Brooklyn in the morning: light, warm, and bright.  I was on my way to Barcade for Wiimbledon 2009, the third year of the tournament.  The first year, I couldn’t make it for some reason.  Last year, my niece got married, so again, no go.  But this year, I was at the bar/arcade half an hour early, a little excited, a little nervous.  I’ve been playing Wii Tennis for a good while, but mostly against the computer.  Every time I did play a human being, I won.  Which didn’t mean much, since I hadn’t played many people.

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I’m not entirely certain how this happened, but I’m going to be in the city three times next week.  Two of these are book-related events; the last one…not so much.

Tuesday, June 23, 1:30pm: McGoldrick Library @ Flushing

A Book Discussion With Author Sung J. Woo
Recently published, “Everything Asian” is a tale of family, community and the struggle for understanding as a young Korean immigrant adjusts to his new American life.  Author Sung J. Woo invites you to participate in a discussion of his novel, giving you the chance to ask your questions about plot and more. Refreshments will be served.

Thursday, June 25, 7:30pm: Gen XYZ @ Happy Ending

In high school we chugged wine coolers and taped MTV’s “120 Minutes.” Our college dorms had the first condom machines. We know someone who booked Nirvana before Nirvana was big. Winona was hot! We are Gen X. And for this literary evening, poet (and proud Gen-Xer) April Naoko Heck invites writers to share their original work, and to reflect on how Gen-X culture (art and literature of the 1980s & 1990s, when Gen-Xers came of age) changed their lives. GEN XYZ seeks to create new ties among emerging and established writers, and to spark dialogue about what exactly defines a generation. Expect delicious drinks, comedy, and above all, great writing.

I’ll be reading with Nick Flynn, Justin Taylor, Halley Feiffer, and Bianca Stone.  I’ll be reading an essay I wrote specifically for this event, and for those who have attended my readings before, there’s a pretty good chance that I’ll do something that you’ve never seen me do before.

Saturday, June 27, 10am: Wiimbledon @ Barcade [Brooklyn]

WTF is Wiimbledon?

Wiimbledon is a Wii Tennis tournament run by Brooklynites Steve Bryant and Lane Buschel.

Finally!  I’ve been waiting three years to do this.  The tournament will start with 128 players, and there can be only one winner.  Will it be me?  Who knows?  What I do know is that I better practice, because it’s been like six months since I turned the Wii on.  If you’re in the neighborhood, please come on by and cheer me on.

From Book Addiction:

The book is best described as a novel in stories.  It is definitely a concrete novel, it follows a mostly linear timeline and there’s a clear beginning, middle, and end to it.  But each chapter is absolutely a short story in and of itself.  You could read any one of the chapters, and even though you may not be intimately acquainted with the characters, you would get enough of a sense of them to fully understand and appreciate what that chapter offers.

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If my novel were a house, this reviewer figured out the blueprint.  As a writer, there’s no higher compliment than to be understood.  She made my day.

Indian readers can now order Everything Asian from flipkart.com.  Not sure exactly what the name of the site means, but hey, the important thing is that they’re selling the book.