FORKS on Tour 2014—Near You?

FORKS Tour Van at Loading Dock in Columbus with a pallet of FORKS loaded and ready for the tour!

FORKS Tour Van at Loading Dock in Columbus with a pallet of FORKS loaded and ready for the tour!

A quick update regarding my new book FORKS—A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection. Three Years. Five Continents. One Motorcycle.

As a small (let’s say tiny) independent publisher with no staff, but fortunate to have an amazing group of friends, volunteers, and others interested in helping me get FORKS on to more tables and more publicity (and sales), I’ve been able to start an ad-hoc and grass-roots book tour this week.

This summer I will be traveling all over the country and attending author events or participating as part of larger events or festivals and sharing FORKS through talks, demonstrations and book signings. All of these events are happening organically and on-the-fly. That means, if you have an idea, contact or otherwise know of a potential place where I could go and meet-and-greet and share FORKS, please share.

The schedule will change and I will post updates here on my blogs as well as on the WorldRider Facebook Page; please go and “like” it if you haven’t already. Also, I’ll be posting on Instagram often, so if you are on Instagram, please follow me.

Here’s what is what is scheduled to date (some locations i don’t have dates locked in but hope to soon).

July 11-13, 2014
Columbus, Ohio
Ohio Wine Festival @ North Market


ohio-wine-festival-north-marketThis started last night and I was celebrity guest where I helped two of the 21 local wineries participating pour wine for the local Ohio people in attendance. Today, I will have a table and sign books. On Sunday I am working with a local restaurant to demonstrate how to make one of the recipes in FORKS

July 20, 2014
Pittsburgh, Pennsyvania
Narcisi Winery & Restaurant

Just about 10 miles this local winery run by an Italian family is hosting an author event where I will meet and greet and sign books. The grounds of this winery are beautiful and will make for a beautiful Sunday afternoon setting for connecting with local Pittsburgh residents.

Dates to be confirmed. The following venues have agreed to host an event, we just need to coordinate logistics with dates and travel time—I’m driving the FORK Tour Van to all these cities. I have the motorcycle and cases of books loaded, it’s just a matter of driving distances and maximizing the time and making as many stops and appearances along the way.

Date to be confirmed
Detroit, Michigan
Green Dot Stables

Date to be confirmed
Charlotte, North Carlolina
Atherton Market

Date to be confirmed
McLean, Virginia
The Organic Butcher

Date to be confirmed
St. Louis, Missouri
The Royale, Food & Spirits

Will I see you this summer at any of these locations? Let me know!

There’s More.
Here are a list of cities I would LOVE to visit and coordinate an event if the timing makes sense. I have found in each of these cities a local who has helped me make contact with the venue and in many cases with the local media/press and bloggers. Key to these events, of course, is getting the word out.

So if you live near or know anyone in the following cities who might be interested in connecting me with a local business/venue to partner with, please let me know.

  • Asheville, North Carolina
  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Indianapolis, Indiana,
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Madison, Wisconsin (already working on this, but thought I would throw it out here)

While I doubt I will be able to visit each of these cities, I hope to do as much as physically possible. So please shout out to me if you have an idea—even if from a city not on this list. These likely are driving to and from locations and there are places in between that would be fun to stop and visit. Again, think organic planning as long as logistics and distances make sense.

From these cities, the tour will head west. So there are other cities I would like to hit once I finish the eastern, central states.

So things are coming together quickly and with little time for formal planning, but thanks to everyone helping, the FORKS on Tour ’14 is happening.

Hope to see you this summer.