DG Footlights Reading in Philadelphia 2/25/20
"Say He Was a Soldier" and "Mom, I Smoke!"
It was a rainy, somewhat dreary night in Philadelphia, and for a few hours, it was pretty chaotic at the Heim Center of the Parkway Library in Philadelphia. But once we got all the parts doled out, and got an emergency call for one more actor answered, we had a tremendous time reading two of my plays, along with a monologue from a third play.
"Say He Was a Soldier" was first. It is a play of about an hour in length dealing with a young soldier who finds that his heroism in the Union Army during the Civil War does not translate into the post-war world, at least the world he wants to live in. While the play has some LGBT themes, it is more a narrative of heroism and how the world reacts to it.
"Mom, I Smoke!" was the second play. It is a series of vignettes in which we observe not only the rather tragic voyage of one man over the course of his live over about five decades, but also how society's views on cigarette smoking have changed.
In between, Lindsey Clutter performed a monologue from the play "Men of the Empire," which is set in and around the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Lindsey played a nurse who had seen too much carnage in her young life.
All in all, it was great, and thanks to the Library and Dramatists Guild for offering the opportunity. Special thanks to the Temple University Department of Theatre for providing as good a group of young actors as an author could hope for!
-- Bill Savage
The Company
From left, Marjorie Bicknell, Erin Bruni, Ray Hopkins, Bill Savage, Amber Murray, Lindsey Clutter, Fiona Stayton and Mark Knight.
Operation: Little Free Library
'To the Mill and Back' ... Now in California, too!
Over the past few weeks, a dedicated team has been placing copies of "To the Mill and Back" in Little Free Libraries on the East Coast.
But now, we are on the West Coast as well!
We managed to get "To the Mill and Back" in four libraries in Southern California:
San Diego
- 3045 Granada Avenue
- 3420 Villa Terrace
Anaheim
- 2000 S. Flippen Drive
- 2545 East Whidby Lane
BONUS: The Granada Avenue library in San Diego (I think it was that one!) also has a copy of "Redemption by the Bay."
From what I've been told, people have been taking books out -- hopefully, to read them!
The books are in 5 states so far, with more to come. If you'd like to place one in a Little Free Library in your area (in the U.S. or worldwide), please let me know at the address on the right.
Here are some of the East Coast locations where the book has been placed. If it's not there, then somebody already took it, but you can always let me know and I can try to restock it.
Pennsylvania
- 825 N. Webster Ave , Scranton (This is the home base, so to speak, because it is only a few blocks from the events on which this narrative is based took place).
- 450-98 Barnard St. Dunmore (Also very close to the real "mill.")
- Depot Street, Clarks Summit
- 323 Kent Road, Bala Cynwyd
- 1852 W. Chew St., Allentown
- Carlisle
Maryland
- 52 Oakway Road, Lutherville
- 710 Fairview Avenue, Frederick
New Jersey
- 1033 Beach Avenue, Cape May
- 517 Kingsley Court, Toms River
Virginia
- The book is in at least 3 locations in the Richmond area.
I will add locations as more information becomes available and as more books are placed. If all goes well, this will expand both nationally and internationally -- especially with your help!
-- Bill Savage
Learn More
News about "To The Mill and Back"
Lean but still mean
Recently, while lugging a copy of "To the Mill and Back" around Philadelphia to use at an event I was attending, it dawned on me that it was, all things considered, a pretty thick book. I never intended it to rival "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" for bulk.
Also, I noticed that the original font wasn't so great. I'd also been told that on at least one occasion.
So after all that, I decided it was finally time to make a change. I knew I didn't have to cut any content to make the book smaller. It was a matter of reformatting. So all the words are still there. They just are in a little bit nicer format (Times New Roman, for those in the printing biz) and, more importantly, the wide margins are gone.
As a result, "To the Mill and Back" is about 200 pages shorter! But again, the story hasn't been cut at all! And, as a result of THAT, the price is down, too, on Amazon. So, you can take a look there and, I hope, give it a good review, even if you don't buy it!
