No, I haven’t given up the writing for a life of indie rock. The legendary annual SXSW! - in which the best and brightest flood Austin, TX, with some brilliantly awesome tunage - has a literary component. And they’ve asked me to do a reading from The Sheikh’s Batmobile.

I’ll be reading from the “Stop Reading the News, Get In the Game: Syria” chapter, which tells of the week I spent in that country with a very bright video game developer named Radwan Kasmiya. Radwan makes first person shooters that are considered by many to be terrorist training tools. He thinks otherwise. The chapter highlights these tensions, and investigates the tit-for-tat pop-cultural battle Arab artists like Radwan are engaged in.

I’m reading on Tuesday, March 17, at 12:30. Further details here.

Yup, finally. The monster is complete. Sent the final manuscript to the powers-that-be, and we can expect published copies on the shelves - at least in Canada - on April 20, 2009. In lieu of champagne, please send beer.

This website is coming in for a major overhaul to accommodate all things Sheikh’s Batmobile. But in the meantime, this is still the best place to keep up to date on where I’ll be and when I’ll be there. Plenty of interesting talks and readings prior to the launch.