Happy birthday! May your day be (have been) happy, and may your standards of measurement never unduly expand.
This page reminded me of Chinwag theater. (I’m the guy that wrote in to correct you guys on the URL — backslashes or something.) Say hi to Charity if you ever see her.
Thank you. I have never seen Charity. She even fashioned some sort of birkah to wear for publicity photos when we did the program.
Dear Pinkwater,
Long time fan of you and Scott on NPR. (Even before you where the children’s book guy.) Do you have a list of your favorites for children? Especially interested in appropriate for ages 4-8. Can you send or where can I find?
A thought: Pinkwater’s Children’s Book of the Month Club. Would subscribe right away. Trust your recommendations and would save me from hours of bewilderment at bookstore or Amazon.
A recommendation for you Re: Radio Theatre: ‘Moon Over Morocco’ by ZBS (circa 1974). Story of a seeker in search of ancient knowledge and wisdom. Script, actor-characters and sound ambience all sublime.
Will subscribe to your newsletter, but hope you may respond with any advice you can offer. Your ‘Upstate New York’ mystery location a nice touch.
Regards, Mark.
NPR may have a list. Or there may be a list on this very website. Or a link to NPR's list. I think Moon Over Morrocco is currently running on XM satellite radio.
My friend and I have a typical unrealistic collegiate plan: a cross-country road trip combined with a tour of independent pizza places, one for each letter of the alphabet. Our best pizza place in our eastern shore town is Alfredo’s, so we already have a good solid start. We are also planning a book of amusing short stories about our trip. Unfortunately, this all involves money that we don’t have. I know that two unpublished youths with a far-fetched idea wont be a top priority for a publishing company. I thought, since you and I have such a wonderful relationship (admittedly one sided) and it does involve pizza, you may be able to give me a little advice about it.
thank you
Laura Parks
Advice: Keep working on the idea. You are not there yet. The alphabet thing may trip you up. Good luck.
always enjoy listening to you on NPR. Loved it when you read a story with Scott Simon, you two go very well together. but last night on the way home, you hit a Home Run. SPANAKOPITA!! the word must be said with reverance, as it is truly a joy to experience. (And I don’t even care for spinach). thank you for many enjoyable minutes on NPR
Maria Sturgeon
Gresham, OR
It was ever thus, when I make some important point about the human condition almost nobody says anything--but talk about food and I get kudos from all over. Jill dropped by Pete's Famous Greek Delights to pick up a chicken gyro, and they said they had been slammed in the hours following the broadcast. People drove miles for souvlaki--but when I tell people to buy my latest book what happens?
Hi Daniel:
I have always enjoyed your commentaries that play on my local public radio station, WAMC in Albany. The other day as I listened to your story about a local Greek restaurant that makes wonderful spanokopita (I will have to remember the place, Pete’s I think, the next time I am down Hyde Park way). After you were finished, the NPR news person said something like, “Daniel Pinkwater lives in New York’s Upper Hudson River Valley”. I am assuming from your story that you live somewhere near Hyde Park, and that is definitely not in New York’s Upper Hudson River Valley. Mid- I’ll give you, but not upper. On a clear day from a mountaintop near Hyde Park, you could practically see the skyscrapers of Manhattan. I don’t know if that’s how you describe where you live, or if the NPR broadcaster, with a clearly New York City perspective, was simply editorializing. So, if it’s his fault, then clearly I am barking up the wrong tree. There is no strict definition of where the Upper Hudson River Valley begins, but I live near Albany, and we would not describe ourselves as living in the Upper Hudson River Valley. Those in Glens Falls and north would definitely say they live in the upper valley. A reasonable definition would be that the upper valley begins at the Troy Dam, where the Hudson changes from a tidal to a free flowing river. Okay, now I’m done with my rant—I feel better. No response necessary. Good luck with your diet, and keep producing those great commentaries. Cheers, Doug Burns
I think the email address for correcting errors on the radio program is atc@npr.org. They will be delighted to hear from you, as we were. (And it is true, New York City dwellers think of everything North of Yonkers as ""upstate,"" probably because that is where the availabilty of decent bagels ends).
Daniel,
I was intrigued by your comments on NPR this week (RE: Gay high school chum in the 1950s). I wonder if that was a teaser for a much more expanded commentary? If so, where could i find it?
Thanks for the thoughtful, but brief, piece…it helps to remind us that its really not “us” vs. “them” in anything, but something somewhat more civil in the middle.
Cheers,
Todd in NH
There was another quasi factual commentary I did years ago that started from the same place. The point of that one was not that the gay kid was more or less accepted based on his personality not his sexuality, but what happened after he lost the election. It turned out he had his own political machine, made up for some reason of boys in the ""sight-saving"" class--kids with huge thick glasses. So, after the votes were counted, a kid with goggles came up to me and said, ""Our candidate lost, but you worked for his election, and here is your reward."" So saying he handed me an armband which signified that I was a Lieutenant of the Hall Monitors. This meant that I was free to roam the halls one period a day, making sure the hall monitors were at their posts, inspecting peoples' passes. As people graduated, I was advanced to Captain of the Hall Monitors, and Fire Marshall. These positions must have been honorary--if I had any duties, I never found out what they were--but I was entitled to be anywhere in the school at any time, could walk out of class at my will, and had keys to everything. The moral of that commentary was that all politics is local, and virtue is rewarded.
Hi Daniel,
I just heard your piece on NPR regarding the fellow who was running for Student Council in the 50s. Sounds an awful lot like a fellow I knew, including the blond hair and ivory skin and he was CRAZY about politics. I often wonder whatever happened to Phillip. Is it possible we know the sme guy? Did you go to Lakeview HS?
Best regards,
Haley Willson Simon
now of Sedona, Arizona
By the way, Sedona went BLUE, I’m very proud to say.
Of course, the piece was fiction, like everything I write. I think I heard he was elected to the Illinois state legislature at some point, the fictional guy in my story.
I moved to Chicago recently, and thought you’d like to know that your books, _The Education of Robert Nifkin_ in particular, have made a much more exciting guide to exploring my new city than any of the “walking tour” books I picked up at the store, partly because I often get to solve the mystery of whether various places in the books were real places, and, if so, what their real names are/were. For Election Day I made a trip to Washington Square Park, aka Bughouse Sqaure, which I assume was the model for Blueberry Park. People apparently stopped making speeches there regularly in the early sixties, except as part of annual semi-organized debates, but I made a fine speech of my own to the pigeons.
Thanks,
Adam Selzer
Did the pigeons boo you? In my day they were a tough audience.
I have heard you with Scott Simon on NPR…. and have laaaughed and enjoyed your voice, writings, readings et al. Most of all I enjoy the genuine excitement you exhibit during and after the shared readings.
I have a children’s book that I wrote for my grandson, Zach and I need direction from someone of your stature. I know, I know you have gotten many of these requests before and how could I be the ONE you whom are willing to direct. PLEEZ,PLEEZ, PLEEZ HELP ME. I don’t know how and where to start to get this piece illustrated and published. Thank you…..
Looking so forward to hearing from you.
What you're asking amounts to, ""Tell me everything you know about a profession you have followed for 35 years."" It can't be done. You can acquire a book called ""Writer's Market,"" and study it. You can take courses about writing for children in colleges. There is an organization called The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Its main activity is to figure out how to get published. You can join, go to local, regional, state and national meetings--probably international ones for all I know. You can also read dozens and dozens of books mainly about how to get published. You can write to published authors, such as myself, all of whom have a specific and idiosyncratic approach to dealing with publishers--and not likely to be of a great deal of help to you. My suggestion would be to contact a ""print on demand"" publisher, such as Xlibris, and pay them a comparatively nominal sum to help you prepare and then publish your book. Seems a lot of trouble for a book you wrote for your grandson. Maybe Kinko's can help you create one nice copy for him to keep.
What was your mother’s name, 3-4 awards or recognitions, and two disapointments or setbacks in your life? Sry but I need it for school! C ya (not reallY) lol
My mother's name was Zelda O'Malley. I received the Good Conduct Medal in military school, won a Schwinn bicycle in a raffle, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from an accredited college. I was not selected for the Olympic Guacamole Team, and no one signed my petition the time I ran for the United States Senate.
Hi
I had never heard of you and probably never would have but today, lo and behold, a very nice family came here to pick up their new puppy and they brought along your book ( and another). They wanted my opinion on which book to read. I had read the first one and I regarded it as rubbish. I had not read your book. While my partner went over all the things these people should know about their new family member ( puppy), I skimmed through your book, Superpuppy. As I am from Brooklyn and went to school when conditions were overcrowded ( we sat on radiators) , and school was a serious issue, I could read your entire book in a matter of minutes. To say I was impressed ( egads! me? impressed?) would be to put it mildly!! I am in awe that there is actually someone out there with multiple working brain cells who understands the nuances of dogs and dog breeders, pet stores and puppymills…..and can put it all out there in understandable, layman’s language.
Oh , thank you, Daniel Whatever , and Jill, too. You have proven to me, once again, that there is intelligent human life out there!! I have been ( quietly ) worried. 🙁
I have bred and raised puppies for almost 40 years.. nice Jewish “girl” from Brooklyn that I am… and I truly try to do it the right way, the good way, the best way possible. I never temperament test my pups ( those silly tests) as I raise my pups in my house and I raised their parents and grandparents, all lovely dogs. As I was reading your book, I got to the testing part, lol. So, I did the tests on the pup who was leaving, amidst much qvelling.
He passed with more than flying colors.. as he happily ran to me, tail up and waving, as he was held for a minute above ground ( in my carefully laced fingers and hands) and he never moved, as I flipped him over and scrootched him pink tummy and he lay there in heaven, lol. Nice tests. Great book!!!!!
Sincerely
Carol-dog breeder extraordinaire ( according to your criteria, lol)
Jill and I disagreed about that puppy test chapter. I contended that no dog breeder would allow a prospective owner to do all those tests on a bunch of puppies, and we should leave the test chapter out of the book. Jill thought it should go in. So it went in. I'm glad you like the book.
I seem to remember a NPR piece Daniel Pinkwater did about “How to be a writer” Is that available anywhere? Did DP in fact do this piece?
Thanks
Helen
I probably did, and it's probably in Hoboken Fish and Chicago Whistle, (Xlibris). Some of these things seem to make more sense when you hear them on the radio while driving in traffic.
At age 8, back around 1928 my favorite book was Leather Stocking Tales by J.F.Cooper, but in those days I also was an avid reader of the comics.My favorites were The Adventures of J.Washington Tubbs and Captain Easy and The Captain and the Katzen-jammer Kids. But I am writing to ask about an image and a phrase that still sticks in my 83-year-old memory. It was The little Hitchhiker, who said (asked ?) “Nov Schmoz Kapop” Can you help me learn more about him, his creator, and his story?
Thank you. I am an:
Alaskan octogenarian sourdough gemini
Plenty of discussion about this phrase and the character in the archives of this forum. The mere posting of this query should start up the reminscing and discussing all over again. This seems to be Nov Schmoz Kapop Central on the internet. I will add nothing at this time.
On Weekend NPR over a year ago, you read from a book about self esteem, with a title something like ‘I Like Me.’ What’s the exact title?
It could be ""And Here's to You."" (Why do I feel all dirty after answering this question?)
Nearly 20 years ago, I discovered the Dada Ducks at an airport book stall, while waiting for someone else’s flight to come in. Since then, I’ve been passing Young Adult Novel on to people who need it. Questions sometimes arise.
So what happens to the DDs after they start buying books at the drugstore and leave Martwist College? Are there any plans for a sequel? It’s too late for you to knock them over the head again and feed them to the pigs.
In a couple of paperbacks, with the title Young Adults, (Tor Books), you will find Dead-End Dada, and The Dada Boys in Collitch. If you find it, that is. I see you mention Martwist College--so you do have the expanded Young Adults. No more sequels after that, except for the reader-written chapters of the Kevin Shapiro story which appear here and there on the net. Meanwhile, still available in hardcover, and soon in paperback from Houghton Mifflin is The Education of Robert Nifkin, which is not quite the same thing, but you may like it.
