Since the APW book tour officially kicks off today at San Francisco's Green Apple Books, it is the perfect day to announce the Huge Enormous Good News that has been consuming the whole team for two weeks:
Amtrak is sponsoring the APW book tour.
Actually, it gets better than that, if that's even possible. Amtrak is sponsoring the APW book tour, and generously allowing us to add a Southern leg to the tour, doubling it in length (details at the end of the post).
I KNOW. I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW.
But let's back up because this calls for a bit of a story. As I've mentioned, this fall I traveled non-stop. And finally, right before Thanksgiving, when I had my second panic attack at 30,000 feet, I decided I needed a break from flying. Since I still had some travel to do, I decided to go by train.
Initially, traveling from San Francisco to LA was a purely logical decision: I needed to get there, and I wasn't going to fly. But it turned out I loved taking the train. Loved. To clarify, I've always liked taking the train over short distances: It was low stress, I got to daydream as I stared at the passing countryside, I got to read, and I always got in a nap. But long distance trains? All that goodness, and better. When you add in the dining car, where you sit down with people you've never met and enjoy a long leisurely meal? I was hooked. You see, it turns out Amtrak people are a different kind of people... my kind of people. Train people. I met editors. I met people traveling all over the country by train. I met a super-smart eight-year-old who wanted to be a Lego architect. (I told him that was a real job. He was over the moon.)
Turns out I loved Amtrak .
Plus, sleeper cars! I was eight when I took Amtrak for the first time, and I vividly remember being obsessed with the sleeper car. It seemed magical. I wanted to have my own. Well, somethings never change. Turns out I'm still obsessed with the sleeper car (and yes, I totally snuck into the sleeper car section on my last trip and sleuthed around).
So I made plans to do the book tour to New York by Amtrak. Sleeper cars for Meg! So much staring out the window! Getting to quietly get my work done! Meeting new people at meals! Watching movies in the cinema (yes, they totally have that)! Sleeper cars! I was excited.
And then, last week, thanks to some major help from the APW Staff, something awesome happened. Amtrak stepped in and offered to sponsor the whole book tour. That means this self-funded book tour just got a lot easier and a whole lot more exciting (not to mention a lot longer).
In our house, Amtrak is now used as a term of endearment. "Think she'll Amtrak it?" (Translation: Will she help save the day?) "He is so Amtrak-y!" (Translation: What a nice guy!) I love Amtrak. And by the end of this tour, I think you'll adore them as much as I do.
In short, I couldn't be happier to be working with the Amtrak team on this tour. I will be making a loop of the whole United States over the course of a month, stopping in lots of your cities, meeting you, signing books, and writing little afternoon posts on the adventure so you guys can travel along. (You guys get to hear about the sleeper car! And the people I meet! And get details on Maddie joining me on a trip to New Orleans! Yes! I totally just said that!) Welcome to APW, 2012.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have a ticket to ride. And I could not be more grateful to Amtrak for it.
And now, let's get down to business.
Confirmed APW Book Tour dates:
Thursday 1/12 (TONIGHT!): The San Francisco Book Launch Party
Starting at 6pm, speaking at 7pm, Green Apple Books
Appetizers by Trumpetvine Catering, Wine by Monogamy Wine
Please RSVP to San Francisco here!
Thursday & Friday 1/19 & 1/20: Altitude Design Summit
Speaker, Building Relationships With Ad Networks and Sponsors
Sunday 1/22: Denver Books & Brunch
11am, Japoix Restaurant, ~$20 brunch buffet with bottomless mimosas
Please RSVP to Denver here!
Wednesday 1/25: Cambridge Book Talk, Q&A, and Informal Drinks
7pm, Porter Square Books
Please RSVP to Boston here!
Saturday 1/28: Brooklyn Book Talk And Full Scale After Party Madness
2pm, Park Slope Barnes & Noble
After party 3:30pm-5:00pm, within walking distance, details given out Speakeasy Style at the bookstore. NOTE: This party is getting more and more absurdly awesome. It's a cash bar, but the word on the street is that there will be free tacos! And gluten free cake! And amazing decorations!
Please RSVP to New York here!
Brand New Dates (Thanks to Amtrak)
(Note: Jury is out on DC, but we're still trying for Monday 1/30)
Thursday 2/2: Atlanta book talk, co-hosted by Leah and Mark and Wedding Day Hooray
7pm-9pm, Young Blood Gallery
APW has the best friends. Seriously. We've had just one week to pull together the second half of this tour. When I emailed Mark to see if Leah and Mark could help me out, within an hour he had a plan (and he has a new baby). This is not a joke. So, we've teamed up with Wedding Day Hooray, an indie craft fair in Atlanta (taking place on February 18!) thrown by the women behind Indie Craft Experience. The Wedding Day Hooray team, plus Leah and Mark, is throwing the APW Book Tour bash at the excellent Young Blood Gallery. Plus! There will be food and drinks! Plus! There will be prizes (Wedding Day Hooray tickets, a wedding day idea sheet and clipboard, a handmade notebook, and portrait sessions by Raven of Leah and Mark). I know, right? It's going to be awesome. ALSO: I've never been to Atlanta, so I'm super excited.
Please RSVP to Atlanta Here!
Tuesday 2/7: Austin book talk, Feminism and Weddings (with tacos and beer afterwards? eh?)
7pm, BookWoman
I'm pretty phenomenally excited about this stop on the tour. First off, I've never been to Austin, which I hear is beyond excellent. Second off, the event is in a feminist bookstore (!) which means the whole talk gets to be about feminism and weddings. I know, right? Plus, Elissa R Photography is going to round us up and take us out to tacos afterwards! Tacos!
Please RSVP to Austin Here!
Saturday or Sunday 2/11 or 2/12, Los Angeles
Save the date. We're working on projects....
So, please RSVP to Atlanta and Austin! Get excited! And more planing is going full steam ahead around here. We (because now Maddie is coming to NYC and Atlanta, thanks to Amtrak) can't wait to see you. And finally, a huge bottom of my heart thank you to Amtrak for making this possible. Now, let the adventure begin!
And a final note: If you want to join me in traveling the rails this winter, Amtrak is currently running a 20% off promotion for pretty unbeatable rates. If you book from now to January 23, you can get up to 20% off of one-way fares on every long-distance train route for travel between January 17 and March 29, 2012. My suggestions: New Orleans to Memphis starting at $42, or Chicago to Seattle starting at $125.
Photos: First by Slideshow Bruce on Flickr, used under Creative Commons. Second personal for A Practical Wedding.
I might have missed this in an earlier thread, but…why no Chicago talk?! No venues willing to host you?? Sad sad panda.
January 12, 2012 12:42 pm
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No. I just only had time, given train schedules, for one stop between Salt Lake and Boston. The Denver crowd stepped up and planned the whole thing right away, so I went with Denver. Next time!
January 12, 2012 3:53 pm
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Yaaay! I’ve been traveling Amtrak since I was a wee thing of 6 or 8 months and I’ve always loved train travel – not only do you get to do things like stand up and lie down and walk around (i.e. things that cannot be done on a plane) but you get to pretend you’re Hercule Poirot (or other vintage detective of your choice.) And you meet the greatest people on trains!
January 12, 2012 12:43 pm
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Hercule Poirot!
January 12, 2012 3:54 pm
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I love this because: 1. LA date – yay! but also 2. I too have panic attacks flying! It is the worst and I don’t know what to do about it b/c I have family and friends all over the country. I used to take Amtrak all the time when I lived in the Northeast and have taken it to San Diego on multiple occasions, but I never considered it for long distance travel. Why, I do not know. I’m going to go stalk their website now!
January 12, 2012 12:53 pm
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Oh Meg! I am so happy for you, but bummed for me. When I saw you were adding an LA leg to your tour I thought we would finally get to meet (this is Dianne from San Bernardino by the way) but I am going to be at City of Hope in the midst of a stem cell transplant when you are in SoCal. Yeah- my aggressive lymphoma returned last fall and I’ve been in treatment since just after Thanksgiving. It did prompt me to finally write a wedding graduate post – “In Sickness and in Health…” just this morning, which I will send to you soon (that is, if you are interested in grad posts from 3 years out).
You are such an inspiration and I continue to watch and support the growth of APW (and you!) with awe!
Dianne
January 12, 2012 1:04 pm
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Wow…good luck with the transplant, Dianne! I’ll be raising a toast to you at the Denver meet-up.
January 12, 2012 1:46 pm
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Oh, hugs and prayers Dianne! And of course we’re interested. Send away!!!!
January 12, 2012 3:55 pm
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Wow – I just sent in the wedding graduate post and photos after many tears shed while writing it. I am just so thankful that I married someone so … perfectly right for me and who loves me more than I could ever have wished for. I should probably have sent you a photo of how we look today – me bald (again) and him thinking I am beautiful anyway.
Dianne
January 13, 2012 9:43 am
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That is excellent! I commute every day by Amtrak from Emeryville to Davis (hence why I had to wake up at 5:20am in order to make it to your book talk tonight in SF!), and it’s fantastic! The train conductors are as friendly as can be, I’ve gotten to know several of the other regulars, lots of us even bring cards and have a game while waiting. It’s like sitting in a coffeeshop for 3 hours/day, with giant panoramic windows that look out on nature preserves, friendly folk, and comfy seats. Why *wouldn’t* I choose that over working an extra 3 hours in my offce?
And, yes, you will love Austin. (I’m the same Nina who won the Elissa R giveway for her parents last year). Have Elissa take you Amy’s ice cream. I know she loves it. And maybe fit in a stroll on South Congress. It’ll make your indie heart go pitter-patter.
January 12, 2012 1:10 pm
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SEE YOU TONIGHT. Bring your cards. Just kidding. I won’t have time to play, sigh.
January 12, 2012 3:56 pm
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This is AWESOME. I have so much respect for everything that you’ve achieved this past year Meg.
January 12, 2012 1:15 pm
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Love it!!
Amtrak played a big role in our dating relationship and engagement, too. When my husband and I were dating long-distance (I was in Philadelphia; he was in Baltimore), I used Amtrak anytime it was my turn to visit him. I have a very vivid, treasured memory of sitting on the train back to Philly the day after he proposed – I just kept staring at the ring, trying to absorb what had happened, and wondering if my seatmate (a total stranger) would notice that I couldn’t stop looking at my left hand.
Also, Amtrak worked well for our strapped budgets: since I knew I was going to be using it often, I signed up for their frequent-rider thing and even took out an Amtrak credit card to rack up points for free tickets (to which we charged and paid off a lot of wedding expenses, so I got more than one free trip to see my honey!).
Go, Amtrak!
January 12, 2012 2:29 pm
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i. adore. amtrak.
we hopped the midnight train after our wedding to our honeymoon, because it sounded romantic and fun and we’ve always wanted to take a train. i love it. best from of travel ever. and that’s after the 8-oops-i-mean-22-hour trip home on freight rail lines.
i wish i could take the train everywhere. as it is it has proven both time-prohibitive and, well, we’re not exactly in a rail (or anything else) hub.
but i’ll wave as you go through at 3 am…unless there’s a different train to austin.
January 12, 2012 2:46 pm
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So excited for you!
(So wishing Amtrak did transatlantic travel as well. LONDON. It had to be said at least once. ;))
January 12, 2012 3:23 pm
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Indeed.
January 12, 2012 3:57 pm
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This sponsorship is clearly indicative of the selling out that I’ve seen coming for years on A Practical Wedding. First you try to monetize this blog by having the audacity to WRITE A BOOK, and now you’re further exploiting your readers by riding the rails FOR FREE to go meet them?! Why, it’s a travesty! A terrible travesty, I say! WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS GROSS COMMERCIALIZATION OF MY VERY SPECIAL PLACE™!
*snorks into mug of tea*
Ok, seriously, Meg: this is so incredibly awesome and amazing and wonderfully cool! I can’t wait to hear how it goes, and please get some video along the way that captures the gentle rocking of the rails. I wish you were coming to Seattle, but there will be other times.
HOORAAAAYY!!
January 12, 2012 3:33 pm
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I know. I was going to be coming to Seattle, and then I looked at my one-month-away-from-home travel schedule and thought it might be nuts. I will say though, I have some Amtrak travel money saved, just IN CASE I want to come have a book even in Seattle later this spring. Just saying…. just planting seeds.
Ok! Gotta go back to selling out now! Busybusy! Kthanxsbye!
January 12, 2012 3:59 pm
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WOO-FREAKING-HOO on the ATL stop!!! A huge thanks from the Southern folks and to Leah and Mark for helping pull the thing together. Oh yeah, and being sponsored by Amtrak? That’s just awesome. I love train travel.
January 12, 2012 3:41 pm
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[...] sort of on that note, I would also like to take this opportunity to promote Meg Keene’s “A Practical Wedding” book tour! She isn’t actually coming to Canada, but I would like to give her shout outs all the same. [...]
January 12, 2012 3:42 pm
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LOS ANGELES!!!! YES!!!
I also love Amtrak too. My husband can’t fly due to ear problems, so we either go on cruises, drive, or take the Amtrak. It’s AMAZING.
January 12, 2012 4:22 pm
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YES! My love for Amtrak seriously just DOUBLED.
January 12, 2012 4:49 pm
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What? No Chicago stop? You forgetting us out here in the Midwest?? :(
But seriously…we would love to have you!!
January 12, 2012 4:51 pm
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Yes! Please please please come to DC! Would it help if I promised to bring you cookies? :)
Hope to see you here soon!
January 12, 2012 6:11 pm
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If they were gluten free, YES. (I am coming though!)
January 12, 2012 10:59 pm
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AMTRAK!!! That is the coolest thing that ever happened. Your book tour is now deeply retro.
Now I want to get on a train to somewhere.
January 12, 2012 6:44 pm
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THAT IS THE FUCKING COOLEST THING. Please tell me that at some point you will eat a club sandwich in the dining car, because then you will have fulfilled a dream I’ve held since I read Gone Away Lake in elementary school. Also: Portland? Too small? Too rainy? I bet you could even book the bookstore used in Portlandia…
January 12, 2012 7:18 pm
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Yeah, we just took the Amtrak from Chicago to SF for our elopement. We were almost sad when we got to Emeryville — just had too good of a time. It’s a perfect two-day break for people who like to read, eat food…and who hate planes. Glad to see the promotion — more people should take the train!
January 12, 2012 8:01 pm
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YAY SF! Thanks for signing my book and introducing me to an amazing book store!
January 12, 2012 9:39 pm
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[...] Day Hooray, an indie craft fair in Atlanta (taking … … Read the original here: Amtrak Sponsors the APW Book Tour! « A Practical Wedding: Ideas … ← What Goes Into Wedding Invitations How to Save Money by Getting the Best Deals for [...]
January 12, 2012 11:11 pm
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Come to DC!!!!
January 13, 2012 5:46 am
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I just RSVP’d to your Boston event! Can’t wait!!!
January 13, 2012 11:46 am
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You know what, I love trains. It´s just so sad that along the east coast, it´s just not as affordable as the bus, and sometimes not even as affordable as flying (depending on distance, of course!). Still, there´s something about the train . . . watching the scenery roll by, falling asleep one place and waking up in another . . . all without weight limitations and people telling me to empty my water bottle.
Also, good on the APW team for getting Amtrak to sponsor you. I mean, hot damn, that´s just awesome. Have the best time and be safe riding the rails!
January 13, 2012 2:22 pm
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SO EXCITING. Oh, this is just wonderful news and I’m jumping up and down here for you!
For the record: I also *LOVE* trains. When I lived in Europe, my husband and I were always taking the train whenever and wherever we could and it was lovely. One of my Life List dreams is to take a big train trip with – yes, you guessed it: SLEEPER CARS. Because hello: convenient! romantic! fun! And let’s not forget the most important benefit: NOT having to wake up with 150 other people seeing your crazy hair and mascara ringed eyes after sleeping upright for 7 hours.
GO AMTRAK! :-)
January 16, 2012 9:56 am
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[...] amazing author and founder of A Practical Wedding, will be making a stop in New York City on her Amtrak-sponsored book tour. Afterwards we’ll all head off to a nearby afterparty – location to be given out [...]
January 27, 2012 7:21 am
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