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| The late Kathi Kamen Goldmark with her husband, Sam Barry | |
It's hard to believe that it's been two years since breast cancer robbed the world--and the publishing world in particular--of Kathi Kamen Goldmark, media escort, founder of the Rock Bottom Remainders, record and radio producer, and author of And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You. But this past weekend an event in what might be called the Kathisphere took place at Book Passage in Corte Madera, Calif., for the launch of her honky-tonk novel Her Wild Oats (Untreed Reads), which Goldmark completed shortly before she died.
Book Passage owner Elaine Petrocelli started the proceedings by saying she adored Her Wild Oats partly for the good writing and humor, but also because she could "hear Kathi reading every word of it."
Bandmate Amy Tan seemed to channel her friend's voice as she read the opening pages of Her Wild Oats, which describe in hilarious detail how Arizona Rosenblatt, an assistant to a high-powered music industry executive, prepares to leave her entertainment lawyer husband after discovering he keeps a secret gun, has been making donations to Jews for Jesus and other indiscretions--just hours after the couple fell asleep, as usual, watching CSI: Des Moines.
"She'd really like that you got that," Tan paused to observe about the Des Moines joke. "Kathi was the ultimate prankster." Tan recalled that the two exchanged wigs and ID laminates at a Remainders concert reception and someone believed Goldmark was Tan. "For the rest of the VIP reception, Kathi was giving this woman writing advice," said Tan, who signed copies of Her Wild Oats in Goldmark's stead, along with Goldmark's husband, Sam Barry, and another dear friend, Susanne Pari, author of The Fortune Catcher.
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| Amy Tan, Elaine Petrocelli, Susanne Pari and Sam Barry | |
Together, Pari and Goldmark organized the now-defunct Book Group Expo; they bonded over books and being mothers of only sons. "When Kathi showed me the first draft of Her Wild Oats," said Pari, "I was not surprised to discover that one of the main characters--Otis Ray Pixlie, aka 'Oats'--is an unusually talented 13-year-old boy who communes with grown-ups easily and has a wacky mother... who, at one point in the story, says: 'I still think a party's a flop if it doesn't end in a jam.' That's pure Kathi."
This launch started with a jam, led by Barry and David Phillips from Kathi's other band, Los Train Wreck, which still jams monthly. Barry donned a wig to sing Kathi's signature number, "Older Than Him (The Slut Song)."
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Sam Barry donned a wig to perform Kathi's "Slut Song" with David Phillips on guitar. |
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At the book launch, Barry shared his thoughts about Goldmark's many gifts, and said: "Above all, she was the world's greatest connector of people."
Barry's no stranger to connections or to what he called "Kathi Karma." Shortly after Kathi died, he recalled, her agent Joelle Delbourgo called him and declared they had to get Her Wild Oats published. They both knew that publishing a novel posthumously is always hard--even with a beloved midlist author like Goldmark--and were delighted when Untreed Reads not only bought the book, but made it their lead title and produced a print edition, which as the company name suggests, is not their normal mode. Jay Hartman, Untreed Reads publisher, said the company is picky about doing POD projects, but felt Her Wild Oats really deserved to be in both formats.
Barry knew he needed print books for events--and as the author liaison for the new Path to Publishing program at Book Passage, Barry knew where to kick off a mini-tour. Next month, Barry has arranged an offsite for Her Wild Oats in Oakland with A Great Good Place for Books that will include local authors like Peggy Orenstein reading for Kathi and, of course, live music. Later this year Barry will be joined by his brother, author Dave Barry, at the Miami Book Fair and might just don a wig again to represent Her Wild Oats at the Pulpwood Queens gathering in January. --Bridget Kinsella