This is definitely the coolest present I’ve ever received from a fan. A gal named JuJu contacted me on facebook a couple of weeks ago from South Korea after having read my book. Having not yet seen the final published product, I was surprised to hear that I even had a fan on the other side of the world – much less one reading my book in a different language. After a bit of pleading and begging, JuJu was generous enough to send me a copy of the book  to look at, and it’s been a very surreal experience flipping through the pages of a very different version of my work. Seeing some of the definitions they had to provide for some of my more colloquial words (think “dirtbag” or “49er’s), I have to wonder how the book as a whole came across in the translation.

Also, if you would like a Korean copy of your own, look no further!

More photos to check out after the jump…

Seeing my bio in a foreign language did make me go all warm and fuzzy inside...

Title page

Table of contents. Notice the boy from the cover...

I really want to know how "dirtbag" was defined...

Chapter openers in full color

]]> http://kevinmichaelconnolly.com/2010/08/the-korean-edition/feed/ 1 http://kevinmichaelconnolly.com/2010/07/im-gonna-convocate/ http://kevinmichaelconnolly.com/2010/07/im-gonna-convocate/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:36:01 +0000 Kevin Connolly http://kevinmichaelconnolly.com/?p=496

Sorry for not keeping things too frequently updated, but it’s been hard to stay indoors with all the sun finally pouring down on Montana. We’ve had steady rain and cold temps for the past month, so now that the sun is out, I’ve been trying to avoid the pale glow of my laptop as much as possible.

But while I’ve been avoiding online activities, I’ve been sweating bullets over a speech I need to give this fall to all of the incoming Freshman at Montana State University. See, Double Take was selected as required summer reading for all of the new students arriving at MSU this year, and to cap off the assignment, I need to deliver the big convocation address at the beginning of the semester. Normally, I’m not too afraid of getting up onstage to talk, but this time it’s different. Not only will I be standing in front of thousands of students reasonably close to my age, but I’ll be doing it with all of the pomp-and-circumstance that goes along with a college event of that size. So, in a tidy list – here are my worries*:

1.) The Wisdom – While I have had some pretty incredible experiences in the past few years, I’m not sure if I’ve reached the point of being totally sure of my ability to actually impart wisdom. I’ve only been out of college for two years, which has been just long enough to realize how little I actually know about Adultland.  So while I may be able to talk about traveling the world or skateboarding the Great Wall of China, I’m still reduced to confused child when it comes to doing my taxes, looking at property, or any other of the myriad Adult-ish things that seem to hit you in the face post-college.

2.) The Pomp – Having seen these events before, I’m fairly certain that I’m going to need to wear one of those fancy black robes. I’ve never been a fan of clothes longer than my own torso, but a 5-foot-long robe could really cause some logistical difficulties on stage. I’ve asked the director of the event about possibly tailoring my robe into a cape (which, let’s face it, would be much cooler), but thusfar have yet to receive an answer…

3.) The Circumstance – When the time finally comes to be standing onstage in front of all these people, there is going to be somewhat of a juggling act. Behind me will be the main powers of MSU – from the president to the provost and all sorts in between. In front of me will be a gym full of kids that have yet to even experience college. There is probably something less cliche’d than using “a rock and a hard place”, but it does feel fairly apt in terms of having to try and keep both groups on point.

So – to those reading – is there anything I need to be worried about? For those freshman who may be looking at this blog – is there anything you would like to hear? Also – if anyone out there has the power to make this happen – I totally want a cape.

*Carmen, Greg, or anyone else reading this blog who is also helping to set up the event – don’t let this post get you sweating too much. It’s more tongue-in-cheek than you think. Or is it….

Some good stories are on the way, though! Seducing stray dogs, getting assaulted in a Turkish bath, and getting heavily pet by a couple of gypsies! Right now I’m having to deal with community computers and very limited access, so I’ll just leave a few photos to wet the pallette. Back soon!

The actual show begins at 7:00 PM and runs until 8:30. I’ll be presenting a photo slide show and talking about some of the themes and ideas behind both The Rolling Exhibition and Double Take. Don’t worry – it’s not nearly as dry as it sounds. Dwarf battles and Nigerian muggings abound! My presentation is part of the University of Wisconsin speaker series, and will be held in Reeve Ballroom 227.  Here’s a direct link to the event page on their site: http://www.uwosh.edu/speakers/events/kevin-connolly

Oh, and as a quick update about the naming of these jumping…things, I plan to pare the selection down to five potential names that we’ll vote on sometime next week. I want to leave this open for the time being, so I can hopefully get some input from University of Wisconsin students as well. Stay tuned…

Rolling down through Wyoming to X Games. Hit the jump for a schedule of the week's events...

Howdy everyone -

Just made it down to Aspen after a long haul through the dead backroads of Wyoming. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks trying to get all of my gear ready to go for this year’s Mono X at the 14th Winter X Games. For those who haven’t seen or heard about the Mono X – let me give you a quick rundown:

First, imagine an alpine racecourse with a collection of little gates that you turn around in order to make it to the bottom of the hill. Now take those little gates, and stick some massive jumps between them (sitting comfortably between 20 and 80 feet, depending on the launch). With me so far. Okay – so once you have your jumpy, yet gated course built – now you introduce the competitors. In most skier-cross competitions, it’s a bunch of bipeds racing down the course at the same time trying to be the first one through the finish line. With the Mono X, you have competitors still racing down the course at the same time – but these competitors are half-robot. When a biped blows up on the course, we worry for his safety. When a monoskier blows up on the course, we worry about shrapnel. Jumps, speed, traffic, and lots of machined aluminum – looks like it could be a fun week!

I’ll be throwing up some video and photos this week – so check back. Alternatively, you can follow me on twitter for competition updates or click right HERE for a competition schedule from EXPN.

Hit the jump for news on my IndieBound selection

Howdy -

So good news! One of the largest independent book selling communities – IndieBound – has selected Double Take for their “Indie Next” list. The selection is a major stamp of approval from independent book stores and means Double Take will be prominently displayed in independent book stores around the country for December. It will also be featured in online newsletters and other press. So if anyone gets sick of seeing my face or book floating around a bit too often, feel free to drop off a disparaging line below – I could probably do for some humbling comments!

For me – small, independent bookstores have always been a good place to find some quiet (and a present or two) while on the road, so it’s a huge honor to be recognized by such a community. If you have some time, actually, you should go check out IndieBound’s website. Here’s what they’re about:

IndieBound is a community-oriented movement begun by the independent bookseller members of American Booksellers Association.

It brings together booksellers, readers, indie retailers, local business alliances, and anyone else with a passionate belief that healthy local economies help communities thrive.

Supporting local, indie businesses means that dollars, jobs, diversity, choice, and taxes stay local, creating strong, unique communities and happy citizens.

I don’t think anyone out there can object to a mission statement like that. So go check them out, whether that’s clicking a link or (gosh) walking into a brick-and-mortar indie book-slinger.

A meta moment on the blog.

Howdy -

Want to let you know that over in the “Portfolio” section of my site, we’ve added some new photo galleries to the page. If you haven’t taken a peek at some of my earlier blog entries, check out “Travel and Assignments” for some cool miscellaneous photographs from this past year. Also, wander over to the “Double Take Extras” gallery to find some photos that I shot during the events (i.e. traveling, shooting Rolling Exhibition, etc) featured in Double Take. Hope you dig the photos, and remember the book’s on it’s way! It’s scheduled for release on October 13th, so keep checking back for more updates!

A young boy in Soweto, South Africa on his way home from school.

One of the best parts of being a traveling photographer is getting to interact with kids in so many different countries. This short series was taken in Soweto in late July. As three o’clock rolled round and the kids began their trek back home from school, I found myself in their midst – surrounded by some territorial first graders.

Once order was restored, and they saw that my spot on their turf was temporary, they were keen to get their portrait taken. With a mix of kids, the bigger ones were pushing their way to the front to try and be closest to the camera. Pulling out the inner drill seargant, I barked the rules.

“Hey! You all can get you’re pictures taken, but you have to line up and go one at a time. Otherwise I won’t do it.”

That wised them up and everyone got their fair shot. Hope you dig.