Barbara

October 9, 2006

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

Three people at least (and probably hundreds more) in Portland, Oregon, would be extremely thrilled if you’d come and do a reading or something, so we could meet you in person:

1) my husband, who grew up in Chicago and remembers seeing The Chicken Man and his Chicken on city buses. His mama told him NOT TO STARE, it’s rude. He thought The Chicken Man and his Chicken were extremely interesting, and if they didn’t want people to stare, why were they doing tricks on the bus?

2) myself. I often read your books aloud to my husband at bedtime so we can end the day laughing…if we can stop reading “just one more chapter” long enough to actually end the day and turn out the light.

3) Sheila, who has opened a quirky little vegetarian restaurant called The Blue Moose. It is painted blue. The food is fabulous, and so inexpensive I don’t see how she can afford to keep feeding her customers. She named the restaurant after the actual Blue Moose, of course, and dreams of hosting a gala evening of Pinkwater fans to meet The Author. If you can’t come, she’d have to do it without you, but like the Chef, she’s probably too shy to summon your fans on her own account.

In any case, I would love to give her a Blue Moose poster, but I don’t see one on the website, just T-shirts and stuff. Did you make a poster of that same excellent illustration? If not, would you??

We have larger venues in town for you to visit, read, sign books etc, if that would be extra enticement — Powell’s City of Books, for instance (which you may have heard of…or not: by us, it’s famous!). But it would be a major thrill for Sheila and the Blue Moose Cafe crowd…and my husband, the Chicken Man Fan.

your faithful reader on the Upper Left Coast,

Barbara

I really should make the hadj to Portland/Powell's at least once in my life. And I want to ""Eat in the Moose"" too. Maybe in a year or two. Meanwhile, Master Ed is in charge of posters and such-- you may tell Sheila that in exchange for a menu, or photo or whatever, I might root around for some item of moosabilia to send her. And there's that Blue Moose opera happening in California in April--not so far away. Thank you for your kind thoughts.
Blue Moose posters -- now available!