Kelsey | Kelsey Timmerman

Oct
8

Kids’ Coffin Maker in the slums

By Kelsey

Kibera slums (Nairobi, Kenya)

A Thousand Words

Oct
7

Have we forgotten the struggles for our rights?

By Kelsey

“How’d he get on the Daily Show?”

I often ask myself this. No matter how much I try to pretend there isn’t, there is some bitterness in the thought. Some, “I wrote a book that’s serious and funny about a subject very relevant to now, and I didn’t get on the Daily Show.” Hrmph!

Last night Philip Dray was on the Daily Show talking about his 784-page book on the fight for worker’s rights: There is Power in a Union. Last night during the show I checked Amazon. The book was ranked 35,000-something. This morning it is in the hundreds. After my five-second pity party about “that shoulda been me” I got to thinking about this.

Is a book on unions good for ratings? Probably not.

Wouldn’t it be great if more folks with a spotlight like or brighter than Stewart’s actually made an effort to focus on a subject, not because of the ratings it might gain, but its importance?

Back when GM was getting bailed out from the government, union bashing was all the rage. It still is. And maybe there was a point from which unions went from getting an inch to taking a mile. On Tuesday, the Daily Show did a feature on Waiting for Superman which largely condemns the teacher’s unions for the current state (near the bottom of a list of 30 developed countries) of our educational system. I think the selection of Dray’s book was meant to balance the views and remind us of all the things that we take for granted that unions gave us.

Here’s an edited Monty Python clip responding to “What did unions ever give us?”

And here’s the Dray interview.

Philip Dray - There is Power in a Union
- Watch more Funny Videos at Vodpod.

Videos at Vodpod.

Mad World

Oct
5

Lawyer accused of smuggling briefs into Gitmo

By Kelsey

A big thanks to John at Provocate for passing along this underwear related news item to me. It’s only with the help of friends like John that I maintain my ranking as one of the top 10 living underwear journalists in the state of Indiana.

(From the New York Review of Books):

A Guantánamo commander has accused British lawyer Clive smith of smuggling Under Armour Briefs and a Speedo swimsuit to two prisoners he represents. Smith denied the claim and responded in a letter:

It seems obvious that the same people delivered these items to both men, and it does not take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that members of your staff…did it…. I have done a little research to help you in your investigations.

I had never heard of “Under Armor briefs” until you mentioned them, and my internet research has advanced my knowledge in two ways—first, Under Armour apparently sports a “u” in its name, which is significant only because it helps with the research.

Second, and rather more important, this line of underpants are very popular among the military…. It would be worth checking whether this lingerie was purchased from the NEX there in GTMO….

Tom Byrne, Under Armour‘s director of new business development, told Army Times that “The product has done very well in PXes across the country….”

On the issue of the Speedo swimming trunks,…I cannot imagine who would want to give my client Speedos, or why. Mr. Aamer is hardly in a position to go swimming, since the only available water is the toilet in his cell.

Snap!

For more, I’m sure, far less mockable accounts from Gitmo read The Guantánamo Lawyers: Inside a Prison Outside the Law (affiliate link below).

Mad World

Oct
4

Judging my book by its (biceps) cover

By Kelsey

I’m not sure about the cover of my book.

Lately, since I’ve been visiting universities where the students have been assigned the book, I’ve been getting, “I got your book and I was like…man…this book looks really boring,” or something along those lines. Thankfully this is usually followed up with “…and I really liked it.” Of course the folks who don’t like it probably rushed out of the room after my talk. Because what kind of jackass waits in line to tell an author that his book sucked?

I’ve had several professors tell me that for many of their students this is the first book that they’ve really dug into. Essentially, the students have never met a book they liked regardless of the cover. Still, I’m not sure about it. A bookseller once told me that it looked very YA.

I can be unsure about the cover and not be badmouthing my publisher or the designer who did it because the cover was my idea. Some authors go rounds with their publishers over the cover and even try to get some type of cover leverage built into their contract.

The story of my cover goes something like this:

Publisher: Kelsey, do you have any ideas for the cover?

Me: How about a dude standing there with arrows pointing to his clothes noting the countries they were made in?

Publisher: How about this?

Me: Red shag carpet? Button fly pants? Camo-shirt?

Publisher: I thought the same thing. How about this? (The actual cover of the book)

Me: I like it. Plus anyone that mistakes the guy on the cover for me will think I’m totally ripped!

If I had a dollar for every time someone (usually a female) has asked me if that was me on the cover, I would have enough money to buy a lifetime gym membership. It’s pretty obvious from my lack of guns that the dude on the cover isn’t me. Still, when I tell them they are deflated. Lately I’ve been toying with the idea of saying, “Yep, that’s me. Unfortunately after that photo was taken I jumped into a crocodile-infested river to save a puppy and came down with a rare jungle illness that robber me of my muscle mass.”

So who is the dude on the cover? And how do I thank him for doing a thousand arm curls a day?

Well, I want to find out. Today I’m launching Operation Guns Are Real?: The Search for the man on the cover of my book. My goal is to find him and interview him and give his biceps a virtual squeeze.

I’ll keep you posted.

This Writer’s Life

Oct
3

Old Spice Guy on Libraries

By Kelsey

I once got a ticket driving to a library event 200 miles away. The library is often the first place I turn to for a book. And I’d rather live in a world with potholes than one without libraries. So, I loved this video of Mustafa, the Old Spice Guy, speaking about libraries.

(I saw this on GalleyCat)

Mad World

Oct
2

“Shirt” by Robert Pinsky

By Kelsey

Don’t tell me you don’t like poetry. Not liking poetry is like saying you don’t like beer. There are so many different flavors of each that there is one out there for everybody.

No talk of the American garment industry can avoid the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in NYC in 1911. I’ve read about the tragedy in countless books, but none of them paint the tragedy with more humanity than Robert Pinsky in his poem “Shirt.” I appreciate poetry more when it’s read aloud, so give this a listen. The poem begins at 2:49, but his comments before will be of interest to any engaged consumer.

Here’s a short passage to show you the powerful words within. Drink it up.

At the Triangle Factory in nineteen-eleven.
One hundred and forty-six died in the flames
On the ninth floor, no hydrants, no fire escapes-

The witness in a building across the street
Who watched how a young man helped a girl to step
Up to the windowsill, then held her out

Away from the masonry wall and let her drop.
And then another. As if he were helping them up
To enter a streetcar, and not eternity.

Engaged Consumer

Oct
1

How I get books

By Kelsey

Where do you buy your books? Where should you buy your books?

Since I became an author, and learned a little bit about the publishing industry, these are questions on my mind when I need or want a book.

Without consciously doing it, I’ve developed my own book buying strategy.

Let’s look at my options.

The Chain

In Muncie we have a Books-A-Million, which never seems to have any of the books that I want, and when they do, the price is high unless you are a member of their club that costs $25/year. And the staff, if they are book lovers, do one heckuva job of hiding it. I don’t have a whole lot of loyalty to the store. Part of the inspiration for my Book Signing vs. Book Club video is based on experiences there.

Reasons to Support:

- Meg Ryan might be against the big Chain stores like BAM, Barnes & Noble, and Borders because they threaten Independents, but the truth is the chain stores keep food on the table for authors. My publisher was pumped when B&N and Borders pre-ordered a couple thousand copies of Where Am I Wearing. Without these big orders, advances to authors would shrink.

Reasons not to support:

- Ask Meg Ryan. Also, if you’re not a member of their club you might have to pay the cover price for a book. The cover price on my book is $24.95. I love my book, but even as its author, I think that’s too much to spend on a book.

Used Bookstores

We also have two decent used bookstores. The aptly named White Rabbit is near Ball State’s campus and can best be described as a rabbit hole of books. The shelves are dusty. The books are ripe. Apparently the books reproduce like rabbits because there always seems to be a little less elbowroom each time I return. The Book Center near the Muncie Mall has a nice selection of books as well in a much more open space. Finding something there is a little easier than at White Rabbit, but where’s the fun in that.

Reasons to support:

- Cheap. You can get well-loved books for a fraction of what you’ll pay anywhere else.

- The best way to grow your personal library without shilling out loads of cash. There’s a direct correlation to the number of books in a home and the number of years of education a child will complete. (Great! This means that Harper will be in school until she’s 40! Maybe we need to get rid of some of our collection.)

The study, by M.D.R. Edwards, Jonathan Kelley, Joanna Sikorac and Donald J. Treimand, examined samples from 27 different countries and found that growing up in a home with 500 or more books offers a child the same advantage as “having university-educated rather than unschooled parents, and twice the advantage of having a professional rather than an unskilled father.” Even with as few as 25 books in the home, a child, on average, will complete two more years of education than a child growing up in a home with no books. (from Today’s Zaman )

- The thrill of the hunt.

Reasons not to support:
- Doesn’t support the publishing industry or authors themselves.

Independents

Muncie doesn’t have one (tear runs down cheek). I love independent bookstores. I love the handwritten suggestions and the staff picks. I love when a book lover helps me find a book that I’ll love.

Reasons to Support:
- These are small businesses run and owned by book lovers/author champions.

Reasons not to support:
- The prices can be a bit higher because they aren’t ordering hundreds or thousands at a time, but there’s really no reason other than you don’t have one nearby not to support them.

Amazon

I can have a book on my Kindle in under two minutes or one on my doorstep in under two days (thanks to Amazon Prime). Around two-thirds of my book purchases come from Amazon. I looked at my buying history and I buy just over one book per month from Amazon.

Reasons to Support:
- Because an author’s self-worth is proportional to their Amazon Rank (I’m somewhat kidding).

- Endless inventory.

- Amazon’s prices are tough to beat for new and used books.

Reasons not to support:
- I don’t want to live in a world without bookstores.

Better World Books

If you don’t know about Better World Books, you should. They’ve saved 35 million books from landfills and have donated more than $8 million to support literacy around the world.

Reasons to Support:

- You get great prices on used books while supporting a great cause. They also offer a really cool feature in which you can add a penny or two onto your shipment to offset your carbon footprint.

- They are in Indiana! That’s where I live!

Reasons not to support:

- BWB’s new book prices are usually higher than Amazon. Since I have Amazon Prime (free 2 day shipping), their shipping cost is higher and slower.

- You can’t stand Notre Dame and their unwillingness to win football games or join a conference.

Library

I love libraries and am not afraid to admit it. Read the essay Give Me Libraries!

Reasons to Support:

- Books shouldn’t be only accessible to those who can afford them.

- I’ve had readers apologize for checking out my book from a library instead of buying a copy. Libraries are major supporters of authors. Think of how many libraries there are? Libraries buy tons of books. Without them, author advances would be much smaller. Depending on a book, these are guaranteed sales. If you want to support an author go to your local library and if they don’t have his/her book(s), request that they get them. This exposes an author’s work to countless people and leads to a copy or two sold.

Reasons not to support:

You want a book in your collection.

My book acquiring strategy

1) Library – I always have a handful of books checked out from the Muncie Public Library. Right now I have “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote and Greg Mortenson’s latest book (audio) checked out. The only reason I don’t go to a library for a book is because I want it in my collection or the library doesn’t have it.

2) Independent - If I happen to be near an Independent and they have a book I want, I prefer to support them. But since I don’t live near one, I rarely do.

3) Better World Books – I love gifting books from BWB. You can send a friend a book for just a few dollars and support a great cause.

4) Amazon – Cheapest and fastest way to get a book since my local BAM seems to be filled with books that I don’t want to read.

5) Chain – If I’m really, really impatient and I think BAM might have the book.

6) Used Book stores – too enhance my personal library while not de-hancing my bank account. This is more of hobby shopping or a recreational activity than anything else. Rarely do I need a book that I can find in a used book store.

That’s how I get books to read. How about you?

And if we aren’t pals on Goodreads yet, let’s change that. Let me see you bookshelf!

Engaged Consumer

Sep
30

SoleRebels at the Clinton Global Initiative

By Kelsey

Bethlehem Tilahun the founder of SoleRebels the shoe company I profiled in a recent piece for the World Vision Report recently spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative.

How cool is that?

I believe that SoleRebels is a perfect example of how the apparel industry can be an important tool in lifting people in places like Ethiopia out of poverty.

I spent hours with Bethlehem in her factory and I still am amazed at how a flat tire on the side of the road in Addis Ababa is fashioned into a shoe and sold on Amazon.

Bethlehem starts speaking at around the 13-minute mark.

cgi_breakoutseminar1 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Engaged Consumer