The Foundation of Summer Must Be Our Goal

My collection of short stories, The Foundation of Summer, is arriving at your door! Order now.

Review in the New London Day

John Ruddy of the New London Day has given me a very positive review. He could have mentioned that "Homegrown Terror" is similar or nearly identical to the term the people of the time used, "parricide," in order to show that I wasn't just pulling that concept from a hat. But otherwise this is a perfect reading of my book, with a complete understanding of what I was trying to do. The article was later picked up by Stars and Stripes and a couple other sites.

Nutmeg Chatter

Cartoonist and all-around awesome Connecticut guy J. Timothy Quirk will be featuring me in a future Nutmeg Chatter profile coming in April. Look to this page for a link, and meanwhile check out his page for all the arts and culture news in Northwest Connecticut.

Tom Thumb at the Old State House

Enjoy my lecture and panel with Diane Smith, Eugene Leach, and Maryellen Fillo!

UB Creating

Amy and I are featured in the latest UB promotional materials for UB in Action. Our section is UB Creating. Find us and our statistics at the bottom of the page here.

Building a Better Argument

Read my 'closing thought' in this season's alumni magazine Knightlines. It is called "Building a Better Argument" and could be a primer on how not to argue with people on the internet. As an example I chose Ezra Pound's ABC of Reading, which I loved during college and now feel less enthused about. So, if you're a big Pound fan, you might not like it.

Otherwise...Enjoy!

The Last Saquatch

Hear me read my short story, "The Last Sasquatch," for Garbanzofest 3.

Breakthrough - Sharing History's Secrets

Read all about my research on Tom Thumb in the latest issue of UB Breakthroughs.

Danbury First Congregational Church

Enjoyed our book signing the other day at Danbury's First Congreational Church with David Leff for Alice at Byrd's Books, one of my favorite stores in the state. The bonus was the pulpit below, which a certain Ralph Waldo Emerson preached at, lo these many years ago. It was saved from the fire that destroyed the original church.

Radio Arts and Leisure

Check me out on this episode of Radio Arts and Leisure, a program on Hersam Acorn's Radio. I'm at about 20 minutes into the ep, discussing my book Afoot in Connecticut. Enjoy!

Becoming Tom Thumb wins its First Award

Becoming Tom Thumb has won its first award, the 2014 Henry Russell Hitchcock Prize from the Victorian Society in America.

They write:

“Deeply humane and splendidly researched, we believe that Becoming Tom Thumb is the first to do justice to Charles Stratton...It shows him to be a charming and dynamic entrepreneur who shrewdly exploited his international celebrity, by no means a hapless victim, and it does so with great insight and sympathy.”

         —The Victorian Society in America, awarding the 2014 Henry Russell Hitchcock Award

Much Ado About Nothing

My wife and I actually met on a UB trip to this production in 2002, even though we wouldn't officially 'meet' for another 2.5 years. I can still see her there, next to Roxie Ray in the lobby. I thought she was cute, and checked her out across the theater (their seats were not with ours) during the show. True story.

Easton Historical Society

Amy and I had a lot of fun speaking at the Easton Historical Society the other day. So many people turned out - it was great to see the enthusiasm for our state's culinary treasures.

Nearby is the Helen Keller Middle School - she lived in Easton for three decades! Most people in Connecticut don't even know that. We'll be discussing her more in our next book.

Fieldstone Common

I was interviewed by Marian Pierre-Louis of Fieldstone Common for her podcast series. Check it out here. Marian writes: "In this interview Eric and I talk about Charles Stratton, the successful man. It’s hard to call him Tom Thumb after reading this book and seeing him as a real person. This story will challenge all the preconceived notions you have of General Tom Thumb. He was smart, talented, entertaining and a leader in his community. We discuss, as well, the success of P.T. Barnum and the prejudices faced by little people later in the 19th century." It was a pleasure to talk with someone so knowledgeable about New England history. Marian (and others) have convinced me that podcasts are the wave of the future, and that radio is pretty much dead. Clear Channel and others have killed it - pretty much made it no different than listening to Spotify, etc. With some exceptions of course! We could look at it another way...after a narrowing of radio's impact and variety, podcasts have expanded the audio world once again, filling a real need.

Old Saybrook Historical Society

Gave a presentation on Tom Thumb for the Old Saybrook Historical Society at the Acton Library, and had a lot of fun. I met a man (above) who graduated in the first class of the University of Bridgeport. He actually went to the Junior College of Connecticut, and it changed to UB during his senior year. Amazing guy, and still sharp as a tack.

Book Trailer for Garbanzo Literary Journal

I have a story in this upcoming issue of the already legendary literary journal, Garbanzo. Get there.

Newtown Arts Festival

Amy and I were honored to speak at the Newtown Arts Festival this year. It was a special year there after the tragedy last winter, and it was twice as big as last year. We gave a presentation on A History of Connecticut Food, and had great attendance. Next year they might sell our book(s) at the main tent!

New Short Story

Check out my latest short story in the Fall 2013 edition of ken*again. I also have a couple of poems in this issue, which you can find here.

Afoot in Connnecticut 53 - The Lyman Viaduct

Appearance at Funky Monkey



Come to chat this Thursday from 6-8 at the Funky Monkey Café and Gallery in Cheshire. We'll have some wine or coffee and chat about Connecticut.