Dan White

My nieces have expressed strong interest in my book. This is a problem, because there are a lot of bad words (!) and some scary situations in this book. To solve the problem, I’ve decided to create a “clean version” of the project called “Cactus Eaters Kids” I’m editing out all of the swearing and most of the disturbing situations. It will be about 20 pages long (give or take a couple of pages.) I expect to finish it and distribute it to my family and friends in about three weeks. It will include many pictures of cacti and mostly harmless fauna. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

As part of my book tour, I will (apparently) be leading at least one hike into the woods. All I can say is, bring plenty of water. Also, proceed at your own risk. But seriously, if this happens, I will be very careful not to stray too far from civilization. Also, I promise to do a careful head count to make sure that no one gets left behind in the forest. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Also, I’ve recorded a chapter of the book for KQED Writer’s Block. It should be available for podcasting in about three weeks. I’ll post the link when it’s ready. When I get closer to the bookstore events, I’ll post addresses for the stores. June 4, 2008 7:00 PM Village BooksBellingham, WA June 5, 2008 6:30 PM Seattle Public Library (with Secret Garden Books) June 6, 2008 7:00 PM Barnes & NoblePortland, OR June 19, 2008 7:30 PM Capitola Book Cafe June 26, 2008 7:30 PM Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary and Garden ArtsBerkeley, CA June 29, American Library Association conference, Anaheim, CA. 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m, location to be announced. I will take part in a panel called “First Author, First Book,” with Kaya McLaren (Church of the Dog, Penguin), Scott Douglas (Quiet, Please, Perseus Books), Mark Sarvas (Harry, Revised, Bloomsbury USA), and Anya Ulinich (Petropolis, Penguin). Visit http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/annual/2008a/home.cfm for more information. July…

And here’s the link to my HarperCollins page, with the cover and some biographical info…This will be updated and augmented in the coming weeks. Thanks to my readers for pointing out the ‘doomsday clock’ function (which I did not notice at first!) http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/33024/Dan_White/index.aspx http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

If you happen to be in San Jose on April 23rd, the Poets & Writers Coalition is setting up a small army of readers who will perform Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” in its entirety. This event will start at 1:30 p.m., location TBA. I will fill in the details as soon as I get them. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Last week, we drove a Dodge Avenger through the California outback, with Gram Parsons and Midnight Oil blasting in the CD player. We saw our first condor, black and white, with board-straight wings. He floated above the red steps leading down from the High Peaks Trail through the Pinnacles. Out in the Mojave, I set up a tent near a Joshua tree, stopped a giant raven from tearing up the campsite of three So.Cal. frat boys, (by the time I arrived on the scene, the creature had eaten some of their tortillas) and climbed Ryan Mountain at the hottest time of day. In camp, three teenage partiers climbed a 50-foot boulder. They stood at the edge of the drop, twirling glow sticks, staring at their hands and jabbering until four in the morning. My vacation wasn’t exactly perfect. One night in a high country camp, a semi-deranged caretaker stole my…

Several friends, writing colleagues and family members asked for this, so here it is, and I’ll keep adding updates when I get them. If you happen to live in any of these places (or are just passing through when I’m in town), stop by and say hello. As the dates get a little closer, I will fill in the addresses. June 4, Bellingham, WA., Village Books, Wednesday 7 p.m. June 5, Seattle, WA at Seattle Public Library (in conjunction with Secret Garden Book Store) 630 p.m. June 6, Portland, Barnes and Noble, 7 p.m. … June 19 — Capitola Book Cafe, Capitola, California, 730 p.m. June 29, American Library Association conference, Anaheim, 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m, location to be announced. I will take part in a panel called “First Author, First Book,” with Kaya McLaren (Church of the Dog, Penguin), Scott Douglas (Quiet, Please, Perseus Books), Mark Sarvas (Harry, Revised, Bloomsbury…

I finally got around to seeing “No Country …” at the Red Vic the other day — and I must say, I regret it. Now I’m having nightmares that the helmet-headed mumbly guy is out to get me. On the good side, I like the theater. They serve you popcorn in wooden bowls, they have padded benches instead of seats, and before the main attraction, they run a short film showing a rude Red Vic patron kicking over his soft drink and making a mess — only to be grabbed, and, presumably, eaten alive, by a green-skinned monster that lives beneath the seats of the movie theater. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

I’m scheduled to speak throughout the Pacific Northwest in June, with several appearances in the Bay Area and Central Coast. I’ll post the schedule up here when I’ve firmed everything up. By the way, thanks to everyone who showed up to the Steinbeck Fellows reading the other day. I will post again in a couple of weeks. (I’m in a work-induced blog hibernation, with galleys and student papers…) http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

It’s hard to believe that the Forest of Nisene Marks was once a sad stumpy wasteland, with loggers doing their darnedest to hack down every redwood they could find. In the turn of the century, this place was a disaster. Now, the forest offers some of the best hiking you can find anywhere on the Central Coast. You can hike all day on the edge of steep ravines, splash through streams and ogle banana slugs, which look like slices of overripe mango. Second-growth redwoods grow so tall, you can barely see the tops without straining your neck and back (like I did.) It’s easy to forget the place’s unfortunate history until you stumble across a fat stump with ferns and moss growing out of it, the broken-down remains of a cabin, or a set of railroad ties fading into the woods. Sometimes you forget you’re near Santa Cruz — until…