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  • I'm a writer, journalist, and the editor of The Gambit, the alt-weekly newspaper in New Orleans.

    Journalism: My work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Globe & Mail (Canada), The Times- Picayune (New Orleans), The Oregonian, and Willamette Week, as well as in magazines including Details, Vogue, Publishers Weekly, and Portland Monthly.

    Publishing: Tight Shot, my first novel, was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Its sequel, Hot Shot, was roundly ignored by everyone, but was a far better book. I'm also a member of the National Book Critics Circle.

    Stage: I was a member of the Groundlings and Circle Repertory West in Los Angeles, and am a playwright (see "Stage" in the right-hand rail).

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January 08, 2008

Red Room! Red Room!

Redroom I don't have a MySpace (and never will), but I do have a Red Room. What's a Red Room? A new online salon and social network for writers:

Redroom.com, which premiered Dec. 21, is one of the more ambitious online communities for writers to date and perhaps the most timely, aiming to capitalize on the current potential for profitability of social-networking sites. It features 150 authors (with 400 more to come), ranging from Amy Tan and Salman Rushdie to Edinburgh Castle Pub owner Alan Black; Graham Leggatt, executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, who moonlights as a sci-fi writer; and local mystery writer Cara Black.

Here's my page (with more content to come), and I have to say that Redroom is one of the most stylish startups I've ever seen; it's beautiful and informative, with videos and podcasts in addition to print essays and interviews, and I imagine the site will fill up with even more content in no time.

There's a philanthropic component as well. Authors can designate their favorite charities or nonprofits, and a portion of the revenue generated from page and ad views goes to good causes.

My choice is Make It Right NOLA, Brad Pitt's audacious attempt to help rebuild New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward...because it's a good cause, and because everyone I know who's run into the Pitt-Jolie family in New Orleans says they're about the most down-to-earth neighbors imaginable given their circumstances. And Red Room founder Ivory Madison established a chapter of the National Organization for Women in New Orleans, so I hope she has a soft spot for the recovery effort as well.

07:43 PM in Journalism, New Orleans, Publishing, Reading, Writing |

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Comments

metroknow

Thanks for the tip Kevin - I actually just submitted the application to Red Room as well.

Posted by: metroknow | January 09, 2008 at 12:24 AM

Loki

I'll have to check that out if I can ever make the time to do so. Hopefully I've done enough work by now that I won't get rejected out of hand......

Posted by: Loki | January 10, 2008 at 11:57 AM

Tim

Thanks for plugging the Make It Right project. It's a real effort to help those who really need it.

Peace,

Tim

Posted by: Tim | January 26, 2008 at 11:01 AM

The comments to this entry are closed.

RECENT ARTICLES

BOOKS


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    "A worthy successor to Tight Shot, Allman's insider view of the seamier side of Hollywood is not only hip and entertaining but also has something serious to say about our insatiable hunger for tabloid thrills."

    Washington Post:
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    ----------


  • EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE
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STAGE

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