Support Free Speech, Local Matters, and Great Music in Sarasota & Beyond

Hey, if anyone out there enjoys WSLR 96.5 LPFM radio — now’s your chance to help keep great community radio on the air! At the same time, your donation in the minimum amount of $15 will net you a nice “premium” (aka thank you for donating gift). (more…)

Sideways in Sarasota … back on Main Street!

You all know how much I appreciated and miss (even still) our wonderful Sarasota News & Books (if you missed my column lamenting its departure, you can read it here at “Life Without Books is Death“. I miss SN&B not just as a bookstore, but as a community meeting place, and well, just a place where I felt super comfortable, surrounded by the sounds of newspaper pages rustling, being flipped and folded over, espresso steaming, people murmuring. I also loved SN&B because it was the first bookstore ever to have a book of mine on its shelves, and was also the first place I ever gave a reading and book talk.

Now, Media on Main has sprung up at the same spot and once again my books are on the bookshelves of a downtown Sarasota shop (it’s long been available at the ever-gracious Circle Books on St. Armands Circle, as well).

Media on Main is looking like it might hit — sure was busy when I swung by there last week to snap photos of my book — and I very much appreciate the prominent, facing out, exposure they gave me.

If you haven’t stopped by Media on Main, give it a chance … I’m thinking of taking my laptop there and trying it (the scene) out on a slow afternoon.

Radio fun!

Local Matters WSLR host Joe Hendricks, along with co-host Steve Norris, and co-guest, Matt Orr, helped me fulfill my New Year resolution to have some fun … (more…)

Local Matters — Join the Discussion!

Joe Hendricks of WSLR’s 96.5 LPFM LOCAL MATTERS sent this notice around to remind folks to listen in tonight between 6 and 7 p.m. …. hope you can join the conversation! (more…)

MC on Local Matters Thursday, January 28

Tomorrow night, 6 to 7 p.m., I’m going to have a bit o’ fun on the radio — WSLR 96.5 LPFM. I, along with co-guest, man-about-town Matt Orr, will be on a program called “Local Matters” hosted by Joe Hendricks. (more…)

Help MC have some fun … and possibly have some fun for yourself!

Sarasota Magazine is running its annual Best of Sarasota Readers Poll — and guess what? — they have a blogger category! If you’d like to help me have some fun by giving me something to have a martini for in celebration — just vote for MC as “best blogger” in the magazine’s online poll. The polling ends this Friday, January 15th, I think. (more…)

Saint Petersblog 2.0 blog links to little ‘ole MC

I just found out that Peter Schorsch’s St. Pete blog supplies a link to MC Reality Online. I appreciate the electronic shout out and invite my readers to check out Mr. Schorsch in return by visiting his Saint Petersblog

Schorsch is a controversial subject for some … you may want to check out

http://blogs.tampabay.com/baybuzz/2009/01/peter-schorsch.html

http://blogs.tampabay.com/baybuzz/2009/05/jamie-bennett-policy-ideas-were-peter-schorschs.html

MC speaking at USF campus on blogging

Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking on the University of South Florida/Sarasota campus on the subject of “Blog or Print?” — a look at the blogosphere versus newspapers and my own experiences in building a blog and connecting with readers via the Internet.

I’ll be there as part of the university’s Lifelong Learning education series at the invitation of Jim Brown, a regular contributor to the Sarasota Herald Tribune. This is the second year Brown has asked me to speak to his classroom.

It’s been a while since I’ve spoken to a live audience; last time was my “Sex & Socrates” talk at our much-missed Sarasota News & Books. Looking forward to it.

Alan Grayson Keynotes Dem Club of Sarasota Sunday December 6

“Few Florida politicians have grabbed national attention as quickly and dramatically as freshman U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Sunday Nov. 1, 2009, p.1.

Yep, Grayson was catapulted onto the national stage when he summed up the Republican’s Health Care Plan as 1) Don’t get sick 2) If you do get sick… 3) die quickly!

Guess you know where I’ll be on Sunday, December 6 … and it isn’t in church! Who knows? Maybe it should be … but instead I’m high-tailing it to the Democratic Club of Sarasota’s “Dinner for Progress” at Michael’s on East to hear national scene-stealer, U.S. Representative Alan Grayson ruffle feathers and enjoy just a smidgen of hyperbole with my dinner. A few weeks ago I was on Florida This Week trying to sound smart (ass) about Grayson and now I’ll have to see if he’s got the street cred to bring all that hot air down to earth. Hope to see you there — if you come, swing by my table and say hello to me! (P.S. if you do register, tell ’em MC sent you — that, and a near c-note, will get you in the door, meaning, basically, my name is mud without money! ;))

You can register relatively painlessly online — or take a look at the registration information below.

————————————————————————
The Democratic Club of Sarasota and The Democratic Party of Sarasota County
invite you to A Dinner for Progress featuring Congressman Alan Grayson
Sunday, December 6, 2009
6:00 pm Social Hour • 7:00 pm Dinner
Michael’s On East
1212 East Avenue South, Sarasota
Other speakers include:
Democratic candidates for Florida Attorney General
Florida Senators Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber,
and Florida Representative Keith Fitzgerald
$90 per person (in two checks*)
RSVP by December 1 For more information, call (941) 244-2266

The Democratic Club of Sarasota and The Democratic Party of Sarasota County
invite you to A Dinner for Progress featuring Congressman Alan Grayson
Sunday, December 6, 2009
6:00 pm Social Hour · 7:00 pm Dinner
Michael’s On East
1212 East Avenue South, Sarasota
Other speakers include:
Democratic candidates for Florida Attorney General
Florida Senators Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber,
and Florida Representative Keith Fitzgerald
$90 per person (in two checks*)
For more information, call (941) 244-2266
*******************************************************************************

All Faiths “Thank you for contributing” drawing winners

As reported a few days ago, MC Reality readers — on this blog and in the Creative Loafing and Pelican Press newspapers — dug deep and donated $1,611 to All Faiths Food Bank in my third annual “MC Reality/All Faiths” fundraising drive.

Late yesterday I received a list of names of those contributors who wanted to be entered into the drawings — which were held today! Four names were selected and I’ve sent emails and a snail letter to those folks to offer them their choice of “thank you for contributing” give-aways — including a guest blog on MC Reality Online, copies of my book Sideways in Sarasota, or having me emcee an event, conduct a writing workshop, a free ad on my blog, or give a talk to a group or organization, within the Sarasota area.

Whether you wanted your name entered into the drawing or not — HUGE, BIG, GINORMOUS thank you for everyone’s contributions to this year’s drive!