Tag: writing

Margerumalia – Short Plays With Cows and Romans 

Eric Margerum

Newsletter July 5, 2024

This past weekend The Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette mounted a Short Play Festival that performed 14 plays, ten minutes or less, featuring 29 actors. I got to direct two of them, one with a cast of Romans and one with a cast of cows. Gotta say, the cows behaved with much more civility than the Romans—I’m talking about the characters, the actors were all terrific.

I also got to direct a couple of my recently graduated high school students one more time and loved that opportunity. A third one was cast in another play and delivered a charming performance of her own. Oh, gosh, they grow up so fast…said no adult, ever!

You may recall that my ten minute play from last year, “Just Book Club,” was chosen to be published by Smith & Kraus in The Best 10-Minute Plays 2024 due in October. Well I got to meet a Chicago playwright whose play will also be included in that anthology. He came to town to see his friend’s play, “This Cow and That Trombone.” Small world, right? And it turns out that a Ball State professor of one of my former students will also have a play in that collection. Small, small world!

Sorry, did I just trigger that ear worm of Disney’s “It’s A Small World”? No? Oh, now I have? My apologies. Try singing “The Song That Never Ends” several times through, that usually does it for me. 

A neighbor drove by while I was getting my mail Monday and rolled down her window to exclaim that she’d just finished reading MAMLA and really enjoyed it. Then she thanked me for a “good read.” I love when people thank their favorite artists for their creativity and passion. It’s a simple kindness like thanking someone for preparing a good meal. I want to remember to say as much to others. 

TTFN!

Margerumalia – New Book Signing on Main Street

Eric Margerum

Newsletter  June 28, 2024 

Next stop: July 13th Main Street Books in Lafayette, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

Main Street Books is only a block away from the Saturday Farmer’s Market so we expect to entice the folks looking for A/C and a good read.

What I learned about publishing this week: algorithms are in charge. Maybe someone should write a story about that… 

“HAL, order 50 more copies of The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles.”

“I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t do that.” 

“That is a direct order, HAL.” 

“I understand, Dave, but I am unable to comply.” 

So it turns out that all the websites from Amazon to Books-A-Million, have a notification saying MAMLA is on backorder, or temporarily out of stock. But that’s not really true. It’s just distribuspeak* for print-on-demand. If you go ahead and order a copy of the book from Barnes & Noble, for example, it’ll be printed and shipped out right away. Easy-peasy!

This is also true of local bookstores ordering from a distributor (I’m looking at you, Ingram) — in support of an author’s book signing.

You’ll probably save time by buying the book directly from the publisher at the BookBaby Bookstore. That’s store.bookbaby.com. By the way, I get more dollars when you go that route. Even the e-books.

On a different note, those of you already following me on social media have probably already seen my post of the Best Review Of All Time, or BROAT**. I’m going to share it again here because it gives me all the warm fuzzies every time I see it. 

I got an email from one mother who wrote “…this weekend my daughter asked to ‘go to Grandma’s house so she can read that museum book again.’ What a lovely thing for them to share.  Thank you!!!” 

I love that. 

May your weekend be full of warmth and appreciation.

TTFN!

–    –    –    –    –

*Another word I’m contributing to the English Language! That’s four, for those of you keeping a tally at home.

** Ch-ching! FIVE.

Margerumalia – Is An Acronym A Word?

Eric Margerum

Newsletter  June 21, 2024 

MAMLA is an acronym for The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles but is it a word? I’m asking for a friend. A friend who suggested that MAMLA is, in fact, my third addition to the English language — after hypernataldigitation (newsletter 5/03/24) and Margerumalia (newsletter 6/14/24). Maybe the origin of the museum name will help to suss it out.

But first: selling a book in a grocery store.

Fresh Thyme Market is an organic grocery store just three blocks from where I live and we often shop there. They keep a neat, friendly atmosphere and were very accommodating to my book signing table. I got to see neighbors, strangers, and a high school friend from years ago. I’ve also gotten pretty good at my elevator pitch for the book, describing just enough of the plot to intrigue potential readers. 

All in all I sold about half as many books as I did at the public library or Barnes & Noble, but—as I reminded myself while packing up—this is a food store, not a book store. Half as many books sold is pretty darn good, I’d say! And I left the store with a fresh perspective (pun intended). 

Next stop, the county library, date TBD, and Main Street Books in Lafayette on July 13. The Saturday Farmer’s Market on Fifth Street brings browsers to the bookstore. 

Back to MAMLA. It was inspired by MOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art, where I spent an adventurous afternoon several years ago. I had just missed the cut-off for student rush tickets at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown LA and found out that my parking fee was good for several hours but not good for a refund. The MOCA caught my eye and I walked a few blocks to see what I could see. 

I walked through many contemporary art exhibits, some of which bored me, like the big hall of six foot fluorescent lights hung up in as many different combinations as you can imagine. Actually, I think you could imagine several better ones. There were no colors, no sculpted neon-styles, just things like three horizontal lights and two vertical. Ho-Hum. And those fluorescents do hum!

A different exhibit really captured my imagination, though. It had huge geometrical shapes, each one painted in a solid primary or secondary color. I intended to glide through this hall but was surprised to feel vibrations emanating from each shape, almost like a musical tone. If you’ve made it to Chapter 16 in MAMLA, you’ll recognize The Gallery of Shapes and Colors. I was amazed to actually experience intrinsic emotions from each shape. That’s when I decided then to name my museum The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles. MAMLA.

Word (noun): a speech sound or series of speech sounds that symbolizes and communicates a meaning usually without being divisible into smaller units capable of independent use (Merriam-Webster.com). 

Yeah, I think I’m going to claim MAMLA as the third word I’ve contributed to the English language.

TTFN!

Margerumalia – Barnes and Noble Book Signing

Eric Margerum

Newsletter June 14, 2024

First, I’ve heard that a good newsletter needs a good name so I invented another new word: Margerumalia. It’s a portmanteau combining Margerum with marginalia (notes in the margins). SO that’s two new words I’ve added to the English language. Look out, Shakespeare, I’m catching up!

Second, the book signing last Saturday at Barnes & Noble was very enjoyable, with a steady stream of customers who bought about as many books as I sold the previous week at the library. 

I’ve got to tell you something I overheard from a 30-something couple passing by. The man pointed out the person at the service desk and said, “She’s like a liberrian.” Fortunately they weren’t facing me when I broke out into a big grin. That’s where I got the idea for the lie-berries in “Plot Holes” and MAMLA! It’s the common mispronunciation of library. I loved hearing that. Felt like a confirmation.

A friend in my writing group told me Piers Anthony also had lie-berries in his Xanth novels. I had no idea. I’ve read several of his other books but haven’t tackled that series—47 of them so far! Sounds like I need a new TBR shelf for his books alone. I recommend his writing and his storytelling, by the way—it doesn’t hurt that he has my same love of puns and wordplay.

I hope every local author is treated as well as I was at Barnes & Noble. They were so friendly and considerate, a few employees even bought copies of their own! They invited me to return in August for the Back To School rush and I’m looking forward to it. Meanwhile there are a set of signed copies on their shelves with my bookmarks inside. 

Tomorrow I’ll have a table set up at my neighborhood Fresh Thyme Market where they also like to support local authors. I’ll wear something warmer, though, because the last author I saw there was seated in front of a table of refrigerated food. Good organic produce, by the way. That’ll be from about 11:00 to 2:00 pm. Local friends should note that this is the West Lafayette store, not the one in Lafayette. 

A former student suggests that I also set up a book signing in Naperville, Illinois. Maybe I can line up a few stops in that area. It’d be fun to see some familiar faces! 

TTFN!