Indiegogo is committed to accessibility. If you have difficulty using our site, please contact support@indiegogo.com for assistance or view our accessibility notice by clicking here

This campaign is closed

Miriam's Well

Send Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg's New Novel On Tour

You may also be interested in

Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed
Closed

Miriam's Well

Miriam's Well

Miriam's Well

Miriam's Well

Miriam's Well

Send Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg's New Novel On Tour

Send Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg's New Novel On Tour

Send Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg's New Novel On Tour

Send Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg's New Novel On Tour

Caryn Goldberg
Caryn Goldberg
Caryn Goldberg
Caryn Goldberg
7 Campaigns |
Lawrence, United States
$934 USD 31 backers
19% of $4,900 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 7 Projects Mountain Filled 7 Projects
Overview
Help me bring MIRIAM'S WELL: A MODERN EXODUS, a story about the American spiritual and cultural landscape of 1969-2009, to you through a book tour featuring in-person and long-distance events across the United States over the next 18 months.

The Story of Miriam's Well

In this modern day retelling of the Exodus, Miriam wanders the political and spiritual desert of a changing America, torn between her roots as the Jewish daughter of a Black father and white mother, her yearning for home, and her brothers, Aaron, a successful New York City attorney, and Moses, an autistic artist living in Kansas. An astonishing cook and singer, Miriam has a knack for showing up to feed and help people at landmark events, including People's Park during the Summer of Love, the Wounded Knee encampment in South Dakota, the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, the Oklahoma City terrorist attack, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. As she seeks the promised land, she shows her people, and eventually herself, how to turn the chaos and despair of our times into music, meals, and miracles.

The novel also includes over 35 pages of real recipes from the fictional cooking and baking Miriam does throughout the book, including delicious delights by Nancy O'Connor's The Rolling Prairie Cookbook, Jayni and Frank Carey's The New Kansas Cookbook, Janet Majure's Recipes Worth Sharing, and Meghan Heriford of the Ladybird Diner in Lawrence, Kansas.

Why a Book Tour Campaign

Like most writers, I've been pretty much funding my own book tours for many years, which has limited my travel and reach. I'm thrilled to be working with Ice Cube Press, publishing the finest of Midwestern writers for many years, which is giving the book all it needs in terms of great design, wide distribution, and a fabulously hard-working publisher, Steve Semken. Like most presses, this one doesn't have resources for a book tour. So I'm turning to you to help me visit many communities (events in the works or plans for Kansas, Missouri, Vermont, Wisconsin, Arizona, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and more). In return, you can get your own copy of Miriam's Well or many other vivid perks.

What Miriam's Well Needs & What You Get

The campaign goal of $4,900 will give this novel legs to reach more readers in more communities by covering reasonable costs of travel (watch out, I could be sleeping on your couch soon!). Here's what the funds will go for:

  • Travel expenses for in-person readings at libraries, community hubs, bookstores, synagogues, and colleges, plus writing workshops related to the novel throughout the country.
  • Connecting with book clubs and other reading communities across the country to offer video-conference visits at their convenience.
  • Sharing the book more widely through social media and printed materials.
  • Filming short videos and recording podcasts of sample readings, questions and answers about the book, and the mythical and contemporary dimensions of this story.

My part is putting in lots of time and love, and also paying my way for a share of the travel expenses.

What you get, beyond of the satisfaction of helping a workaday writer fulfill one of her dreams, are signed copies of Miriam's Well for you and friends or family, baskets of books, in-person workshops and readings, and poems or even a song written just for you or a beloved.

Early Reviews

"Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg's retelling of Exodus is a sprawling tapestry, woven of all the threads of a modern-day Miriam's ancestors, and her own present and future. From the Badagry Point of No Return and a sukkah in the Sinai Desert to a series of camps, communes, and cafes all across America, Miriam's Well delves into the mystery of how we find our place in the world, within our families, even within ourselves." ~ Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

"I fell in love with Miriam’s wisdom and her sweet engagements with the people she meets along her lush and vibrant travels. I was plunged to the depths of her nightmares, soared with her song, and emerged blessed to have made the journey with her. ~ Jocelyn Cullity, author of Amah & the Silk-Winged Pigeons

"Miriam’s Well is truly a hearty feast and a song of life’s bounty, of its “fragile miracle,” of its sorrows and its cycling, its joy, its mystery, its sorrows, its journeying. The vibrantly moving and compelling storytelling is immediate, intimate, and resounding; bringing us into a complex weaving of tales, told and untold, from the Biblical epic to the painful legacy of United States, which frame the story of one brave woman with an inexhaustible well of caring." ~ Gale Jackson, author of Put Your Hands on Your Hips and Act Like a Woman: Song, Dance, Black History and Poetics in Performance

"Miriam’s Well is a page-turner that gently pulls the reader into the heroine’s quest. A compelling writer, Mirriam-Goldberg’s Miriam’s Well captures a quintessential American story, its multitude of nations, of immigrants and indigenes, in the quest towards a meaningful national identity." ~ Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka, Professor of Theatre, and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, University of Kansas

See more as they come in here.

 

Risks & Challenges

Travel and sharing a book even from home takes time and thoughtful planning. I also have the 20/20 hindsight vision of doing book tours from writing or editing over 20 other books. I have spent the last year researching how to best reach people who would appreciate and find meaning in this novel. To this end, I'm aiming the tour as much as possible toward events where I can meet readers directly as well as readings in independent book stores, which I'm committed to support however I can. I've also developed plans for reaching people from afar because, like many of you, there's only so much travel I can do without ending up sick and exhausted on my recliner. This plan includes video-conferencing into book groups, and widely sharing podcasts and videos. Most of all, this book tour is a way to help bring greater meaning to all our lives through exploring who we are and what our callings are through the lens of the novel.

Other Ways You Can Help

I know that not everyone has some extra cash to contribute, and also, there are pressing issues we all need and want to support. If you're not able to chip in, please share this campaign via Facebook, Twitter, and the Indiegogo tools (buttons not to the pink "back it" button in the upper right-hand corner). Good wishes also happily accepted.

Looking for more information? Check the project FAQ
Need more information
Let us know if you think this campaign contains prohibited content.

Choose your Perk

Miriam's Well: The Book!
featured

Miriam's Well: The Book!

$20 USD $22 USD (9% off)
The book in print, signed and sent to you, a friend, or library or center, with tax included. If you would like to buy more than one copy, please click in the next steps as to how many copies you want, or you can contact Caryn to make arrangements at carynmirriamgoldberg@gmail.com.
Included Items
  • Miriam's Well: The Book!
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
21 out of 150 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Miriam's Well Digital Download

Miriam's Well Digital Download

$15 USD $18 USD (16% off)
Digital download of the book for an e-reader delivered to you or someone of your choice.
Included Items
  • Miriam's Well Digital Download
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
4 out of 5 of claimed
Two Copies of Miriam's Well

Two Copies of Miriam's Well

$40 USD $44 USD (9% off)
Two copies of Miriam's Well for you and a friend, or one for you to keep, and one to donate to a library, community center, school, or another place of your choice. Tax included.
Included Items
  • Two Copies of Miriam's Well
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
2 out of 20 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Caryn's Newest Trio of Books

Caryn's Newest Trio of Books

$55 USD $59 USD (6% off)
Receive all three books of Caryn's latest books: Following the Curve, a collection of poetry; Everyday Magic: Field Notes on the Mundane and Miraculous, a collection of the best of 12 years of Caryn's essays; and Miriam's Well. Tax included.
Included Items
  • Caryn's Trio of New Books
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
1 out of 20 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Caryn's Ice Cube Press Books

Caryn's Ice Cube Press Books

$80 USD $87 USD (8% off)
Receive four of Caryn's Ice Cube Press books -- The Divorce Girl (a novel), The Sky Begins At Your Feet (a memoir), Miriam's Well (a novel), Chasing Weather (poetry and Stephen Locke's photography, Kansas Notable Book Winner). Tax included. (Note: photo doesn't show Miriam's Well yet.)
Included Items
  • Caryn's Ice Cube Press Books
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
0 out of 20 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Book Club Special

Book Club Special

$120 USD $132 USD (9% off)
Six copies of Miriam's Well, plus Caryn calling or video-conferencing into your bookclub for up to an hour -- more books available if you have more people in your book club. Email Caryn for details at carynmirriamgoldberg@gmail.com). Tax included. We'll set this up by the delivery date for sometime in the next year.
Included Items
  • Book Club Special
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
0 out of 20 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Ice Cube Press Caryn + Friends

Ice Cube Press Caryn + Friends

$120 USD $140 USD (14% off)
Receive six books in all -- Caryn's books -- Miriam's Well (a novel), The Divorce Girl (a novel), The Sky Begins At Your Feet (memoir), Chasing Weather (poetry and Stephen Locke's photography, Kansas Notable Book Winner) -- two surprise additional Ice Cube books (books in photo are examples of possible surprise books). Tax included.
Included Items
  • Ice Cube Press Caryn + Friends
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
0 out of 20 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Prairie Walk and Talk

Prairie Walk and Talk

$150 USD $200 USD (25% off)
Private Prairie plant identification walk and talk for you and friends with Ken Lassman within 200 miles of Lawrence, Kansas. Ken is author of Seasons and Cycles: Rhythms of Life in the Kansas River Basin, Wild Douglas County, and more. Ken has led nature walks widely, and he writes weekly updates at www.kawvalleyalmanac.com.
Included Items
  • Prairie Walk and Talk
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
1 out of 2 of claimed
Ice Cube Press Book Gala

Ice Cube Press Book Gala

$180 USD $220 USD (18% off)
All of Caryn's Ice Cube books -- Miriam's Well (a novel), The Divorce Girl (a novel), The Sky Begins At Your Feet, Miriam's Well (a memoir), Chasing Weather (poetry and Stephen Locke's photography, Kansas Notable Book Winner) -- plus 5 other books published by Ice Cube Press (grab bag surprise, books in photo are examples of possible books).
Included Items
  • Ice Cube Press Book Gala
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
0 out of 5 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Consultation with Publisher

Consultation with Publisher

$200 USD $250 USD (20% off)
Consultation with Steve Semken, owner of Ice Cube Press, one of the foremost small presses in America, on getting your book ready to publish: 30 minutes
Included Items
  • Consultation with Publisher
Estimated Shipping
February 2018
0 out of 2 of claimed
Poem For You or Beloved

Poem For You or Beloved

$500 USD $750 USD (33% off)
A special poem written by Caryn for you, a special person or occasion, printed on fine paper, and recorded for you too. Caryn is the 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate, and an award-winning poet who loves writing personal poems for people.
Included Items
  • Poem for Your or Beloved
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
0 out of 3 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
Writing Workshop

Writing Workshop

$750 USD $900 USD (16% off)
A specialized half-day writing workshop retreat with Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg for you and yours. Travel included within 200 miles of Lawrence, KS (email Caryn for longer distances). We'll aim to make arrangements by the April delivery date for a workshop within the next year.
Included Items
  • Writing Workshop
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
0 out of 2 of claimed
Coaching: Finish Your Book

Coaching: Finish Your Book

$1,000 USD $1,400 USD (28% off)
Coaching to finish and prepare your own book for publication: special coaching package with Caryn for a volume of poetry, a novel, or a memoir includes 10 coaching sessions, detailed critique of your manuscript, and advice on publishing, readings, publicity, and otherwise getting your book out there. We'll get started by the delivery date.
Included Items
  • Coaching: Finish Your Book
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
0 out of 2 of claimed
A Song For You Or a Beloved

A Song For You Or a Beloved

$1,500 USD $2,000 USD (25% off)
Kelley Hunt, an international recording artist, and Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg write a song especially for you and/or your beloved, and Kelley records it on a CD sent to you. (Limit: 1)
Included Items
  • Song for Your or Your Beloved
Estimated Shipping
April 2018
0 out of 1 of claimed
Ships to United States of America

You may also be interested in

Up Caret