Fresno Events: LitHop 2016

Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 2pm to 7pm at Fresno’s Tower District a multitude of Fresno’s finest writers, and poets will perform at LitHop 2016.

LitHop 2016 is free, yes you heard it correctly, it is FREE.

Performing at one of the many locations will be 2016’s Walt Whitman Awardee Mai Der Vang, U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, and Mr. Tim Z. Hernandez, author of the amazing novel Manana Means Heaven (one of my favorite books/see review under Fresno Writers tab).

Also performing is Steven Church the Creator/Editor of The Normal School, Fresno’s best literary magazine, as well as local poet Bryan Medina, Joseph Rios and a slew of others.

So mark your calendars and be sure to attend this event. Support local writers and meet legendary poets that in the years to come will undoubtedly become the poets of our children’s children generation and will be read and their work studied.

And just how cool will it be that one day your children’s children will be able to say my mother/my grandmother/my grandfather went to LitHop 2016 and met and heard these poets speak the words of life, the beauty of breath, and the simplicity of the human spirit and of love-poetry.

See below for specific poets/writers set time of performance and venue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope to see you all there!

For more information on this event and others go to: https://lithopfresno.wordpress.com/

 

In Solidarity,

 

Francine

Anthem Book Review

You Have Been Accepted.

Anthem Book Review would like to thank all those that have submitted book review requests. Unfortunately, we are unable to read them all.  Many of them sounded amazing, and we sincerely hope they have found a home with another reviewer. Please be sure to read thoroughly our Book Review Policy and be sure when submitting if a release date is set that it is expressed in initial correspondence.

Now here is the list of those that have been accepted.

Reviews will be out May 1, 2016. Unless otherwise discussed with Francine.

For January –March 2016

Accepted books:

 

1.     The Last  Wenfeldt     by Martin Sutter, Published by New Vessel Press

 

2.      Losing the Dollhouse by S. Jane Garl , Published by Touch Point Press

 

3.     Behind Closed Doors   by A.L. Smith,  Published by Word Slinger Publicity

 

4.     In the Context of Love  by Linda K. Sienkienwicz,  Published by Buddhapiss Ink. LLC

 

5.     Truth be Told by Ren De Shea/ Loren Clement,   Published by NyreePress.com

 

6.     Dangerous Stories for Boys  by Christopher Bernard,  Published by Authors Large and Small

7.      Sassy Sonja                                       TBA                                         TBA

Thank you again. And please review our policy section before submitting. Next acceptance letters will go out end of April. During the summer months from June through August 31, 2016, we will not be accepting any book requests. But will resume in the Fall.

In Solidarity,

Anthem Book Review

Submit via email: anthemwritingservice@gmail.com

 

The Last Weynfeldt

 

 

Loving this book! Eighty pages left and I cannot wait to get to the end, not because I want tot finish the book. I just must find out if that dumb girl is going to hurt my lovely Adrian Weynfeldt. Adrian, a man with manners, class and a keen eye for art, aweee, my kinda man!

Thanks to #NewVesselPress for giving me an advance copy before it hits the U.S. Market,  February 16, 2016.

Stay tuned for the review. And please, do yourself a favor go to Amazon.com NOW and pre-order/order this classy tale of love, art & deception.


Happy Reading!

Anthem Book Review
~Francine

Come out & Support Local Events

Attention All Writers!

Saturday, February 6, 2016, the San Joaquin Literary Association (SJLA) will present one of the coolest events this year.

Justin Torres writer of one of the most profound pieces of literature, a story so raw and heartbreaking it will have one gasping for air, will be in attendance to discuss the craft of writing, from 11am to 1pm.

The event will also have fellow Fresnan and Poet David Campos and memoir writer MariNaomi.

 
#smartpeopleread
#anthembookreview
 

 Craft talks with Campos, Torres, and MariNaomi will begin at 9am to 5pm and the reading will be at 7pm. Please see the flyer for details.  And the event is FREE, yes, you read that correctly, it is FREE!!!

Also take a look at Anthem Book Review’s past review of We The Animals by Justin Torres under the tab- “American Writers”

 

Happy Reading

 

Written by Francine

To all you readers & writers!

I would just like to express my sincere gratitude to all that have contacted me with requests to review books. I am currently reviewing all titles, links and brief synopsis of each book review request.

Anthem Book Review will stay true to the policy it has set and choose only those that best fit this book review site and books that we feel our readers would take most pleasure in.

Here at Anthem, we also want to ensure that every new author, established writer, or poet receives only the most fair and balanced review possible. Therefore, Anthem Book Review will not take more than it can handle.

Within seven days of this notice I will get back to all requests sent. I will be adding more contributing writers and once this occurs, with the availability of having more reviewers’ means more book considerations.  So don’t give up, if not now, maybe later.

Stay tuned for more reviews.

And best of luck to all you writers out there. DO NOT give up on your craft. Keep perfecting, keep reading, and write on………

 

In solidarity,

 

Francine

Anthem Book Review

Look what's coming in 2016!

 

I didn’t want to read this book. I didn’t want to like Lena Dunham. I will typically shy away from things so popular, books, people, events, holidays; I prefer the odd, unknown and gleaming with possibility to the while in utero born into prosperity individual. I always vote the underdog!

So when everyone on earth it seemed was helping take Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl straight up the New York Times bestsellers list,  I most certainly passed it up.

Then I watched Tiny Furniture one lazy Sunday afternoon and was drawn to the character of Aura. What a great actress I thought. Watching Lena onscreen was like peering through her kitchen curtains and watching her life unfold, but still, I had no idea it was Lena Dunham I was watching. As the credits rolled and her name rolled on screen, I was shocked. The following week I heard her on the Mark Maron podcast (a podcast I hear when Joe Rogan has no new ones posted) and I liked her even more.

So I bought the book and I am now mildly obsessed with her. She is funny, intelligent, witty and so honest at times, I love it. 

So stay tuned to Anthem Book Review for reviews on the wonderful Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl and Amy Poelher’s Yes, Please.

After all these fun reads, it's time to read what I love most in literature that being, Russian Literature. I will review new  Russian writer, the amazing and talented, Kseniya Melnik and her collection of short stories “Snow in May”,  I have been dying to read and have had the most difficult time obtaining a copy (story to be included in review), but trust me it was well worth the wait. It is a beautiful piece of work and I am only on the third story and I am in literary love with Melnik's writing. She is an example of why Russian writers remain pillars to this day and, Melnik, shares the same brilliance in story telling as the great works of Tolstoy and Chekov.

So stay tuned Anthem Book Review has exciting things going on in 2016, like new logo book bags and book marks, a newsletter, great reviews, new contributing writers and much, much more!

 

Happy Reading!

~Francine

End of Year Reads

As 2015 comes to a close, I have been reading plenty of biographies/memoirs penned by the stars. I will continue to do so and review these as time permits, but definitely by the end of 2015.  The tab name where these book reviews will be located has been changed from “Books from Famous People” to “Penned by Stars” (please make note).

Contributing writer Freddy Ramos is also doing the same and is currently reading Half a Life by Darin Strauss. This was a required read by his mother (me) that before he gets his driver’s license he read Half a Life. I read it and was floored. I think it should be required reading for all teens in the process of receiving their driver’s license.  

I am currently reading the funny Bossypants by Tina Fey and loving and laughing my ass off the entire way. OMG! I love Tina Fey; she is so hilarious. After I complete this, I will read Amy Poehler’s, Yes, Please. 

Lastly, I will finish off the year with my newest obsession the talented writer and amazing actress, Lena Dunham and her bestselling memoir, Not That Kind of Girl.

You are welcome to read along with me, as I take in the end of the year with some lighthearted reads from strong, funny women! If you don’t fancy the books mentioned, I welcome you to read along with contributing writer, Freddy Ramos and his end of year read, Half a Life by Darin Strauss.

Whatever you may choose, may you just choose to read. As you know, here at Anthem Book Review our motto is #smartpeopleread.

J Happy Reading

~Francine Ramos