Get a complimentary copy of the Kindle e-book edition of THE NOTHINGNESS IMPERATIVE!
Since we'll all probably be staying in a little more, this would be a great time to read my new novel THE NOTHINGNESS IMPERATIVE. As a special promotion, I'll be giving away free copies of the Kindle e-book edition of THE NOTHINGNESS IMPERATIVE from Saturday, May 23 through Sunday, May 24, 2020. To get your copy of THE NOTHINGNESS IMPERATIVE, go to Amazon.com. You're smart. I'm sure you can take it from there.
Are you ready for
THE NOTHINGNESS IMPERATIVE?
Herb Guggenheim is excited to announce the launch of his new novel THE NOTHINGNESS IMPERATIVE October 1, 2019. What you don't know is that it's available right now on Amazon.com!
From the back cover:
Washed up English professor and recovering narcissist Skip Gershwin doesn't expect time travel to be a part of his daily life. Nor does he anticipate becoming a member of a nihilistic death cult. But when a mysterious silver cylinder falls into his possession, his life path takes a series of bizarre turns. Sought after by an elusive cult leader, a band of impudent millennials, his laconic girlfriend, and a duo of unorthodox federal agents, Skip is forced to confront a disturbing truth--THE NOTHINGNESS IMPERATIVE!
New Last Minute Update
On Wednesday, May 22, 2019, Herb Guggenheim will read his original fiction and poetry at the New Deal Café in Greenbelt, Maryland. The reading is part of the New Deal Café's Campfire Sessions series organized by Joe Harris. In addition to Herb's reading, Wednesday's program will feature several other performances, including a screening of some brand new short films. The New Deal Café is located in the Roosevelt Center at 113 Centerway, Greenbelt, Maryland 20770. The program starts at 7:00 PM. Herb's reading will begin at 7:30 PM.
Last Minute Announcement
On Wednesday, August 29, 2018, Herb Guggenheim will read his original poetry at the New Deal Café in Greenbelt, Maryland. The reading is part of the New Deal Café's Campfire Sessions series. In addition to Herb's reading, Wednesday's program will feature several musical acts, including The Bachelor and the Bad Actress and Letitia. The New Deal Café is located in the Roosevelt Center at 113 Centerway, Greenbelt, Maryland 20770. The program starts at 7:00 PM. Herb's reading will begin at 8:15 PM.
Herb Guggenheim explains rationale for writing Strange Encounter at the Shakespeare Motel
My goal in writing STRANGE ENCOUNTER AT THE SHAKESPEARE MOTEL was to create a poetry book that could be enjoyed by any reader--not just by readers steeped in academic poetry.
I want my readers to be able to pick up my book and dive into the reading experience just as they would were they diving into a new novel for the first time.
I don't believe that poetry is purely the province of academic poets, meaning those poets who teach in MFA programs and publish in highfalutin journals.
Some of that poetry is easy to understand but a lot of it isn't. And a lot of it leaves me cold. Most poets these days are writing for other poets. They're not writing for a general reading audience.
Much contemporary poetry involves the production of subtle effects--effects that only other poets can appreciate. They can say things to each other like, "Gee, I really like the way your image of a parachute dissolves into an image of a swan," or "Gee, I really like how you play with assonance and alliteration in your new opus 'Altruism and Anemia in Albany,'" or "Gee, I really like your narrative voice. I feel the same anxiety that your narrator feels when you have him stroll into a crowded room with an over-full cup of coffee."
It's fine to write the poetry of subtle effects but one should do so with the full knowledge that the guy in the next beach chair won't be reading it.
Song lyrics and rap do a better job of making poetry accessible to the everyday reader. But I think there's plenty of room for those like me who want to write poetry but don't want to speak purely to other poets.
That brings me back to STRANGE ENCOUNTER AT THE SHAKESPEARE MOTEL. I guess I wanted to make it so damn interesting that I could hand it to anyone--like, for example--the paramedic who lives in the house across the street or the high school student drinking SLURPEES at the 7-Eleven or my dad's best friend the auto mechanic--and they could read it and enjoy it and say to their friends "You should read this. It's really cool." Hopefully, I've succeeded.
Guggenheim to host poets Kim Roberts and Diana Smith Bolton at Georgetown Neighborhood Library
This Thursday, June 1, 2017, the First Thursday Reading Series will present poets Kim Roberts and Diana Smith Bolton. Kim is the author of several books of poetry including The Scientific Method and is the editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly. Diana is the editor of District Lit magazine and has just published her first book of poetry. Both Kim and Diana are outstanding poets. The reading will be held at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library, 3260 R Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007 and will begin at 7PM. After the featured poets, we have a brief question and answer period where you get to ask the poets about their work and about the writing life. Finally, we hold a brief open mike where audience members get to read one poem apiece to the assembled crowd. So please bring a poem to share!
Herb Guggenheim to Read His Original Poetry and Prose at IOTA Club & Cafe, in Arlington, Virginia Sunday, July 9, 2017
Hello and welcome to my website. I'm pleased to announce that I'll be reading at Iota Club & Cafe on Sunday, July 9, 2017, at 6:00PM.
This will be an opportunity for me to share some of my most recent work as well as to reprise some of my "greatest hits."
So, in addition to reading poetry and fiction I've written over the past year, I'll also be reading poetry from Strange Encounter at the Shakespeare Motel and fiction from my novel Violations of Causality.
I know this is early but please do mark your calendars for Sunday, July 9, 2017, at 6:00PM at IOTA Club & Cafe in Arlington, Virginia.
Warmest regards,
Herb
Guggenheim's novel
Violations of Causality named finalist in Foreword INDIES
book competition
Foreword Reviews is a magazine that spotlights self-published books and books published by small independent presses. Each year, Foreword sponsors the Foreword INDIES book competition. I'm proud to say that my book was chosen as a finalist in this competition. This means I get to display this mark on my book and on my web page:
Herb Guggenheim Hosts Poets
Sarah Browning and
Marty Sanchez-Lowery
at
The Georgetown Neighborhood Library
Thursday, January 5, 2017, at 7:00PM
Hi! And welcome to my website.
For my friends who like poetry: If you're going to be in the Washington, D.C. area on Thursday, January 5, 2017, there's an event you definitely don't want to miss.
Poets Sarah Browning and Marty Sanchez-Lowery will read their original poetry at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library as part of its First Thursday Reading Series.
The Georgetown Neighborhood Library is located at 3260 R Street, NW (at the corner of Wisconsin Ave. and R Street) in Washington, D.C.
This event was originally scheduled for November 2016 but, due to unforeseen maintenance issues at the library, was postponed till January 5, 2017.
Best,
Herb Guggenheim
Violations of Causality
ABOUT THE BOOK
Harold Berwyn has just been brutally murdered but graduate creative writing student Skip Gershwin is too self-absorbed to care. His chief preoccupations are finding a girlfriend and becoming a famous American poet. When he meets Gudrun Frege, a brilliant Austrian au pair, it appears that his girlfriend problems are over. But he is soon lured into a torrid love affair by ultra-seductive art student Lana Fish. As Skip's romantic entanglements spiral out of control, the criminal investigation into Berwyn's murder turns white hot. When federal agents knock on his door, Skip discovers that he himself is the number one suspect.
A TAWDRY TALE OF LOVE, LUST AND MURDER!
HERB GUGGENHEIM is intimately acquainted with the sleazy back alleys of the poetry underworld. His two previous books are SUNSET AT THE HOTEL MIRA MAR and STRANGE ENCOUNTER AT THE SHAKESPEARE MOTEL. He wrote VIOLATIONS OF CAUSALITY at an all-night diner in Rockville, Maryland.
Reader Reviews:
"I started reading this book, taking it as a straight forward mystery with a little romance--but I soon discovered it was so much more. This is a witty, thoughtfully written satire. I found myself laughing out loud at the outrageousness of some of the characters. (Won't spoil the fun by saying who.) The story succeeds on multiple levels, entertaining while imparting a little wisdom now and again. Love the academic world setting. I'll be looking for more from this author."
Kathryn Johnson, author of The Gentleman Poet
"In this book, five different genres--science fiction, academic satire, historical novel (1980 in Washington, DC), Bildungsroman, and something damn near a love story--confront each other with guns drawn. As an academic satire, it ranks with those of Randall Jarrell and David Lodge. As sci-fi, it offers us a delightful alien artist, who may in fact be a product of his own work. The protagonist is recognizably the hapless earnest figure one loves in Herb Guggenheim's poetry, but here he is given greater range. The plot, apparently chaotic, holds neatly together. A delightful read."
Frederick Pollack, author of The Adventure, Happiness, and A Poverty of Words
