Between the Lines by Eric Simonson

“Steppenwolf’s Seagull and a Reluctant Actor’s Journey Back to the Stage” Part diary, part history of the Chicago Theatre Renaissance, this memoir takes the reader behind the scenes of a Steppenwolf classic, and inside the head of a man desperate to rediscover the joy and craft of acting.

In the spring of 2022, the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company boldly, and perhaps cavalierly, re-emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic with a brand new, 43 million dollar, state-of-the-art theatre. Director Yasen Peyankov insisted he cast the premiere production — a brand new, adaption of The Seagull — with as many Steppenwolf ensemble members as possible. This meant coaxing one non-actor, Director and writer Eric Simonson, into coming back to the stage after a 33 year absence. Taking a leap in the dark, and battling the demons of stage-fright, confidence and homesickness, Simonson took up the challenge and started on a journey into the great theatrical unknown. Part diary, part history of the Chicago Theatre Renaissance, this memoir takes the reader behind the scenes of A Steppenwolf classic, and inside the head of a man desperate to rediscover the joy and craft of acting.

Cover design by Mark Simonson.

Normally Unusual by Vince Kitchen

A stranger than fiction story (memoir) of a volunteer stuntman with adrenaline (and other) addictions. Includes natural disasters and many close calls, during his gravitational experimentations. A life close to the edge; lived in California, Costa Rica and the Philippines.
Written by a dyslexic, recovering alcoholic.

Buy the book from Ojai Digital (Blue Jay Ink).

$19.95 + $3.90 shipping (orders shipped to US only) $23.85

Ciao L’Americana: A Memoir by Ruth Shari

Adventurous but not worldly wise, the young author goes to Italy on vacation and is captivated with it, wanting nothing less than to become a native. Believing she could transfer her skills as an actress and model from New York, she learns how truly welcome she is in a culture both provincial and self-protective as well as steeply entrenched in tradition. Her deeply personal memoir set in Rome and Milan in the ‘70’s brings you inside her quest to make friends, make a home, master the Italian language, steer a new career course and at times survive wholly on her own terms. With all the energy of someone fiercely independent but hungry for love and acceptance, she discovers while living in a foreign country that she is compelled to confront a lifelong struggle to fit in and belong.

So We Practice Poems by Todd Griese

“So We Practice”, is a chronicle of Todd’s contemplations, his journeys into nature where he finds his deep meditation, his practice, breathing in and breathing out in the warm Coastal California sun – “the present moment/where true nature/is the only nature.” Todd has a profound connection to the earth, which he feels is his witness. For Todd, the ordinary world is transcendent in nature, as it is in the rivers of his grandsons’ eyes. For him, everything is transient, everything is sacred, and he hears “the immense silence/of winter’s whisper: Holy Holy Holy Holy/everything holy.” We are fortunate to be walking with Todd, and to witness with him “a complete confidence in the sacredness of the world.”

Published in association with Gandy Dancer Press

The Trick is to Drink it Quickly

A memoir about love, beer, busking and a dog.

“A fast-paced, engaging account of life both at home and abroad.” –Kirkus Reviews

Anna is  a writer and musician and mother of one. This is a kind of coming-of-age memoir called “The Trick is to Drink it Quickly”––about love, drinking, busking and a wolf-dog, and another, more light-hearted memoir-in-essays called “She’s Gone Chilaquiles”––about dating, food and eating.

“I’m working on more essays… including one about a favorite writer: P.G. Wodehouse, one about the experiences of some of my relatives during and after the Holocaust, and one about motherhood. (Which should be like, a whole novel, because that shit is crazy.)

Last but not least, I may have written a poetry book called “The End by Fanny Middleton”. I won’t say what it’s about.”

DESPITE THE BUZZ is a cautionary tale concerning tech’s toll, an artfully designed human-interest story about learning, relationships, and wellbeing. A motivated new teacher raises awareness about screen use inside her Reflective Writing class, but she doesn’t realize there’s danger lurking… 

Contemporary communication dramatically impacts the learning environment, identity formation, and charged emotions of high school students in the story. When an intimate act is shared over social media, an inciting incident demonstrates that the potential in our pockets could be lethal. 

Can Miss Gabby Oliver protect her students? Who survives the traumatic turn of events? Wait for the twist! 

From Chicago and new to California, Gabby considers her life’s timing unique—on the cusp of technology’s cutting edge, yet reminiscent of a time before the Internet dominated. She dares to date a coworker, their budding romance tested by today’s cyber world. Meanwhile, Gabby manages to stay connected with Rose, her deceased mother, by way of hopeful handwritten letters. 

Inside Miss Oliver’s room, a research assignment looks at language, modes of persuasion, and topical issues from distinct teenage perspectives. Inspired by historic figures, diverse students detail their pressing concerns to the president. 

This colorful novel depicts demands upon teachers due to class size, special needs, language barriers, gender sensitivity, gun threats, cell phones, and the challenge of holding students’ attention. By providing understanding to those who grew up before and after current trends, this insightful book could build rapport among members from different schools of thought. A variety of people will relate to feelings of digital distraction, electronic accountability, and online exposure. The story is suited for mature readers ages sixteen and up. 

Despite the Buzz is educational, existential, and exciting! A mix of narrative elements makes it an engaging read! 

Boomslang is the name of an arboreal African snake (Dispholidus typus) of the family Colubridae, known for its potent venom and rear-fanged jaw structure.It was also the label affixed to a widely-ignored poetic form championed by various disenfranchised and largely unpublished writers of the late twentieth century. The boomslang tongue can be vaguely traced back to its rather obscure roots in mid-1980s Long Beach (California) and even more tentatively to late-1970s Detroit. It was a malleable and difficult-to-define dialect often characterized by contra-diction, half-assonance, lexiflexion, and neologism. It was decidedly non-prosaic and generally ebbed and flowed in subtle to even elusive rhythms that followed a sort of unsung musicality. Very few examples have survived – and copies of these titles are now quite difficult to find (see Appendix B). Most of the authors have long since died or else descended deep into dementia, leaving Joseph Nicks as one of boomslang’s last remaining practitioners.

My Story, My Voice was written by Femma Mahdessian Slap, a Dutch Jewish Holocaust survivor who died in 2020. English was her second language. The short stories contained in this book came from her heart. She didn’t want them published, initially. She didn’t really want to discuss the Holocaust. However, as things may have it, through a memoir writing class that she enrolled in many years ago, her writings became a kind of catharsis. A healing of sorts. A diary, looking backwards. These stories are a necessary reminder of what we humans are capable of—both in our darkest selves and in our most hopeful selves. She undertook this work bravely, and in so doing, educated, inspired and moves us to a deeper understanding of the holocaust. This book will stand powerfully to make sure we do not forget. All proceeds from the sale of this book will be sent to The Bergen-Belsen Memorial.

Full Moon & Other Minimilist Stories are the second volume of very short stories written with a keen and wry sense of humor and tenderness. This collection encompasses many of life’s familiar moments which are both endearing and poignant. As a young child Armando always had what he needed but nothing more. He felt uncomfortable accumulating things. Smaller was always preferable to bigger and less to more.

Illustrated with ink drawings, this collection of minimalist stories chronicles one man’s musings on life.

Roz McGrath is a woman living in the right time.  She is fortunate to have been given an education at a time when women were encouraged to break out and pursue careers other than nursing, teaching and secretarial skills.  She was on the cusp of a new era and wanted to see and do it all.  Her memoir is proof of that.  Born to an American G.I. and a British RAF secretary she grew up in a unique household in Southern California, the oldest of ten children.  Her perspective and activism in the women’s movement from the 1950’s to now will enlighten men and women alike who don’t fully understand the major results of the US Women’s Movement.  She is a retired educator and farm manager but continues to teach Women’s History and learn for herself what extraordinary advances women have made.  The lingering question remains, “Why are women still underrepresented in all areas of U.S. life.” This book offers a concise overview of American Women’s history with the author’s own experiences as a young feminist.  Ms. McGrath is earnestly trying to make sense of it all. The readers will find her story interesting and challenging and will end up questioning their own personal experiences with women’s progress.