My First Book Event

I had my first book event on Saturday and there are three more right around the corner. The event was a huge success and I was honored to have my first event hosted by Michael Perez, one of the hottest pop artists alive today. It was a great opportunity to connect with friends and fans and the support for Sometimes That Happens With Chicken was overwhelmingly positive. 

Since this was my first book event, it was hard to know what to expect but the evening was full of wonderful moments, the whole list of which would be impossible to recount. I met some interesting new people and had a chance to connect with some big fans of Sometimes That Happens With Chicken. I was surrounded by Michael’s beautiful paintings and despite the NYC heatwave, we all had a great time.

I will share one particularly special moment which happened at the very end of the night. When it was all over, I was outside the gallery with Michael, his publicist, and the last guest to leave, an enthusasitic art and literature lover and resident of the West Village named Mark Herko. His copy of Chicken was the last book I signed that night and as we were all enjoying the slightly cooled off air Mark said, “This feels like the Village in the fifties.”

I posted a few pics on facebook but the majority of the photography and videography is still in post-production. If you’d like to see the pics I posted on facebook you can use the link below and when the photographer and the videographer are finished I will be creating a One Girl One Novel youtube channel and a flickr feed.

http://www.facebook.com/wanda.shapiro#!/album.php?aid=2070778&id=1174526546

Here’s one pic that captured a particularly poignant moment for me. I was at the gallery all afternoon helping set up  and this was my last little breather before I got dressed for the event. The photographer, Paris Bogdanos, arrived early to take some test shots and he got several of me in my pre-event attire. I’m sitting on the stoop of 16 Minetta Lane where the event was held, a breath-taking property in the Village.

I’d like to thank photographer Paris Bogdanos and videographer Anthony Lopez, two dear and talented friends who graciously volunteered their services. I can’t wait to see the whole lot of pics and the video that Anthony is in the process of editing.

I would also like to thank all my friends and fans who came out for this event. I saw many people I hadn’t seen in years and met fans I didn’t even know I had. There are too many of you to list here but thanks to you all; you know who you are. Of that group, a special thanks goes to Alicia Dunnigan who introduced me when it was time to read from Sometimes That Happens With Chicken.

Next, I would like to thank painter Michael Perez for his support of indie literature and Sometimes That Happens With Chicken. By featuring me at one of his own events, Michael gave me an amazing opportunity to spread the word and to be recognized and supported by an artist of Michael’s stature and acclaim is a true honor. Aside from being a talented painter, Michael is a great person whom I had the pleasure of getting to know as we readied for the event.

Unfortunately, Michael’s paintings are way out of my price range (not a surprise since his work appeared on the hit TV show Friends) but he did me the honor of personalizing my trusty Dell XPS laptop at the end of the night with one of his signature motifs. And even though I can’t afford a Perez at the mo, I am in possession of one of two laptops that have been painted by Michael Perez.

The only other person in the whole world who owns a Michael Perez painted laptop is Michael’s publicist Caitlin Slayback whose thank you I have left for last. Caitlin is the one who introduced me to Michael and she is also the one person without whom this event couldn’t have happened. Michael and I work very hard as artists, but our efforts for this event cannot be compared to publicist extraordinaire Caitlin Slayback. In the days leading up to this event Caitlin was busy every minute, hustling around to make things happen. She is an unstoppable force and an unbelievably hard worker to whom I owe many many thanks.

Working with Caitlin in preparation for this event was particularly meaningful to me because she and I grew up together. We estimate that it’s been 15 years since we saw each other last and it’s a pleasure to see the power-house of a woman she has grown into. We ended up back in touch thanks to facebook and now that Caitlin’s a hot-shot celebrity publicist I get to say I knew her way back when. Michael is a lucky artist to have such a one has Caitlin in his corner.  

Here’s a pic of me, Caitlin, and Caitlin’s mom Sharon at the event. It was a wonderful big city moment for us three Adirondack girls and as she should be, Sharon was beeming with pride.

Now, I have to continue preparing for my second One Girl One Novel event which will be held at the Town of Johnsburg Library in North Creek, NY on Wednesday 7/21 at 6:30 pm. If you live in the Adirondack region and you can’t make it Wednesday, you’ll have a second opportunity on Friday 7/23 at 6:00 at Common Roots in North Creek. And if you live in the Catskill region, you can catch me Saturday 7/24 in Woodstock, NY at the VARGA Gallery for my fourth and final event of this jam-packed week on the east coast.

In addition, I’m squeezing in a live radio interview on WAMC North East Public Radio on the morning of Friday 7/23. I’ll be interviewed by Joe Donahue on The Roundtable, which is an award winning, nationally recognized show that airs weekdays from 9-noon. The show’s hallmark is thoughtful interviews with A-list newsmakers, authors, artists, sports figures, actors, and people with interesting stories to tell so this is a big step for Chicken and for indie literature. I will be posting listening instructions for those in and outside the WAMC coverage area asap.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make my first book event a big success. The support I’m receiving is overwhelming and it’s a pleasure to see so many people excited about indie literature and Sometimes That Happens With Chicken.

ttyl

Wanda