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    My Baby All Grown Up

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    Just a quick announcement today, to let you know my book has officially been picked up by Chin Music Press (!!!), a Seattle-based publisher best known for their impeccable attention to design and presentation. I feel like my baby's going off to college! 

    Seriously though, the book seems to have a life and destiny of its own that is beyond me, and less representative of myself than whatever thirst it satisfies in its readers. I was shocked to learn it was more of a bestseller this past holiday season than the one previous, and that it was among Elliott Bay Books' top ten bestsellers... aaaaaand the only title among those bestsellers to be by a local author, debut author, or local press. 

    How did that happen??

    It wasn't me. It was you, dear readers, being excited and supportive. For this to have gone through five print runs while only being stocked in (mostly) six bookstores boggles my mind. We were the #1 bestselling book at Third Place Books: Seward Park for their holiday season... because you're wonderful. And I'm still trying to understand how it's worthy of being taught as a textbook at two universities. 

    I wrote the book because I had to. It doesn't seem like it would fit in to today's extremist, loudest-voice-wins-all climate; the round of publishers we queried in New York York certainly didn't think it had a chance. But you're not going to be able to stop humans from responding to kindness, especially in environments where there's a dearth of it. We want what we don't have, what we don't get enough of, and there aren't too many books about the humor and joy and pathos of humans of all demographics finding common ground. 

    (If it sounds like I'm bragging, I promise you I'm not; you know I have to plug this thing, aaaaaand also– whispering here– I'd love to do a– whispering even more– second book– someday, and you never know which publisher might be listening, now that we've proven this thing would've actually made them money... but that's for the future, not now. One baby at a time!)

    What does Chin Music taking over the book mean? Not much, if you've already read it. But you might see the book in more places, more readily available than it has been, reaching deeper within Seattle and farther out beyond. 

    If you liked the book, pass the word along! Please! It's the only form of advertising that's completely truthful, and I'm grateful and honored that that's been its primary modus of expansion. 

    Thank you.

    ---

    Thanks to Seattle Walk Report for the above image.

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    It Just Keeps Going: Nathan in New York

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    Really quick– I'll be participating in a panel for the famed and lovely organization TransitCenter this Wednesday. If you're in NYC, stop by! I don't often make it out there and would love to say hello.

    Here's TransitCenter's description of the event:

    The job of a bus operator is demanding. While getting a bus from Point A to Point B safely and on-schedule is their primary focus, their responsibilities extend beyond what the job title suggests. Operators answer questions from passengers, assist with fare payment, and respond to emergencies and passenger issues that may arise during their run. They possess a wealth of knowledge about transit operations that agencies should pay close attention to. Bus operators’ day-to-day interactions with the riders and communities that their buses serve give them a unique perspective on transit service and how it is (or isn’t) meeting people’s needs.

    What could agencies learn by listening to their bus operators? What don’t riders know about the difficulties of being an operator? And amidst nationwide transit operator shortages, what can agencies do to improve job quality and ensure that operators stay on the job? What can agencies do to better provide operators the opportunity to advance through the ranks? This panel will seek to answer these questions and recognize transit’s unsung heroes.


    I enjoy listening more than talking, and definitely get more out of the former, but I've been told I'm an effective blabbermouth as well, and I'll do my best to live up to that quality and contribute more to this exciting panel than taking up space in one of those office chairs. The first thing I'll be pointing out is that "getting from point A to point B on-schedule" is actually a lil' further down on my priority list...

    What is TransitCenter? They're a national group that "works to improve transit in order to make cities more just and environmentally sustainable... Our experience is that the greatest challenges facing transit are human, not technological, and that transit reform depends on high-performing public agencies and strong citizen-led advocacy. To that end, we support, inform, connect, and fund the civic and public leaders working to make transit better."

    How delightful. See you there. This event will be live-streamed, and available for subsequent online viewing as well. I'll keep you posted.

    RSVP to the event and learn further details here. 

    Photo courtesy of TransitCenter.
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    Movie Update: Hallo, Amsterdam!

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    If you've talked to me in the last two years, you've heard me talk about it.

    Well, festival submissions are finally underway, and they're paying off; we're an Honorable Mention for Best Drama Short at the Independent Shorts Awards, but more pressingly for this week, an Official Selection at the New Renaissance Film Festival in Amsterdam, where we are nominated for Best International Short! 

    Given the content, I'm thrilled Europe is the first place to see the film. If you're checking in from Amsterdam– Hoi! Read more about the film's genesis here– why's it called Men I Trust? Why did I make it? What's it about? All that and more. Bedankt voor je interesse!!

    Watch a trailer for the film here.

    I hope one day to be able to be able to share it at a festival here in Seattle. Work on those SIFF programmers, if you can, about letting this puppy in despite its 33-minute length; films determine their own runtime, and this one told us it couldn't be a minute longer or shorter, never mind SIFF's stipulation for <30-minute shorts. Who do I have to buy a steak dinner to convince them it's a good idea to play probably the festival's first-ever 33-minute feature?

    Are you in Amsterdam? Buy a ticket to see the film! Block J, baby! Don't forget to vote for Best International Short!
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    It Just Doesn’t Stop: Hello, Tacoma

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    Here we go. I held off on publicizing this too much before the MOHAI lecture to avoid confusion, but this event is no less exciting, and in some ways more expansive: I’m part of PLU’s 15th Annual Visiting Writer Series, and will be taking part in a full day of events for students, faculty and more. For those of you in the South End looking for free (And fun! Yes!) things to do, two of the this Thursday's events are open to the public: 

    • An hour-long moment at 4pm called The Writer’s Story, in which I’ll show photos, writing, and an excerpt from my upcoming film, with discussion about all three mediums; 
     
    • And another hour-long moment at 7pm, simply called Author Reading and Reception, wherein I’ll present material I haven’t read before and talk more specifically about my world on the bus, and writing in the context of bus driving.

    Both of these events are on Tacoma’s PLU campus; details here. The book will be for sale, but more importantly– stop in for a chat! I don’t get out to Pierce County too often, and am looking forward to saying hello. It’s an honor to be hosted by award-winning author Wendy Call, and I’m thrilled to speak to her classes as much to the public.

    Hope to see you there soon!

    Where: Pacific Lutheran University, 12180 Park Avenue S., Tacoma, WA 98447
    When: 
    Thursday, February 27th, 2020
    The Writer’s Story: 4 pm in Anderson University Center, Room 133
    Reading and Reception: 7 pm in the Scandinavian Center
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    Um Wow (MOHAI: Thank You and Bibliography)

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    Well, that was amazing.

    I’m still riding the high of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being there. For taking notes from the front row; for sitting in the back leaning in; for finding a seat on the floor on the sidelines. 

    For making it a standing-room only event. 

    There’s no greater compliment. For bringing me home-baked bread! For travelling up from the other side of town through that traffic (I sat through it too!)… For standing in line for who knows how long, that we might have a chance to chat. I’ll never be able to express how much it means to me. For coming even though you started work at 4 A.M. that morning.

    For being kind in your congratulations, though you may have known the topic better than I.

    Every person I talk to at these things, every hand I shake and moment of eye contact made– it always feels like the tip of an unrealized iceberg. I always wish for more. To sit and hear all of your thoughts, share in our mutual glow; an impossibility with a crowd this large, but we can hope, or rather recognize, how much we appreciate each other's existence. You’re out there somewhere, being your fabulous self, and I am enormously grateful. It changes and energizes how I think about the world, knowing you and your smile exist. 

    Last night was my version of Jimmy Carter’s “Crisis of Conscience” speech (except not as good, but with a happy ending and more graphs!), and I put every ounce of my heart and soul into it. It’s everything on the subject I can offer at this point in my life, in speech form. Thank you for coming, and in such numbers, making it so huge. Thank you Rachel, for organizing this beast. Thank you Al and Tom, for putting MOHAI and I together. To the lovely tech crew. To Stacie, for gettin' that book out to the people!

    Video of the speech will be up shortly.

    And– I mentioned a nice fat bibliography, because it was that kind of speech– check out the PDF below! Because these things are important! So fun! Enjoy!

    Photos by Tom Eykemans.
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    Reminder: Nathan Lectures it Up, 2/19, 6:30-8

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    UPDATE: Source list added– click the PDF above. This document will make sense once you've heard the speech!

    I've thrown my heart and soul into this one. If it's the last public appearance I ever make, or by some tragedy it's the last lecture I'm ever allowed to give, I'll die happy. Everything I am and everything I can offer is in this hour-long piece. 
    This won't be your normal history lecture. They're letting me talk about whatever I want, and I've got some big surprises for you.

    ​I have a lot of events lined up this year (including a few that are further out– I'll be in Tacoma the week after next), but if you come to one, come to this one. This is it. This is the most I can possibly offer.

    Just like my cute lil' Metro bus... It's free! It's fun! It's for everyone!

    This event is part of MOHAI's History Cafe series;
    a Seattle Museum Month recommended event;
    ​a CrossCut event of the week;

    an AllEvents, Burbio, and Evensi listed event;
    a CoMotion UrbanNW listed event;
    a History Cafe meetup; and
    a Stranger Recommended Event. Here's the Stranger's writeup.

    Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
    860 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 
    Wed Feb 19, 6:30 pm 
    Free​

    Details & directions here.


    I'll post again after the event, but for this week forgive me if I focus all my energies on getting this one right! Hope to see you there!