We have a new office manager, Scout!

A Shout Out From Scout February 2013 As the new Office Manager of Cleis Press and Viva Editions, you can find me sniffing my way from desk to desk, boosting office morale and ensuring a fabulous working environment. On a ruff day, you can find me curled up next to some Cleis and Viva classics, like Beebo Brinker and Words of Love. My favorite afternoon activities include long naps in our sunny East Bay office, and begging for treats from our interns. Each month, I'd like to inform you of some of my new favorite books and employees here. Being the mutt brain that I am, my favorites books change as quickly as my favorite foods, but I look forward to sharing my ever-rotating interests with you, and maybe someday you can share some of your bacon with me. In my new role as Office Manager, I would love to hear your feedback and any questions or suggestions you might have. I am now on Twitter at @CleisScout. Since I have so much power around here, I decided I'm going to offer you a really special deal: buy 3 books, get 1 free of any Cleis Press and Viva Editions titles. We got some treats here on Valentine's Day with Arthur Plotnik on NPR's "Here and Now" talking about love and words, and the love of words. Rockstar author Tristan Taormino was in the New York Times about Fifty Shades of Fashion. My BFF twitter buddy Dr. Charlie Glickman is doing an international tour for The Ultimate Guide to Prostate Pleasure. Be sure to join him at one of his events! If you need anything from me, or just want to connect, bark out a tweet! Cheers! Scout Office Manger Cleis Press & Viva Editions  Scout, the Cleis Pup Scout's Shout Outs Viva Editions, an imprint of Cleis Press, 2246 Sixth St., Berkeley, CA 94710

On the road with Phil Cousineau:

"Wordcatcher" Phil Cousineau Illuminates More Weird and Wonderful Word Stories—New from Viva Editions

On the road with Phil Cousineau, author of bestselling The Painted Word, and host of PBS Global Spirit.

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The Painted Word

Cousineau makes us Argus-eyed…you definitely need this book.
—Lemony Snicket

(PRWEB) September 25, 2012

Joseph Campbell described Phil Cousineau as a five-tool threat—a writer, photographer, filmmaker, editor, and teacher. As the great Huston Smith says, "Cousineau's love affair with words in contagious." From the medieval scourge of abbey-lubbers to the unpronounceable floccinaucinihilipilification (considered the longest English word by the Oxford English Dictionary) to the Maori ghost-word zzxjoanw. Cousineau will clear up the bafflegab and pandemonium, and remind you that you too are a philomath (or at the very least a Phil-o-phile). And don't miss Phil Cousineau's Global Spirit on PBS, described by series host John Cleese as "the world's only internal travel show." Listen to the audio book ofWordcatcher as well!

Join Phil at these events:
9/25: Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee - 7pm
10/4: Golden Notebook, Woodstock - 7pm
11/7: The Inside Edge, Irvine - 7am
11/7: Warick's, La Jolla - 7:30pm
11/8: Book Soup, Los Angeles - 7pm
11/9: Esalen, Big Sur

To untangle the knot of interlocking meanings of these painted words, logophile and mythologist Cousineau begins each fascinating word entry with his own brief definition. He then fills it in with a tint of etymology and a smattering of quotes that show how the word is used, ending with a list of companion words. The words themselves range from commonplace—like biscuit, a twice-baked cake for Roman soldiers—to loanwords including “chaparral,” from the Basque shepherds who came to the American West; words from myths, such as “hector;” metamorphosis words, like “silly,” which evolved “holy” to “goofy” in a mere thousand years; and words well worthy of revival, such as “carrytale,” a wandering storyteller.

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The heart of the written word:

Joseph Campbell described Phil Cousineau as a five-tool threat—a writer, photographer, filmmaker, editor, and teacher. As the great Huston Smith says, "Cousineau's love affair with words in contagious." From the medieval scourge of abbey-lubbers to the unpronounceable  floccinaucinihilipilification (considered the longest English word by the Oxford English Dictionary) to the Maori ghost-word zzxjoanw. Cousineau will clear up the bafflegab and pandemonium, and remind you that you too are a philomath (or at the very least a Phil-o-phile). And don't miss Phil Cousineau's Global Spirit on PBS, described by series host John Cleese as "the world's only internal travel show." Phil's Bay Area Tour: 9/2: Bird and Beckett, San Francisco - 2pm 9/4: Books, Inc., Berkeley - 7pm 9/6: Mrs. Dalloway's, Berkeley - 7:30pm 9/7: Avid Reader, Davis - 7:30pm 9/8: Reader's Books, Sonoma - 2:30pm 9/11: Towne Center Books, Pleasanton - 7pm 9/12: Book Passage Marin, Corte Madera - 7pm 9/13: City Lights, San Francisco - 7pm More · Buy The Painted Word  A Treasure Chest of Remarkable Words and Their Origins by Phil Cousineau Deepak Chopra calls author Phil Cousineau a "word wizard" and NPR's Susan Stamberg hailed his Wordcatcher as a must-read "because it's fun." Cousineau, linguistic detective and dictionary delver, is back with a priceless treasury of word stories and literary obscura that will enchant any lover of language. The words themselves range from the commonplace like biscuit to loanwords like chaparral; from word-reversals such as silly, to words well worthy of revival, such as carrytale. Cousineau's journey through the history and mystery of words will enlighten as it delights. "Cousineau makes us Argus-eyed…you definitely need this book." —Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events Phil Cousineau PHIL COUSINEAU is an award-winning writer and filmmaker, teacher and editor, independent scholar and travel leader, storyteller and TV host. Express Your Words with Viva Editions! And be sure to check out Phil Cousineau's other book Wordcatcher, as well as the ever expressive Arthur Plotnik's books The Elements of Expression and Better Than Great. And write down your true parenting stories with Use Your Words by Kate Hopper. Viva Editions, an imprint of Cleis Press, 2246 Sixth St., Berkeley, CA 94710