Ryan Reinbold recently published Coma Notes: Witticisms of Unconsciousness. (132 pages, CreateSpace, $10). He writes, "You will find that my book is similar in format to the book by Justin Halpern called Sh*t My Dad Says or Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey." The book is available at Antigone Books and on Amazon.

Book Description:

You know how when you’re in a coma and then afterwards your life changes completely and you start to see everything differently? And it makes you laugh at the absurdity of life and contemplate ultimate reality? No? Hmm. This book is like that, from someone who’s had exactly that experience. See life through the eyes of a one-time comatose vegetable! Experience the collected musings, souvenirs from beyond! Enjoy all the benefits of an unconscious vacation without any of the hassles! If you appreciate the humor of Jack Handey, Tina Fey, or Ellen DeGeneres, don't miss this laugh out loud collection of hilarity. You owe it to your unconscious self.

Author bio:

One-time comatose vegetable, now a clerk at a library, Ryan Reinbold has had over twenty-five different jobs, none of which required him to have his worthless bachelor’s degree in English. He once peed at a urinal next to a candidate for the US Presidency, and he was once a college mascot. He's a vegan, he doesn't own a car, and he lives in a studio apartment. He enjoys laughter and tea and greatly dislikes leaf-blowers. He is a fan of trees and Star Trek (1987-present), and he practices qigong with his wife, who is awesome. They live in downtown Tucson.

Earlier this year, a local writing collective published American Guano. ($12, 172 pages, Give Whitey Five Press.) The book is available at Amazon.com.

Book summary:

America's heart was touched by New York Times bestseller Marley & Me, the unforgettable story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life: writing a mawkish piece of tripe that could be sold to a big corporate publisher who in turn sells it on to the mindlessly consuming masses who scarf up such tripe like a dog eating its own feces. Now America celebrates again with American Guano, the unforgettable story of a precocious pup bent on mass murder and, perchance, anal fisting. Glory be.

American Guano is a blackly satirical novel set partly in the deserts of the American southwest. Our fearless protagonist, a dog called Guano (breed: Canadian Royal Mountie Mounter, purebred) attempts to form his own superhero gang in order to get his own reality TV show. Shuffling from disaster to disaster, which includes the wholesale destruction of the town of Oatman, Arizona (you are welcome), Guano eventually teams up with Moses for a lovely terrorism campaign that includes a discussion on biblical plagues and the true meaning of terrorism. In the end Guano and Moses are redeemed, being delivered to a secret island where human beings actually live up to their potential (because the book is fiction). The novel — only to be enjoyed by those with a highly evolved, vile sense of humor who appreciate how wretchedly short our society falls in cultivating human potential — is nothing less than a blueprint for a better societal arrangement (political, economic, psychological, etc.). No, really. We have the answers. Ha! Destined to make millions of modern cretins laugh and cry, this heartwarming novel is a wonderful keepsake for all those who love Guano. The last satire that matters.

This book was a collaboration involving several writers. We wish to remain anonymous (so as to not get shot for writing unpopular things — long live the Land of Liberty (LOL)). So we've blamed this book on the protagonist, Guano (real-life picture included on the book cover, attached). The author is an Ottoman Dinglies Retriever, purebred. He enjoys licking himself and long romantic walks on the beach. And cliches.

Recent news from UA Press. To read our review of the book, click here.

Angela Hutchinson Hammer: Arizona’s Pioneer Newspaperwoman, published by the University of Arizona Press, has been named one of four finalists in the ONEBOOKAZ 2012 competition. This annual competition, sponsored by the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records, encourages communities across the State of Arizona to read the same book at the same time and participate in discussions and programs centered around that book.

Published in 2005, Angela Hutchinson Hammer tells the story of a true daughter of the West — a larger than life figure who crusaded against the commonly held belief that women belonged at home darning socks, not running a newspaper. Her decades-long involvement in Arizona’s newspaper industry took her from typesetting and proofreading in Phoenix to establishing a chain of newspapers in towns across the state, including the Wickenburg Miner and the Casa Grande Bulletin.

I have to admit up front, that before reading Gabby, the memoir largely penned by Mark Kelly, I was expecting an entirely different book. This isn't the fault of Kelly or even the publisher, but when the book hit my desk on the day of release, I guess I assumed there would be some sort of revelation inside. Even typing that seems ridiculous now, but after spending so much of 2011 following every bit of information that I could find about Rep. Giffords, occasionally feeling like I wasn't hearing the complete story, reading the book was almost like another part of that fact finding mission.

So, I read the entire thing cover-to-cover the night it came out, and the next day came to work planning to write some sort of review, discussing what was notable about the book. I think I started a post four or five times, but I couldn't quite figure out what to say. It's an interesting book, for sure, and as much as possible, I'd say I enjoyed reading it, but it's really a memoir at it's core. Mark Kelly tells his and his wife's stories, both before they met and after, and of course, that includes January 8th. If you want to get to know either of them better, it's a great book for that. If you want to know more about what Giffords' recovery has been like (for her and for Kelly), it's a great book for that too. It's a love story, it's a tough tale of coming back from a disastrous event, and it was Kelly's moment to talk about his wife ahead of a million other people who were going to do so.

All of that being said, there's probably plenty of room to still talk about Gabrielle Giffords, whether she should stay in office, whether she'll run again, whether she was good for her district before the tragic shooting, whatever. However, if you're going to talk about Mark Kelly and the book Gabby, you should tell the truth and DA Morales' post on Three Sonorans today ("Hispanic heroes? How Mexican American history is white-washed today in Arizona") doesn't do so.

There's a lot to unpack in his article, and I guess what I got out of the long preface (although I should talk, apparently) is that there's a pattern of rewriting history to exclude those who don't fit in the triumphant narrative of the majority, that the fight over ethnic studies is part of that larger struggle to tell a bigger and more accurate picture, and that there's some fear that Daniel Hernandez's action to save Rep. Giffords life could be taken away from the Latino community.

While that might be a point worth making or at least discussing, Morales' attempt to do so is fueled with inaccuracies about Kelly's book:

I don’t remember his name because the book fails to mention the Hispanic hero at all in the telling of the history. Maybe there was no hero. It was the wonders of Houston hospitals not Hispanic heroes that saves lives.

But maybe this history book was trying to avoid the politics, and stick to being an uplifting story of the love between two people. There was no time for talking about Mexicans and the good they do, the lives they save?

Except that's just not true. Morales quotes the book later in his post, so I assume he actually read it. However, even a quick search of the text on Google Books shows that Hernandez was mentioned in the chapter dealing with January 8th:

After a paramedic named Colt Jackson got to Gabby, he asked her, "Can you hear me?" In response, she squeezed his hand. One of Gabby's interns, twenty-year-old Daniel Hernandez, had remained at her side, his hand pressed against her head to contain her bleeding. As Daniel lifted Gabby up and cradled her, Ron Barber, on the ground and wounded in the face and leg, looked over at them...At about 10:40 a.m., Daniel accompanied Gabby to the ambulance, and she was rushed to University Medical Center. [pages 176-177]

At the end of Morales's post, he makes another statement about the book:

The acknowledgements at the very back of the book does mention Daniel Hernandez, last in a list that includes doctors, in one brief sentence.

I suppose this is (at best) true at face value - he is a part of a list that does include doctors and it is a sentence. However, there are a lot of acknowledgements at the end of the book (eight and a half pages worth), and for good reason, considering how many people were involved in Giffords' care, combined with the list of family, friends, associates, etc. that are generally mentioned in that space. Hardly anyone gets an extensive mention, but Hernandez is mentioned among the people who were at the event and provided care, following a sentence about Pam Simon, and on the second page, ahead of quite a few people (including the doctors of UMC and Barack Obama, for what it's worth):

We also want to thank Dr. David Bowman, Nancy Bowman, Dr. David Beal, Anna Ballis, and Gabby's intern, Daniel Hernandez, who administered first aid to Gabby and the other victims.

Notice that that list is in alphabetical order by last name. It's hardly a snub, and he's included in a list of other people that makes perfect sense. What exactly is Morales expecting from Kelly? Whatever it is, it doesn't make much sense, considering how many people can be credited with "saving" Giffords' life, both on January 8th and beyond.

I honestly don't know what Morales feels his ideas gain from misrepresenting what's in the book or how Hernandez is treated by the text. Anyone who has read the book notices how little of the book is actually about January 8th itself. The chapter that discusses what happened at the Safeway takes up only eight pages, and quite a bit of those words are about those who died there that day and what brought them to Oracle and Ina on that Saturday.

Thinking about it, that's probably for a good reason. To some extent, whether intentional or not, Gabby makes an attempt to recapture the narrative of Giffords' life from focusing on one terrible day. Instead, reading the book, you feel like you get to know Giffords better, what made her the type of congresswoman she was and what's driving her in her recovery from a serious brain injury. In the end, while that part of her story doesn't go away, no one wants their life story to focus on something that happened to you. Instead, we want it to be about what we did with our lives. That's probably true for Daniel Hernandez as well, who I think is well on his way to a career in public service that might put January 8th well in the rear-view mirror. Hopefully, that day will only merit a brief mention in a memoir he'll write someday about his life, with a series of accomplishments filling pages about his life after 2011.

Cultural politics are complicated enough here in Tucson and there are real issues left to be tackled and resolved, if that's even possible. However, at this moment, at least twenty people have shared Morales' post based on a false premise on Facebook and elsewhere. We only complicate the conversation when we don't start by telling the truth.

Local author William Ascarza's Southeastern Arizona Mining Towns has been recently published by Arcadia Publishing. $21.99, 128 pages, softcover. Here's the press release:

Southeastern Arizona has one of the most diverse mining localities in the state. Towns such as Bisbee, Clifton, Globe, Miami, Ray, Silverbell, and Superior have earned reputations as premier metal producers that are most notably known for their copper. Other mining towns that have made their marks in the region include Dos Cabezas, Gleeson, Harshaw District, Helvetia, Patagonia District, Pearce, Ruby, and Tombstone.

Mining in southeastern Arizona has significantly influenced the development of mines in northern Sonora, Mexico. The foundation of Mexico’s largest copper mine in Cananea was financed by American capital, specifically under the direction of miners and investors from southeastern Arizona. Overall the process of mining has established the economy of southeastern Arizona, making it a viable source of copper-related minerals in the 21st century’s global market.

Short Stories by local author Nicholas Campanella has been published by The Moon Publishing and Printing (www.moonpublishprint.com).

Campanella grew up on the Jersey Shore, in Seaside Heights. He says he used to listen to the Beatles and Rolling Stones "blasting over the ocean and down the boardwalk in the 60s." He majored in creative writing at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. He's married and has lived in Tucson since 1995.

He writes, "Short Stories is a collection of stories written over the last ten years—most of which appeared in The Moon, a local literary zine which has relocated to Indiana. There is a variety of horror, humor, enchantment, fantasy and a couple of poems."

Here are some choice excerpts:

"The Boardwalk in Winter"
The boardwalk in winter stands quiet. Abandoned. Cold, cloudy with lonely waves traveling an incredible way to die on distant shores. The boardwalk in winter has no friends. Only memories of what was and what will be. I walk from one end to the other. Past every covered ride and boarded up food stand. Every silenced penny arcade and frozen fun house. Standing on the beach at the cold water's edge the wave perishes in a quarter inch of water finally foaming at my feet.
The boardwalk has only sunshine friends.

"The Not Ready for Prime Time Fisherman"
As an angler, fish really like me. They don't have to worry about getting hooked or injured. They'd get a good laugh at how a guy could spend twelve hours catching nothing. I imagine fish comparing my angling ability to my dating scene. I couldn't catch a fish in a grocery store. Whenever someone asked about the one that got away, shamefully, my answer was, "All of them."

"The Church"
The congregation spilled in Sunday mornings from the surrounding countryside. The elderly. The young and rambunctious. The middle aged, who were often too over dressed for the occasion and seemed more concerned about how they appeared to others than about the salvation they may receive from their little church. As if how they looked mattered at all.

According to writer Swifty Lang, the genesis of his border crossing turned werewolf horror comic, Feeding Ground were the real life harrowing tales of the men, women, and children who daily attempt to cross over into the United States from both the documentary of his friend Thomas Peyton, 3 Men From 3 Valleys as well as Luis Urea's book, The Devil's Highway, and certainly the frequent newspaper headlines about the issue. The concept was also born, obviously enough, from conversations about werewolves. Not only was Lang interested in moving the classic monster away from the old tropes and limitations of silver and full moons, but he was interested in the metaphorical aspects of the creatures.

The series was recently released in hardcover in Spanish and English with a foreword from Urrea you can read on Lapinski's blog here. Here's a tidbit of the kindness Urrea bestows on Feeding Ground:

As huge as the craft has become, comic books retain enough outsider, underground cachet to tackle subjects many of us wouldn’t dare touch — not in polite company, not at Tea Party rallies. One shouldn’t approach such vile, filthy subject matter as the worth of a human life, the dignity of a human soul, or the value of, as Bob Dylan once sang, “these children that you spit on.” I’m talkin’ to you, Mr. Politician.

And, here is a series of books that leaps deep into the brilliant heart of darkness: the damned (in every sense) and glorious border. The place I write about. The place where I was born.

Swifty Lang and I share an interest in the exquisite horror and beauty of the wastelands through which the undocumented wanderers must struggle. It is a formidable region of unforgiving landscape and gods who rule with little mercy. In my book, THE DEVIL’S HIGHWAY, I stated that we are all aliens in this landscape, what I call “Desolation.” For fans of the occult, this comes from The Book of Enoch. Yeah, the lands wherein the fallen Watchers and their earth spawn, The Nephilim, are chained beneath the burning desert mountains. They wait to return for their revenge.

How stunned and delighted was I when these amazing comics arrived in my mailbox. As all great graphic novels do, these books create a literary work of searing poetry and awe. The art allows us to see things we might not be able to—or want to—imagine for ourselves. That my work has had even a little to do with the genesis of this epic is as cool as it gets. I laugh out loud in appreciation when I see the smugglers (Coyotes) and The Devil’s Highway itself, the sly gangsters come alive, as if they had jumped out of my book. But I don’t laugh because it’s funny. No. I’m whistling past the graveyard, amigos. This shit’s scary.

Local author Janne E. Irvine wears many hats. She is a pianist, piano teacher, composer/arranger, Austen scholar, singer and actress.

Irvine also wears a scholar's cap. She has a Bachelors from Sarah Lawrence College, a Masters from Yale University School of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the UA.

But what's even more impressive is that Irvine accomplished all of these things with severely impaired vision. At the age of 13, her eyesight failed so that she could no longer see well enough to read printed words.

Irvine tells her story in her first book, Making Friends With Other Trees and Flowers: A Story of Low Vision and High Expectations. (October 2011, Wheatmark, $22.95).

Here's a summary from local publisher Wheatmark:

Janne E. Irvine's vision was damaged after birth, and grew worse over time. Even so, her parents provided her with an environment that enabled her to thrive. In Making Friends with Other Trees and Flowers, Janne relates with humor and honesty how a vivid imagination made it possible for her to understand the blurred images of her world. She shows how disability, when coupled with creativity, can provide chances for boundless fulfillment.

Meet Irvine tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 5130 E. Broadway Blvd., when she signs copies of her book. The Greenwood Groubadours will also perform.

A New Jersey school district has apologized to parents after requiring high school students to read books that include graphic depictions of lesbian sex and a homosexual orgy.

“Some of the language is inappropriate,” said Chuck Earling, superintendent of Monroe Township Schools in Williamstown, N.J. “We were not trying to create controversy. We were just trying to get students to read.”

[...]

One book, “Norwegian Wood,” was on a list for incoming sophomores in an honors English class. The book includes a graphic depiction of a lesbian sex scene between a 31-year-old woman and a 13-year old girl, according to a report first published in the Gloucester County Times.

“I don’t think that’s relevant for any teenager,” parent Robin Myers told the newspaper. Her daughter was assigned to read the book. “I was just kind of in shock,” she said.

[...]

Peter Sprigg, with the Family Research Council, said he’s not surprised by the controversy surrounding the books.

“Here we see the intersection of parental values being offended, the hyper-sexualization of our youth and the homosexual agenda being pushed,” Sprigg told Fox News Radio. “This just illustrates why a lot of American parents are not willing to entrust their children to the public schools anymore.”

Maybe New Jersey isn't exactly the best state to have a discussion about what's good for children, since the impression most Americans have of the state's youth culture consists of fist-pumping, binge drinking, and how orange Snooki's skin is. However, I'm a parent, so it's not like I don't understand the idea of protecting the minds of children, but I think I'd rather have my son and daughter reading, asking questions, and experiencing fully formed chararacters with realistic emotional responses to life's twists and turns than them getting their cultural information exclusively from the music of Pitbull and the various shows about teen moms.

On a related note, this week's New Yorker has an excerpt from Murakami's newest novel 1Q84. The plot involves cats and some sort of futuristic 1984-ish world, and I believe lacks lurid lesbian sex, for better or worse. Good luck keeping your thoughts pure reading that trash, if you choose to.

Sonora Review, University of Arizona's graduate-student-run literary journal, is celebrating the release of their 60th issue at The Poetry Center this Thursday, August 25th, at 8pm. Come on out and help them celebrate! A suggested donation of $5 is appreciated.

More from Sonora Review:

Sonora Review 60 is coming at you with its tongue wagging like a happy dog who just wants to roll around on your floor and make cute faces at you and make you make cute faces at it. So come rub Sonora Review’s belly at the University of Arizona Poetry Center for a benefit and/or release party, but mostly an awesome reading containing the following individuals/things we love:

* Excerpts from the new issue read in dulcet tones
* Ander Monson and his always surprising facial hair
* Kate Bernheimer and Brent Hendricks, Tucson's literary power couple
* Tenney Nathanson of POG and U of A fame
* Jane Miller, eternal fountain of beauty and truth
* Lit mag swag (our new issue, our old issues, broadsides, etc. etc.)
* Sonora Review Madlibs

Somebody will be dressed in tattered clothes at the door with an open guitar case asking for small donations, but this is merely a 'suggested donation'; mostly, we just want to see your beautiful faces, and you want to see our beautiful faces, so let’s gaze at one another and swoon.

For more information, call 626-3765.