Craftily arranged nouns, verbs, and more.
For a while now, I’ve been dropping hints about an article on resort fees that I’ve been working on. I’ve been a little more mysterious than usual because the magazine I wrote it for hadn’t been published yet. Well, it’s out at last, in the debut issue of Vegas Seven magazine. It’s the first in […]
It’s a happy day in my writing career. The Polish translation of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling is out at last. For those of you who speak Polish, here’s the first bit of the prologue: Jak feniks z popio?ów By? 5 czerwca 1637 r. Puryta?scy osadnicy, przybyli niedawno ze starego kontynentu, posuwali si?
Roll the Bones in Polish Read More »
what's new, writingToday, September 9, 2009, is the 67th anniversary of the day that legendary Las Vegas casino developer Jay Sarno joined the Army Air Force. I just happened to notice this because I’m working on a section of the Sarno manuscript today, and the coincidence struck me as worthy of sharing.
Totally useless factoid Read More »
writingI’ve got a new column out today in the Las Vegas Weekly. It’s an essay about why there’s such a stigma against Las Vegas visitors: Three outside opinions, one conclusion: Las Vegas is the shallow end of America’s gene pool. Could they have a point? After all, casinos offer negative-expectation games. Mathematically, it’s a certainty
Column in LV Weekly Read More »
life in vegas, what's new, writingIt’s never too early to start planning your next writing workshop, particularly if you’re planning to be in Cape May, New Jersey next January 15-18. If you’re inclined towards brief non-fiction (and who isn’t…except for those of us who like lengthy fiction?) you may want to consider beating the crowd and registering now for one
Getting to the point Read More »
writingYou might have noticed that I do a great deal of writing. Whether it’s the daily blogging, the articles for the Las Vegas Business Press, Casino Connection, and elsewhere, or the books, writing is something that is very important to me, both professionally and because I like to do it. Since it means so much
I didn’t write this…not exactly Read More »
atlantic city, writingThere’s still time to register for the Winter Getaway, so I figured I let you know a little more about it. Here’s an excerpt from a Frommer’s article that gives you the flavor of the event: When one of Peter Murphy’s poems got “slaughtered” at a famous writer’s conference a few year’s back, he vowed
I’ve got a pretty long review of Des Wilson’s Ghosts at the Table in the current issue of The American Interest. In the review, I go from talking about the book to discussing the place of poker in global culture. Here’s a sample: Poker is the quintessential American game. As with jazz or capitalism It’s
Review in The American Interest Read More »
book reviews, writingHUGE publishing news: Roll the Bones is going to be translated into Polish very soon. I’ve been told that the agreement has been signed, and that after I write a brief introduction they will be good to go. This is tremendously good news for all of the Roll the Bones fans in Poland, who can
I signed up for a Total Rewards card a while ago to get on the mailing list. Theoretically, I should be collecting promotional materials from all casinos down at the Center for Gaming Research. But because most casino people I talk to consider preserving their history only marginally less important than alphabetizing their recyclables, I’m
Harrah’s total email fun Read More »
writingI’ve got two new articles elsewhere on the web, including a piece in the LVBP where I ponder the strangely-bifurcated marketing strategy at Paris Las Vegas: While browsing a popular online travel Web site recently, I noticed something strange: There are two major resort hotels at 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South. The listing for Paris
And it’s only seven months into the year, too the 2008 version of Winslow’s 11 Guide is out. Well, that’s the kind of devotion I show to something for which I receive faint but welcome praise and no cash. Seriously, I’ve had a lot going on, so getting this out is a real victory for
Winslow’s 11 2008 is out! Read More »
writingThe new issue of LAB magazine is out (its motto: A wunderkabinet of creative culture. With a cherry on top.), and I’ve got an article in it about my virtual collection of casino carpet. I knew that if I kept this up long enough, I’d end up in the avant garde of culture and design.
Casino carpet culture Read More »
writingAnd it’s a creative writing seminar, right here at UNLV. And the first thing I’ll say is that it’s OK to start a paragraph with “and.” And then I’ll say that if you start 3 sentences in a row with the same word, your reader will begin to get annoyed. The class is called “Crafting
I’m teaching this summer Read More »
writingYour kids (if you’ve got small ones) are going to ask you the big question someday. “Hey there, parent/guardian…I’ve been wondering–what’s gambling?” Once, you might have hemmed and hawed, then explained that gambling is something that mommies and daddies do when they feel like boosting state tax revenues. Now, however, you can just direct them
Teach your kids about gambling Read More »
gambling & culture, writingThe headline is actually a lie: I’m not reviewing Geoff Schumacher’s new Howard Hughes book…yet. I’ll get to it as soon as I’ve gotten a few other pieces out of the way. But it sounds pleasant and I’m short of time. But I wanted to tell everyone that the book is out, and it’s worth
New Hughes Reviews Read More »
life in vegas, writingI’m back from the Winter Getaway, transitioning from creative non-fiction back into gaming archives and analysis. So why not plug my recent column in the LVBP prognosticating on the coming year? The massive consolidation that left Harrah’s and MGM Mirage as the world’s largest casino companies likely won’t return, but developments on the ownership front
LVBP column about the future Read More »
writingIn a few days I’ll be heading the the Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway in Cape May, NJ to lead a workshop in creative nonfiction, so don’t expect too much from me the rest of the week. You might have noticed that I’ve gotten away from straight-up gaming news stories in the past few weeks.
The well-oiled media machine that is Gotham Books publicity is gearing up again, now that Roll the Bones is nearly available in paperback. Yes, all of you dedicated readers who were too cheap to spend $30 on 566 pages worth of gambling history (or you were saving your money for keno) now only have to
Questions: If this piece didn’t mention The Office, would it still be brilliant? Answer: Yes. I’ve had a bit of a problem with “coercive fun” or, as I’ve called it, enforced jolility (I’m pretty sure that’s not a word, but it sounds like one) in the workplace. It seems to defeat the whole purpose, wastes