On My Shelf: We’re Getting On

Thanks to the July/August 2010 issue of Poets & Writers magazine, a couple of days ago I bought a copy of a book entitled “We’re Getting On” – about people who attempt to withdraw from a technologically-obssessed world into a more nature-driven experience – by a young author named James Kaelan.

I decided to buy the book for two basic reasons:

1. Poets & Writers featured an excerpt from the novel, and I really enjoyed how casual, unobtrusive and readable Kaelan’s writing was.

2. The press that published the book is based in Sacramento! So I wanted to show some support to a local, independent press, as well as a young and upcoming author.

One thing that’s quite neat about Kaelen’s book, from a physical standpoint, is that it has spruce-tree seeds inside it!  (Try planting them!) The decision to include seeds in the construction of his book seems like a fitting choice for an author who seems most passionately concerned with environmental themes, such as will be demonstrated this summer:

Kalen’s novel is part of a larger environmental effort. From July to August, he will eco-tour along the coast as part of his  “Zero Emission Book Project.” As a part of his project, the 23-year old will travel on his bicycle  from Southern California to Vancouver, making various stops along the way to read excerpts from the book.

His stop in Sacramento will be July 20 at Pangaea. I won’t be able to make it, but perhaps Kaelan’s book and project may interest you enough to attend a reading.

Visit Flatmancrooked’s site for more. You can read more about, specifically, the tour here.