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69 AWESOME AND AWFUL AUTOBIOGRAPHY TITLES
When we at Why Not Books were considering titles for the memoirs of the late Carolyn Goodman, mother of slain civil rights worker Andrew Goodman and a civil rights icon herself, we harkened back to a...
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46 SHORT AND SWEET SHEL SILVERSTEIN POEMS
You can love Shel Silverstein because he was a Renaissance Man, yet a Captain of the Unpretentious—singer-songwriter, screenwriter, playwright, cartoonist, iconic children’s author. You can love him...
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51 AUTHOR PORTRAITS DRAWN BY ZAK PULLEN
Award-winning illustrator Zak Pullen contributed the gorgeous illustrations that made an art piece out of the first picture book from Why Not Books -- Francis and Eddie, which tells the tale of the...
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29 EVOCATIVE DESCRIPTIONS OF AMERICAN PLACES
Often when I stand up in front of audiences and discuss my trilogy of American travel memoirs, some curious soul in the crowd asks me about my process. Do I write while I’m in the road? (Not usually.)...
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10 PATHS TO A GOOD IDEA
Last month, I was invited to give a TED talk—at TEDxMonterey to a room full of folks eager to hear about the latest insights, eye-opening innovations, impressive pursuits. I was joined on the list of...
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74 CLASSIC BOOK TITLES BORROWED FROM LITERATURE
In 1934, a male English author named Evelyn Waugh wrote a book called A Handful of Dust, which focused on the breakdown of a marriage and has been named more than once as one of the 100 best...
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17 MOST PROLIFIC WRITERS IN HISTORY
In his memoir On Writing, Stephen King commented on how he was considered to be prolific despite having written “only” a few dozen novels to date (this was back in 2000). Yet he contended he was...
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78 AUTHOR ALMA MATERS
Prospective authors, take note: The list of literary legends who didn’t attend college for one reason or another includes Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Edith Wharton, Truman Capote, Ray...
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25 BOOKS ABOUT FREEDOM SUMMER
My Mantelpiece: A Memoir of Survival and Social Justice, recently published by Why Not Books, is Carolyn Goodman’s account of her lifetime of love and loss, courage and conviction. Her life was...
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5 LITERARY LANDMARKS IN THE GOLDEN STATE
The Gold Rush notwithstanding, California’s most precious commodity may be the nugget of an idea, which turns into a story, which graces a piece of literature for the ages. The number of famous authors...
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15 BIZARRE FACTS ABOUT ERNEST HEMINGWAY
“Every man’s life ends the same way,” Ernest Hemingway once declared. “It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” With that in mind, this edition of...
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50 BOOKS FOR 50 STATES
I’ve long believed that reading across America is one of the best ways to experience it. The Fourth of July celebrates a nation, but really it’s a community-by-community display of attitudes and...
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68 BOOKS FOR THE MOST POPULAR GIRLS’ NAMES
My sons Luke and Jesse were prolific readers from the beginning, and I remember two picture books in particular that captured the fancy of the boys (and their parents). Jesse had a few books in the...
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67 BOOKS FOR THE MOST POPULAR BOYS’ NAMES
In my last Why Not 100 post, I offered up 68 pictures books for 68 of the most popular girls’ names these days. Now it’s the boys’ turn. Again, I’m focusing on picture books specifically. That means no...
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12 MOONWALKERS AND THEIR BOOKS
Only a dozen men have walked on the moon. It is, perhaps, the ultimate in elite accomplishment. Someday, certainly, a thirteenth Earthling will follow in their dusty gray footsteps, but it won’t be a...
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26 LITERARY FACTOIDS FROM A TO Z
In my latest American travel memoir, Turn Left at the Trojan Horse, I passed through a town called Laporte, located in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. There I met a remarkable woman who called...
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7 TIPS FOR THE PERFECT AUTHOR VISIT
I wish an author had visited my elementary school back in the day. I was just beginning to become enthralled by the written word—Judy Blume and Roald Dahl and J.R.R. Tolkien. The chance to see a real...
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34 UNFORGETTABLE ISLAND SETTINGS
A few years ago, author Judith Schalansky published a widely praised book called The Atlas of Remote Islands. She pairs full-color cartographic drawings with compelling narratives about lore and legend...
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6 KIDS WHO UNEXPECTEDLY IMPACTED SPORTS
On this day 101 years ago – Sept. 19, 1913—an unknown amateur golfer made an 18-foot putt that transformed the sport. My motivation for writing the children’s book FRANCIS AND EDDIE (Why Not Books,...
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84 CLASSIC MOVIES THAT WERE BOOKS FIRST
Not long ago, I was having a conversation with a friend about favorite movies, and we were talking about The Princess Bride. I don’t think I know anybody who doesn’t love that movie. It’s almost...
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