Help support the St. Vincent's Medical Center Foundation's annual SWIM ACROSS THE SOUND!

It is important to me, as a cancer survivor, to do what I can to help others who have been diagnosed with/are fighting this terrible disease.

Every August since finishing chemotherapy (in September 2007), I have participated in the St. Vincent's Medical Center Foundation's "Swim Across the Sound", a daylong relay race that begins in Port Jefferson, NY, crosses Long Island Sound and finishes in Bridgeport, CT. I do not actually swim in the race – the thousands of jellyfish that drifted through the Sound my first year quickly cured me of any such motivation. Rather, I drive one of the boats that escort each team across the water, providing respite, refreshment and shade to the swimmers. Each year, I've been fortunate enough to work with the same team, a dedicated group of young ladies – led by team captain Kimberly Russo – who have now volunteered their efforts for this event for several years running, and I look forward to working with them again for this year's event on Saturday, August 7, 2010.

The particularly cool thing about the St. Vincent's Foundation is that all of the money raised, instead of going to research, directly benefits lower-income cancer patients (whose diagnosis may have left them unable to work, or otherwise hindered their ability to work) by helping them with regular household expenses such as groceries, utility bills, rent or even mortgage payments. To these ends, last year's Swim Across the Sound raised approximately $2.5 million.

Indeed, we are all feeling the effects of these hard economic times. But imagine, for a moment, the unspeakable difficulty of facing a cancer diagnosis on top of those day-to-day challenges. Bearing that in mind, I humbly appeal to you to help our team help the St. Vincent’s Foundation in supporting those unfortunate enough to be experiencing that very scenario. Donations may be made here (and remember, no amount is too small).

Thanks for listening, and good health and fortune upon you,


WPT


PS – I have participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for the last few years, in the fall, in support of the oncology center where I took treatment. However, as the oncology center has shifted this year’s main fundraising efforts to another event, held in February, it is unlikely that I will participate in this year's Komen race. (Bottom line: I won't be pestering you for donations again three months from now!)

Is a double negative as good as an admission of guilt?

According to the charging document, Dominick Holly told police, "I didn't shoot no one..."

SMILE, HON, YOU'RE IN BALTIMORE! seeks submissions

BALTIMORE – Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! is accepting submissions of your Mobtown-related stories, essays, poetry, photography and other artwork for the forthcoming Smile, Hon No. 13 through Friday, August 13, 2010. Creative non-fiction is preferred, though all submissions will be considered. Articles (100 – 2,000 words) are preferably received via e-mail (wpt@eightstonepress.com) as attached Word documents. Image files should be approximately 5" x 7", 300+ dpi (.JPG or .TIF format). All contributors will receive a byline/artist credit for their work as well as two (2) complimentary copies of the issue in which their work appears.

From the harbor to the hills, Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! collects the tales of those on whom Mobtown has left her indelible mark. Polished, professional essays; barroom sermons delivered from the sanctity of a favorite stool; the poet's fleeting sentiment, captured in both word and snapshot – Smile, Hon offers a slice of Baltimore as told by Baltimore, presented with the time-honored DIY accessibility of a limited-run, handcrafted zine. A two-time Utne Independent Press Award Nominee, Smile, Hon has also been dubbed "Best Zine" by Baltimore Magazine (2008) and Baltimore City Paper (2004).

An Eight-Stone Press production, Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! is available locally for purchase at Atomic Books (Baltimore, MD); City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA) Cyclops Books & Music (Baltimore, MD); Microcosm Publishing (Bloomington, IN, and Portland, OR); Quimby's (Chicago, IL); and Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse (Baltimore, MD). For more information, contact:

William P. Tandy, Editor
Eight-Stone Press
P.O. Box 11064
Baltimore, Maryland 21212
E-mail: Wpt@eightstonepress.com
Website: http://www.eightstonepress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wptandy
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/eightstonepress


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And perhaps print some souvenir toe tags to boot...

In much the way other cities' tourist centers feature caricature artists, I am seriously considering procuring several large pieces of sidewalk chalk, venturing down to Baltimore's Inner Harbor and charging visitors a flat fee to become chalk outlines along the promenade.

SMILE, HON editor, contributors on tonight's edition of THE INDIEBOOKMAN RADIO SHOW!

BALTIMORE, Md. – Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! Editor William P. Tandy joins host Brad Grochowski for tonight's edition of The Indie Bookman Radio Show to discuss Waste, the latest theme issue in the award-winning Smile, Hon series. Waste contributors J. Gavin Heck, Alex Hewett and Fernando Quijano III will also be on hand to read their work. The Indie Bookman Radio Show kicks off at 8:00 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at www.umbrellaradio.org.

***

In related news, Smile, Hon contributor Davida Gypsy Breier announces a fund-raising effort to benefit the Key West Wildlife Rescue in advance of any oil from the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico reaching the shores of the Florida Keys. For a donation of $25, you will receive a signed 5"x7" print (or 8"x10", for donations of $35 or more) from this or any of Davida’s other Flickr photo sets. For further details, contact Davida@leekinginc.com.

The Key West Wildlife Rescue is currently gearing up to deal with wildlife affected by the oil. To aid its efforts, please consider a direct donation of any of these items.


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Eight-Stone Press Publishes WASTE

BALTIMORE, Md. – Defecation, Dumpster-diving and decaying old-world grandeur are but a few of the chunks backing up Waste, the latest "theme" issue in the award-winning Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! series from Eight-Stone Press.

In this edition, ANGIE E cleans up Number Two in Aisle Four...again; EARL CROWN ponders the "Martin Gross Neglect" at Springfield Hospital Center; J. GAVIN HECK comes along, sings a song and joins the jamboree of one dirty rat; a good banana goes bad for J.T. CASSIDY; and A.J. MICHEL lays down just what happens – and where it all goes – after you flush, plus a whole lot more. Contributors include:

- HAI ANXIETI
- HANNA BADALOVA
- A. AUBREY BODINE
- DAVIDA GYPSY BREIER
- TOM BROWN
- J.T. CASSIDY
- EARL CROWN
- WAYNE COUNTRYMAN
- E. DOYLE-GILLESPIE
- ANGIE E
- SHARON GOLDNER
- J. GAVIN HECK
- ALEX HEWETT
- JOE HIGLER
- CRAIG KIRCHNER
- A.J. MICHEL
- NEMETZ
- FERNANDO QUIJANO III
- DAN REED
- TIMMY REED
- ALISON SEAY
- BEN SHABERMAN
- JEFFREY L. SHIPLEY
- CHRISTINE STEWART
- MATTHEW C. TERZI
- WILLIAM P. TANDY
- LISA WISEMAN

From the harbor to the hills, Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! collects the tales of those on whom Mobtown has left her indelible mark. Polished, professional essays; barroom sermons delivered from the sanctity of a favorite stool; the poet's fleeting sentiment, captured in both word and snapshot – Smile, Hon offers a slice of Baltimore as told by Baltimore, presented with the time-honored DIY accessibility of a limited-run, handcrafted zine. A two-time Utne Independent Press Award nominee, Smile, Hon has also been dubbed "Best Zine" by Baltimore Magazine (2008) and Baltimore City Paper (2004). Previous theme issues have tackled such topics as rats, scars, crime, tattoos, transit, sex and the supernatural.

Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! is an Eight-Stone Press production and is distributed by Atomic Books (Baltimore, MD); City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA); Cyclops Books (Baltimore, MD); Microcosm Publishing (Bloomington, IN, and Portland, OR); Quimby's (Chicago, IL); and Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse (Baltimore, MD). For more information, contact:

William P. Tandy, Editor
Eight-Stone Press
P.O. Box 11064
Baltimore, MD 21212
wpt@eightstonepress.com
http://www.eightstonepress.com
http://www.facebook.com/wptandy
http://www.twitter.com/eightstonepress


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