News

07/15/08 - Garth to Race in the Mazda Grand Prix of Portland

FACT VS FICTION ON THE RACE TRACK Northwest authors race for the cup at the Mazda Grand Prix and join teams to support the Oregon Humane Society. Award-winning Northwest authors Garth "The Art of Racing in the Rain" Stein and Sam "Fast Guys, Rich Guys, and Idiots" Moses will be battling for bragging rights at the Mazda MX-5 Cup race at the Mazda Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday July 27th. While the MX-5 Cup race will have at least two dozen other racers, Sam and Garth are competing for bragging rights as the highest placed scribe. This race-within-a-race is generating intense interest both within the Oregon literary community, and auto racing folks. Some good natured trash talk between the competitors is already starting to build. Sam notes that "The graphics on our MX-5s will be our book jackets, which means my car will have a checkered flag on it, and Garth's car will feature a dog; tells you something about their drivers, right there." Garth observed that "Hemingway said, "The only three real sports are auto racing, mountain climbing and bull fighting. Well, I have great respect for my competitor, Sam Moses. But at the end of the day, he should stick to mountain climbing, because in the sport of auto racing, I will prove to be the champion, and Mount Hood isn't that far away...." Garth's novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain, (Harper) is currently on the New York Times bestseller list for fiction. Sam's 1986 epic, Fast Guys, Rich Guys, and Idiots, is considered a classic among racers and was re-released last year by the University of Nebraska Press. Fans of race cars, readers, journalists, idiots, and philosopher dogs, are encouraged to join the fun at Portland International Raceway and other venues in Portland. Thursday, July 24th from 6:00PM to 8:00PM: Sam and Garth will sign copies of their books at Auto Town Mazda (16903 SE McLoughlin Blvd. Milwaukie, OR) All proceeds from book sales that evening will be donated to the Oregon Humane Society (OHS). Friday July 25th: Sam and Garth will visit the Oregon Humane Society to meet their adoptable namesakes. This is in conjunction with the Mazda supported "Adopt-A Shelter Animal" program. Sunday, July 27th: Round #3 of the 2008 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, a feature race of the Mazda Grand Prix of Portland at the Portland International Raceway West Delta Park 1940 North Victory Boulevard Portland. The race will be at 12:30pm (PDT) Practice and qualifying will take place on July 25th and 26th. The race will be televised nationally on DirecTV & DISH Network beginning the week of August 18th with additional regional broadcasts. Tickets: $15/day. Visit the official event website for more information.

04/24/08 - The Art of Racing in the Rain Selected as Starbucks Book Pick for Summer, 2008

From Starbucks' website: Starbucks announced today the next title in its book program: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein – to published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers – a highly original, surprisingly moving novel of redemption narrated in the opinionated and insightful voice of an extraordinary dog, Enzo. Starting on May 13, 2008, the book will be offered at more than 7,000 Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) company-operated locations across the U.S. The Art of Racing in the Rain is the company’s first fiction selection by an emerging author. Read the whole story here.