Week in review
What a week this has been. My apologies for being blog-negligent for a couple days, but I’m back with a vengeance and have no plans to slow down. Let’s take this from the top:
– On Sunday, I trekked to Westtown School, my lovable Quaker high school in the Philadelphia suburbs, for a book event, part of Westtown’s Shoemaker Lecture Series. Turnout was great (it helped that upper school students were required to attend), and the Q&A was lively and intelligent. I had a great time meeting current Westtown students and seeing old friends on the faculty, and even got to eat dinner with a group of journalism students. The only problem was a good one: we sold out of books!
– On Monday, Newsweek ran a Q&A I did with Jessica Bennett about my Liberty semester. Jessica is a great interviewer, and I think the piece turned out really well. I hope it was at least the most exciting thing on page 9. (Which wouldn’t be saying much – the other piece, a financial article about the housing bubble, included the words “sales-tax moratorium.”)
– On Wednesday, the AP ran a story about my Liberty semester, and it got picked up everywhere. Front page of Yahoo News, front page of The Huffington Post, the USA Today, lots of blogs big and small, and newspapers around the nation. I’m astounded at the responses to the article, from the nice to the not-so-nice, and incredibly grateful for the exposure.
– On Thursday, I headed to Yale Divinity School to speak at their Student Book Supply. I had an awesome time, saw a bit of the campus, and learned some of YDS’s quirks. (For example, the campus café is called “Holy Grounds,” and the atheist/agnostic student group is called “Left Behind.”) Funny place.
– Today, I had a full slate of radio interviews, and will cap it off with an appearance with Alan Colmes (formerly of Hannity & Colmes) on his FOX News radio show during the 11 PM hour (EST) tonight. You can catch the show live on the web, or tune in to your local FOX News radio channel to hear me talk about the book and the events of this week. I’m not sure who listens to talk radio at 11 PM on a Friday night, but I hope they buy books!
– On Sunday, I’ll be appearing on C-SPAN’s “Book TV” at 7 AM (again with the weird timing). The program, which I’m told actually appears on C-SPAN 2, should be a good one. It was taped three-ish weeks ago at an event I did here at Brown, and from what I remember, I didn’t make too big a fool of myself. Check it out before church (if that’s your thing) or set your TiVos. A blurry photo from the event is above.
A few miscellaneous items:
- Because one of the winners of last week’s Easter Giveaway didn’t contact me back, the new winner of 2nd place (A Liberty University bottle-opener, a plush “Sparky the Eagle” doll, and a signed copy of THE UNLIKELY DISCIPLE) will be Christina, who commented on April 12, 2009 at 9:03 PM. Christina, congratulations, and I’ll e-mail you soon.
- A few press hits that didn’t make it onto the blog for one reason or another: Last week, TIME Magazine named THE UNLIKELY DISCIPLE #1 on their list of the Top 10 Literary Stunts! The Onion’s AV Club gave it an “A” rating, and Playboy.com ran a hilarious Q&A about sex and dating at Liberty (NSFW/NSFLiberty).
- And because I feel bad writing a blog post that is 100 percent self-promotional (as opposed to the usual 97 or 98 percent), I’ll point you to this article from The Scientific American, a fascinating look at the science behind gay-conversion programs – like the one I visited at Liberty – and the new evidence that Masters and Johnson, the authors of the famous studies upon which the gay-conversion movement was originally based, may have fabricated some or all of their findings.
Thanks Kevin for the update! I am almost done with the book and I love it! Great job, it was very well written!
— Lindsay
April 25, 2009, 11:59 am
That AP story was fantastic. It’s how I found out about your book while running a google search for my weekly installment of thesis-related news.
Have ordered it from Amazon. Look forward to reading it.
Greetings from a former Christian high school student living in the UK.
— Esther
April 25, 2009, 12:09 pm
I just watched the video of your Brown presentation on CSPAN’s site.
Great job on your book and speech. I’m a conservative guy and have sort of been dispairing at, what I see, the rapidly increasing alienation that people with different views experience.
I live in Chicago and am not in a circle of ohter conservatives.. so i really don’t know what a typical average conservative thinks about Liberal/Left individuals, but I do know that so many on the Left have no clue what conservatives or christian conservatives really think. They have some extreme template that they stamp down as the explanation for what the right does.. and i always tell them they (a leftist) are just wrong in their understanding (about the motivation of someone on the right).
I’m glad to see someone like yourself do what you’re doing. I hope you make a significant impact… I think you will.
I have a strong feeling and thought that this country has only begun to be effected by this economic crisis.. and that there is far more trouble ahead and that we’re all going to be impacted in life-changing ways.
As Americans we need to reaffirm our heritage and our civic culture and restore our Constitutionalism… as Americans.
And just as our Founder Fathers could barely stand each other, and rarely agreed on anything, and in fact many hated one another…. we can all appreciate this nation of liberty and come to understand that by tolerating and compromising in good faith with one another, there is room for most people and their views.
— VinceP1974
April 27, 2009, 10:24 pm
kevin, By now you would be familiar with the quote,”Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Would to God you become one, Kevin, and I truly believe you will.
Your book made me laugh at myself as seen through your eyes. You are a great, great writer. I look forward to reading anything you write. Couldnt put it down..
— jackie lovelace
August 22, 2009, 11:53 am