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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Patty Friedmann: A Little Bit Ruined
One of the first post-Katrina novels, and probably destined to be one of the best. Friedmann's sequel to Eleanor Rushing finds her crazy heroine still holding everything together after the storm (after a fashion), until she has to leave New Orleans and she falls apart physically as well as mentally. Mordantly, morbidly funny.
Tom Piazza: Why New Orleans Matters
The best post-Katrina book I've read. In 150 small pages, Piazza explicates the New Orleans experience simply and beautifully. I'll be passing this one on to anyone who wonders "But why would anyone want to live there?".
If want to hear from everyone you dated in high school, then you should really get a Facebook account.
Honestly, though, I like it better than Twitter. I've given up on Twitter, because it's too much info. Facebook is a drinking fountain and Twitter is a firehouse.
Posted by: Frolic | February 12, 2009 at 06:22 AM
I initially got a Facebook page to -- strangely enough -- find someone from high school. It turns out a huge number of my colleagues are connected and they all sent invitations to "friend" me.
I suppose it's fun in the sense of seeing who's out there, but on the other hand, I hardly ever look at it. I like you, sure, but I really don't care what you're eating for dinner or what movie you're watching.
As for Twitter, I just don't get that at all.
Posted by: Jil | February 12, 2009 at 08:05 AM
I'm still enjoying Facebook, but we'll see how long that lasts.
Kevin, I'm curious to hear what Gambit's experience has been with Twitter. I just don't see the point and finally "unfollowed" all my commercial subscriptions, because 90% of the content at NPR, TP, and you guys as well seemed to be an RSS feed by another name. It was mainly repeating info that I was getting else where from my feedreader.
But are there less sophisticated users (God help us if I count as sophisticated) who use Twitter because they don't use a feedreader?
It does seem like Twitter could be useful for live blogging events.
Posted by: Frolic | February 12, 2009 at 08:43 AM
Be a man and get tagged EVERYfrakingDAY like the rest of us. Don't know what "tagged" means? You would if you were on Facebook.
(I'm there for Lexulous, formerly known as Scrabulous.)
Posted by: Maitri | February 12, 2009 at 03:22 PM
It's just another way to connect with people, and have them find you in Internet land.
Do what I do Kevin and create a minimal page that simply links to your website. Also, I just ignore invites from people I don't want to connect with.
Um, and I hate to break it to you, but you are really easy to stalk, err, I mean find on the Internet....
I love Twitter. Love it. Although I did have to change my name because I had a creepy stalker situation on there...
Posted by: Lizzy Caston | February 15, 2009 at 12:04 PM
For me it's been a 'safe' way to get caught up with people, doesn't require a heavy commitment to see how people have been over the years. It has helped me get back in contact with some people I lost emails for over time too. Plus since my spouse is in school right now everyone she works/attends with is on there so it helps her coordinate things - we've planned parties and meetups using it.
Posted by: Chris | February 17, 2009 at 02:24 PM
I see you've decided to join:
http://tinyurl.com/d3tv2u
Posted by: Laura | February 19, 2009 at 11:14 PM
Facebook was a wholly frightening concept to me - there are plenty of people I haven't kept in touch with for good reasons - but I ended up joining once I realized that all my friends in other countries were no longer emailing. I now just look at it as a more interactive emailing system and ignore what I don't care about. I also set all of my privacy settings to the highest possible. Twitter, however, is completely beyond me.
Posted by: Kate | February 20, 2009 at 05:42 PM
It's just another good time sucker.
And there's asynchronous Scrabble, so that's cool...
Posted by: Rachelle | February 25, 2009 at 04:05 AM
I'm late to the party (quelle surprise), but while I resisted joining Facebook largely because you have to use your real name, the upside of that is that you can find other people much more easily than on other servies where people use pseudonyms. Yes, it's weird to get Friend requests from someone who rode your school bus in elementary school, but it's harmless, and I do like the very disconnected, passive way I see small glimpses of what people are up to.
As for Twitter, I join with the "I don't get it" crowd...it seems to be similar to a Facebook "status update", though even more inane as a rule
Posted by: Kent | March 09, 2009 at 03:40 PM
Someone invited me to look at some pictures, and I had to join to see them. I already regret doing it. All these people I don't ever talk to anymore have invited me to be "friends". Some I actually avoided talking to in person on my last trip to New Orleans, but I had to accept on Facebook in order not to be rude. Frankly the whole thing seems pretty lame to me. *shrug*
Posted by: Andy NOLA-PDX | March 15, 2009 at 09:21 PM
My Darling Wife is on Facebook, and she is about as un-tech-savvy as you can get. So now she loves to tell me about the cute tidbits of news she gets from family and friends each day. I'm like, "What does Facebook offer that I can't already get on Twitter, MySpace and my blog?" She rolls her eyes. "Tim, don't get upset just because you're late to the party. Just join in and enjoy it." As of this writing, I remain recalcitrant.
Peace,
Tim
Posted by: Tim | March 28, 2009 at 11:41 PM
I chose blogging and facebook; I ignore the MySpace site I set up years ago, as well as Linked In, the latter because the first person who asked me to join was sort of a stalker (really). As for Twitter: the last friend I sat with who tweets rarely made eye contact (quite a feat, as we were sharing a hotel room), so fixated was she on her tweets, including the one she sent saying, something she'd eaten had given her bad breath. No thanks.
Posted by: Nancy Rommelmann | March 31, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Just watching you on Book TV on CSPAN at the Tennessee Williams panel. I was going to get on Twitter and tell you how interesting it was, but you're not on Twitter. Now I see why, althought it may be that the problem you had with Twitter was really with the person you were with. I am stalk...er following many interesting people on Twitter, and never feel the need to make eye contact, either!
In any event. The panel was very interesting, especially the back-and-forth with Chris Hedges (confessed luddite). I don't know what I'd do without Book TV.
If you change your mind about Twitter, I am "localresident." Next time I'm in N.O. I'll have to get a copy of your paper.
Posted by: Kathy Richardson | April 19, 2009 at 05:13 PM
Because, some of your good friends from your past, can and should have a place to catch up with you personally. I have recently this year given in and joined my friends on Facebook. I like you had avoided it. (Facebook has become a problem for some school teachers. My conclusion is that it is partially their fault that it was out of control. Mainly because they allowed their children or students from their classroom to join their accounts.) I never ever tell anyone at schools I work at that I have a page. I have relegated my site to only good friends from either my high school, college days, and a few select friends, from my last 10 years.(I also do not allow random people who ask for friendship to join.)
.....On the + side of thing about Facebook....
(1) I have personally found it to be a really great way to talk to someone in real time. (2) My mother and I have traveled a lot to foreign countries and my Facebook page has been an extremely nice way to share these pictures. The Facebook download is very fast and it allows one to organize full pages of digital media at a time.It is also a good way to share those pictures with others that have been with you on those trips. Look into it, and look me up. (3) Sometimes its nice to just catch up with old friends. I have not truly changed very much. I am very much still the die hard liberal feminist you remember from Grade School, Junior High and High School. Were still both not married...if your interested in why? Look me up. It's probably for some of the same reasons you still are not.(4) Kevin the best reason of all to join Facebook is to catch up with people like me that you have lost touch with who would love to talk to you again. * Mom says hi! ....she will be retiring sometime this next year. (5) We also have an apartment in Paris you can see pictures of it on Facebook. So if your interested in getting away from America one of these days its always nice to have a place to go that is free. (6) I have also had the chance over the years read most of your articles and still see glimpses of that person who was my best friend for 12 years. I have followed your flight from your chosen town of New Orleans to Portland and now back to the Gambit. I have also listened to your - U-tube reporter friends talking about the closing of the local community papers and the explosion of the blogs as new sources of news. (7) You probably know little of what I have been doing as an adult member of this society. For instance, I am a teacher. I do still play my cello.(8) Its a great way to exchange and distribute videos from many sources, music, breaking news, share political ideas, organize marches and gatherings, etc. And lastly, I would like to hear what has happened to your parents besides the occasional passing comment from you like we don't get along well. (From one only child to another) do tell me more.....I am also on Reunions.com.(not as good a choice , but it does allow Hemet High School to find my mother through me for her reunion news etc. Her (50th) was this year. I took her to it. Now that was fun times.........LOL... Be hearing from you and seeing you soon I hope on Facebook......Laura L. Schall
Posted by: Laura Schall | May 25, 2009 at 07:13 PM
I've had a facebook page for nearly 2 years and I might have looked at it maybe 5 times. It's just another thing that you have to do, and I'm busy enough.
Posted by: Italian Dude | June 29, 2009 at 06:29 PM
Well... here's an example, Kevin... You and I were best buddies in elem school, and I've been hoping to find you on FB to re-connect. Perhaps your avoidance of FB has something to do with avoiding re-connecting with people for your ancient past... but I sure would love to catch up sometime, and find out how these past 30 yrs have treated you. At any rate, I hope you're well and enjoying NOLA. Ciao bello. --kai.
Posted by: Kai. | August 09, 2009 at 12:30 AM
I joined FB to keep in touch mainly w/ grandkids...I just deactivated it, after 176 friends....
a couple reasons I did...spending too much time on it...and security and privacy...If any one of your friends takes even one of the ubiquitous quizzes, they give up all of their visible data and all of the visible data of all their friends....to the stranger who created the quiz...just think of how easy it would be for some folks to answer your security questions with all that info. This was reported by PC World...I am quite sure most users have no idea...! I was hoping someone here would have pointed this out as a negative...! And how hard is it to control whether or not ANY of your friends of their free will takes a quiz....?? Oh, the other thing that has happened..is that when folks happen to log in from overseas, or away on a trip, sometimes a crook finds out they are away and goes and burglarizes their property...due to the low risk at that time..they even caution you to only talk about your trips after you get back...
Posted by: John Mulshine | October 18, 2009 at 01:19 PM
I love facebook. Didn't think I would, but it's the place I can go late at night and catch up with my friends that I wouldn't otherwise know about. I'd catch up with my friend, Kevin, if he were on!!
Posted by: Bev Marshall | December 05, 2009 at 07:41 PM
I appreciate the work of all people who share information with others.
Posted by: College Research Paper | January 12, 2010 at 01:23 AM
Personally, hating my first 6 months on FB...spent more time googling "top ten things to avoid on FB" than actually updating FB, but did stumble across a few folks I was happy to rediscover...re YOU, just want to see more pix, whether on FB, Flicker, or any other yuppie device...Your devoted fan, Liz "Lizard" Blozan
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Posted by: オテモヤン | March 27, 2010 at 12:22 PM
Yeah, just got on there cuz I need to msg you a question and I can't find your e-mail address.
Posted by: Wacky Mommy | June 11, 2010 at 01:18 AM
I accept it and agree with all information I would like to say thanks for it.
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