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Drinkers with Writing Problems - Show notes for Episode 8 of the Drinkers with Writing Problems podcast: Soldiers, spies and misfits of Gibraltar
Have a drink with the only troop of wild monkeys in Europe. The Royal Crown colony of Gibraltar remains one of the Old World's enigmas – a cauldron of cultures and empires simmering together under the low-lit flame of History itself. Gibraltar is also a port where weary sailors, restless soldiers and drifters engaged in espionage have found themselves stranded over time. Episode 8 explores how the contours of this colony intersected with the lives of three drink-loving writers, as well as how the legacy of cider, sherry, spying and warfare connects to their stories that were penned about a high rock over the sea.
SHOW AVAILABLE: Episode 8 is now live on iTunes, Stitcher, Audible, and the Libsyn Library.
SHOW NOTES: Places visited in this episode are Saint Michael's Cave, The Horseshoe Bar, The Rock Hotel, and the walk from Grand Casements Square to Gibraltar's marina. Drinks studied and imbibed in this episode are Magner's Hard Apple Cider, Manzanilla-style Spanish Sherry and Talisker Scotch from the Isle of Skye. The show also has a history of colonial beer-making operations on Gibraltar. Literature explored includes Samuel Taylor Coleridge's travel letters and poem "Phantom," Anthony Burgess's novels A Vision of Battlements and A Clockwork Orange, as well as his memoir Big Wilson and Little God, and John le Carré's novels A Delicate Truth and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Show interviews include journalist and podcast host Lindsay Weston, journalist, writer and podcaster Colin Waters and museum curator Melissa Mitchell, as well as archival interviews with Anthony Burgess and John le Carré.
Drinkers with Writing Problems - Show notes for Episode 7 of the Drinkers with Writing Problems podcast: England’s Lake District
Come along on a hike and pub crawl through the most spell-binding landscape in Britain’s northwest: Writers have been gravitating to the Lake District for generations, their imaginations enthralled by its serene and stunning views, their senses on guard for the blustery, foreboding power of its skies. The district’s dynamism boosted one of Literature’s greatest partnerships; but the restless, drink-loving half of that duo eventually started veering into the darker corners of the human mind.
SHOW AVAILABLE: Episode 7 is now live on iTunes, Stitcher, Audible, and the Libsyn Library.
SHOW NOTES: Places visited in this episode are the Keswick waterfront, the Pheasant Inn in Keswick, Dove Cottage in Grasmere, and the roads and hiking trails from Ambleside to Cockermouth. Drinks studied and imbibed in this episode are are Jennings Ale and Martell Cognac, as well as featuring a deep-dive into the history of English brandy-smuggling. Literature explored include William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s collection Lyrical Ballads, and Coleridge’s long poems “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Christabel.” Show interviews include author David Simpson, museum curator and home-brewer Jeff Cowton and Melissa Mitchell, co-host of the literary-theme museum podcast, “Things in Jars,” along with archival recitals of Coleridge’s poetry.
Drinkers with Writing Problems - Show notes for Episode 6 of the Drinkers with Writing Problems podcast: Boomtowns of the American West
Season 2 opens with a return to the California Gold Rush and Nevada Silver Strike, exploring how these discoveries in the 19th century lured every kind of drifter and dreamer to America’s lawless edge of the world. Through the dusty violence and ominous mineshaft darkness, three writers emerged to capture a brazen, boom-and-bust spirit of the age. Their own drink-soaked stories – some inspiring, some funny, some tragic – have now seeped into the bones of bars, saloons and hotels that remain from northern California to western Nevada,and into a force we call the Literature of the West.
SHOW AVAILABLE: Episode 6 is now live on iTunes, Stitcher and the Libsyn Library.
SHOW NOTES: Places visited in this episode are the Holbrooke Hotel and Tofanelli’s bar in Grass Valley, California, the Silver Terrace Cemetery, the Washoe Club and the Mark Twain Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada, the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California, and the Gold Diggers Saloon in Angels Camp, California. The storytelling influences of Amador County, California, are also discussed. Drinks studied and imbibed in this episode are Nick Fedoroff’s Chocolate Old Fashion specially made with Maker’s Mark whiskey, Gentleman Jack’s whiskey, the Washoe Club’s signature cocktail, the Comstock Lode, Old Crow Whiskey, Legado Rye whiskey and the Sazerac cocktail when made with Legado, and High Mark Distillery’s applejack. Literature explored in this episode are John Rollin Ridge’s book The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated Bandit, Mark Twain’s short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” and Twain’s book Roughing It, Aimée Crocker’s memoir And I’d Do it Again, and Gary Noy’s nonfiction books Gold Rush Stories and Hellacious California. Show interviews include historian Gary Noy, noted bartender and cocktail historian Nick Fedoroff, veteran Nevada bartender Jimmy Gill, artist Antoinette Alba, journalist Stephanie Rodriguez and singer-songwriter Damon Wycoff of the band Forever Goldrush.
Drinkers with Writing Problems - Show notes for Episode 5 of the Drinkers with Writing Problems podcast: Lost in Lorca’s Spain
Season 1 ends with a sojourn to the southern corners of Iberia, chasing the elusive memory of one of the greatest Spanish writers to ever take up the pen. He was a literary folk hero in the wine-splashed tapas bars from Seville to Granada; and when forces within the Spanish Civil War caused him to disappear, it set the stage for a national haunting as dark as any of his poetry. Travel to the barrios and hill towns that he called home – and to the place where some are still searching for his body to this very day.
SHOW AVAILABLE: Episode 5 is now live on iTunes, Stitcher and the Libsyn Library.
SHOW NOTES: Places visited in this episode are the tapas bars and flamenco shows in Seville’s Barrio Santa Cruz, the restaurants along Andalucia’s Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos, the plazas of Ronda and Arcos de la Frontera, and the tapas bars and flamenco shows in Granada’s Old Town and neighborhood of Sacromonte. Wines studied and imbibed in this episode are Lustau’s cream sherry made in Jerez, Artero La Mancha Tempranillo Tino made in Castilla La Mancha and Bodega Chopo’s Monastrell made in Jumilla. Literature explored in this episode include Federico Garcia Lorca’s poetry collections Poem of the Deep Song, The Gypsy Ballads and A Poet in New York , as well as Ernest Hemingway’s novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. Show interviews include poet and filmmaker Karlos Rene Ayala, Spanish instructor Nora Coryell and archival interviews with the Andalucían poets Vicente Alexandrie and Louis Rosalis.
Drinkers with Writing Problems - Show notes for Episode 4 of the Drinkers with Writing Problems podcast: Los Angeles & Old Hollywood
In a place known for dark alleys, dream factories and California sunshine, there are a few bars and hotels that hold the secret to how one city captured the world’s imagination. Take a stroll through those surviving landmarks, the places where a handful of writers watched Los Angeles rumble to life between Prohibition and the 1950s: They were hard-drinking personalities who changed the face of the West Coast – and their typewriters were blazing as they challenged the censors, crystalized the city and worked under the shadow of an ever-entrancing murder.
SHOW AVAILABLE: Episode 4 is now live on iTunes, Stitcher and the Libsyn Library.
SHOW NOTES: Places visited in this episode are the Millennium Biltmore Hotel at 506 South Grand Avenue, the Hotel Figueroa at 939 South Figueroa Street, Musso & Frank’s Grill at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Joseph’s Café at 1775 Ivar Avenue, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. Drinks studied and imbibed in this episode are the Black Dahlia cocktail, the Gimlet cocktail, the Whiskey Sour cocktail, Maddalena cabernet wine and an array of wine labels from Santa Barbara County. Literature explored in this episode includes Raymond Chandler’s novels The Little Sister and The Long Goodbye, both published by Vintage Crime, James M. Cain’s novels The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity, both published by Black Lizard, Piu Eatwell’s true crime book Black Dahlia, Red Rose, published by Liveright, Dana Gioia’s poems “In Chandler Country” and “Film Noir,” both published in his book 99 Poems by Graywolf Press, Joan Renner’s biography First With the Latest! Aggie Underwood, the Los Angeles Herald, and Sordid Crimes of a City, published by Photo Friends of the Los Angeles Public Library, and James Agee’s collection, James Agee: Film Writing and Selected Journalism, published by the Library of America. Show interviews include poet and critic Dana Gioia, author Joan Renner, winemaker Thomas Allan, journalist Andrew Westrope and archival interviews with Billy Wilder.
Drinkers with Writing Problems - Show notes for Episode 3 of the Drinkers with Writing Problems podcast: The City of New Orleans
Welcome to The City that Care Forgot, the place where an exiled teen once returned to study a spilling kaleidoscope of cocktails as he re-vamped gothic literature. In time, his connections to the South’s strangest river port helped trigger a national obsession with the true crime genre. Then, explore how gin-distilling went legit in the birthplace of Jazz – and how it fueled a wordsmith who channeled the lonely beauty of a night in New Orleans. Finally, venture down a rabbit hole in search of the Big Easy’s lost genius of comedy. Born and raised in the city, he haunted drinking dens, wrote a masterpiece and wandered the same streets as a presidential assassin.
SHOW AVAILABLE: Episode 3 is now live on iTunes, Stitcher and the Libsyn Library.
SHOW NOTES: Places visited in this episode are the Hotel Monteleone & Carousel Bar at 214 Royal Street, the Port St. Peters Bar at 727 St. Peter Street, Galatoire's Restaurant at 209 Bourbon Street, Cajun Spirits Distillery at 2532 Poydras St, Bar Tonique at 820 N Rampart Street, the Roosevelt Hotel & Sazerac Bar at 130 Roosevelt Way and the Old New Orleans Rum Distillery at 2815 Frenchmen Street. Drinks studied and imbibed in this episode are the Vieux Carre cocktail, the Ramos Gin Fizz cocktail, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club cocktail, J&B Rare Scotch, Cajun Spirits Gin and Celebration Distillation’s 1718 Tricentennial Blend Rum, made in the Old New Orleans Rum Distillery. Books, stories, plays and pieces of longform journalism explored in this episode are Truman Capote’s novel Other Voices, Other Rooms, published by Vintage International, his short story A Tree of Night, appearing in The Grass Harp, published by Vintage, his longform pieces New Orleans and Hidden Gardens, both appearing in Portraits and Observations: the Essays of Truman Capote published by the Modern Library, his novelistic true crime book, In Cold Blood, published by Vintage, Tennessee Williams’ short story Angel in the Alcove, appearing in Tennessee Williams Collected Stories published by Ballantine Books, Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire, published by Signet Fiction, and John Kennedy Toole’s novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, published by Louisiana State University Press. Show interviews include musician and band leader Ben Jaffe, art dealer and entrepreneur Jay Michel, gin distiller Edward Haik, booksellers Geraldine Sullivan, Carey Beckham and Steve Lacey, as well as an archival interview with Tennessee Williams.

Drinkers with Writing Problems - Show notes for Episode 2 of the Drinkers with Writing Problems podcast: Edinburgh & Islay

Explore Edinburgh, where a son of Scotland’s most-medieval city channeled its legacies of vice and bloodshed into popular tales – and took inspiration from the link between its shadowy pub culture and innovations in urban brewing. Following his path through Edinburgh’s old taverns reveals his influence on the city’s growing stable of mystery writers. Further off shore, Scotland’s famed whisky island is holding its own book festival, including inside its legendary distilleries. Between cold winds and drams of Scotch, visitors can see how this Hebridean isolation helped a writer in the 1940s conjure a vision of the future that’s become more haunting with every passing year.
SHOW AVAILABLE: Episode 2 is now live on iTunes, Stitcher and the Libsyn Library.
SHOW NOTES: Places visited in this episode are The Brass Monkey Pub in Edinburgh, at 14 Drummond Street, the White Hart Inn in Edinburgh, at 32-34 Grassmarket, the Bookworm bookstore in Edinburgh, at 210 Dalkeith Road, the Edinburgh Writers Museum, at Lady Stairs Close, Lagavulin Distillery on Islay, three miles outside Port Ellen, Laphroaig Distillery on Islay, on the outskirts of Port Ellen, and Bowmore Distillery on Islay, in the village of Bowmore. Drinks studied and imbibed in this episode are Cross Borders Heavy ale, Belhaven St. Andrews ale, Lagavulin’s Distillery Exclusive scotch, Laphroaig’s Lore scotch, and Bowmore’s 48-year-old scotch. Books and stories explored in this episode are Robert Lewis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, published by SDE Classics, Steven’s short story, "The Body Snatcher", appearing in The Complete Short Stories of Robert Lewis Stevenson, published by Modern Library Classics, Donald S. Murray’s The Dark Stuff: Stories from the Peatlands, published by Bloomsbury Wildlife, and George Orwell’s 1984, published by Signet Classics. Show interviews include writers Ian Rankin, Catriona McPherson and Donald S. Murray, Scotch-tasting host Janette Mcclintock, Edinburgh book-seller Peter Ritchie and Scottish fiddle master Alasdair Fraser. For more of Scott’s travel journalism on Scotland, read “Scotland's Shadows of Roguery and Genius,” re-published from The Press Tribune on this website and on Medium.com.

Drinkers with Writing Problems - Show notes for Episode 1 of the Drinkers with Writing Problems podcast: Dublin & Belfast

Travel to Dublin, where the story of an I.R.A. insurgent-turned-writer leads to historic watering holes where the city’s oldest whiskeys flow. The man who first declared himself “a drinker with a writing problem” understood what distilled spirits mean to a culture’s identity; but it was his understanding of how to overcome a violent past that makes his words especially relevant. Meanwhile, in Belfast, a small but daring group of crime novelists are using timeless pubs and pints of Guinness to confront decades of real-life killings in their city.
SHOW AVAILABLE: Episode 1 is now live on iTunes and Stitcher.
SHOW NOTES: Places visited in this episode are John Kavanagh The Gravediggers pub in Dublin, at 1 Prospect Square, The Long Hall pub in Dublin, at 51 South Great George’s Street, The Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast, at 46 Great Victoria Street, the Parlour Bar in Belfast, at 2-4 Elwood Avenue, and No Alibis Bookstore in Belfast, at 83 Botanic Avenue. Drinks studied and imbibed in this episode are Powers Irish Whiskey, Jameson Original Irish Whiskey and Guinness draught beer. Books explored in this episode are Brendan Behan’s Borstal Boy, used copies of which are widely available through online book markets; Emer Martin’s The Cruelty Men, published by the Lilliput Press; Eoin McNamme’s Resurrection Man, published by Faber & Faber, Adrian McKinty’s Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly, published by Blackstone; and Stuart Neville’s The Ghosts of Belfast, published by Soho Crime. Show interviews include novelists Adrian McKinty and Emer Martin, bartenders Shawna Cleary and Oliver McElhone Sr., Belfast cabbie William Evans and archival interviews with Brendan Behan. For more of Scott’s travel journalism on Ireland, read “Drinking to Life: Rebels, Death and Beauty in the Irish Republic,” re-published from The Press Tribune on this website and on Medium.com.
November 18, 2018 –A Threat Past the Pages: The future of reading & writing in the Digital Age (El Dorado Hills, CA)
On November 18, Scott will speak at Face in a Book, exploring how prose, poetry and creativity will make or break the English language in the Digital Age. For more than a decade Scott’s worked as a crime, culture and travel journalist, writing in the center of a media metamorphosis that continues to alter how Americans share their everyday experiences. Appearing at El Dorado Hill's independent bookstore, he will discuss the danger of our youngest generations learning linguistic impulses through hyper-abbreviated platforms like Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. He’ll also look at the future of the written word if today’s writers, poets, artists and teachers don’t recognize a threat against it. This free talk is open to the public and starts at 1 p.m.
January 20, 2018  - A Threat Past the Pages: The future of reading & writing in the Digital Age (Angels Camp, CA)
On January 20, Scott will speak at the Manzanita Arts Emporium, exploring how prose, poetry and creativity will make or break the English language in the Digital Age. For more than a decade Scott’s worked as a crime, culture and travel journalist, writing in the center of a media metamorphosis that continues to alter how Americans share their everyday experiences. Appearing at the arts gallery on Angels Camp's historic main street, he will discuss the danger of our youngest generations learning linguistic impulses through hyper-abbreviated platforms like Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. He’ll also look at the future of the written word if today’s writers, poets, artists and teachers don’t recognize a threat against it. This free talk is open to the public and starts at 6:30 p.m.  
June 3, 2017 - A Threat Past the Pages: The future of reading & writing in the Digital Age (Jackson, CA)
On June 3, Scott will speak at Hein & Company Bookstore, exploring how prose, poetry and creativity will make or break the English language in the Digital Age. For more than a decade Scott’s worked as a crime, culture and travel journalist, writing in the center of a media metamorphosis that continues to alter how Americans share their everyday experiences. Appearing at Hein’s & Co.’s Baker Street West, he will discuss the danger of our youngest generations learning linguistic impulses through hyper-abbreviated platforms like Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. He’ll also look at the future of the written word if today’s writers, poets, artists and teachers don’t recognize a threat against it. This free talk is open to the public and starts at 5 p.m. 
November 18, 2016 –Public Reading in Sonora & News on ‘Detour Before Dark’
On Friday, November 18, Scott will be the featured reader at Sonora Joe's Coffee Shop in Tuolumne County, CA. This free event begins at 7 p.m. Scott will read from The Cutting Four-piece: Crime and Tragedy in an Era of Prison-Overcrowding. He'll also answer questions from the audience and sign books. A $10 donation is suggested for members of the public not participating in the Mark Twain Literary Festival.
In other news -- heads up: Scott’s new magazine travel series on Northern California, "Detour Before Dark," has been re-published on Medium.com, where it can be read for free with no paywalls or advertisements. Links to each installment are available on Scott's homepage at www.scottthomasanderson.com under 'Online Stories.'
October 4, 2015 – Shadows on the Range: An Evening with Damon Wyckoff and Scott Thomas Anderson (Sutter Creek, CA)
On Sunday, Oct. 4, critically acclaimed songwriter Damon Wyckoff of Forever Goldrush and award-winning journalist Scott Thomas Anderson, author of Shadow People, will team-up for an acoustic performance/spoken-word event at Sutter Creek Provisions tap house. Wyckoff and Anderson both grew up in Amador County, and both are known for exploring the hard, hand-to-mouth life that defines rural communities in the West. Beginning at 4 p.m., the two will take turns sharing the stage as Wyckoff unveils songs from his upcoming solo album and Anderson reads passages from his new book, The Cutting Four-piece, and discusses working behind the scenes at the Angola Prison Rodeo. There is no cover charge for this event. Sutter Creek Provisions is owned by locals Darin and Casey Sexton. The tap house has been making a name for itself as having one of the best beer selections in the entire Mother Lode. Casey Sexton is also a noted aficionado of Roots-Americana music, hosting the weekly Highway 49 Radio Show on KVGC. The Shadows on the Range show is meant to feel like a party thrown by Cormac McCarthy, Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt's dying liver. Sutter Creek Provisions is located at 78 Main Street, Sutter Creek.
September 26, 2015 – Public reading of The Cutting Four-piece in Tuolumne County, CA
As part of the Tuolumne Writers' “Nuggets of Prose & Poetry Night”, Scott will be reading from The Cutting Four-piece. The event takes place inside Angelo's Hall in Columbia State Historic Park and is free to the public. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Columbia State Historic Park is a highly-preserved California Gold Rush town located at 11255 Jackson Street, Columbia in Tuolumne County. 
May 23, 2015 - Calaveras County public talk & book launch for The Cutting Four-piece
On Saturday, May 23, Scott will be at the Calaveras County Historic Courthouse Museum in San Andreas to discuss his new book,  The Cutting Four-piece: crime and tragedy in an era of prison overcrowding. He’ll review his findings on the local, state and national levels and talk about Calavera’s ongoing challenges with methamphetamine, and how they related to new laws like AB 109 and Prop. 47.  He’ll also sign books. The talk begins at 3 p.m. sharp. The Calaveras County Historic Courthouse Museum is located at 30 North Main Street in San Andreas.  
April 19, 2015 - Sacramento area/Roseville book launch for The Cutting Four-piece
Scott will be at The Monk’s Cellar in Roseville to talk about his new book, The Cutting Four-piece: Crime and Tragedy in an Era of Prison Overcrowding. He’ll discuss his findings, answer questions from the audience and sign books, all within the confines of one of his favorite breweries in the greater Sacramento area. The talk begins at 6:30 p.m. The Monks Cellar is an all-age venue and is located at 240 Vernon Street in Roseville’s downtown district. Ample free parking is available nearby in Vernon Street’s downtown parking structure next to the Tower Theatre.
April 12, 2015 - Amador County book launch for The Cutting Four-piece
Clarks Corner in Ione will host a special hometown book release for Scott’s new offering, The Cutting Four-piece: Crime and Tragedy in an Era of Prison Overcrowding. Scott will speak about his journey from completing Shadow People to immediately starting The Cutting Four-piece. He’ll also answer questions from the audience and sign books. The event begins at 6 p.m. Clark’s Corner is located at 12 West Main Street in Ione.

A SPECIAL THANKS

Similar to Shadow People, the publishing of The Cutting Four-piece was made possible by assistance and support of a number of organizations and individuals. In addition to Manzanita Writers Press, Small Press Distribution and the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship, the author would like to thank the following individuals for following and funding the Arts: Carolyn Grable, Kelly Trottier, Jasmin May, Julie Gianni, Allison Breland Crotwell, Gretchen Kingsbury, Russ and Nancy Lindgren, David and Jo Ann Daugherty, Karen Karam, Jay and MunDen Michel, Janis and Randy Jones, Cliff Edson and Tom Anderson. Such backers are an antidote to the poor priorities and schizophrenic timidity of the corporate media landscape, which funds less and less investigative reporting every year.

June 8, 2014 - San Mateo Fair Writers Series, San Mateo, CA
Scott will be a guest speaker on June 8 at 3 p.m. at the San Mateo Fair's Writers Series. Appearing on the Gallieria Stage, he'll discuss Shadow People, crime, methamphetamine, heroin and the role of Literary Journalism in the public sphere. The presentation is free with admission into the county fair.
June 1, 2013 - Scott directs Literary Journalism workshop at American River College's Summer Words Festival, Sacramento CA.
Scott returns as a guest speakers for American River College's second annual Summer Words Festival. The event runs from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2. Headline speakers are PEN/Faulkner award-winning novelist T.C. Boyle and critically acclaimed writer Anthony Swofford. On Saturday at 11:30 p.m., Scott will teach a workshop entitled, "Reality with a Pulse: Literary Journalism and Audacious Creative Nonfiction." This class is open to writers of all levels. For a full three-day schedule of events at Summer Words, click here.
January 31, 2013 - Stockton Meth & Crime Townhall, CA
Scott will be a speaker at the Stockton Meth & Crime Townhall meeting, held Thursday, Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the San Joaquin County Behavioral Heath Services building, conference rooms A & B. Scott will discuss the impact of methamphetamine addiction and meth-driven crime on San Joaquin County, as well as Stockton's regional connection to the Mexican meth pipeline. He'll also answer questions about the 18 months he spent as an embedded reporter with northern California law enforcement agencies. Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva will also be a guest speaker at the event. The San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services building is located at 1212 N. California Street, Stockton, CA.
Sept. 29, 2012 — Stanislaus County book launch for Shadow People 
Scott will be at the Oakdale Public Library Saturday, Sept. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. to talk about the relationship between methamphetamine addiction and crime in northern California, as well as drug trafficking trends that connect Stanislaus County to the meth pipeline in Mexico. He’ll also sign copies of  Shadow People. Former methamphetamine cook Matthew Learned will be on-hand to talk to the crowd and engage in a question-and-answer session. The Oakdale Public Library is at 151 South First Avenue.  
July 1, 2012 - Shadow People book launch for San Joaquin County, CA
Scott will at the Lodi Public Library on July 1 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. to sign copies of Shadow People. He’ll also speak to the crowd about the relationship between meth addiction and spiking crime rates, as well as answer questions about his time as an embedded reporter with law enforcement and drug trafficking trends connecting San Joaquin County to California’s meth pipeline from Mexico. Shadow People will be for sale at the event. The Lodi Public Library is located at 201 W. Locust Street.
June 2, 2012 - Scott discusses Shadow People at American River College’s Summer Words festival, Sacramento, CA
Scott will be a guest speaker at American River College’s literature and writing colloquium, Summer Words, on June 2 at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the intersection between Shadow People and Literary Journalism. American River College describes the event by noting, “Creative nonfiction begins from the premise that life can speak for itself if we can only find the structures to contain it and the words to celebrate.  Join moderator Lois Ann Abraham, writer and poet Traci Gourdine, and special guest investigative reporter Scott Thomas Anderson for a reading and discussion.” The three-day Summer Words festival will be held on the campus at Raef Hall, Davies Hall and the college theater. Shadow People will be on sale at the event. For more information, call the American River College box office at 916-484-8234.
April 21, 2012 - Shadow People book launch for El Dorado County, CA
Scott will be at The Placerville News Company on Main Street, Placerville from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to sign copies of Shadow People. He'll also talk about several meth-related cases that he witnessed as an embedded reporter with the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office which did not make it into Shadow People, followed by a Q & A session with the public. The Placerville News Company is located at 409 Main Street, across from Centro.
April 14, 2012 - Shadow People book launch for Tuolumne County, CA
Scott will be at Sonora Joe's in the historic district of Sonora from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. to sign copies of Shadow People. He'll also speak to the crowd about the connection between rural poverty and meth addiction, as well as answer questions from the public about his time as an embedded reporter with enforcement and drug trafficking trends connecting Tuolumne County to the Central Valley. Shadow People will be for sale at the event. Sonora Joe's is located at 140 South Washington Street.
March 24, 2012 - Shadow People book launch for Calaveras County, CA.
Scott will be at the Center for Creativity and Community from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to sign copies of Shadow People. He'll also share meth-related crime stories from Calaveras County that didn't make it into the book. The event will close with Scott taking questions from the public about his time as an embedded reporter with Gold Country law enforcement. Shadow People will be for sale at the event by the Calaveras County Arts Council. The Center for Creativity and Community is located at 23 West Charles Street, a section of Highway 49, in San Andreas.
March 24, 2012 - Wolfe at the Door: a workshop on Literary Journalism
Scott will be the featured speaker for “Wolfe at the Door,” a writers’ workshop teaching the concepts and techniques of Literary Journalism. The event starts with an overview of how Literary Journalism was pioneered in the 1960s by reporters like Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote and Hunter S. Thompson. Attendees will learn about the genre’s ups and downs in the 1970s, and its storming resurgence in the late 1980s with writers like Jon Franklin, David Simon and Jon Krakauer. Writers will be encouraged to try their hand at Literary Journalism and apply facets of it to their own creative non-fiction projects during a hands-on session. Scott will also offer advice on pitching creative non-fiction and Literary Journalism to newspapers and magazine editors. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuition is $75, and includes refreshments, lunch, a copy of Scott's book, Shadow People as well as a copy of Wild Edges by Manzanita Writers Press. This event will be held at the Calaveras County Arts Council Gallery on 22 Main Street, San Andreas, CA. Make reservations by mailing a $75 check to Manzanita Writers Press, CCAC, PO Box 632, San Andreas, CA 95249 – Attention: Anderson Workshop. Deadline for early reservation: March 1, 2012. Tuition after this date is $85.
February 24, 2012 - Meth Awareness Night & Shadow People book launch for Amador County, CA.
Clark's Corner in Ione will host a public awareness night around methamphetamine abuse in the California Gold Country, as well as launch event for Scott's new book, Shadow People: How Meth-Driven Crime is Eating at the Heart of Rural America. This book is a work of journalism that resulted from Scott spending more than 18 months as an embedded reporter with rural county law enforcement agencies and traveling to small towns across the United States. Scott, along with Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan, Calaveras County Sheriff's detective Josh Crabtree and former meth cook, Matthew Learned, will speak about the impacts of meth addiction and meth-inspired violence in the California foothills. Shadow People will be for sale at the event, and Operation Care and Friday Night Live will have information about victims' advocacy and youth prevention initiatives. Meet and greet and book-signing runs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Speakers from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Clark's Corner is located at 12 Main Street, Ione, CA .