What a whirlwind the last 10 days have been! Visiting wonderful independent book sellers & meeting new and familiar faces along the way, chatting with fans, and enjoying vibrant Q&A’s with audiences in 9 cities! We even squeezed in a national Democratic Debate viewing together!

We finish the East Coast leg at the Free Philadelphia Library tonight at 7:30pm, then we’re off to the West Coast! First up is Los Angeles and the John Sayles Film Retrospective hosted by American Cinematheque and UCLA’s Film & Television Archive. From February 13th-17th, 10 John Sayles films will be presented on the big screen, with John himself in attendance for Q&A’s between screenings each day. He’ll also be signing his new novel YELLOW EARTH prior to each event (copies of the book will be available for sale at the screenings). Please come on out for one, two….or all 10 movies with us!

On February 18th we’ll pick-up YELLOW EARTH readings again, starting at Diesel Books in Santa Monica, followed by multiple stops through the end of February, including in the Pacific Northwest See the full YELLOW EARTH West Coast book tour schedule here

And please follow along with us on Facebook Twitter Instagram for daily updates!

CLICK HERE FOR YELLOW EARTH TOUR SCHEDULE AND DETAILS

Our friend Mary Cybulski snapped this one at the Guilford Library where the YELLOW EARTH tour began last night. John packed the community room and sold out of all the books supplied by the new owners of Breakwater Books. Note the hand in the foreground is holding a vintage copy of UNION DUES. It’s going to be a busy February indeed, and we hope you can join us at a reading! – Maggie

American Cinematheque will be hosting a John Sayles film retrospective in LA. from February 13 to 17.  The 5-day event will feature 10 Sayles films, including the L.A. debut of the newly-restored 1987 classic MATEWAN!  John Sayles will be in attendance each day for Q&A sessions in between films, and he’ll also be signing copies of his new book “YELLOW EARTH”.  As fans know, John Sayles is a writer of all trades.  Here’s a rare opportunity to meet John wearing 3 hats in one day – as screenwriter, as director, and as novelist! Click here to see Screening details including locations

A powerful collaboration between John Sayles (writer) and Alejandro Springall (producer/director), SONORA is available in the US only on Pantaya.com, but it is playing all around the world on Neflix. Alejandro has heard from viewers from Egypt and India who really connect with the movie. UNESCO Latin America has championed the film with invitations to their conferences in Panama and Mexico City. And Alejandro was invited by Sub-Commandante Marcos (now Sub-Commandante Galleano) to show the film for Zapatistas and others in Chiapas, Mexico. Maybe Alejandro will send us some photos to post!

John recently sat down with “Movies ‘Til Dawn” blogger and podcast host, Ray DeFelitta, for a riveting discussion about John’s indie-film career. The conversation is filled with great anecdotes and plenty of insight about John not only as director, but writer and editor also. Among the films they delve into are RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7, HONEYDRIPPER, AMIGO, and MATEWAN. John also describes working with the iconic cinematographer Haskell Wexler, adapting to digital editing, and what is expected of and appreciated about many of the seasoned actors he casts.

To listen please visit:

https://www.moviestildawnpodcast.com/

Happy New Year from John & Maggie and the Anarchists’ Convention team!

The new decade is off to a great start for us with the release of John Sayles’ 5th novel, “Yellow Earth”. Set in the early 2000’s, the story delves into the havoc that ensues after shale oil is discovered under the fictional North Dakota town of Yellow Earth, and its neighbor, Three Nations Indian reservation.

And a new book means we’re going on the road! We’re very excited to be kicking-off the “Yellow Earth” book tour at the end of this month in nearby Guilford, CT. We’ll continue touring throughout February, with John doing daily readings and Q&A’s at bookstores and libraries up and down both coasts!  Please see the Events page for more “Yellow Earth” book tour information and details. And if you’re in the area come out and see us, we’d love to meet you at a signing!

“In his densely textured, overtly political fifth novel, the acclaimed director and screenwriter recounts what happens when shale oil is discovered beneath an Indian reservation in the North Dakota badlands and crowds of outsiders descend.” —New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/31/books/review/new-this-week.html

“Mr. Sayles writes with such verve and colloquial humor that even the most esoteric issues brighten with fascination….Mr. Sayles superbly dramatizes the man-made disruptions in his novel’s small pond, but in a book motored by anarchy the most unsettling section occurs when the boom goes bust, bringing “Yellow Earth” to a surprisingly quiet conclusion: the depiction of a modern-day ghost town.” —Wall Street Journal

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fiction-little-boom-town-on-the-prairie-11578067376

“Without falling prey to false “both sides” equivocation, Sayles masterfully balances and gives fair hearings to competing agendas and doesn’t shy away from the ugly side of human nature; by the same token, he doesn’t give in to cynicism or despair. What animates his fiction is curiosity about different kinds of people and their experiences, and an imagination expansive enough to portray their inner lives. He doesn’t fetishize diversity, but his stories are naturally diverse as a result of his engaged interest in the world around him. Now entering the fifth decade of his career, Sayles remains a standard-bearer for the American novel.” —Slant Magazine

https://www.slantmagazine.com/books/review-john-sayles-yellow-earth-a-masterfully-fair-hearing-on-human-nature/

“Yellow Earth” is published by Haymarket ($28, hardcover) and will be available in stores and online starting January 28th.

This Thursday, December 12, John Sayles will be participating in a panel discussion moderated by George Stephanopoulos about the life and career of John Cassevetes. Please come out for this event at 3 West Club, 3 West 51st Street, in New York City at 6:00 PM. Follow the link below for tickets.

This Saturday, November 23rd, John Sayles will introduce Haskell Wexler’s iconic film MEDIUM COOL as the Academy Film Archives celebrates the film’s 50th Anniversary. The screening will take place November 23rd at 2:30 PM at the Metrograph Theater in NYC and is open to the general public. Click here for details and tickets:

https://metrograph.com/film/film/2339/medium-cool

Join Writer and Director John Sayles at the Madison Art Cinema on November 21st at 7:45 PM for a screening of his film MATEWAN followed by a Q&A. Click here for more details:

http://www.madisonartcinemas.com/page?id=12295