Tom Swift Writer’s Notebook

Bob Hussey writes of Chief Bender’s Burden in the October issue of Minnesota Monthly: “Swift’s account of the treatment of Native Americans and his richly detailed portrait of Philadelphia at the beginning of the 20th century will … interest general readers.” Thanks to reader P.E. for pointing out the review and thanks to Minnesota Monthly [...]

Thanks to writer Dwight Hobbes for his interest in Charles Bender’s story. His questions and my answers were just published at the Daily Planet.

I’m no economist, and I don’t play one in blog posts, but can’t we all agree — at least all of us who value evidence — that trickle-down economics is a failed idea?
Attempting something that continually fails expecting a different result is (and I know this from considerable experience with repeated failure) the definition of [...]

Speaking of conversations, I had the opportunity to be the guest on the Donna Seebo Show the other day. Ms. Seebo asked good questions and I would like to think I provided useful answers for her listeners. But I am allergic to the sound of my own voice, so I’ll have to pretend that I [...]

Since we returned, the days have passed double time. Seems like only yesterday it was last week — when I received a make-your-day note from playwright and poet Marcie Rendon alerting me to a flattering review. Writes Dwight Hobbes: “Too bad baseball’s Hall of Fame doesn’t have a Most Valuable Book category. Tom Swift’s biography [...]

People often ask about the satisfaction of publishing a book and the answer has never been easier. I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again: the best reward — more than any positive review and, certainly, more than any monetary gain — has been the gracious reaction from people in different corners of [...]

Headline in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star: Double Victory. “Swift’s book,” the review says, “is an apt memorial to this almost-forgotten baseball hero.”

I made my television debut recently. Though that word makes it sound far more likely than it is that I’ll ever be on the tube again. I am sincerely grateful a producer was interested in my work and Charles Bender’s story. But I simply cannot watch the show. I provide the link because I figure [...]

Thanks to journalist Vince Grzegorek for his interest in the book and the event. Also, the panel got a plug in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cool.

I am a big supporter of independent bookstores — and I would be even if there wasn’t a spine with my name on it in many of them. Indies are good for local economies. They are good for the environment. They are good for small presses. And, amen, they are good for mid-list authors. That’s [...]

From the May/June issue of ForeWord magazine:
“Fans of baseball’s Pre-Golden Age will appreciate the scholarship that went into ‘Chief Bender’s Burden,’ Tom Swift’s sad but sweet biography of the Native American pitcher who toiled for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics.”

There’s a lot to like about King Kaufman’s column at Salon.com. I especially appreciate his sensibility. He finds worthwhile sports angles and writes with the thinking fan in mind. He also reads books and writes thoughtfully about them. Mr. Kaufman interviewed me this week and I sincerely enjoyed the conversation. I can’t say that about [...]

If you live in, or in the general vicinity of, the city of Northfield, you may very well already have had enough of me. Last month, I did two in-person events as well as a radio interview. Area print and online media have also placed my face before the unsuspecting public. But, like the one-eyed [...]

Hey, the book was mentioned by Shooter.

Tom Hoffarth says: This has movie script written all over it.

“Swift’s book is a success, and a success story.” So writes John Shiffert in his “19 to 21″ online column at BaseballLibrary.com, a site aimed at the rabid fan.

I couldn’t write a more flattering headline and here it is in one of the largest, most respected newspapers in the country — yes, assembling this sentence is strange in the most amazing way — the Chicago Sun-Times: ‘Chief’ Bender Biography a Gem.
The article’s author, Kevin Canfield, calls the book “a wonderful and impressively thorough [...]

Articles were published in recent days in White Earth (Charles Bender’s boyhood home), Detroit Lakes (near Bender’s old hometown) and New Brighton (my old hometown). I am grateful to journalists interested in Bender’s story.

Charles Bender was born near Brainerd, which is, as those of us in the southern half of Minnesota say, Up North. Mike Bialka, longtime sports editor at the Brainerd Dispatch, wrote a column about “Chief Bender’s Burden” titled Swift’s ‘Chief Bender’ Worth Checking Out for Sunday’s edition (free subscription required).

Last night’s event has received some kind attention in the blogosphere. Blogger extraordinaire Griff Wigley posted several photos at the online joint every plugged-in Northfielder frequents. Fellow writer Rob Hardy wrote a gracious post at Rough Draft, a blog which belies its name. And owner Jerry Bilek uploaded audio to the Monkey Blog. Many [...]

I will be a guest on the ArtZany! radio show at 9:05 a.m. tomorrow (Friday) on KYMN 1080-AM. ArtZany! is a unique show hosted by Paula Granquist that features artists, musicians and writers. Ms. Granquist and I will discuss the process of writing “Chief Bender’s Burden” specifically and the craft of writing nonfiction generally. There [...]

Sometimes the mailbox contains more than utility bills and political propaganda. I just opened an envelope containing a happy note — a review of “Chief Bender’s Burden” from Wes Lukowsky of Booklist. Many libraries around the country rely on Booklist, published by the American Library Association, as they decide which books to add to their [...]

Check out the link while it’s still relevant, because surely this is the last time I will write these words: “Chief Bender’s Burden” has hit No. 1 on a bestseller list.

Many thanks to Twins Geek for posting that article I mentioned the other day.

If Charles Bender was interested in a subject, he learned everything there was to learn about it. He essentially taught himself how to pitch a baseball at a Hall of Fame level. But baseball wasn’t his only passion. He also applied his curious mind to an incredible number of hobbies and sports — often with [...]

The Cleveland Free Times just published a cover story that seems oddly familiar.

GameDay, the popular independent program and scorecard sold outside the Metrodome before Minnesota Twins games, was kind enough to ask me to do a Q&A for its April issue. So you can read the piece — and a magazine full of unfiltered information about the hometown team — at any game you go to this [...]

It was a real opportunity for me to be interviewed by Pat Borzi of MinnPost.com, a new site that produces quality Minnesota-focused journalism. Borzi has written for a number of top-tier newspapers, including one everyone’s heard of, and I’m honored he chose to publish a flattering piece on “Chief Bender’s Burden” in today’s edition.
For those [...]

As I mentioned the other day, I was fortunate to be invited as the guest on host Jim Wishner’s show The Connection tomorrow morning. Thanks to reader Andy Alt for mentioning the online link. Note, too, that the site requires a Minnesota zip code. If, however, you’re actually in Fearnot, Pennsylvania, or Monkey’s Elbow, Kentucky, [...]

Now appearing on various Northfield.org pages …

Thanks, once again, to Doug Bratland for the great design work.