This might be old news for some of you, but my book Double Take has officially entered development for a feature film with Groundswell Productions (Milk, The Informant) and Katie Jacobs (exec producer, and co-creator of House) – who will direct. The book was optioned almost two years ago, but after finally getting funding, it looks like it’s currently out to writers!

Now, this is still really early in development, so after reading some of the below links – you will officially know as much as I do about where this is going…

Deadline Hollywood article

Rama’s  Screen

Movies and News

I will most definitely post here as I learn more, which hopefully will be trickling down soon…

Most of the images were captured at ISO 320. “If I was shooting in an open area and there wasn’t too much contrast in light, I would usually trust the program mode. If I was shooting between buildings, at night, or in any situation with contrasty light—I’d go manual, though I’d never go wider than f/8, if I could avoid it,” Kevin explains.

If the above paragraph makes sense, you might dig the full article – which can be found right here.

Anyone in Bozeman this Friday?  Well, if you’re in town and feeling bored on Friday evening, come down to Barrel Mountaineering for a photo show of some of my collected, non-Rolling Exhibition works. All prints will be for sale, and 10% of proceeds will go to Eagle Mount of Helena. We’ll be serving wine and light appetizers from 6pm – 8pm . If you’re keen to buy a print, get a book signed, or just drink some wine – come on over!

Details:

Barrel Mountaineering Art Gallery

240 E Main – 582-1335

Friday, Dec 10^th 6-8pm

For those who missed the article when it came out in print in this November’s issue of Outside, the article has just been posted online.

The full article can be found right here.

Here’s a small excerpt:

Daybreak cracks like a runny egg against Montana’s Spanish Peaks as the Cyborg steers his rig toward the slopes.

The Cyborg is thrilled. When his truck rounds a bend obscuring Big Sky’s Lone Peak, he leans toward the windshield. He wants to ski, sure, but by now you’ve spent enough time with the Cyborg to know there’s something else in that eagerness. He is looking forward to crushing you on the mountain today. This isn’t strictly because he has something to prove, though perhaps he does just a bit, the way any guy born without legs could reasonably be expected to have something to prove. What’s more true is that the Cyborg is all guy, and—let’s face it—the favorite pastime of twenty-something guys is gutting the confidence of the other members of the pack. Today the rest of the pack is you.

Go check it out!

Just saw this go up the other day and thought I should share. While I was down in Colorado speaking to students at Colorado Mountain College, I was interviewed by a local journalist, David Frey. Super nice guy, and savvy enough with his questions to get me to eek out more than I should’ve about the next project.

Low and behold – it made it’s way to The Huffington Post! I’ve quoted a little bit for the interview below, but for the full article click right here.

Can you talk a little about this next project?

I’m basically going around the world and trying to find other people who have made really interesting adaptations outside of the kind of Western medical infrastructure a lot of us deal with. Especially from the experience I have had traveling abroad, you really get the sense that this is more prevalent in developing countries than it is in Western ones.

The need is also greater, because there’s less funding, there’s less governmental infrastructure, there’s less access to medical infrastructure. So that is going to be the next project. In many ways it’s the inverse of the Rolling Exhibition: focusing on people who get stared at, maybe because of their interesting adaptations. We have locations like India, Congo, Haiti, Russia, Brazil.

But this is not just an exhibit. This is a book project.

I’m pitching a book, but it’s also going to be delivered through a photo series. So you have portraits of the people who created these interesting adaptations interspersed between each chapter that would otherwise be a massive travelogue. I’m trying to keep the photo project moving simultaneously as well as write about it as well as chronicle other people’s inventions. It’s a bit daunting.

So how did your new cheetah legs come about?

Trying to profile people in developing countries, I realized I had to have something that could take me off the sidewalk, right? The skateboard, despite all its practicality, is limited to the ground rolling beneath it. I found that I needed something that is going to allow me to ambulate without having to deal with pavement.

If people stare at you on a skateboard, they must really stare at you on cheetah legs.

Yeah, if I’m in Saudi Arabia or Haiti, I think I’ll get a few stares on this next project.

Can someone summarize what the book “Double Take” by Kevin Connolly is about?

I have to admit that I was a little sad realizing that someone didn’t want to be bothered with reading my book. This is the first time I’ve seen disinterest or laziness in response to my work, and while it’s more than a little narcissistic to feel any sort of reaction to such a simple request, I found myself staring at the question for a good five minutes. He wanted to summarize me, basically – which felt almost like a bad version of literary speed-dating.

Right below his question was an answer that gave me heart, though:

Some guy who hated doing his homework so he paid people to do so

Now, while I wasn’t totally certain who the comment was directed at, it made me realize that this was quite likely a student having to read my book for homework. With Double Take being a common reader for incoming Freshman at Montana State University, University of Wisconsin, and Colorado Mountain College, I could see that maybe there was some student sweating bullets about an exam he or she had to take regarding Double Take. So – feeling that I was the best qualified to summarize myself, I gave it a shot. The first half of the post is reasonably accurate, but toward the end of my of summary, I began feeling a bit bored. Not just of the summary itself, but also of what I had accomplished within my own memoir! So, I decided to add a little spice.

The final third of the book takes place back in my home of Montana during a long hiking trip. During my hike, I reflect on my adventures over the past summer while keeping an eye out for hungry wildlife. The final tragic chapter takes place on Sailor Lake, where I am attacked by a mountain lion. Surviving the initial encounter, I nevertheless died a tragic death of attrition on the long hike back to my vehicle in search of medical aid. A sad way to end the book, but nevertheless, I’m currently working on a second one. Kinda tough to create a new narrative if you’ve already been killed by a mountain lion, but nevertheless, I am prepared to try!

Maybe it was my middle-of-the-night delirium that led me to rework the entire ending, but I think this makes the book feel much more epic. I also truly hope that somewhere in America, there is a student convinced or confused about my state of mortality.

Here’s the link to the Yahoo! Answers page if you have any better endings to suggest. Can Someone Summarize Double Take?

Alright – so we’re officially back in school. I’ve already been getting feedback from MSU freshman about Double Take, and it sounds like it’s creating some good discussion! So to add fuel to the fire, here is the second set of reading questions from the One Book-One Bozeman website

Hit the jump for the full list of questions, as well as comments and discussion…

8 ) How do you think “the Dirtbags” in chapter 6 helped to shape Kevin’s view of disability?

9) On pages 104-105, Serge tells Kevin a darkly humorous joke about a three breasted prostitute. Despite the vulgarity of the joke, Kevin insists that similar humor is important to shoulder aside the weight of reality. Do you think that it is right to laugh at such jokes? Perhaps relate this joke to the “black humor” that doctors engage in.

10) In chapter 17, Kevin catches himself staring at a man missing an arm and a leg – effectively doing the same thing he has caught others in the act of. What does this say about human nature and the act of staring? Is it something that should be controlled, or considered morally reprehensible? Is there a right or proper way to stare at someone?

11) Is Kevin Connolly disabled? Explain your answer.

12) On page 159, Kevin scrawls in his journal the rules for his photo project: Shoot every person that passes. Keep moving – never stop to frame your subject. Never make eye contact – give them permission to stare by looking the other way. Don’t try to attract people’s attention. Discuss what the rules allow, don’t allow, and their purpose.

13) In chapter 12, Kevin relates his experience crashing into an avalanche fence post to the feedback of his friends and family after he receives an X-games silver medal, “you go for broke?” How does Kevin interpret “going for broke” and how would you describe it? How does “going for broke” impact Kevin’s life and how does it impact your own?

14) The man on the skateboard with the Pomeranian at Venice Beach asks Kevin “what’s your gimmick” (see page 162). What do you think of his assumption that Kevin and he are colleagues and of Kevin’s reaction? What is the problem with assuming someone’s story from a single impression?

15) On the bus after he leaves Beth (see pages 209-210) Kevin experiences compassion, not pity, although he shares that the two responses look very much the same. Why in this situation do the looks make him feel linked to the people around him, whereas in other situations similar looks make him feel singled out and different? Do you think that this difference and the effect of the situation on Kevin is a result of Kevin’s perception or are compassion and pity inherently very different?

Told you I’d be back!

With school starting next week, now is probably the time to post the official convocation reading guide for MSU and One Book, One Bozeman. Now, I don’t know how many freshman or Bozeman readers there are reading this blog, but I wanted to invite anyone interested to post their thoughts or answers to any of these questions in the comments section below. I’m going to be monitoring the conversation, and will be answering questions and contributing some of my own thoughts to the discussion if we manage to get some people involved.

So if you’re a Bozemanite looking to attend one of the upcoming events; a freshman trying to get a jump on discussion; or just an interested web-wanderer wanting to contribute – I’d love to hear your thoughts on some of these questions.

Finally, to keep the discussion manageable, I’ve only posted about have of the total list of questions. The rest I will post sometime next week as a sequel to this post. If you are anxious to see the full list, however, it’s available over at the One Book – One Bozeman website.

Hit the jump for the list of questions as well as the comment box.

1) In chapter 2, Kevin’s dad fashions a number of different inventions to help him get around. The inventions are based purely on function, which contrasts heavily with the legs Kevin receives in chapter 3.What do you think is the relationship between aesthetics and function and the importance of each to those with a disability?

2) In chapter 11, Kevin gets particularly angry when he catches a group of teenagers taking a photograph of him. This comes after experiencing many stares, which by comparison he barely notices. What do you think is the difference between a stare and a photograph? Do you think that Kevin’s decision to “return fire” with his camera is morally or artistically justifiable?

3) In chapter 1, Kevin states his doubts of being able to raise a legless child. What do you think such an experience would be like? How would you handle raising such a child?

4) On pages 170-171, Kevin tries to create a different definition for the word “disability”. He makes the argument that the concept is much more common and more fluid than most people believe. Do you agree with his statements? If not, why? If so, what is your disability?

5) In chapter 17, Kevin almost quits working on “The Rolling Exhibition” as a result of the pain that his appearance is bringing out in others walking the streets of Sarajevo. Kevin feels as if he is manipulating people and their pain for his own artistic gain. Do you agree? If so, is it right for him to continue photographing?

6) On page 163, Kevin talks about his skateboard and how it has come to be a part of his self-concept. The skateboard embodies who he is, despite it being less socially acceptable than a wheelchair would be. In your own life, how do you deal with the relationship between being “socially acceptable” and being true to yourself?

7) Discuss the symbolism of Kevin’s skateboard and what it represents. What people, items or events have served as your “skateboard”?

8 ) How do you think “the Dirtbags” in chapter 6 helped to shape Kevin’s view of disability?

So we’re getting close. Next month will kick off the main set of events for the “One Book – One Bozeman” program, and after having seen the schedule, I can definitely tell you that it will be a busy month. I’ll be attending most of the events, so if you’re interested in either the book, me, or social settings – here is the official schedule:

If you would like to see a more comprehensive layout of the schedule, as well as learn a little bit more about the program, head over to the official OBOB website.

Keep checking back here, because this blog is definitely going to be picking up in the next couple weeks. Tonight, I have an interview airing on Yellowstone Public Radio at 7pm. I’ll be posting the interview on here this week, but if you want to catch it live, hit the link.

Next week I’ll be posting some reading questions that I created in conjunction with some of the One Book – One Bozeman people. I’ll only post a few up each day, and I would encourage any readers to discuss their thoughts. I’ll even be jumping into the fray, so hopefully we can get some good online discussion going.

Alright, back soon!

So last week I was interviewed by the BBC for a ten minute program called “Outlook”. The show just popped up online, and I gotta say, it’s a fairly funny interview to listen to if you have the time.

If you’ve ever wanted to know about my dating life and how staring can be compared to sex, look no further. Sorry for the link, but I was told that the BBC has “lots of really tough rules about copyright of audio”.

You can also check an abbreviated audio slideshow here.

Finally, because I’m still holding a bit of a grudge for not being able to embed the interview directly on my blog, here is something that I can embed – a compilation of BBC bloopers from the past ten years. English accents always sound more entertaining when there is just a tinge of discomfort and embarrassment to them…