The Books
Buckeye’s Ballet (a novel)
Elected president for his entertainment value, Buckeye keeps the spotlight on the White House. When his Russian cronies propose building a dam across the Bering Strait to counteract global warming, he agrees to champion the collaborative project in exchange for the best seats at the Bolshoi Ballet on his next trip to Moscow.
Creating the dam is as simple as it is ominous. Just tap volcanic matter by super fracking at record depths beneath the sea floor, add to the magma the endless supply of trash from the Lower 48, chill the meld into a wall across the Strait, and ignore the seismic warnings of earthquakes to come.
The Alaska boom town spawned by the dam project lures an array of ne’er-do-well optimists chasing opportunities—the madam of a time-share brothel, a love-tainted doomsday preacher, the first bitch on a globe-trotting TV reality show, an old-school bookie from Prague, a delicately imbalanced psychotherapist from upper crust New York, a reclusive hit man from Great Slave Lake, and a polar bear out of sync with the seasons.
Even “H,” the first lady, visits the ninth wonder of the world where she discovers her singular talent for piloting a yacht full of school children over the world’s first synthetic tsunami.
Buckeye’s Ballet—satire, farce, and whimsical science fiction—is cast with quirky comic characters who mimic and spoof the petty agendas of world leaders.
Creating the dam is as simple as it is ominous. Just tap volcanic matter by super fracking at record depths beneath the sea floor, add to the magma the endless supply of trash from the Lower 48, chill the meld into a wall across the Strait, and ignore the seismic warnings of earthquakes to come.
The Alaska boom town spawned by the dam project lures an array of ne’er-do-well optimists chasing opportunities—the madam of a time-share brothel, a love-tainted doomsday preacher, the first bitch on a globe-trotting TV reality show, an old-school bookie from Prague, a delicately imbalanced psychotherapist from upper crust New York, a reclusive hit man from Great Slave Lake, and a polar bear out of sync with the seasons.
Even “H,” the first lady, visits the ninth wonder of the world where she discovers her singular talent for piloting a yacht full of school children over the world’s first synthetic tsunami.
Buckeye’s Ballet—satire, farce, and whimsical science fiction—is cast with quirky comic characters who mimic and spoof the petty agendas of world leaders.
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes (essays)
The informal essays of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes follow our daily quests across the city, highway and airport, through mountains, cinemas and the potholes of popular culture. With a satirical smile, this potpourri questions the familiar valuables from our everyday lives—our heroes, myths and dreams, our politics, media and materialism. In other words, the stuff we put our faith in and, so, the stuff we sometimes lose faith in, including the technology that has yet to rescue us.
Small Worlds winks to readers who like to laugh at themselves while shaking their heads at others who share their foibles—readers who prefer to savor the serious in its lighter flavors.
Small Worlds winks to readers who like to laugh at themselves while shaking their heads at others who share their foibles—readers who prefer to savor the serious in its lighter flavors.
CONTENTS OF SMALL WORLDS AND EVERYDAY HEROES
Cell Phones and Cigarettes
(From last century’s to this century’s fashionable addiction)
Save Money, Live Better
(There is nothing that cannot be bought on sale.)
Fishing the Interstate
(The tawdry “travel plaza” under bright lights)
Jesus, the Pedestrian, and the Least of Our Brethren
(Today’s second-class citizens warily walking small-city America)
Our Everyday Heroes
(Aren’t there just too many of us?)
Remembering Armistice, No, Veterans Day
(Or forgetting the armistice, the war that it ended, and the century that followed)
Blood Lust, Mythic Heroes, and the Peace of Beowulf
(Getting uncomfortable with our violent humanity)
Back to the Dream
(Elkhorn, Montana, 1870-2____?)
Shakespeare, Seattle, and the Enduring Heroine of Romantic Comedy
(Today’s rom-com as political asylum)
Small Heroes in No Place Like Home
(From faith to myth in the The Wizard of Oz)
Cell Phones and Cigarettes
(From last century’s to this century’s fashionable addiction)
Save Money, Live Better
(There is nothing that cannot be bought on sale.)
Fishing the Interstate
(The tawdry “travel plaza” under bright lights)
Jesus, the Pedestrian, and the Least of Our Brethren
(Today’s second-class citizens warily walking small-city America)
Our Everyday Heroes
(Aren’t there just too many of us?)
Remembering Armistice, No, Veterans Day
(Or forgetting the armistice, the war that it ended, and the century that followed)
Blood Lust, Mythic Heroes, and the Peace of Beowulf
(Getting uncomfortable with our violent humanity)
Back to the Dream
(Elkhorn, Montana, 1870-2____?)
Shakespeare, Seattle, and the Enduring Heroine of Romantic Comedy
(Today’s rom-com as political asylum)
Small Heroes in No Place Like Home
(From faith to myth in the The Wizard of Oz)
Buckeye’s Ballet and Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes are available at these websites:
Paperback edition of Buckeye’s Ballet at BookBaby Bookshop:
Buckeye's Ballet by William Kamowski | BookShop (bookbaby.com)
Paperback edition of Buckeye’s Ballet at Amazon:
Buckeye's Ballet (1): Kamowski, William: 9781543919936: Amazon.com: Books
Kindle edition of Buckeye’s Ballet:
Buckeye's Ballet - Kindle edition by Kamowski, William. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Nook edition of Buckeye’s Ballet:
Buckeye's Ballet by William Kamowski | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
Paperback edition of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes at BookBaby Bookshop:
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes by William Kamowski | BookShop (bookbaby.com)
Paperback edition of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes at Amazon:
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes: Kamowski, William: 9781098340841: Amazon.com: Books
Kindle edition of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes:
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes - Kindle edition by Kamowski, William. Humor & Entertainment Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Nook edition of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes:
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes by William Kamowski | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
Paperback edition of Buckeye’s Ballet at BookBaby Bookshop:
Buckeye's Ballet by William Kamowski | BookShop (bookbaby.com)
Paperback edition of Buckeye’s Ballet at Amazon:
Buckeye's Ballet (1): Kamowski, William: 9781543919936: Amazon.com: Books
Kindle edition of Buckeye’s Ballet:
Buckeye's Ballet - Kindle edition by Kamowski, William. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Nook edition of Buckeye’s Ballet:
Buckeye's Ballet by William Kamowski | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
Paperback edition of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes at BookBaby Bookshop:
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes by William Kamowski | BookShop (bookbaby.com)
Paperback edition of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes at Amazon:
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes: Kamowski, William: 9781098340841: Amazon.com: Books
Kindle edition of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes:
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes - Kindle edition by Kamowski, William. Humor & Entertainment Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Nook edition of Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes:
Small Worlds and Everyday Heroes by William Kamowski | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)