Son of Everything But the Oink

More recent emails to friends recycled and blogified.

Watched what little I could tolerate of the Grammys Wednesday night. D.E. said to me, "I'm sure the Circus Maximus was more tasteful"...... I have come THIS CLOSE on several occasions only to get burned at the last minute. I have had two of the biggest literary agents in the business representing me at one point or another. One of the major catastrophes happened because I did NOT have an advance agreement with two lesser partners in a theatrical production that was being represented by the Lucy Kroll Agency. And I would say that, more or less, my failure with the Julian Bach Agency transpired because the person I was writing a book about and I---again---did not have a proper advance agreement/understanding. I once had Temple University Press cancel a book contract because they assumed I was black when it never dawned on me that would be consideration. I kept the $5,000.00 advance and published the book myself. And so, lest there be any misunderstanding, I am from the Planet of the Goyim......(more)