YAY! The Snarkout Boys and the Baconburg Horror! One of my favorites. I read it aloud to my daughter a couple of years ago on a vacation, and she got hooked (especially to Rat!).
Tell Edmaster Web to turn podcasting commenting back on!
The cool thing for me, reading it after all this time, is that I like it too!
Edmaster Web says: Still working on it, Glauber. Hang tight.
In response to your response to my message about a happy puppy. I had somehow hoped that, in spite of my collection of human failings, that the cheerfulness of my dog would reflect well on my and my household. Of course, that’s a partially vain hope, as some dog personality traits are just the dog’s personality. On the other hand, the dog’s consistently good spirits may be added to by a lack of abuse and a presence of positive interaction.
That being said, we are all very proud of our clever, energetic pup. This is the first dog any of us have ever had, so we were clueless about training. As a result, she may be a little headstrong and hard of listening, but aside from loving a game of “you can’t catch me” she is very easy to live with (no messes on the rug, and she generally treats the kids somewhat maternally).
No real point to this story, except that I felt like bragging about my dog to someone who appears to love, understand, and value dogs highly.
Everyone with a puppy should seek a well-respected and ethical dog obedience trainer, and this is a rare instance of the more you pay the less you get. In general, I suggest a public class or obedience club rather than an expert who makes housecalls. Start by asking your vet for a recommendation.
Hi, my name is Jack and I am a 3rd grader.
My class is doing an “author talk” and I chose you as my author.I chose you because I have read 4 of your hilarious books, and I think that I will go on to read more.I also chose you because I think my classmates should know how funny you are.An author talk is when a kid picks an author, studies the author, and tells the class about the author.Do you have any advice for me as an author?
Sincerely,
Jack
Hi, Jack. I assume you mean advice about being an author, in case you or anyone else would like to be one. OK, I can give you some advice. Read a lot, and read what you like. Write a lot, if you like writing. Listen politely to advice and opinions others may give you, but don't take it too seriously. Yours is the only opinion that matters. It is very nice when people read what you have written, and enjoy it--but that is secondary. First, you should write to please yourself. Many writers claim that writing is hard work. I do not know what they are talking about. Dragging rocks around, or cutting down big trees is hard work. Writing is fun.
Thanks for your intelligent, and well-written e-note. I hope the author talk goes well.
Daniel Pinkwater
I have a quote in my head that I associate with you: “A house with a happy puppy is a healthy home.” Is that something you said or wrote, or am I just misattributing? We have an almost pathologically cheerful puppy (8 1/2 year-old Chocolate Lab mix). Does that mean our home is healthy?
It means your dog is happy. Your home may be healthy, (I suppose that means the roof is in good shape, basement is fairly dry, no termites or raccoons in the attic), but I don't know that makes a difference to the Labrador. They tend to be cheerful dogs, wherever they are. No, I didn't say that silly thing.
You’re at the top of my list of favorite authors, just above James Joyce. I just finished reading Cat Whiskered Girl and, as a Vassar alum, was thrilled that so much of it took place in Poughkeepsie, City of Mystery, and featured a professor and student from my alma mater. Will we be seeing more of Poughkeepsie and perhaps Vassar in the future?
I wish I had known that you lived in the Hudson Valley when I was a student there, I would have convinced you that I would be a great friend even though I was below the weight requirement.
I used to have a copy of Young Adult Novel that went on considerably longer than the version included in 5 Novels. What happened to the rest of the book and why is it optional?
Neeble neeble.
Just above James Joyce is precisely where I rank myself. I do not weight-rate my friends. You are thinking of the Tor Books bindup of the original and sufficient Young Adult Novel, and a couple of sequels of lesser quality the editor squeezed out of me. (Well, Dead End Dada is sort of amusing). Poughkeepsie's urban charms continue to be a well-kept secret.
In the first Snarkout Boys book you describe a village-like bohemian neighborhood that the boys run across walking home from the “Snark” theater, and you describe another like it again in Robert Nifkin. I’m just curious, what neighborhood did you base that on?
With the greatest respect, I am going to decline to answer your question....I have my reasons. Thank you.
Hello, from Mrs. Schnaider’s 4th grade class! We just finished reading your book. We took a “quizipoo” by summarizing it. After discussing the book, we think that in the end of the book: The Big Orange Splot, you should call “Neat Street,” “Dream Street.”
We loved your book, we especially loved when he made all the neighbors follow their dreams. The alligator in the front was pretty funny. We will investigate in our library for more of your books.
Please do so! If the library doesn't have any, they can get them for you...there are a lot of them.
Mr. Pinkwater: I remember hearing you reflect on Bard College and your college experiences and you ended the essay by remarking that as you drove away from Bard you noticed a smile on your face, a smile that has never left. Or something along those lines.
Am I misremembering this or does this essay have a name and exist somewhere?
Thank you.
I imagine it exists.....somewhere. If I were going to look for it, I might start with the collection HOBOKEN FISH & CHICAGO WHISTLE, (Xlibris), but I don't guarantee it's in there. In total, I recorded between 600 and 700 ""commentaries"" for the radio program All Things Considered, before staff changes made doing that no longer enjoyable. Some are here, some are there--some I remember clearly...others....
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
Yes, I am always working on my collection of copies,and annoying as many people as I can by constantly praising your work….how did you know??
My daughter has just loaned out our oldest copy of Worms again, in order to show a new friend the wonders of DP! I have another stashed away just in case….And my mother was praising you again just yesterday as she has recently reread Alan Mendelsohn for the hundredth or so time, and swears each time it is a masterpiece, and her ultimate favorite! We all regret the recipe for Green Death Chili can only be written in the sand…and we still aspire to recreating the true flavor of Fleegix, we always eat the orange popsicles first, and I sorely wish I could try a Dr. Pedwees grapefruit/lime!
Are there transcripts or recordings of Chinwag Theater available anywhere? Why are such good things so short lived?
We are all looking forward to Bushman Lives! And the five other books in the works….I have already spotted one so far on Amazon for preorder.
I think it is terrible your books have gone out of print so fast when they are so obviously considered true classics by so many of us!
Did I somehow miss the sequel to Lizard Music? If it was ever published, what was the title?
We recently read a youth novel called Chicken Dance and highly suspect the author to be a fan of yours….? Hmmn…
Thank you again for your wonderful stories!!!
I can still remember the first book of yours I discovered in the library at the age of 9, an orange and blue hardback of Fat Men From Space, and I had just gotten my braces….We think you are amazing!!!
Wendy M.
I knew I must have some readers somewhere. I have gotten so I like that so many of my books go out of print so quickly. I remember a nice teacher at college who said his greatest regret was having read all the plays of Shakespeare when he was young--leaving him unable to anticipate reading one that was new to him for the rest of his life. Think about it--someday you might run across a copy of Pete the Pestiferous Polecat, or I Snarked with a Zombie, or Howard Goldberg Frontiersman.
A pleasure meeting the four of you today in the Vanderbilt parking lot. We very much enjoyed your website… an intriguing labyrinth of links! As you are a Mozart follower, we imagine you must remember DeKoven; the intrepid musicologist of 1960s radio. Somehow, he managed to send lengthly post card responses to “fan mail”… he would have loved Facebook!
Warm regards,
Christine and Christopher
DeKoven--he was ""OTW"" (out of this world)--but I was more of a ""Listening with Watson"" fan. Remember him? Pleasure meeting you as well.
Dear Mr. Pinkwater,
Your writing has kept me sane since I was a kid in the 70’s. You are still my favorite author! Also, my daughter’s favorite.
Thank you so much for writing your wonderful stories, I read them over and over,(even at this age of 42) and listen to your pod casts.
Is there any possibility of future stories involving the characters from Alan Mendelsohn The Boy From Mars, Borgel, The Worms of Kukumlima, or the Snarkout Boys? Or any further adventures of Ivan Itch and friends, or the Neddiad,Yggysy,Cat Whiskered Girl series? What about Blue Moose and Lizard Music?
We diehard Pinkwater fans NEED more!
I am also curious why an avid NPR listener like myself has NEVER heard you on the radio? Does SC NPR just not have your commentary or book reviews? My husband heard you ONCE on the radio, but he was driving thru a different state. Are you ever played on Satellite radio?
Please keep writing! No books make us happier!!!
Wendy M.
Kept you sane, huh? Well, anything is possible. Maybe it works by some kind of homeopathic principle. I just handed in Bushman Lives, which is in the Neddiad, Yggyssey, Cat-Whiskered continuum, and will be serialized on this website before long. I have no reason to think SC public radio doesn't like me. I chose to stop submitting pieces to All Things Considered a while ago. (I'm in very good company among talented commentators you don't hear any more). I still do the occasional segment with Scott Simon on Weekend Edition Saturday. I think Webmaster Ed could have been a superior NPR producer back in the pre-petrified days, and the Podcast is a very fine show. And, in addition to Bushman Lives there are some 5 books of various sorts in production--so I am doing my bit as a writer. Are you doing your bit as a reader, acquiring things, buying additional copies as gifts, and annoying people by praising my work all the time?
Amazon has a bunch of vhs copies of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency. If I bought one could I get permission to convert to dvd? Did you have any involvement in the Seattle Children’s Theater? My grown son bought tickets and took me to it for Christmas. I LOVED IT! The chicken costume sucked but the set made me want to live there.
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency as shown on television years ago? Save your money. And I had zero involvement in the Seattle Children's Theater production, and never saw a video or anything. The only production based on a book of mine that I had a bit (very small bit) to do with, and thought it was cool, was the Blue Moose Opera.
Have you ever partaken of any hallucinogenic substances, either prior to sitting down to write, or at any point in your life? You sound an awful lot like the protagonist of Alan Mendelsohn. The yoga and everything. Did you do that on purpose? Who are you?
CHARLES BRICKER YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND
I have overdosed on Fox's U-Bet syrup. I am your friend.
The big Orange Splot was my kids favorite book when they were little. We’ve often joked that they were raised to be like Plumbeam, to go for their dreams, and be original, and now that they’re grown, I can tell you they are.
My daughter has traveled the country taking pictures to build a portfolio to realize her dream of being a photographer.
My son is married and expecting their first child, and he recently got a new tattoo on his wrist… yes… it’s the big orange splot!
I’d love to send you a picture of it, if you’d like to see it.
Thank You for years of reading!
Tattoos make me nervous. I always think, ""What if they get tired of the subject, (in this case splot). Does this mean they will stop reading books by me lest the find another favorite and have to have that tattooed too?"" But I do appreciate the honor.
Hoping to improve the English of my 10 y.o. non-native speaker, I got my hands on Hoboken Chicken (safe for us vegetarians), Mush, A Dog from Space, Wuggie N., Neddiad and Iggysy. More suitable to have called them Negyssy and Iggiad, in our opinion, but it’s all Greek to us. Both of us were intrigued by Melvin/Sheldon, and the idea that he’s appearing in multiple… copies… in bookstores across the continental US, though he probably prefers holing up at the Zamenhof. My grandfather Yechiel moved to the US from the Ukraine and Anglicized to Yisroel, then Israel, and finally, to the most Native American of all: Irving. No one ever suspected, despite his accent, that he could have been a Sheldon or a Melvin, and that he would only eat a chicken he shecthed with his own hands, while standing under a totem named Ashera. Daniel Pinkwater, you are our Yiddishe Shaman, and we are your Hoopie Groupies.
I suggest you deepen your confusion by getting hold of a copy of Beautiful Yetta, the Yiddish Chicken. Also vegetarian-approved.
