Bookbeast

April 25, 2000

For my Humanities term project, I am doing a study of Dadaism, partly because if inspirations from “Young Adult Novel.” Sadly, we never studied Dadaism in class, so I took it upon myself to enlighten my fellow students by making Dadaism the subject of my term project (I have my teacher’s permission).

In homage to the Wild Dada Ducks, I am going to get a toilet seat (I don’t think I could obtain a whole toilet) and put it in the school’s trophy case, and have my Humanities class see it as part of my project.

A lot of the stuff I’m making is kind of mild Dadaist art. I have one piece that I call “Flower,” except that the “flower” is an aluminum can on a base of leaves made from clay. My other piece, “Fly in the Soup,” is a bowl with a bird and some clouds painted in it. I am currently working on a piece that looks like a car tire, but it will be a Dada piece because of the name I will give it: “Sacred Artifact.”

If you have any ideas for more Dadaist creations that I could make, that would be really neat.

Mr. Cutlers Reading Class

April 25, 2000

Dear Mr.Pinkwater,

My reading class just finished reading one of your books out of “5 novels” and we loved it! The Snark out Boys and the Avacado of Death was totally original! But one or two questions, if you don’t mind. One: When did you first start writing? Two: Where did you come up with some of the names in your novels? I mean, Lower North Aufzoo Street? Where did you come up with that? Thank you for your time.

Signed,

Anonymous,

From Norwood School

Mr. Cutlers Reading Class

PS- Would you mind speaking to my class? We would really appreciate it. We’re big fans of yours! If you are interested, please email

Kirsten Poon

April 21, 2000

Hi Mr.Pinkwater!! I’m Kirsten Poon!! Could I ask you some questions?? Where do you get ideas from your books?? Why can’t you get your own website?? I sure would like it!! Why in the books “Doodle Flute” and “Spaceburger” Kevin Spoon and Mason Mintz are the main characters?? Why did you want to be an author?? Do you have fun writing children books??

Catto

April 21, 2000

Hi, I just finished reading “The Snarkout Boys and the Avcado of Death”. I enjoyed it, and was wondering what other books you’ve writen for that age group? I was surprised to find that you were still writing books. Good work (I also saw “The Hoboken Chicken Emergency”. I didn’t realize that it was the same author)

Meredith

April 21, 2000

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

I am doing a research project on how authors come up with ideas(I want to become an author when I grow up), and I would like to know how you come with the ideas for your stories.

Thanks,

Meredith

Douglas Mcgowan

April 21, 2000

Dear Daniel,

My name is Douglas Mcgowan. I’m sure you have better things to do than recall three hour telephone calls dating back three years, but we had one, about my desire to make screenplays of “Lizard Music” and “Young Adult Novel,” about what a “vile… evil… repugnant” place Hollywood is, etc. (Your words, though I agree wholeheartedly.) I’d still like to do those films, by the way. If there is news on the rights reverting back to you, I’d like to know. Anyway, today I’d like to ask you about your experience with Xlibris. Of course, the whole thing sounds too good to be true, and certainly very similar to the vanity press tradition, but then there you are with two of your OOP books! So please, tell us (or just me) the details of your involvement there — did they bring you in to buy a bit of legitimacy, or did you go through the regular channels? Is it a class operation; is it legit? How are sales?

If you please, what has been your impression of Xlibris?

Best wishes,

Douglas Mcgowan

Kathy Odean

April 19, 2000

Dear Daniel Pinkwater,

I have read Toothgnasher Superflash to hundreds of children, and sent it as a gift to dozens of other lucky kids. How can it be “out of stock” and “unavailable”? What can we do to get them to print it again? I LOVE a car that turns into a dinosaur.

Kathy Odean

p.s. I don’t know where you are from, but the people who go to the restaurant in The Blue Moose are exactly like the people I knew growing up in Minnesota. It’s uncanny and makes me laugh out loud every time I read it (at least once a year). Thanks.

Mikael Jorgensen

April 19, 2000

Dear Mister Pinkwater,

My name is Mikael Jorgensen, and from 1990 to 1996 I was a member of a band from New Jersey called *gulp*, Lizard Music. I was out of High School, and looking for direction. A good friend of mine at the time was a great guitar player and I played keyboards. We got to messing around, listening to records, writing songs etc…We loved The Beatles, Booker T and the MGs, Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention, The Meters, Captain Beefheart, Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown, and would try to incorporate those influences in our music.

Gradually the band started to form, and it came time to give it a good handle. My friend, the guitar player, suggested using the title of a book he had read when he was younger. I figured, “Let me read the book, and then I’ll get back to you.”

After reading it, I was absolutely convinced that it was the best name for our strange brand of eclectic-pop-music, and the other members agreed as well.

We enjoyed extremely modest success, recording a record in Chicago (where I now live), touring the states, and then three weeks in England. I then left the group, and the rest of the guys went on to record another record, keeping the name.

In retrospect, I think the name was fitting. Personal conflicts and tour-induced paranoia, to name the lesser problems, eventually brought the group to non-existence. I suppose this is where, from my point of view, the name goes back to the original owner-discoveror-author-man. We never really did any research into whether or not it was “legal” to use the title of a book as the name of our band. This illuminates our ultra-keen business sense at the time, and could be perhaps one of the reasons why those records are currently out-of-print and unavailable because the record label is out-of-business.

Thanks for a great book, it provided a great ride for me.

In addition to all of this, I recently re-read “Chicago Days, Hoboken Nights,” and am profoundly affected by nearly every story in that collection.

Two in specific:

The story about the zen puzzles “Navin Diebold” would present to you in the mornings at the studio, and would ask you, “What do you want to do today?” And the terribly simple answer you realized. It really is that simple. I have done it in Chicago ironically enough.

Your story about the day Kennedy was assassinated, the light in your studio, and the wonderful last lines, “…the best way I could address the big evils of the big world would be to keep chipping away at something comparatively small.”

Which is part of why I continue to record and make music.

Thanks for your time,

Mikael Erik Jorgensen

Rachel Springer

April 19, 2000

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

Wow, having not known this option (writing to you) existed until past 11:40 PM this evening, I hadn’t planned out a great e-mail. Oh well. I do have a question for you which I hope you can answer. I am looking for a copy or two (or more??) of Three Big Hogs, my favorite children’s book ever. I’m painfully aware that it’s out of print. My sister inherited a copy from my grandmother, who was a teacher’s aide and got it at a library sale some time back. However, seeing as my sister’s getting married and moving overseas in two weeks, my only contact to this book will be taken away indefinitely. Having exhausted Alibris.com, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, ABE, and a few other book search options I saw listed on one of these pages, what do you suggest?

I have formulated a good part of my philosophy of life on this book. Having had a few unexpected and alarming situations of my own (including a recent but fortunately mostly benign brain tumor), I understand that developing into a tough forest hog can be quite helpful. I want to spread the word.

By the way, until I started looking for this book, I had no idea there were so many others by you also. I will be sure to check them out, especially while I’m suffering withdrawal from the copy of Three Big Hogs I hold so dear.

A long-time fan,

Rachel Springer

P.S. I keep checking this e-mail for proper syntax and diction but I don’t think it will get any better at the current time of 12:59 AM. Thanks for your time. . . Send. . .

Melanie

April 18, 2000

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

I have a few questions for you to answer.

1. How did you get the idea of writing books?
2. When did you start writing books?
3. Do you enjoy writing books?
4. ) How long does it take you to finish writing a book?

Thanks.

From,

Melanie

Jeff Neilson

April 16, 2000

Mr.Pinkwater,

I am a Grade 4 teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. My class is currently envolved in an author study on your work. The students are very eager to find out any information about you and will be e-mailing you some questions in the near future. If you would be able to briefly reply, the students would be overjoyed. Thank you for you time.

Stephie Walter

April 15, 2000

Dear Mr. Pinkwater

Last week, as I was – making my way across midtown Manhattan – cursing and yelling- swerving and screaming and shaking my fist at taxicab drivers – and the bridge and tunnel crowd who never know how to drive their cars worth a damn- I began to hear voices. From the radio.

It was some guy, a writer, and he was reading from some book – about a Gorilla – and a boy – and his mother who mistook the Gorilla for a cat. Suddenly, I realised I wasn’t really paying attention to the other drivers. I was caught up in the lives of this I wasn’t angry at the cabbies any longer. And the bridge and tunnel people? Well its not like I owned those city streets! In fact, I hoped my trip across town would take even longer so I could find out what happened on Phil’s first day of school.

Later, the guy – it was you Mr. Pinkwater! – was reading, and he told the host of the show all about the Gorilla and how it was related to the african brown bat, which I thought was very wise. He fondly spoke of his father;s obsession with Fleetwood’s and a bunch of other profound stuff . . .

When I finally made it across town, and my husband hopped in the car, grumbling about how I had kept him waiting I immediately began babbling about the boy, his mother, his teacher Mrs. Frankfurter bun and Phil the Gorilla. He stared at me blinking. I had stopped his near tirade dead in its tracks.

That night, as I began to fall asleep – I thought of how Mrs Frankfurter Bun had stopped my road rage, How Phil’s first day in school had obliterated my husband’s pissy attitude – and I knew that “Second Grade Gorilla” had real potential – a king of real power – perhaps it should be read at a giant gathering of the world leader’s. That night I dreamt you won the Nobel Prize for World Peace.

When I woke up, I knew what I had to do. I had to find you and the book, and when I do, I will send it to my cranky, and very talented father in law, (he is a cartoonist for The New Yorker). – I figure if its good enough for world peace its good enough for him.

Where can I get “Second Grade Gorilla.” Its truly a stroke of genius!

Stephie Walter

PS: I thought when I first heard you that you were Gene Sheppard. Did you know him. I was very, very fond of his work. FOURTH OF JULY AND OTHER HORROR STORIES I think was one of them . . .

Alice Gjoyaag

April 13, 2000

Dear Mr. Pinkwater

Could you tell me the origin of the opening fanfare used on Chinwag Theater?

It has a wonderful and subtle humor similar to Saint-Sean’s “Royal March of the Lion” from Carnival of the Animals.

Enquiring minds want to know. So do I.

Antoinette Auger

April 11, 2000

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

I cannot locate the above book anywhere, and understand it is out of print. I have also searched the websites that carry used and out of print books, to no avail. Any suggestions?

Antoinette Auger

PS PaperMoon did have it, but it was sold.

Lucas Worley

April 10, 2000

DMP

I am doing a report on you (flattering huh) and I was wondering what your background was (family, etc.) I’d be much obliged if you could let me know.