Now that the hit sitcom Cheers has been relegated to TV Land, finding a neighborhood joint like that famous bar in Boston might be a little harder. It's not, however, pure fiction; just ask Mary DeVoir, author of A Bartender's Recipe for a Happy Life.
"It's Cheers in live action," said DeVoir, referring to Bob's Sports Bar where she worked behind the bar for 10 years. "Everybody knows your name. [I] know their cocktail, [I'm] pouring it before they even get their coat off. No one's invited but everyone's welcomed."
DeVoir is originally from St. Joseph and moved to Grand Rapids, where she settled into a bartending position at Bob's Sports Bar (725 Michigan St. SE).
"I fell in love with it," she said. "The service industry is either in your blood or it isn't. Pouring a good drink...can be learned; it's how you take care of your customers that matters. It's the people industry.
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Mary DeVoir
Schuler Books and Music, 28th St., Grand Rapids Mar. 20, 1 p.m. schulerbooks.com, (616) 942-2561
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In fact, what her customers shared gave her an idea.
"My book was inspired by the memorable conversations I would have with my patrons," says DeVoir. "Being a bit of a journal writer and note taker on just about anything that comes my way, I began to write these bits of wit and wisdom on bar napkins and put them in my tip jar."
Regulars of the bar started having fun with DeVoir and would start saying, "Hey Mary, here's one for your book."
"It got to a point [where] if I was too busy to write something down, they would write it on a napkin," she said.
As time passed, she collected more and more sayings, jokes, and bits of advice.
She left Bob's and began to write A Bartender's Recipe for a Happy Life in August 2008. By September of the next year, she was ready to self-publish.
"It's the most fun I ever had. [I'm] extremely blessed and truly amazed at how smoothly it went."
The book contains more than 250 cocktail recipes as well "a shot of humor, a pint of advice, a jigger of quotes." To read a few pages from the book, visit DeVoir's Web site at whatsyourpleasure.net.
Other Literary Events
By Kelli Ponstein
Mitt Romney
Barnes & Noble, Woodland
March 11, 12 p.m.
barnesandnoble.com, (616) 940-0820
Former Massachusetts Governor and Honorary Chairman of the Free and Strong America PAC Mitt Romney is coming to Grand Rapids for a book signing. His book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, dives into his views on the current issues of the economy, health care, energy and education in America. Romney uses the book as means to express and discuss his "vision of a renewed America." Possible Republican front runner for the next Presidential election, Romney will speak on the changes he sees that need to be made and how he outlines them in his writing.
Linda Nemec Foster
East Grand Rapids Library
March 27, 2 p.m.
kdl.org, 616-784-2007
Poet Linda Nemec Foster will delight audiences with a reading from her poetry collections. Completing nine poetry works including Listen to the Landscape, Talking Diamonds and Amber Necklace of Gdansk, Nemec has written about her Eastern European heritage, responding to the natural world and the events of ordinary lives.
Used Book Sales
Spring is in the air and so is spring cleaning! With everyone going through their belongings, many KDL district libraries see it as the perfect time for used book sales! Check out the different sales for low-priced treasures of literature, movies and other media products. There is something for everyone.
Byron Township Branch
March 5-6 9:30 a.m., 8 &11 12 p.m. and 9, 10, 12 9:30 a.m.
Plainfield Township Branch
March 5, 6 & 8, 10 a.m., and 7, 1 p.m.
Cascade Township Branch
March 20, 10 a.m. and 21, 1 p.m.
kdl.org, 616-784-2007
Barnes & Noble at Woodland Mall
Feb. 4, 6 p.m.
barnesandnoble.com, (616) 940-0820
The combination of food and literature creates a delectable duo. Barnes & Noble will be hosting Sue Chef, who is known as a personal chef, and for her successful cooking school. Recently, Chef authored Get Fresh!, a cookbook. Chef will demonstrate master cooking skills, serve Reuben Soup and share cooking tips at the Woodland Mall Barnes & Noble on Feb. 4. Along with filling stomachs, Chef will sign copies of her cookbook.
Josh Becker
Kalamazoo Public Library, Central Branch
Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
kpl.gov, (269) 342-9837
Director and writer Josh Becker has just released his third book and is stopping in Kalamazoo for a book signing. Going Hollywood is Becker's adventures of turning dreams into reality. A Michigan native, Becker moved to Hollywood at the age of 17 with the dreams of becoming a film director. Now the writer and director of multiple independent films, including My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Running Time, he has also written one of Sci-Fi Network's highest rated original TV movie Alien Apocalypse.
Tom Rademacher
Schuler Books and Music, Alpine location
Feb. 4, 7 p.m.
schulerbooks.com, (616) 647-0999
Grand Rapids Press writer, Tom Rademacher released Splitting Wood, a collection of 100 columns, in December. Since the book hit shelves, it has been outselling even Sarah Palin's notorious autobiography, Going Rogue. As a result of the demand, Rademacher has scheduled an additional booksigning and author talk at Schuler Books and Music's Alpine location, with a second printing of his book planned.
Jef Mallet
Schuler Books and Music
2660 28th St. SE, Grand Rapids
Feb. 23, 7 p.m.
schulerbooks.com, (616) 942-2561
Each day, thousands of people open their newspapers to read a comic about a young man named Edwin "Frazz" Frazier, a sage janitor-songwriter-triathlete who is an important mentor to students, and friend to educators.
Author, illustrator and creator of Frazz, Jef Mallett, is relieved people can identify with his character because, well, Mallett is Frazz.
"Every writer is ultimately writing about himself," he says. "I make [Frazz] about me, but then of course, I have to make sure that I'm a little bit interesting, so I try to go out and have the most interesting life I can."
That philosophy of life started at a young age. When asked by a babysitter what he would like to be when he grew up, he had already narrowed his options down to a cartoonist or a Harlem Globetrotter. One of those jobs didn't quite work out.
Mallet pursued his goal, working as a graphic artist for multiple Michigan newspapers. It was when he was working as an art director and editorial cartoonist for Booth Newspapers' Capital Bureau in Lansing that Mallett had the idea to do a comic strip - he just needed a character for it.
"I had done a children's book...[and] I went to a lot of schools to do readings and assemblies and workshops. That's where I figured out that the only adult who could consistently calm the kids down was the janitor. He or she was The Man," Mallett said.
He decided to base his comic around a janitor in the school setting, and Frazz debuted in 2001.
Recently, Mallett has found success beyond the frames of a comic strip. As an avid triathlete -a sport where participants swim, bike and run all in the same competition-since 1981, he writes a regular column for Inside Triathalon and Triathlete magazines and is a contributing artist for VeloNews magazine. He was invited to speak at a coaching clinic for triathlons, which led to a column at VeloNews. After he illustrated a book about bicycle racing, his was approached for another task - his new book, Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete.
"[It has] some technical stuff, but it's not a how-to," says Mallett. "It really boils down to, ‘Man, this sport is great, and this is why we do it.' It's like a funny philosophy book, a book without a niche."
He joked that Schuler Books, where Mallett will be giving a talk and signing books, might struggle in deciding which section to stock it in.
Trizophrenia, which is pronounced to rhyme with schizophrenia, is an insightful look at the "seemingly obsessive-compulsive rituals" of triathletes. Including such chapters as "A Brief History of a Sport with a Brief History," Mallett dispenses the wisdom of a veteran triathlete paired with a healthy dose of humor.
Being a triathlete "is a great way to live," says Mallett, "but I could've written the same type of book about running, canoeing or getting a degree in applied computer science. It's all about the joy of doing something full tilt."
Kalamazoo Book Arts Center Joint Show with Pendragon
Midtown Gallery
356 S Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo
Jan. 8-29
kalbookarts.org, (269) 372-0134
You might have some people on your shopping list who are tricky to buy for, but imagine shopping for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Both Nobel Peace Prize winners were recently awarded the Fetzer Center Prize for Love and Forgiveness and $100,000 grant was given to each. Both were also presented with a handmade journal from the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center.
"This was just one of those fun things that you get to do, and knowing where it was going makes it more special," said Michael Dunn, president of the KBAC. "It was true collaboration...everyone contributed, and there was a real spirit of connection in the making."
This sense of connection permeates the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center. The organization was formed almost four years ago by a group of printmakers. Some made handmade paper and others were letter press people who all had a passion for books.
"We decided to apply the passion and create a place where we could teach and educate people on the traditions of the book and also move the traditions forward," Dunn said.
Now, the KBAC is a workshop and educational center where artists and members of the community can learn about the variety of presses and techniques involved in papermaking, book design, journal writing, calligraphy and other forms of printing. The KBAC offers classes in "everything connected with what it takes to make a book," from Papermaking with Garden Fibers to the Art of the Altered Book to Egyptian Coptic Stitch Binding.
"We're also connecting with writers and poets and people who actually do the work that goes in the book," Dunn said.
The joint show at Midtown Gallery is another prime example of connection. The Book Arts Center is exhibiting its work with Pendragon, a local group of calligraphers that have been around for over 20 years. Blank journals, books of handwritten poetry, prints and more will be available for purchase.
"It was a logical connection [between] people who made books or prints and the people who illuminate them," Dunn said. "We've all been wanting to do this."
"Threshold," as the show is called, is an exploration of "crossing the boundaries of the old and into the new year." Dunn cited the "spiritual energy you get when you make a transfer" of the old and enter into the new. As members of the two groups collaborate, Dunn expects to enter "new territory." Both the KBAC and Pendragon are moving their traditions forward, and the result is "not the everyday book that people see, but a special book."
Other Literary Events:
Teresa Ann Winton
Barnes & Noble, 5701 Beckley Rd., Battle Creek
Jan 16, 1 p.m.
barnesandnoble.com, (269) 979-8060
Author Teresa Winton's novel Pieces of the Pearl: Memoirs of a Foster Child's Triumphant Transformation landed on bookshelves Nov. 10 and she is stopping by Battle Creek for a book signing. Her novel is the true-life account of her painful childhood. Abused and neglected, Winton and her six siblings were removed from her parents and placed in foster care, where she continued to experience trauma and loss. Winton's story is also one of joy and healing, and she credits her relationship with God as the redeeming power. Minton says she has "found in writing an outlet for my losses and a great avenue of healing."
The January Series
Calvin College, 1835 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids
Jan. 6-26, 12:30 p.m
calvin.edu/january/2010/, (616) 526-6000
Calvin's annual January Series hosts speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds and topics. The Series, which has been around for 23 years, has been awarded the "Best Campus Lecture Series in the U.S.A." three times by the International Platform Society. This year, speakers include The Washington Post correspondent T.R. Reid, American Enterprise Institute president Arthur C. Brooks and Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and many others. The presentations are free and open to the public.
Live Music @ KPL series: Belfast Gin
Kalamazoo Public Library, Central Branch
Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
kpl.gov
Enjoy a unique Celtic sound as you wander the stacks. Belfast Gin plays a blend of Celtic and classic rock. The group from Kalamazoo features conga drums, the djembe, guitars, bass, flute, tin whistle, bones and at times, a fiddle and bagpipes. The band's first CD, Ain't Been Sober Yet, was released on St. Patrick's Day of 2008. The high energy performance will begin at 7 p.m. and continue until the library closes at 9 p.m. This concert is part of the library's ongoing Live Music @ KPL series which provides performances from various musical genres. Previous artists were Joe Nolan, the Blue Moon Blues Band and Lloyd and The Fellas. John Wesley Harding is scheduled for February.
