The great equalizer...

Zombies! Zombies are indeed the great equalizer. Everyone fears them and they're too stupid to play favorites. They'll eat anyone's brain. Jewish brains, Irish brains... all the same thing to a zombie.


Which is why you should go and get Scott Kenemore's new book right now!


(That and he's a smart guy, talented writer, and awesome rocker... not to mention my old friend)


I have not yet read it, but I will. Oh yes, I will!

In Good Company...

I'll be in NY in November, for THIS!


I'll be part of a panel on DIY book marketing... and Lewis will be too!

It's official!!!

I have a book coming out. A book of poems. It looks a lot like this!


And I'm immensely excited by it. Almost as excitedas as I am by Jill's book.

Wow!!!

I didn't know this was happening, but look!


Long after its second printing, Half/Life is still getting good reviews. And Parabola! What a kickass magazine. I'm beaming...


In Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes, Laurel Snyder, a poet and editor, explores this struggle for identity in all its pain and glory.


A line like that makes all the work seem like nuthin.


In other news, I'm reading next week, at the Decatur Book Festival, at 5 pm on Sunday, at the Java Monkey/poetry stage.


In still other news I'm panelling that same weekend on being a blogging woman, Sat at 7 pm, at Wordsmith's books.


And in still MORE news, Mose can kick-kick-kick in the pool, and Lew has learned to laugh!


Finally, I've just seen the last round of galleys for "The Myth of the Simple Machines", due out this fall from No Tell Books. Wow. WOW! And the cover is AMAAAAAAZING!


(I also want to say at this point that I have been thinking about-- and wanting to blog about-- how hard it is to adjust to major life transitions sometimes. But I haven't got the time to rub two real ideas together and make fire. But one day soon I'll rant for ytou about the lack of external affirmations in the life of a housewife, and about how you should all sleep while you can.)

Least favorite Part...

Okay, so my least favorite part of writing and publishing is offically "blurb hunting". I don't mind sending work out for review, but somehow the process of asking other writers to glow over me... curls my toes. Fills me with self-doubt. I'm not even sure what purpose blurbs serve anyway.


In other news, we're home from Baltimore and NY, and we're happy to be here.


In still other news, we are slowly beginning to think about a move, to a 'hood with a better elementary school and a more pedestrian-friendly vibe. Can we afford it? Well, if we can find a good sub-prime mortgage...


In still other news, Mose started SCHOOL!

How lame...

I am *so* lame that my new favorite song is one I found on a PBS kiddie-show segue. That's right, smack dab in between Sesame Street and Arthur, there was a little commercial, and playing behind that commercial was an awesome tune. And I am *so* lame that I did a google search for "PBS" and "song" and "Jamie Lee Curtis (because she's in the commercial) and I found this.


And I am *so* lame that it pleases me to discover I'm not alone in my lameness.


You can listen to it here. It's called "Only You".


So I guess I just started digging NRBQ...

The "Name My Dastardly Villain Contest" Shortlist...

Remember the contest?


Well, I've finally picked my finalists. Please head on over to Kid*Lit(erary) and place your vote for my evil villain's awful name. Bear in mind that he's a murderous fellow, dwelling in a none-too-serious book for nine year olds. He lives in Dakota Territory in 1880 and burns a very sweet dog with his cigar, among other things. He wears a squashed black hat and has really foul teeth.


I know all of that. I just don't know his name!


Help me?

Lewis is blogging...

Over here, you can visit Lew-ish, the all-new blog of Lewis Abraham Snyder Poma.


It's taken me a few weeks too many to get the site together, but I don't want to put it off any longer. Mose got a blog, and Lew deserves one too. So he can look back later, and resent me for posting embarassing pictures of him. Instead of looking back and resenting me for NOT posting embarassing pictures of him


So pay him a visit, already...

First We Take Manhattan...

Lewis and I are heading to New York for a night, to meet my editor and my agent for lunch. How fun is THAT!?


Lewis wants to know what's appropriate attire for such a literary lunch... I told him he doesn't have to worry. Babies can get away with *anything*. Damn babies.


Oooh oooh! Maybe I'll get to visit Random House for a bit! I'm all a-tingle.


Sadly, Mose has to stay here. I can't chase after him *and* pretend to be cool and confident and clever at the same time.


In other news, we took a boat out on the harbor yesterday, like tourists. Flea market in Fells Point, lunch at Jimmy's. Wonderful for me, good for my soul, but also hard. I'll never stop missing home. Though the city is all shiny and fancy, compared to the place where I grew up. One day I'll come home and not recognize it. B'lieve, hon.


In still other news, Reb came up and brought Gideon, who is every bit as smart and adorable as you've been led to believe.


In still other news, I got some good writing done today.


Glad I came to visit. I needed this.

Reading!!!

I'll be reading poems with Travis Denton, Alice Lovelace, Franklin Abbott and Beth Gylys on Sunday, September 2, at the Poetry Atlanta Stage of the Decatur Book Festival.


This reading is a really really good thing, because since moving to Atlanta I've done an amazingly bad job of getting to know the local poets. I'm not sure why (something to do with having two kids in two years?), but it's lame. I whine and moan about not having a "scene" and then I don't make the effort to meet the "scene".


Major thanks to Collin Kelley for fitting me in! I'm excited!

Multiple Choice Question...

Laurel is:


A. In Baltimore right now (and for a few weeks to come)
B. Entertaining an insane notion regarding a "fixer upper"
C. Experiencing some symptoms of PPD, though not in a big bad way
D. All of the above


Eh?

Tell me what you think...

I'm getting a new site made, Laurelsnyder.com. My awesome friend Jeff is doing it. Jeff is one half of halobrite.com and he's a genius.


So my question:


Can I make this site useful as a general author site, for poetry and nonfiction and so on... if I also make it kid friendly?


What you'll see if you follow the link is the basic site, but I'm hoping to add in details from the illustrations to my kiddie-lit. As they arrive. Little people and animals here and there on the page.


But tell me the truth-- as a grownup reader, a poet, an adult... will you still take me seriously?


Will you still respect me in the morning?


Please tell me! The truth!