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Guest post written by Kelsey Manning (@kelseyMmanning)

Before Thurber Prize winner John Kenney settled in to read a selection from his novel Truth in Advertising, he had a few words for his fellow finalist:

“Dear David Letterman, Please let me win this award. Just this one. We need the money.”

It was one of many hilarious moments during last night’s presentation of the 2013 Thurber Prize for American Humor. David Letterman attended alongside co-writer Bruce McCall on behalf of their book This Land Was Made for You and Me (But Mostly Me). In the absence of third finalist Liza Donnelly (Women on Men), her husband Michael Maslin spoke about how much James Thurber means to them, especially as New Yorker cartoonists themselves. The pair’s first date was to see a James Thurber drawing at the Armory on the East Side.

In the true spirit of the night, Truth in Advertising author John Kenney joked, “My first flight wasn’t to the Thurber House or my first date, but I was conceived there.” It was easy to see why the Thurber Prize judges—Meg Wolitzer, John Searles, and Henry Alford—were so taken by the wit in Kenney’s debut. (more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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For the past 12 years we have been proud to bring a children’s author to live at Thurber House, share space with the ghost, and hit the ground running on whatever story they are writing.

Alan Gratz, our 2011 Children’s Writer-in Residence, has some really great things happening right now. Just out this March, Prisoner B-3087, is already making an impact. Based on the true story of Jack Gruener, Prisoner B-3087 tells the story of a boy who survived ten different concentration camps. The novel gives a younger age group an unapologetic picture of what life was so unfortunately like for many people during World War II.

Along with the success of Prisoner, comes a project that we are happy to have been a part of. In the spring of 2014, Gratz will be releasing the book he worked on during his residency at Thurber House! Luckily, the ghost didn’t give him too much trouble and he was able to really get some work done; Thurber House even gets a shout out in the acknowledgements! Titled, Mangleborn, this novel is the first of his highly anticipated middle grade fantasy trilogy, The League of Seven. The series is set in an alternate America, where seven super-powered children fight to stop the mad scientist, Thomas Edison, from summoning giant monsters–until they learn that one of the League may be the biggest monster of all.

We are so happy to see that the work Alan did during his residency is coming to fruition! Congratulations Alan!

Are you a children’s author? Check out more information about our Children’s Writer-in-Residence program!

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A birthday cake, guests and of course entertainment that had the room laughing the night away, these were the highlights of James Thurber’s 117th birthday celebrated during the annual Gala on December 8 at The Westin Columbus. The featured speaker of the evening was funny man and 2010 Thurber Prize for American Humor, Steve Hely, who wrote the hilarious novel How I Became a Famous Novelist and scripts for shows like The Office and The David Letterman Show. The event was hugely successful and a wonderful evening of reflecting on Thurber’s life and work.

In case you missed it, here are some photos to recap the evening’s events:

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“I write humor the way a surgeon operates, because it is a livelihood, because I have a great urge to do it, because many interesting challenges are set up, and because I have the hope it may do some good.”

-James Thurber

Thurber’s writings have certainly withstood the times and continue to inspire laughter and the art of humor writing to this day. On Dec. 8, we’ll be celebrating his 117^th birthday by holding our annual Thurber Birthday Gala in his honor at The Westin Columbus from 6-9 p.m. This year’s celebration will feature the 2010 Thurber Prize for American Humor winner, Steve Hely, writer for shows like The Office and The David Letterman Show, and author of How I Became a Famous Novelist.

This is an evening you won’t want to miss out on! Click here to purchase your tickets by Dec. 5 (hurry, there are only a limited amount available!).

In addition to the dinner, we’re holding a raffle with the chance to win one of five prize packages. And there’s something for everyone! Prizes include a script and Season 6 DVD set of The Office signed by the cast (including Steve Carrell!), tickets to The Ohio State sporting events, an assortment of wine, overnight stay at the Westin Columbus, and more!

Purchase your raffle tickets here for the following prize packages:

For the TV Fan
A DVD of Season 6 of The Office and a script, both signed by the cast, including Steve Carrell, and a signed copy of Steve Hely’s Thurber Prize winning book, How I Became a Famous Novelist.

For the Sports Fan
Two tickets to one OSU Men’s basketball game, two Men’s ice hockey games, and two Women’s basketball games.

For the Romantic
An overnight stay at the elegant Westin Columbus plus dinner for two at the hotel’s High Street Grill and drink vouchers at the incomparable Thurber’s Bar.

For the Entertainment Fan
Two tickets to a ProMusica Chamber Orchestra performance (excluding their gala) plus a copy of each of their two new CDs. Two tickets to a performance by BalletMet. Two tickets to a performance by CATCO. Two tickets to a performance by the Jazz Arts Orchestra. Two tickets to any Thurber House Winter/Spring Evenings with Authors event.

For the Art & Wine Lover
A case of assorted wines and a signed and framed print of Thurber House.

Note, you do not need to be present to win.

We hope you’ll join us for this exciting evening of laughter, celebration and fun!

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It may only be the middle of November, but we’re already busy at work planning for next year’s events and workshops! We have fun things in store for our children’s programming and want to give you a sneak peek at what you can look forward to.

Do you have a young writer itching to express his or her creative side? Our Writing Wizards workshops are back and being held each Saturday, January 28 through February 25. From science fiction, to narratives, to poetry and more, we have the area’s most talented writers and teachers bringing the magic of writing to classes for all ages.

Second and Third Graders:

Mad Scientists – A Laboratory for Story Creation with Sylvia Jackson

Young writers will become the “mad scientist” of their own tales in this class that focuses on the worlds of science and science fiction writing.

Animal Stories, from Aardvarks to Zebras with Jan Williams

Your child’s creative juices will be flowing as they are challenged to write stories and poems about their favorite animals – real or imagined.

Fourth and Fifth Graders:

Enter the Exciting World of “Warriors” with Linda Forte-Spearing

Inspired by Erin Hunter’s “Warrior” series about a domestic cat trying to survive in the wild, participants will explore how to create a story from an animal’s perspective.

So You Want to be a Writer! with Paul Hammock

Participants will get down to the basics of writing and learn narration and dialogue techniques, character creation and how to make your story a page-turner.

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Graders

The Amazing Writing Race with Sarah Magill

Join our version of the TV show, The Amazing Race, to travel places near and far, gathering clues at pit stops to discover different genres of writing including poetry, stories and travel logs.

Attack of the Killer Plot Device with Kathy Matthew and Dan Mushalko

Stretch your imagination (and writing skills) as we dive into tales of aliens, dragons and more! Learn how to use science and logic to craft your own “invasion plot” storyline.

Registration is now open, so don’t delay as classes are on a first-come, first-serve basis and will fill up quickly! The deadline for enrollment is January 13. Click here to register online. For more details on time and location, visit our website.

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Last Thursday we wrapped up our Evenings with Authors series for the season. The audience had a fantastic time with Karen Russell as she dove into the heart of her acclaimed novel Swamplandia! Here are some photos from the event:

Overall the evening was a huge success and the perfect conclusion to the Fall Evenings with Authors series. If you weren’t able to make it out this fall, stay tuned to our website, Facebook and Twitter as we’ll soon announce our Winter and Spring series line-up!

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Nearly a year has flown by since we awarded Steve Hely the Thurber Prize for American Humor for his hilarious novel, How I Became a Famous Novelist, and we’re excited to announce this year’s prize finalists!

They are:

Mike Birbiglia – Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories

David Rakoff – Half Empty

Rick Reilly – Sports from Hell: My Search for the World’s Dumbest Competition

If you’re not familiar with the Thurber Prize for American Humor, here’s a little bit about it: The Thurber Prize for American Humor is the only recognition of humor writing in the United States. It began in 1997 as a biennial award, and then it became an annual award in 2004. Each year, the winner is announced at a special event at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City (where James Thurber used to live). The Thurber Humor Prize comes with a monetary award for the winner, who comes to Columbus for a ticketed event within a year of winning the award.

Past winners have included Ian Frazier, The Onion, David Sedaris, Christopher Buckley, Jon Stewart, Alan Zweibel, Joe Keenan, Larry Doyle, and Steve Hely.

This year the Thurber Humor Prize event is Monday, October 3. Stay tuned to find out who won!

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Hard to believe, but Wednesday’s picnic with Bob Hunter is the last event in the summer series! (Seriously, where has the summer gone?!) We’re pleased to announce that Linda Logan and the Columbus Sports Commission will be the hosts for this final picnic.

Hunter is a sports columnist with the Columbus Dispatch and author of Chic, the untold story of the unassuming schoolboy, Chic Harley, who laid the groundwork for Ohio stadium. It is also the story of the building of America’s greatest athletic institution, the OSU program. A Dispatch sports columnist since 1993, Hunter’s popular Friday “Rumblings” column has been a paper mainstay since 1997. He also has a blog called The Daily Hunter.

It’s not too late to get your tickets for the reading. Purchase them online at
http://www.thurberhouse.org or call (614)-464-1032. Hope you can join us August 3rd at 6:15 for the reading and discussion.

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What an evening! On Wednesday, more than 100 people braved the heat to attend our New Voices Picnic. It was a fantastic event that showcased some of Ohio’s up-and-coming talent in musical and literary work.

The evening began with a performance by a string quartet of students from ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. The four Hilliard Davidson High School students opened with a piece by Mozart, followed by several duets and closed with a surprise piece by Lady Gaga! This was definitely an unexpected crowd-pleaser! Check out the video below of their performance.

Following the music, our three featured authors for the evening shared excerpts from their work and provided the “story behind the story” to give the audience an intimate look into their writing process. Amanda Flower and Lee Kravitz each read a chapter from their books, Maid of Murder and Unfinished Business, respectively, and Ellen Waddell read several short stories from her collection, She Said, Looking Forward.

Overall, despite the high temps, it was a memorable evening filled with good food, fun entertainment and new talent!

We only have one more picnic left for the year! You won’t want to miss out hearing Dispatch sports columnist, Bob Hunter share from his new book Chic on Aug. 3. Tickets are available now, click here for more information. We hope to see you there!

 

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Summer is in full swing and so is our Summer Picnic series! We hope you’ll join us on Wednesday for the third annual New Voices picnic– an evening of literary and musical pieces from some of Ohio’s up-and-coming talent.

As an added bonus, we excited to collaborate with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra who will kick off the evening with a performance by a string quartet comprised of Hilliard Davidson High School students from ProMusica’s Student Advisory Board, and participants in the Musicians in the Schools program. The students will play Presto from Mozart’s String Quartet No. 4 in C Major as well as a few short duets.

The event will also feature the following emerging Ohio authors: Amanda Flower debuting her novel Maid of Murder; Ellen Waddell presenting from her book of essays, She Said, Looking Forward; and Lee Kravitz sharing a novel based on a year of his life called Unfinished Business.

The picnic begins at 6:15 pm on the Thurber House lawn. Tours of the house are available before and after dinner. Tickets are $15 for the reading. You’re welcome to bring some snacks and beverages. For more information about the New Voices Picnic and to purchase tickets, click here or call 614-464-1032.

We hope to see you there!

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This summer seems to be flying by … probably because we’re having so much fun with our annual programming! Things will continue to heat up through July, with a Special Summer Event and two more picnics in our annual Summer Literary Picnic series.

Special Summer Event with Tess Gerritsen

On July 12^th, Thurber House will host international bestselling author Tess Gerritson, whose brand new novel, The Silent Girl, will hit bookstores just days before she comes to Columbus. The Silent Girl is the latest installment in Gerritsen’s popular suspense series featuring Detective Rizzoli and medical examiner Isles. The books have been translated into 37 languages and have sold 20 million copies worldwide. Plus, the TNT-TV series based on the books, Rizzoli and Isles, just entered its second season. The Silent Girl is sure to follow in Gerritsen’s bestselling tradition.

The special event begins at 7 p.m. at the Canzani Center Auditorium at the Columbus College of Art and Design. Tickets for this event are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Visit http://www.thurberhouse.org/tess-gerritsen.html for more details and ticket information.

Summer Picnic Series

In the third event of this year’s Summer Picnic Series, Leah Stewart will make her way to Thurber House on July 6^thto read from and discuss her newest novel, Husband and Wife. A happily married mother of two children, Sarah Price’s world gets turned upside down when she finds out that her husband has been unfaithful.

Next, the New Voices picnic takes place on July 20th. This picnic will celebrate three emerging Ohio authors: novelist Amanda Flower, essayist, and former Thurber House young docent, Ellen Waddell, and non-fiction writer Lee Kravitz.

Flower’s novel, Maid of Murder, was nominated for a 2010 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, and tells the story of a college librarian in Ohio who must hunt down the person who murdered her childhood friend and framed her brother for the crime. Waddell, who just graduated from New Albany High School and will be entering John Hopkins University in the fall, will read from her senior project, a published book of essays entitled, She Said, Looking Forward. Lee Kravitz, from Cleveland, will finish up the evening discussing his first book, Unfinished Business, which records an entire year doing the most important things in his life and reconnecting with those close to him.

Both picnics begin at 6:15 pm and takes place on the Thurber House lawn, with tours available before and after dinner. Tickets are $15 for the reading only or $25 for both dinner and the reading. More details and ticket information can be found at http://www.thurberhouse.org/2011-season.html.

Will we see you there?

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Last night’s picnic with Robin Yocum was a definite success: the 100+ audience members enjoyed beautiful weather, delicious dinner and a preview of Yocum’s novel, Favorite Sons. Yocum also answered the audience’s questions, and shared stories of his transition from Dispatch reporter to author. Here are some photos:

Thurber House Emeritus Board Member Luke Feck hosted the evening’s festivities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yocum is a great storyteller!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect night for a picnic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audience members could purchase copies of Yocum’s two books, Favorite Sons and Dead Before Deadline and get their copies signed before heading home.

 

 

 

 

 

We hope you’ll join us next month for our next picnic and reading from Leah Stewart, author of Husband and Wife. Visit www.thurberhouse.org for more details!

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I don't have time for a FULL post - so thought I'd share a cartoon I just did in James Thurber's attic - and the passage that goes with it from my current project, MILO.

I am not one of those “honor roll” kids, whose hand is always in the air and knows the answers without even hearing the full question. Those kids kill me because they like the sound of their own voices so much they raise their hands just to sneeze. I bet if they counted how many words they say everyday it would be in the millions because they never shut up!

(from MILO - being completed at the Thurber House Summer 2008)

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above - a doodle from my sketchbook after a few nights of great sleep here (which had been impossible back home!)

Like any good story, my stay here at the Thurber House has many chapters. Each day delights me with something new that I discover here in Columbus - or an event that I participate with as part of my writer-in-residency.

So as I said, the surprises go on and on....(more on that later) but now back to the GHOST.

I knew about the Ghost before my arrival. You see, when I was being interviewed for the residency, I asked Pat Shannon, the Children's Director of Thurber House, if my attic apartment had air conditioning (come on - Ohio in the summer gets hot! - and YES, she assured me that I'd be fully ensconced in a/c!). Then it was her turn for questions, namely "How do you feel about ghosts?"

Of course I'd heard all about the ghost that is supposed to live here. James Thurber himself wrote about the ghost in "My Life and Hard Times" with the hilarious chapter "The Night The Ghost Got In".


So immediately I told Pat - that I was excited about meeting the ghost and didn't tell her the part of me that was saying, "But it kind of freaks me out!"

In preparing for my visit I was also told about a ghostly encounter by last year's Children's Author in Residence, Lisa Yee. She and I laughed about it. No big deal.

Still as cool/weird/possibly scary as it sounded - I was slightly unnerved at being all alone in a big house with a spirit who had no name. I'm bad enough at parties with people I don't know - I wasn't sure I could handle being in a house with a ghost who was a stranger to me.

So when I had what I am describing as my "ghost encounter" I had to laugh - because obviously, this was a ghost who wanted me here. Who wanted me to know he/she/it was not there to "haunt" me. This ghost wanted me to laugh - and to know that a sense of humor was the aura that surrounded it!

How do I know this?

Once I arrived here two weeks ago - I set up my stuff to make me feel at home - including the GHOSTBUSTER kit my son and wife made me for my birthday this year - as preparation for coming to the Thurber House.

The kit includes:
1) a home-made Electro-Magnetic "YES/NO" ghost detection device
2) a "spy-kit" motion detector
3) one xtremely strong flashlight
4) a large photo of the Thurber house, where the two attic windows (where I live here) open to reveal a picture of me and a POP-OUT picture of the "ghost"

Now you need to know that the little attic "windows" that open up - have to be pried open with fingers to see what's behind them, much like an advent calendar.

So imagine my surprise when on Morning 3 of my stay - I discovered one window was wide open ....and which window was it?

YES! The GHOST window had somehow popped open and the ghost that my son had made to spring out was STICKING OUT OF THE PICTURE! First reaction? I'm packing up and moving into a hotel!....But then it hit me: the ghost was welcoming me to the house. The ghost was telling me he/she/it was funny. The ghost liked the present my family made. (Now if only the ghost would make me breakfast - I'd be pretty darn happy!)

So thank you Ghost for letting me know you're hip to my style. If you want to have drinks - I'm an iced coffee kind of guy!

editors note: while writing this I ran down to the car to get something and when I came back up - one of the doors to my apartment - one that I have NEVER closed in two weeks - was closed!

Hmmmm.... Read the rest of this post

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My son leaves for camp in 2 days - which on my summer calendar is the first of two big "X" marks. The second "X" of course is my departure date to drive to Columbus, Ohio for my whole month of writing, cartooning and teaching as the James Thurber House Children's Author is Residence.

If all my Google-maps go as planned - I'll be arriving Saturday the 19th of July, which is highlighted brightly on my calendar like the Grand Marshall of my Summer parade!

Of course things still need to get done. My plate of other work needs to get cleared. The lawn needs to be mowed. And there are many movies to be seen before now and then.

But mid-July is looming and I can't wait to start this exciting trip and have a whole month of writing time while living at the Thurber House!

I've already thanked Lisa Yee for her lovely welcome letter. But a second shout-out of gratitude goes to local teacher/bloggers Mary Lee and Franki at the YEAR OF READING blog, who have also extended tour-guide invitations that include ice cream.

It's going to be a fantastic month! (and I say a yummy "Yes!" to ice cream!)

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Fathers Day happened again and once again it happened to me and it happened at the most beautiful spot in the universe - the place we go to in Maine (this same week every year).

My amazing wife and son always do something wonderful for me on the Sunday that is the first full day we awaken to the sounds of the gulls and sea. The past few years my son has taken it upon himself to honor the "day" by creating something for me that has to do with whatever book project I am currently working on.

Above is his wonderful clay tribute to my current book, MILO. (below you can see the cartoon it is based on). You should've seen my grin as he presented this to me - and in fact it's still plastered on my face.
Unrelated to Fathers day and Maine - I wanted to thank the always funny and extremely gracious LISA YEE for her blog post "welcome" re. my upcoming Writer In Residency at the Thurber House.

That's it for now - time to drive back to the cabin where the internet doesn't exist - just the ocean, sea gulls and our dog who has probably eaten the couch by now.

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