reading Local: Portland
Valet Reader
Brain Candy Book Reviews

A clip from the ForeWord Reviews piece:

Loretta Stinson successfully mixes drama with gritty reality in her first novel, in which she navigates the fraught waters of domestic violence and drug culture with a careful hand and compassionate heart…Her characters are dynamic and utterly real and while we may want to seal our eyes from the images she hands us it’s impossible not to watch, not to hurt for Janie…while her dreams slip further and further from her grasp.–Andie Diehn, ForeWord Reviews

This fine looking fellow, Frank Meeink, will be in PDX June 3-8 for readings and events.

A little more good news…

Since March 30th, Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead’s Frank Meeink has been on his 20-plus city book tour and this week he lands in Portland. From Ames, Iowa, to Chicago, Phoenix, New York City, Boston, LA, Las Vegas, and more Frank has been zigzagging across the country for book readings and events.

We’re looking forward to spending the better part of a week with him here and since we’re good at sharing we hope you’ll join us. Come one, come all!

Portland calendar:

June 5th, 9pm — Book launch party @ Mississippi Pizza Pub, live music by Nicole Berke, no cover and pizza and beer on us, 3552 N Mississippi Ave., Portland OR.
June 7th, 7:30pm — Reading @ Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, Portland OR.
June 8th, 7pm — Reading @ Barnes & Noble Clackamas Town Center Mall, 12000 SE 82nd Ave., Portland OR.

Recent coverage:

Huffington Post
Ring of Fire Radio
Utne Reader
Coast to Coast
Fresh Air
Chicago Tribune

You're going to be seeing a lot more of Loretta Stinson's name in upcoming weeks...

It’s been busy at Hawthorne Books this spring and that’s not going to stop this summer. Loretta Stinson’s debut novel Little Green, with an introduction by Robin Givens and accolades from Debra Gwartney, Cheryl Strayed, Gina Oschner and other renowned writers comes out in less than a month — June 1st pub. date — and we’re getting ready for her book tour and all sorts of book events.

For now, we have these local PDX events lined up:

Thursday, 29 July 2010 :: 7.00 pm
Elliott Bay Book Company | 1521 Tenth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122. (206) 624-6600 :: Loretta reads from Little Green.

Little Green review copies went out early March...

Followed by Little Green postcards earlier this week...

Little Green, a novel by Loretta Stinson
From Hawthorne Books
pub. date June 1, 2010
www.hawthornebooks.com

Title Wave Used Bookstore has 20,000 used books, audio books, CDs, DVDs and more at bargain prices.

“Searching is half the fun; life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.”

Jimmy Buffet may have been talking about the meaning of life here, but this quote could be applied just as easily to the plight of the common book shopper. While sometimes, a bestseller at a good price is the mission of the buyer, quite often half the fun of purchasing a book is the quest—the search through stack and shelf to find the perfect paper companion. The effort makes the discovery that much more rewarding.

Every quest needs a starting point, a place to pair the hunter with the hunted. While Portland may be home to the largest bookstore in the country, it also houses some lesser-known gems of the used and or specialized variety.

**********

One such place and a recent personal discovery of mine is Title Wave Used Bookstore on 216 NE Knott St. It’s housed in the original Albina Branch Library which was designed in 1912 in Spanish Revival style. Fifty volunteers run the store and the books are cast offs from Multnomah County Library’s collection.

Title Wave opened in March 1988 and carries 20,000 used books, audio books, CDs, DVDs, videos, magazines and cassettes. I purchased a Beirut CD for a mere .75 cents which is the going rate for most of the CDs. The average price for a magazine is $1, the majority of the books ring in at $2, and the inventory changes daily. It’s the perfect landscape for the hunter to score a random and or rare book.

Title Wave Used Bookstore
216 NE Knott St.
Hours: Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm
www.multcolib.org/titlewave
503.988.5021

Cameron's Books is a Portland institution. Photo courtesy of Thomas Hawk.

Cameron’s Books and Magazines located at 336 S.W. 3rd Ave. and established in 1938 carries a wide array of books, and the largest selection of used magazines I’ve ever seen. Whether you’re looking to get a good deal on a past issue of Art on Paper or a vintage Life Magazine, Cameron’s is your best bet. The store may be small, but it is brimming with books. With such a vast selection, shoppers are guaranteed to walk away with things they never knew they needed. Cameron’s is also a good bet for those looking to sell, especially for those whose books didn’t make the cut at Powell’s.

Cameron’s Books and Magazines
336 SW 3rd Ave.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-4pm.
www.cameronsbooks.com
503.228.2391

Ampersand is a great spot for art book lovers.

Both gallery and bookshop, Ampersand Vintage at 2916 NE Alberta St., Suite B offers a selection of new and used books and art with a focus on photography and art books. Their website describes the shop as “a project of sorts, an investigation into the colliding point between vintage visual material & contemporary works of art.” True to this description, the store stocks cameras–Diana Mini, Holga, Diana F+–to capture memories, books on artists and photographers from the past and present, broadsides, and old snapshots of unknown folks. Ampersand’s gallery exhibits change monthly. The last show that closed on April 25th was 52 Selects–an exhibition of photographs by world-renowned photojournalists. Below is a photo from the exhibit…

Ampersand
2916 NE Alberta St.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday Noon-6pm, Sundays Noon-5pm
www.ampersandvintage.com
503.805.5458

From Ampersand's show 52 Selects.

More than meets the eye...

Kate’s husband, Ed, often complained about the flaps on our original paperback books. He said that he couldn’t use them as bookmarks because they pulled out of the text and with the flap inserted in the book it wouldn’t lay flat. He was right. 

Fast forward to the Netherlands. I had friends living there, and planned to visit them. In my past travels, I have been strictly a Lonely Planet girl, and have bought and used and marked up many of them, so I headed off to Powell’s to buy their Amsterdam guide. While I was at the bookstore, I discovered another guide book that I had to have as well, the DK Eyewitness.

Why? Because I am a sucker for four color, and as guide books go, this one was luxurious, the museum guides in particular were great, and one of the things I never miss when visiting a city are the art museums. As usual, I left the bookstore with more books than I had intended. Off I go to Amsterdam with two guides. 

It wasn’t long before I noticed that the Eyewitness guide had double scored flaps instead of single scored flaps that form a spine allowing the reader to use each front and back flap as a placeholder that doesn’t pull out of the text and allows the book to lay flat. Eureka! We could do that with our books and I could get Ed off our backs. What I mean to say here is that we could offer bookmarks that actually work to our readers.  

Following my vacation, I showed Kate my copy of the Eyewitness book and asked, “Why don’t we do this too?” Great minds and all that and Kate agreed. Did I feel bad appropriating the format from Eyewitness? Not at all. (We can’t get sued for that, can we?) Insinuations aside, since Kate and I launched our original paperbacks with flaps, we noticed a number of like formatted books in the marketplace. Coincidence? You be the judge. At any rate, Hawthorne Books added a second score to their flaps and never looked back. Check your local bookstore and you will find that our books are the only original paperbacks so formatted. So far.

Our books are double scored...

You fold along the second score...

The end result.

Last minute reminder for this fantastic event.

Nearly two months after the catastrophic 7.0M earthquake in Haiti, Mercy Corps is striving to rebuild the country. From securing clean water and sanitation for survivors, to creating jobs clearing debris for locals, Mercy Corps volunteers are doing their part in rebuilding Haiti. Now you can do your part by attending:

Read to Rebuild- A Haiti Benefit Reading

Reading Local: Portland, an online blog for all thing book-related in Portland (we are big fans), has initiated Read to Rebuild, their very first event. Writers’ Dojo has partnered up, opening up their space in St. Johns to host Portland’s literary community. The event will consist of author readings, updates of Haiti from Mercy Corps representatives, music from local musicians Sweeter Than Later, free wine from Cameron Hughes Wine, and a raffle.

Hawthorne Books has donated autographed copies of some of our titles to the raffle. Other raffle donors include Cameron Hughes Wine, Wordstock, Back Fence PDX, Dark Horse Comics, Title Wave Books, Green Bean Books, Second Glance Books, Floating World Comics, Broadway Books, Microcosm Publishing, Annie Bloom’s Books, Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery, In Other Word’s Women’s Books and Resources, and many more!

Join us on March 16th @ 6:30pm at the Writers’ Dojo in St. Johns. The suggested donation of $10 also includes one free raffle ticket. All proceeds will be given to Mercy Corps, to assist in the relief efforts in Haiti. We look forward to seeing you there!

Soerine is funny too.

See people are smiling and in a few more seconds they will be laughing because Peter H. Fogtdal is about to start his UCLA reading for them. Laughing with Peter of course...

Hawthorne Books’ author Peter H. Fogtdal recently gave a reading of The Tsar’s Dwarf at UCLA’s The Scandinavian Section and even though it was a sunny mid-day event it was a great turnout.

In his words:

2.
When you walk around UCLA’s gorgeous campus, you discover that even the buildings are celebrities. I pass Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Herb Albert’s School of Music, and Cher’s Institute for Plastic Surgery. And I marvel how lucky it is that a small time Scandinavian novelist has been allowed to do a reading for this crowd.

Will Jack Nicholson show up, I ask myself? Or do I have to settle for a drunk Charlie Sheen? In my mind I see the crowded auditorium with paparazzi fighting for a photo of Angelina Jolie and me. I picture gorgeous sophomores dragging me to their dorm rooms – against my will, of course.

But unfortunately, I’m not a star. I’m just another Dane with dandruff, so I’m left to babble at The Scandinavian Institute at Royce Hall. In a small room with squeaky chairs and hoarse Norwegians.

3.
It’s great though.

Thirty people show up. Some of them have to stand in the hall. And hey, most students haven’t even been forced by gun point. However, I don’t count a single celebrity. Their excuses for not coming are so lame. Sandra Bullock said she was practicing her Oscar speech, and Madonna is adopting the country of Malawi. That woman just can’t get enough of anything, can she?

But I’m a humble man. I like people who haven’t been on TV. Unlike everybody else in L.A.

To read more about this and more visit Peter’s blog @ Danish Accent.

Hawthorne Books author Peter H. Fogtdal was born in 1956 in Copenhagen, Denmark and has a degree in playwriting from Cal State Fullerton. He is the author of twelve novels in Danish. Three have been translated into French, two into Portuguese. In 2005 he won The Francophonian Literature Prize (Le Prix Litteraire de la Francophonie) for Le Front Chantilly. The Tsar’s Dwarf is his first novel in English. Peter H. Fogtdal shares his time between Portland, Oregon, and Copenhagen, Denmark.