Poets John Sinclair and James Semark (founding members of the Detroit Artist Workshop) will be presenting new works that will soon be released in the fall. They will be joined by  John Cohassey and Roy Kotynek, authors of "AMERICAN CULTURAL REBELS: Avant-Garde and Bohemian Artists, Writers and Musicians from the 1850s through the 1960s." newly published by Macfarland press.   This reading, discussion and book signing will take place on July 24th from 7:00-8:30 PM at Book Beat bookstore, 26010 Greenfield in Oak Park. Please call 248-968-1190 for more details.This event will be an interesting dialogue and meeting between iconic Detroit cultural radicals and historians.   

John Sinclair has been recently working on an extended prose-poem ode to the great Jazz masters -- a recording due out this fall, and a new collection of writing; "It's All Good" due from Headpress, UK also this fall.  You can visit John's website ON THE ROAD to get updated on his travels, poetry, writing and music. Visit RADIO FREE AMSTERDAM PRESENTS THE JOHN SINCLAIR RADIO SHOW to  hear his his live radio podcasts --"global alternative blues and news" for your non-commercial listening bliss.

Poet James Semark has been editing a new edition of "WORK, NUMBER SIX" for the newly resurrected Detroit Artists Workshop Press. James will read from and discuss the WORK project. Learn more about the Detroit Artists Workshop online.  Photo above left: James Semark, John Sinclair and Ron English, photo by Jack Bodner from DAW website.

American Cultural Rebels: Avant-garde and Bohemian Artists, Writers and Musicians from the 1850s Through the 1960s (Paperback) » . . Encounter America’s artistic vanguards—the creators and destroyers—their followers and critics. Retrace the path of the avant-garde, a European import, from its arrival in America to its emergence as a source of cultural rebellion. Discover bohemia, offspring of romanticism, and how it served as an alternative way of life that persisted late into the 20th century, inspiring the 1960s countercultures that transformed America. . . . By looking into the realms of literature, painting, theater, and music, the readers are taken on a path of discovery as they relive events and the scenes where cultural rebels sought salvation in the fusing of art and life.

Roy Kotynek is a professor emeritus of American history at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan. He taught from 1967-2004. John Cohassey is a professional musician and songwriter and the author of Toast of the Town: The Life and Times of Sunnie Wilson. Both authors served as consultants for the History Channel program Hippies (2007). American Cultural Rebels is an accessable and well researched guide to the revolutionaries that have helped shape America's counter-culture. Visit their website at http://www.americanavantgarde.com  

Book Beat Reading Group Meeting: Wednesday July 30th   

Join us on Wednesday, July 30th at 7:00 PM at Gayles Chocolates in Royal Oak. We will be discussing the book AFTER DARK by Haruki Murakami. The reading group is free and open to the public. Reading group books are discounted 15% at Book Beat.

"A novel that takes place over seven hours of a Tokyo night, intercutting three loosely related stories, linked by Murikami's signature magical-realist absurd coincidences. The story takes place in a world between reality and dream, and was used to cement Murakami's reputation as the master of the surreal. Visit the Official Haruki Murakami Website. Coming out soon (at the end of July) will be Murakami's revealing memoir "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running".

"After Dark is a short book, hypnotically eerie, full of noirish foreboding, sometimes even funny, but, most of all, it's one that keeps ratcheting up the suspense. At times, the novel recalls those unsettling films of Jean-Luc Godard or Michelangelo Antonioni where something dire seems always about to happen, even as attractive young people, full of anomie and confusion, meander aimlessly through an ominous urban landscape." - Washington Post 

Midnite Madness Monster Party & Twilight Saga Book Release with Wolman Mac & Odd Clouds at the Book Beat Aug. 1st

The Book Beat is having a Midnight Madness Monster Party and book sale on August 1st at 9:00 PM -12:30 AM in honor of Stephanie Meyer's third concluding book The Breaking Dawn, in The Twilight Saga series being released Friday August 1st at Midnight. This is a book her fans have been waiting for... The Book Beat is located at 26010 Greenfield in Oak Park. Call 248-968-1190 for more information.

Joining the late night festivities will be Detroit's only local television horror host (actually its Detroit's only locally produced television outside the news), the one and only... Wolfman Mac and his crazy crew of ghouls will be there handing out Breaking Dawn books to eager Twilight Saga fans at the stroke of midnight. Its the summertime book happening Stephanie Meyer fans have long been waiting for -- and a fun event for the whole family.

Wolfman Mac can be seen on Detroit's Channel 20 every Saturday at midnight.  Watch his next show Saturday, July 26th, on TV Channel 20 when he will announce details about the Book Beat Midnight Madness sale. Wolfman Mac shows the creepiest vintage horror flicks with retro cheeseball humor. Fans of the Ghoul and Sir Graves will love it! Listen to a radio interview with Wolfman Mac produced by WDET-FM.   

Also, performing "live at Lincoln Center" (on the sidewalk in front of Book Beat) beginning at 11 PM will be Detroit's wild and woolly freakout jam band THE ODD CLOUDS. There's nothing like the Odd Clouds anywhere. Click here to watch a Youtube live video of The Odd Clouds ...  In-store guest DJs will rock the store with creepy old school vinyl, lounge music and horror soundtracks.

Book Beat and the Nightmare SINeMA crew will be filming all the madness for a future commercial to be shown on the Wolfman Mac's Nightmare Sinema!  Wear a costume and be part of the action... We will be filming for an on-air Nightmare Sinema episode - come dressed as your favorite monster, vampire or wolfman...  This will be an amazing Midnite Madness!

MORE DETAILS:  Book Beat will be offering an inflation-busting 25% discount on ALL books for two days:  Friday, August 1st, 10 AM -12 am and Saturday, August 2nd, from 10 AM-7 PM.  Its a once-a-year sale! good on books, sale books, DVDs, CDs, and artwork - in store only - sorry no special orders, reserves or website orders - (costumes are optional) -- hope to see you there!                                            

Pictured Above: Detroit's outerlimit music makers THE ODD CLOUDS.  

Historic Photos of Detroit (Hardcover) » From its birth to the present, Detroit has consistently built and reshaped its appearance, ideals, and industry. Through changing fortunes, Detroit has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong, independent culture of its citizens. Historic Photos of Detroit captures this journey through still photography selected from the finest archives. From Detroit as pioneer of the motor vehicle to becoming the main hub for World War munitions, Historic Photos of Detroit follows life, government, education, and events throughout the city's history. This volume captures unique and rare scenes through the lens of hundreds of historic photographs.

Beauty on the Streets of Detroit: A History of the Housing Market in Detroit (Paperback) »  Forgotten homes from neighborhoods that have been eliminated for modernization, city growth, and in more recent years from urban neglect, are remembered in black and white glossy full page photographs by the celebrated photographer Bill Rauhauser who is known for his street photography in Detroit. The history of homes built in this 300 year old city and its real estate market was written by Mary Desjarlais. This history covers the city's small houses, their owners and neighborhoods, architectural styles, construction methods, and the development of the real estate practice in the city. This book is a must for anyone interested in the city of Detroit or architectural history.

The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard (Hardcover) » Journalist and author Benjaminson (The Story of Motown) attempts valiantly, painstakingly to resurrect the reputation of founding Supreme member Florence Ballard, who left the group early on and descended into litigiousness and alcoholism. Then a reporter with the Detroit Free Press, Benjaminson interviewed Ballard a year before her death in 1976 and elicited a sad story of a starry-eyed, single-minded high school dropout whose dream, and fortune, was co-opted by Berry Gordy's Motown empire.

Words on Peace & Inspiration:

The Words of Peace Selections from the Speeches of the Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize » In a new up-to-date edition, an inspirational collection of excerpts from Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speeches since the award's inception in 1901--including 2007 winner Al Gore.

Selected by the world's foremost historian of the Nobel Peace Prize, this uplifting collection of excerpts from acceptance speeches and lectures given since the award's inception in 1901 includes recent laureates: Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, Kim Dae-Jung, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Nelson Mandela, and Mikhail Gorbachev. Also included are the Dalai Lama, Elie Wiesel, Desmond Tutu, Lech Walesa, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others.

  Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment (hardcover) »  A story that speaks words of wisdom, and is embraced by contemporary environmental leaders who urge readers to take positive action. The hummingbird parable, with origins in the Quechuan people of South America, has become a talisman for environmentalists and activists who are committed to making meaningful change in the world. In this inspiring story, the determined hummingbird does everything she can to put out a raging fire that threatens her forest home. The hummingbird—symbol of wisdom and courage—demonstrates that doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse » James Weldon Johnson was a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, and one of the most revered African Americans of all time, whose life demonstrated the full spectrum of struggle and success. In God's Trombones, one of his most celebrated works, inspirational sermons of African American preachers are reimagined as poetry, reverberating with the musicality and splendid eloquence of the spirituals. "Johnson explains the title's use of the trombone by discussing the vocal and rhetorical qualities of a preacher he had recently heard who, he felt, exemplified the compelling and persuasive nature of the folk preacher, naming the trombone as "the instrument possessing above all others the power to express the wide and varied range of emotions encompassed by the human voice — and with greater amplitude."  (wikipedia). This classic collection includes "Listen Lord A Prayer," "The Creation," "The Prodigal Son," "Go Down Death: A Funeral Sermon," "Noah Built the Ark," "The Crucifixion," "Let My People Go," and "The Judgment Day." Introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Maya Angelou.

 Adventures in Food & Healthy Eating:

The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce and Obsession (Hardcover) » "We have swooned with delight over Michigan's late-summer Bing cherries, but such moments of roadside pleasure pale in comparison to the passions that drive fruit hunters to discover and nurture exotics never found in supermarkets. Oh, how we would love to suck on a miracle berry of Africa and savor a tiger-striped fig! Adam Leith Gollner's mesmerizing account of fruits that are rare or commercial, erotic or medicinal, and of the sometimes nutty characters who care about them provokes righteous indignation over how much we are denied as well as a ravenous appetite to taste it. " -- Jane and Michael Stern, authors of Roadfood

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (paperback) » This book chronicles the year that Barbara Kingsolver, along with her husband and two daughters, made a commitment to become locavores–those who eat only locally grown foods. This first entailed a move away from their home in non-food-producing Tuscon to a family farm in Virginia, where they got right down to the business of growing and raising their own food and supporting local farmers. For teens who grew up on supermarket offerings, the notion not only of growing one's own produce but also of harvesting one's own poultry was as foreign as the concept that different foods relate to different seasons. While the volume begins as an environmental treatise–the oil consumption related to transporting foodstuffs around the world is enormous–it ends, as the year ends, in a celebration of the food that physically nourishes even as the recipes and the memories of cooks and gardeners past nourish our hearts and souls. --Jenny Gasset, Orange County Public Library

  Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone (paperback) » "I’m absolutely blown away by the fantastic liberties she has taken with what is generally considered by the vast majority of families as a frozen grape juice concoction topped off with a craft stick. Please believe me when I say that you have never seen popsicles like this before. These pops are multi-layered, full of complex flavors, and truly unique ingredient blends. ... I don’t know about you, but Summer just got about twenty times more exciting for me! In the introduction to the cookbook Krystina mentions the term “kidults” and how popsicles fit right into this cupcake buying, toy loving, crafty “grown-up” lifestyle. I couldn’t agree more." -- Erincooks.com

Baking with Agave Nectar (paperback) » Boasting a low glycemic index and fewer calories per serving than refined sugar, agave nectar has been embraced by the health-conscious for years, and is becoming increasingly easier to source. Catalano, owner of Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Conn., gives readers 80 ways to use the versatile sweetener in this impressive collection.... Even before its health benefits were being touted on Oprah's daytime show, agave nectar was finding fans among dessert lovers seeking to reduce or eliminate processed sugar in their diets. In BAKING WITH AGAVE NECTAR, natural foods chef Ania Catalano shows how to creatively integrate this up-and-coming natural sugar substitute into every sweet tooth's repertoire through a variety of delectable recipes. 

The Power of the Zoot: Youth Culture and REsistance during World War II » "Diligently charts a culture's exemplar, the zoot suit, and connects it to modern fashion and music . . . . It is a compelling window into the U.S. in the war years as seen from a much different point of view."—The Morning News

"Luis Alvarez has quite simply crafted a magnificent first book—one that tells a national story from African American and Mexican American youth in New York and Los Angeles to Nisei, Filipino, and Euro-American zooters and the wartime race-based violence that erupted in Detroit, Beaumont, and Mobile."—Vicki L. Ruiz, author of From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century America

Outlaw Journalism: The Life and Times of HUnter S. Thompson » Hunter S. Thompson detonated a two-ton bomb under the staid field of journalism with his early magazine pieces and revelatory "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Fear and Loathing" campaign coverage in Rolling Stone. When Thompson was on, there was no one better at capturing who Americans were and what America was, be it in politics, at the Kentucky Derby, or in the Hells Angels' lair. William McKeen became friends with Thompson after writing a monograph on his journalism. McKeen now has interviewed many of Thompson's associates who wouldn't speak before, from childhood friends to colleagues, to assistants who sat around the Woody Creek, Colorado, kitchen control room late at night when Thompson did most of his work.

Beautiful Mutants (Hardcover) » Viewers resonate with these images at the interstice between individual subconscious and collective unconscious. Mothersbaugh is, indeed, a master of this interstice, offering the potential "miraculous" experience that art can provide. As Gombrich describes it, "the true miracle of the language of art is not that it enables the artist to create the illusion of reality. It is that under the hands of a great master, the image becomes translucent. In teaching us to see the visible world afresh, he gives us the illusion of looking into the invisible realms of the mind-if only we know...how to use our eyes." - from the essay The Cryptomnesia of Mark Mothersbaugh: Beautiful Mutants in Einfall and Shado by Cristina Bodinger-deUriarte. Mothersbaugh was a founding member of the art collective DEVO, known  for their groundbreaking films, graphics, music and stage shows. 

Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean (paperback) » Suddenly, comics are everywhere: a newly matured art form, filling bookshelves with brilliant, innovative work and shaping the ideas and images of the rest of contemporary culture. In Reading Comics, critic Douglas Wolk shows us why this is and how it came to be. Wolk illuminates the most dazzling creators of modern comics-from Alan Moore to Alison Bechdel to Dave Sim to Chris Ware-and introduces a critical theory that explains where each fits into the pantheon of art. Reading Comics is accessible to the hardcore fan and the curious newcomer; it is the first book for people who want to know not just what comics are worth reading, but also the ways to think and talk and argue about them.

arts, inc,: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights (Hardcover) » "Bill Ivey has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking book on the state of the arts in America today. He tracks our loss of heritage and risk-taking and comments cogently on the past culture wars. His discussion of the corporate hijacking of intellectual property is highly articulate and should be read by everyone."—Jane Alexander

"You don't have to agree with all his conclusions to recognize that Bill Ivey's Arts, Inc. is an important book. It's a must-read for all those interested in American art and culture and the public interest in preserving access to our heritage for everyone, and as it contributes to the arts of today and tomorrow."—Frank Hodsoll

McSweeney's Issue 27 » Plunging straight into the grayish, faintly understood area of the art world that involves oddly drawn objects coupled with uncertainly spelled text, McSweeney's Issue 27 brings together a previously uncategorized cadre of pithy draftsmen, genius doodlers, and fine-artistic cartoonists, and buffets them with articles examining just what it is that these people are doing and why the world should know about it. Featuring work from David Shrigley, Tucker Nichols, and many others — including an unreleased Art Spiegelman sketchbook — the latest quarterly from McSweeney's presents a new kind of contemporary art.

Music the Brain and Ecstacy (Paperback) » Synthesizing recent research from the burgeoning science of musical psychoacoustics, Jourdain, a California musician, provides a richly informative, exuberant, wonderfully accessible introduction to how we perceive and experience music. Choosing examples eclectically, from Henry Mancini's "The Pink Panther" to Mozart, Stravinsky and Duke Ellington, he explores how, when we compose, perform or listen to music, the brain assembles musical devices, patterns and harmonies into vast, meaningful hierarchies of sound. He also offers tantalizing if inevitably unsatisfying answers to such age-old enigmas as what makes a great melody or how music elicits emotions and gives pleasure.

End of the Game: The Last Word from Paradise (Hardcover) » Originally published in 1965 and updated in 1977, this classic is resurrected by TASCHEN with rich duotone reproduction and a new foreword by internationally renowned travel and fiction writer Paul Theroux. Touching on themes such as distance from nature, density and stress, loss of common sense, and global emergencies, this seminal picture history of eastern Africa in the first half of the 20th century shows us the origins of the wildlife crisis on the continent, a phenomenon which bears a remarkable resemblance to the overpopulation and climate crises we face today.

NERDS: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them (Hardcover) »  A lively, thought-provoking book that zeros in on the timely issue of how anti-intellectualism is bad for our children and even worse for America.

Why are our children so terrified to be called "nerds"? And what is the cost of this rising tide of anti-intellectualism to both our children and our nation? In Nerds, family psychotherapist and psychology professor David Anderegg examines why science and engineering have become socially poisonous disciplines, why adults wink at the derision of "nerdy" kids, and what we can do to prepare our children to succeed in an increasingly high-tech world.

Summertime Reading for Kids: 

M is for Mischief: An A to Z of Naughty Children (hardcover) » Clever cautionary poems, raucously illustrated, about 26 children you'd rather read about than meet.

Here are twenty-six brats you'd never want to babysit: Catastrophic Coco, Gluttonous Griffin, Impolite Irma, and Quarrelsome Quincy, just to name a few. Linda Ashman's perfectly crafted ditties about kids from Angry Abby, who is "apt to argue at any time and any place," to Zany Zelda, who "zigs and zags through all the rooms," are paired with hilariously energetic digital collages by Nancy Carpenter. Kids will relish the chaos these naughty tykes createand also the comeuppance many of them justly receive.

The Umbrella Queen (hardcover) » Set in the lush Thai countryside, this is the story of Noot, a little girl who longs to be named Umbrella Queen. This picture book about following one's dreams, no matter what the cost, is ideal for reading aloud. Full color.

About the Author Shirin Yim Bridges's first picture book, Ruby's Wish, won the Ezra Jack Keats Award and is on several state reading lists. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Savvy (Hardcover) » Short chapters and cliffhangers keep the pace quick, while the mix of traditional language and vernacular helps the story feel both fresh and timeless. And while road-trip novels tend to be more about the journey than the destination, the ending, like Momma's savvy, is pretty perfect. I wasn't sure how Law was going to manage it without going all fairy-tale, but she does the story justice, making the conclusion happy and heart-rending simultaneously, resisting the urge to tie it all up with a fancy ribbon and a happily ever after.Law's savvy? She's a natural storyteller who's created a vibrant and cinematic novel that readers are going to love. Ages 9-11 -- Publisher's Weekly

chiggers: a graphic novel (paperback) » Abby is back at the same old camp she goes to every summer — except for the fact that this summer, nothing is the same. Her friend Rose is a cabin assistant, her friend Beth is pierced, and now the only person who doesn't seem too cool for Abby is Shasta, the new girl. Shasta, who was struck by lightning, whose Internet boyfriend is a senior in high school, and who is totally annoying to everyone but Abby....

"Hope Larson shows off the deft storytelling and inventive layouts that made her a web-comics sensation." — Gene Yang, Michael L. Printz Award-winning creator of American Born Chinese

Coraline: The Graphic Novel (Hardcover) »" .... like Roald Dahl's work, it is delicious. What's on the other side of the door? A distorted-mirror world, containing presumably everything Coraline has ever dreamed of... people who pronounce her name correctly (not "Caroline"), delicious meals (not like her father's overblown "recipes"), an unusually pink and green bedroom (not like her dull one), and plenty of horrible (very un-boring) marvels, like a man made out of live rats. The creepiest part, however, is her mirrored parents, her "other mother" and her "other father"--people who look just like her own parents, but with big, shiny, black button eyes, paper-white skin... and a keen desire to keep her on their side of the door. To make creepy creepier, Coraline has been illustrated masterfully in scritchy, terrifying ink drawings by British mixed-media artist and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean. This delightful, funny, haunting, scary as heck, fairy-tale novel is about as fine as they come. Highly recommended. (Ages 11 and older)" --Publishers Weekly 

Sardine in OUter Space #5 (paperback) » She’s a girl.

She’s a space-pirate.

She’s Sardine – and she’s back!

With four Sardine books now published in the U.S., our favorite red-headed space pirate (about whom Kirkus said: “Resistance is futile” in a starred review) has a growing number of young fans. Eleanor in Brooklyn told us, “I like it that they live on a spaceship.” Toby, age seven, wrote to say: “I like all the tricks Sardine thinks up.” And Jane in California demanded “More, please!”

The Magic Thief #1 (hardcover) »  In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure.

"An uncommonly engaging young narrator kicks this debut fantasy ahead of the general run....All in all a sturdy start..." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Fantasy and adventure lovers alike will groan when they get to the tantalizingly mischievous ending, and are likely to hound you until the sequel arrives." School Library Journal

Hocus Pocus (Hardcover) » From the magic consultant on the HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN movie comes a book of astounding (and astoundingly easy!) magic tricks. Author Paul Kieve takes would-be wizards through a parade of the world's top magicians - Harry Houdini, the Great Lafayette - and unveils how easy it is to perform their most spell-binding magic tricks. An introduction by Daniel Radcliffe makes this the fall must-have for all budding magicians and Harry Potter fans. Ages 9-13 years

As Daniel Radcliffe says, "Step into the pages of HOCUS POCUS and prepare to be astonished!"

Small Magical Sound Sculptures for All Ages: 

Wish Come True (boxed fantasy figurine) » We are pleased to announce the release of the Wish Come True toy collection, designed by modern art culture wizards FriendsWithYou and produced by our friends at Strangeco! These magical toys feature weighted bottoms and built-in bell chimes, giving them all a playful rocking motion and a subtle, soothing sound. The series features six primary characters - Coco, Fluffy Pop, Malfi, Buddy Chub, Popo and Mr. TTT - plus 3 bonus chase figures that have yet to be revealed. Each figurine comes wrapped in a box with a small booklet.... Watch a video of WISH COME TRUE.

Declare Yourself: Speak, Connect, Act, Vote (paperback) » Re-Imagine the World a better place - and fight to achieve it! Speak. connect. Act. Vote. 50 celebrated Americans Tell You Why

Celebrated Americans—from Adrian Grenier to Amber Tamblyn to Hayden Panettiere to Alice Walker— share their compelling perspectives on voting and civic involvement in this one-of-a-kind book. Guest edited by actress America Ferrera, this collection of more than fifty essays and unique pieces explores topics ranging from "The First Time I Voted" to "Why the Personal is Political," all straight from the pens of public figures you know and admire. Read it—and then join them! Declare yourself. Ages 14 and up.

Patrica Polacco's METEOR FESTIVAL: July 12 in Union City Michigan

Once a year children's author and illustrator Patricia Polacco opens her home and farm to the public. At the Meteor Festival there are studio and farm tours, book talks, signings, buggy rides, farm animals, music groups and more. It all happens on a historic site once visited by President Abraham Lincoln and his son Robert Todd.   

The Book Beat is an independent locally owned bookstore serving the metro Detroit area since 1982. For more information please call 248-968-1190. If you'd like to be taken off our mailing list, please send us an email and write "unsubscribe" in the subject area, and if you would like to  get our newsletters deliverd please write "subscribe" in the subject line and send us a note to info@thebookbeat.com. If you have trouble reading our newsletter it can read online at:http://thebookbeat.com/shop/newsletter.php  Thank you for your continued support! Shop local! 

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