Local Author Fair at Smithtown-Nesconset 2016

Last Saturday, both Erika S. and Kevin participated in a local author fair at the Smithtown-Nesconset library. They spoke about their books, the writing and publication processes. I was mostly watching the kids in the children's section of the library, but I did get a few pictures.

Pre-fair set up- Kevin and Erika sitting by the windows

Pre-fair set up

Pre-fair set up

Erika speaking to the audience

Poster

Kevin's Article in Fatherly- March 2016

I've Only Got One Piece Of Advice For The New Father Who's Going Back To Work
By Kevin Clouther, March 03, 2016

When I returned to work after the birth of my second child, I ran into a new instructor I hadn't met. He introduced himself as Daniel, and I said, "Oh, like Daniel Tiger?"

Read the rest here:

https://www.fatherly.com/new-fathers-struggle-to-find-work-life-balance-1639056922.html

Daniel Tiger is Mr. Roger's Neighborhood-turned-cartoon for those of you who don't know. Here's the PBS intro song:

Writers' Retreat 2015

Kevin and Pete went back to Wellspring House, a writers' retreat, last weekend to work on their writing. Kevin has been working on his novel. For a long time. If you're desperate to know more, a small chapter "Brendan and the D" was published in the Natural Review, a literary journal in the Fall 2011 issue. But you'd have to get your hands on a physical copy to read it. (I blogged about it here if you want a tiny peek.)

Pete and Kevin going for a refreshing walk

Last year's visit to Wellspring House 2014

Kevin's Midwest Book Tour 2014

Kevin left for his big Midwest book tour very early on Wednesday morning!*

On Wednesday, September 24th he read at Prairie Lights in Iowa City. Since Kevin attended the Iowa Writer's Workshop, they promoted the event widely. He read with Mike Meginnis who was also published through Black Balloon, and who is an Iowa City resident, so between the two of them, the reading was packed. They even broadcast the reading on local radio because Iowa is awesome. He read part of his title story, "We Were Flying to Chicago," and part of "Puritan Hotel, Barnstable." If you missed it the first time, they archived it here (Kevin's part begins at 18:30): http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/vwu/id/3586/rec/2

Kevin and Mike acting "authorly" at Prairie Lights

Kevin's book is shelved just under Chekov here!

Thursday, September 25th, Kevin and Mike read at The Book Cellar in Chicago. Kevin read parts of "T-Bone Capone" and "On the Highway Near Fairfield, Connecticut." Kevin also had the chance to visit and stay with his friend Nate. He went to a White Sox game by himself and caught a foul ball, because it was just that sort of amazing trip.

Chicago Skyline

White Sox game

On Friday, Kevin started posting things like this on Facebook. "Am I actually alone in a Belgian bar in Chicago reading Flaubert with not one thing I have to do tonight or tomorrow?" I started getting jealous!

On Saturday, he went on a little hike, then he went to Madison, Wisconsin because why not? Then he went to Milwaukee for a Brewers game and noted, "The casual boredom with which the gigantically mustachioed Brewers mascot hurls himself down a slide after a home run is wonderful." While he was in Wisconsin, I sent him on a cheese curd mission. They did not disappoint.

Hiking outside of Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Cubs v. Brewers

 

Milwaukee art museum

Wisconsin cheese mart!

Sunday Kevin and Mike drove together from Chicago to Minneapolis and it took forever! On Monday he read parts of "Open House" and "Third Prophet" at Magers & Quinn, in Minneapolis. But first he went on a bit of a Fitzgerald tour. "You're goddamned right I'm having an early-afternoon Manhattan at the bar of the hotel where Fitzgerald lived in St. Paul."

Hello, Fitzgerald

Books on display at Magers & Quinn 

Tuesday he came home! Yay!

He was missed by all!

Showing James his foul ball

 

Showing Miranda her new Iowa cheerleader outfit

*Kevin was gone Wednesday morning until Tuesday afternoon. Kevin and I haven't spent a whole week apart since January of 2007, well before we were married, and never more than two nights since we've had kids! Thank goodness Grandma came to help me and the kids!

Brooklyn Book Festival 2014

Last year when we went to the Brooklyn Book Festival together, Kevin already knew his book would published with Black Balloon so we spent some time at their table talking to the editor Buz, publicist Jen, and and some of the other authors. So going back this year with his book on the table was realizing the dream. Kevin talked to people buying his book and signed copies through the afternoon.

Kevin and We Were Flying to Chicago at the Brooklyn Book Festival!

The 9th Annual Brooklyn Book Festival at Borough Hall!

Kevin got to meet Mike Meginnis who wrote Fat Man and Little Boy, and whom Kevin was to spend many days with during their Midwest Book Tour together. (More on that soon.) He also met Sean Manning, author of Come Here Often?

Mike Meginnis, Kevin, and Michelle and Freddie from Black Balloon Publishing

• Kevin's most recent book event, Fall for the Book at GMU 2014
• Kevin's reading at BookCourt in Brooklyn, June 2014
• The 8th Annual Brooklyn Book Festival 2013

WWFTC Reading at Fall for the Book 2014

Kevin read for the Fall for the Book festival at George Mason University so we took the whole family down to hear him read. The Fall for the Book Festival is pretty awesome actually. It's a week-long event and brings a lot of great authors to Virginia for readings, talks, and book signing. Some of the headliners this year were Pulitzer winner Richard Russo, bestseller Jodi Picoult, poet Martin Espada, essayist Eula Biss, thriller writer Sophie Hannah, and the author of Orphan Train Christina Baker Kline.

With George Mason himself.

Kevin read "Isabel and Colleen" from his collection We Were Flying to Chicago. Even though it was Monday afternoon he had a big crowd of people of all ages, and his crowd spilled out of the tent! After he read the story he answered questions about his writing process. He also introduced me and the kids to the crowd.

Kevin reading "Isabel and Colleen" to a big audience

Miranda and I are listening intently.

Spill-over crowd!

A lot of our friends from different times in our life came to the reading. It made me so happy to see everyone there together! Kevin's friend Jon from high school in Florida was there! His friend Cory from college, his wife Robin, Robin's entire family (!), Jody and Bill (Brady's parents) were there. My friend Sarah from law school and her son William, my friends Anna and Mike (from after college) and their two younger kids. Thank you guys so much for coming out! You warm our hearts!

Kevin talking to his high school Jon

James meeting Robin and Cory's nephew

James photo bombing the photo of Robin and Cory's family

Miranda wearing the dress Sarah got her.

Me and Sarah and our 3.5 kids.

Jody and Bill- meeting Miranda! 

Anna, Mike, and their two youngest, Clara, and Maxwell

Clara is James's age and they were having an awesome time getting dirty!

And Miranda and Maxwell are pretty close in age too! He stole this picture!

Lit Crawl NYC 2014

Kevin and his publisher participated in "Lit Crawl NYC" which is a yearly event. The organizers set up several events throughout the day involving literature. Kevin played led a team in "Literary Taboo" for his publisher Black Balloon Publishing against team captain Catherine Lacey Electric Literature. Basically they had to describe books and authors without using certain words.

Nick, who's kind of a trivia master, was on his team. The following exchange occurred.

Kevin: (Looks at card, sees book series he's never read) It's a job a young girl might have, and this is the central organization.
Nick: BABY SITTERS' CLUB!!!!
Audience: (Hysterical laughing.)

Nick, when it was his turn to give clues.

Needless to say, Kevin's team won.

Okay, okay, here's another good one, from the other team.
Woman we don't know: It's the book your asshole Republican college boyfriend buys you a copy of and insists you read.
Woman 2: ATLAS SHRUGGED!!

After that Kevin and friends went to a reading at Swift Hibernian Lounge, (Eric Boyd, Phil Klay, Abeer Hoque, Ali Power, and Genya Turovskaya) in support of the Guernica/PEN Flash Series and PEN Poetry Series. And finally, they went to the After-Party at the Magician, which is already one of Kevin's favorite bars.

Writers' Retreat 2014

Kevin went to what I called a writers' camp, Wellspring House. It was his friend Pete's idea, who is also a writer, but I had to encourage and bless the expedition because we have a young baby at home and Kevin can be very selfless if you don't stop him. So off they went for writing, writing, and rewriting. He also got to enjoy nature walks and of course, dinner and drinks with Pete. As payment, I requested he take pictures for me. Here they are!

Pete and Kevin

The House

The Nature

The Novel (on the wall)

WWFTC Reading at Epoch 2014

On Thursday, Kevin did his first reading in Cape Cod where he grew up, and where some of his stories take place. Many of his family friends were in attendance so it was very special for him. His mother even introduced him before he read.

Kathy introducing Kevin at Epoch

Reading Charleston for Breakfast

More reading...

Big audience, ages 0-90+

A lot of people bought his book after the reading, and all of them lined up to have them signed. It was a very successful morning!

 

Buying books and getting them signed

Cape Cod Clou family picture! (We should have grabbed Great-grandma!)

Also, in anticipation of his Minneapolis reading in September, the Star Tribune reviewed the collection! "The finest moments include interactions between Henry and Wyaconda’s local pastor, and their relationship lifts the story to a heartfelt conclusion. In other successful pieces, Clouther focuses on intimacies and difficulties between friends, lovers and siblings."
- Nick Healy for the Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/books/265579181.html

Past events for We Were Flying to Chicago:

• Reading "I Know Who You Are" at BookCourt in Brooklyn
• Reading the title story at KGB in Manhattan
• Bookswap at Astoria Bookshop in Queens
• Reading "The Prophet of Wyaconda"at Stony Brook University in LI

WWFTC Reading at BookCourt 2014

On Wednesday, Kevin read from his short story collection, We Were Flying to Chicago, at Brooklyn BookCourt as part of the The Sackett Street Writers’ Series along with Julia Fierro, Cristina Henriquez, and Bret Anthony Johnston.

Reading "I Know Who You Are" from the collection

Brooklyn BookCourt

We couldn't get a babysitter for a Wednesday so we bravely/foolishly brought both kids. Luckily Michele and Allison were in town from Virginia and Maine, respectively, and they helped me the entire time. I was glad to hear Kevin read in New York, and it was actually really cute to see James watch his father read. He clapped for him and everything.

The four Clous at the reading!

Michele meeting Miri

Jon and Briggs chilling before the reading

Allison meeting Miri

Thank you guys for being super awesome! Kevin's next reading is at Epoch on Cape Cod.

Because I LOVE group shots!

Kevin's biggest fans!