D.H. in an e-mail: only on page 33. and laughed out loud twice.
K.K. on Facebook: I’m in a swoon over my favorite old Junker.
DeWitt Henry reviewing on Amazon: Amongst the charm, the spleen, the flapdoodle and lived personal and literary insights there are two deeply moving thoughts of mortality that are worthy of standing as prose poems. The first, near the opening, is “Curtains” (“there will be some twists, some messy business, then the curtain falls”); the second, “Portrait,” closes the book (“life had taken its toll…but the eyes are resolute; you may look into them and see my unfathomable sadness and sorrow”). They frame an epigramatic collage that wittily captures an editor/writer’s personality and culture. Disclosure: I am honored to be mentioned in it as “mon semblable, mon frere.”
J.K. in a handwritten letter: Reading it was a lot like popping corn—one of my favorite pastimes. & I entirely enjoyed it. What’s most remarkable is how you catch the voice of…well…you. Plus, there’s a ton of interesting information.
C.K.W. in an e-mail: …your marvelous collection of ideas and factoids is not only useful, but refreshing and just zany enough to keep me smiling each time I recall an entry….there were sweet, tender moments as well….I too would have wanted a cup of lemonade from your young neighbor. Honestly, that brought a tear to my eye (however, it is allergy season, so it was not a difficult tear to produce). And Howard, I share in your sadness about not fitting into the coffee generation….it’s tea or cocoa for me as well. I will use your art entries time and again, for easy reference in my struggle to become astute in this area. But, most of all, as a writer, I’ve continued to appreciate your candor with all of us…what really goes down behind the editor’s door…I laughed out loud (at two in the morning) about letting manuscripts ‘age’ so writers felt you had considered their work for a time…you are sweet after all. And since I was a reader at Zoetrope, I enjoyed your poke at their slush pile, which really is ridiculous and completely unnecessary… Keep taking your walk-abouts and ranting and pushing us all to think. You are a true original, brilliant and silly…two of my favorite words.
M. Lucey Bowen reviewing on Amazon: Howard has done it again. He’s his own Boswell. He has also demonstrated how books and blogs should co-exist. The movie-reel feel of Junker’s blog becomes in book form something ordered, something that can be consulted for the Junker take on personalities and events. Wicked fun stuff!
Janine Smith reviewing on Amazon: From the title, I thought this might be Junker’s musings on growing older. Not at all, it’s about everything. Memories, criticisms, commentary–every entry is different and they’re all interesting. Sometimes funny, sometimes not, but always thought-provoking.
J.F. in an e-mail: reading over a messy burrito in the backroom of the gallery i chuckled over your story of Zero de SF……..somehow a perfect Junker moment……
K.G.S. on FB: The section on Twitter cracked me up.
T.I. in an e-mail: … read almost non-stop with enormous pleasure! Engaging and illuminating—what a life! Thank you for sharing your adventures.
