Paula McLain's A Ticket to Ride Release Party (and the Cleveland Small Press Bookfair)

On Friday, we noshed and celebrated the release of Paula McLain's debut novel, A Ticket to Ride, with a cast of characters from the literary scene. Good chats with Paula, Sarah Gridley, Steve Hayward, Maryclaire Moroney, Anna and Greg Hocevar, among others--and some of Paula's former and current writing students (Tammy Layton, Joan Peterson, Nate Krieger, Kate Hudson and Ryan--whom I only know by first name). A review forthcoming....

Then yesterday it was the Cleveland small press fair at the new Lit Center, where chats were had with Michael Dumanis (Cleveland State UP), Larry Smith (Bottom Dog Press), Marcus Bales, Bree (Green Panda Press), and John Stohrm, Ron Antonucci, Judith Mansour-Thomas, Suzanne DeGaetano, Mark Kuhar, and Mary Weems, among a host of others. It felt good to see so much life in the Cleveland literary scene, so much goodwill, so few "reindeer games," just enthusiasts of the word sharing their wares. I came out of there having spent nary a dime but loaded with books--which speaks to the generosity of my dear literary Clevelanders.