Hey, everyone.  The day you've been waiting for (since last week at least), is here!  Chuck's publicist at Doubleday just contacted me with the tour dates for Tell-All.  Keep in mind, these dates and some details are always subject to change.  So if you have very specific questions, don't post them here.  Instead, contact the stores.  We've included website and phone information for all the events.

• Tuesday, May 4th - Portsmouth, NH
• Wednesday, May 5th - Boston, MA
• Thursday, May 6th - New York, NY
• Saturday, May 8th - Asheville, NC
• Monday, May 10th - Chicago, IL
• Wednesday, May 12th - Calgary, AB - Details Soon
• Tuesday, May 18th - Los Angeles, CA
• Thursday, May 20th - San Francisco, CA - Details Changed!
  

Also, Chuck's publicist wanted me to include this message, along with the dates:

NOTE: Chuck will personalize one copy of TELL-ALL and one backlist title for the first 100 ticket holders at his events on the 2010 tour.  However, please note there will be a not signing portion to the Boston and Chicago events.  Please contact the bookstores at the phone number or website below for ticketing info and other details.

Lastly, we'll have details for a Calgary, AB date soon.  So you Canadian fans, stay tuned for that.

Find out more about Tell-All and order the book here!

One of the best things that happens when Chuck gets close to releasing a new novel (besides the book tour, obviously), is that the journalist in him re-awakens.  This usually leads to a slew of articles and interviews he'll do for magazines such as Maxim, Playboy, BlackBook, Esquire and more.  You might remember that these articles were all captured in his 2004 collection Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories.

Well, Chuck hasn't stopped.  Since then, he's continued to pump out more (many of which, you can find databased in our evolving Bibliography section).

His latest article is a landmark.  It's for the most recent issue of Men's Health, and I truly believe this is one of the finest pieces of non-fiction Chuck has ever written.  It's sort of a self-help article on people thinking about suicide.  But that's all I'll say.  Read it and then discuss it here after.  We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Read "Live Like You're Dying' Here

*The moleskin black notebooks of Craig Clevenger

By now you all know Craig Clevenger.  He's beloved on this site for all his contributions to us over the years.  He started out as just an author we all quickly became obsessed with.  His debut, The Contortionist Handbook, was a landmark novel, a book you'd see fans of Chuck's clutching at readings, with dogeared pages, creased up spines and pen scribbles with quotes and underlined passages all throughout.  The book eventually made its way before Chuck's eyes, and he flipped for it.  You might remember there was a year where Chuck barely did an interview where he wasn't pimping Craig's debut novel.  He even offered this quote for the paperback edition:

"I swear to God this is the best book I have read in easily five years.  Easily.  Maybe ten years."

Soon after completing his second novel, Dermaphoria, something great began to happen with Craig and he became more than just an author.  The dude got hungry.  Hungry to teach.  Recognizing what a natural proclivity he had for tutoring people, through his thorough, essay-length Forum posts, we decided to harness that knowledge and offered him up one of our ground breaking Master's Program Workshop Intensives.  Craig's writing workshops on our site soon became some of the most popular entries we'd offer.  From three hour conference calls to sometimes 24/7 feedback with his writing students, Craig was quickly becoming something of a guru.

Today, we unveil the next incarnation of that raw knowledge the guy seems so good at sharing:  the writing essay.  And this one's on the house, folks. 

Here's a quick tease of what lies in The Devil In The Details:

What follows are some fundamental techniques for letting your reader visualize rather than visualizing for them. We'll achieve this by choosing only a few select details (in spite of the temptation to grab more) and pitting those details against each other, so their contrast creates a depth which cues the reader on filling in the rest. We'll end by experimenting with syntax and sentence structure first, then using modifiers second.

This is a thorough essay that scratches the surface of what you'd get in the beginning phases of an MFA creative writing course.  Craig's become something of a pro at this, so do yourself a favor and study this thing.  Then, if you want more, consider joining our next Writers' Workshop.  Craig's already taught a bunch of them and will probably be teaching more in the future.

Read 'The Devil In The Details'

Doubleday needs YOUR help choosing which 50s-style movie poster to produce for Tell-All! 

And to thank you for your help, they are offering 50 (FIFTY!) fans a quantity of the winning poster!  This means that you don't get just one Tell-All poster, but a bunch that you can share with friends that are also Chuck fans. How cool is that?

How to enter to win:

1. Please review the following link carefully, and vote accordingly! Doubleday  is looking for a very specific type of poster as detailed in that link. (There are a lot of great posters, but not all are following the criteria.)
2. Vote!
3. Send one email!

- The subject line of the email should have the artist's name (It is below the posters).

- The body of the email should contain your full name and mailing address. (Your email may be disqualified if you don't follow those directions)

- Only one email entry per person and no amendments or do-overs

Email to: tell_all_poster@chuckpalahniuk.net

Check out this awesome feature on FilmSchoolRejects.com called 'Print To Projector'.  In this episode, they look at the potential Survivor movie adaptation, that has wallowed in the Hollywood quagmire called "turnaround" for close to ten years now.

Props goes to FilmSchoolRejects.com and Dr. Cole Abaius for posting this.

Read 'Survivor: Print To Projector' on FilmSchoolRejects.com

The Anthology Project keeps ticking right along.  Linked below, you'll find the latest round of critiques on members' story submissions from Chuck Palahniuk.  You'll need to upgrade to a Premium Account if you'd like to click through and read these stories and/or begin to participate in our amazing online workshop.  The premium membership fee is a small token of support for our ongoing efforts in maintaining the site and bringing you more great things.  Restricting reading access to the stories also helps preserve their pre-publication value for our upcoming book.

Chuck Critiques Top Stories from August 2009

No Sex in the Morning - Keith Buie

These Hands - Kasey Carpenter

This is What Stephanie Says - Jason M. Fylan

Good Deal On a Gun - Blake Moscatello

Careers Day - Adam Saifer

Diamonds - Brandon Tietz

Happy Reading!  And don't forget to...

Join Us in the Workshop Today!

Welcome to our latest episode of 'Sorry You Asked'', our weekly  video column with author Dr. Josh Bazell! 

Each week, Dr Bazell, author of Beat the Reaper will answer pressing and compelling medical questions no matter how bizarre or disgusting. This week Dr. Bazell answers...well watch the video!

So, let me preface this by saying that I am not entirely comfortable with top ten lists, nor do I consider myself an expert on anything, much less what constitutes the best of the best. But after listening to me rant and rave over the years about whatever my latest book crush that week was, Dennis finally coerced me to compile my personal top ten list, as a feature for the website starting with 2009.

Now, I couldn't possibly get that list together by the end of December, or even January because I rely on the holidays to acquire some of those new, still-only-in-hardcover books (I can only buy so many books).  And so I aimed to post this on Valentine's Day.  After all, this  seemed fitting for a website like ours that celebrates the love affair we all have with books.

A couple of caveats before I post my own, highly personal list:

-I still haven't had time to read John Irving's 2009 release: Last Night in Twisted River, nor James Ellroy's Blood's a Rover, and both authors are favorites of mine.

-Many of the best books I read last year were published before 2009, or were released in paperback in 2009. Also, a couple favorites were still in manuscript form. So if I were to include all those this list would have to be a Top 20. 30? Of all those, the one that I am most compelled to mention is Kockroach by Tyler Knox; it is one of the most imaginative and  startling books that I've read since Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. 

The Cult's 'Top 10' Books of 2009
by Mirka Hodurova

(In alphabetical order!)

UPDATE: New videos being shot this Friday, March 5th! So if you have a question, ask now! (In the comments section below)

Welcome to our weekly video column with author Dr. Josh Bazell! Ever had pressing and compelling medical questions you wanted to ask? Or perhaps you were just looking to debunk some medical misconceptions? Well then look no further. You've come to the right place. This is 'Sorry You Asked'!

Tune in to this column for updates on 'Sorry You Asked', a place where YOU ask the questions, and Josh does the answering (as long as his schedule permits). We have already posted the first three videos in the column on a new Features page.

Ep. 1 - "Do Cockroaches Really Get Stuck In People's Ears While They're Sleeping?"

Ep. 2 - "Is It True That A Man's Testicle Can Get Stuck In A Twisted Position?"

Ep. 3 - "Is It True That Getting Your Neck Adjusted By A Chiropractor Can Cause A Stroke?"

Josh Bazell has two personalities. The first, is as the author of Beat the Reaper, the stunning 2009 debut novel that garnered immense critical praise and is now being adapted by New Regency to star Leonardo DiCaprio. The other, is as the MD from Columbia who wrote Beat the Reaper while completing his internship! Here is where those two personalities collide.

Read our exclusive interview with Josh Bazell by Rob Hart, here: Paging Dr. Kickass.

If you haven't already, do yourself a favor, and read Beat the Reaper today!

 Order 'Beat the Reaper' Here!

On May 4th, Chuck Palahniuk's new novel Tell All hits bookstores.  But you can pre-order it today from our favorite independent bookstore and affiliate St. Helen's Book Shop.  If you don't already know, Chuck loves this store and frequently visits them and signs their entire Palahniuk inventory.  But he goes one step further.  (doesn't he always?)

Chuck has an arrangement with St. Helen's whereby they take custom orders on their website that allow fans to request a person inscription when Chuck signs their books.  Basically, if you are unable to see Chuck on tour, this is the BEST way to get a signed copy of your book, with even a personal message on it!  St. Helen's has a great track record and we've been working with them on this endeavor for over three years now.