Today, HumorOutcasts Press is proud and excited to launch the first book from Ed Friedman I Will Not Be Ignored. It is available on Amazon in paperback and kindle editions. A hilarious read that is sure to delight you. Make it part of your summer reading! Today, we want to introduce you to author Ed Friedman.
Book Description: I Will Not Be Ignored combines fiction, non-fiction and opinion to create a humorous take on three aspects of the author’s thinking: his outlook on the proliferation of “current wisdom” so plentiful in the internet age; his imaginings, providing multiple answers to different versions of “what if?”, and his personal experience in navigating his own shortcomings, failures, and fears.
In the section of the book titled Things That Happened, we learn about Friedman’s lust for food he should be avoiding; his lack of any sense of direction behind the wheel; and his accumulation of medical specialists that seem to grow with each passing year. In the section Things That Could Happen, we find a man, Lou, possessed with a new power he doesn’t want; another man with a power he’s always wanted; and a machine that would solve a myriad of the world’s problems.
In the section Things I Think I Think, the author admonishes the American Automobile Association; provides some tough love to those seeking personal advice from the New York Times; and issues a wakeup call to people who get information on real estate over the internet.
This humor here is not meant to hurt but to tweak. And the person getting tweaked the most is undoubtedly the author. You can follow Ed Friedman on Facebook and his Amazon author page and his website https://edwrite1.com
Tell us about Ed Friedman
I was born and raised in the Bronx. I went to Hunter College and received a BA in Psychology. I went on to graduate school at Empire State University and completed a Masters in Liberal Studies (Gerontology and Theatre).
In my life, I have pursued two careers. My first professional path included serving older adults and their families. I was Program Director at a Senior Center, and Assistant Director of a Home Care program, and I created and facilitated a Caregiver Support Group.
My second career built on the skills of my first profession, and I became a Program Director at the Bronx Council of the Arts and President of a Community Theatre.
These positions forged a new passion when I co-founded Lifetime Arts, a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for older adults to be creative and to become social arts learners.
Theatre has always been so important to me in my adult life. I actually saw my first stage play when I was 21. I didn’t start acting until I was 29. I auditioned, with no experience, in a community theatre in the Bronx. I went from acting to directing and eventually to writing short plays. I wrote my first play when I was cast in a very small part in Taming of the Shrew where I had a lot of down time backstage. After many revisions and a title change, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes was produced.
In the ensuing years I’ve written over 40 (mostly) short plays. A few years ago, a publisher was looking for plays about older adults. I sent them what I had written which became the anthology Short Plays for Long Lives.
I continue to act and direct. I’m currently involved in a project called Dangerous at any Age. Five plays written, acted and directed by people over 60 (most of us are over 70).
I’m acting in one play, and directing one which I’ve written-Whose Keys Are They Anway?
What was the inspiration for this book?
During the pandemic, I started writing some short humor pieces, some of which I posted on Medium. Not being able to go anywhere I signed on for some on-line writing workshops which generated more short pieces. But what jump started the book was a course on linking your short stories into a collection. This was the first time I thought I might have a book here.
What was the greatest challenge in completing this book?
At first, I didn’t think I’d have enough material for a book, so I had to figure out a way I could include all the material while putting it into a frame that made sense. That’s how I came up with the three sections of the book.
What is the greatest joy you experienced in completing this book?
So far, it’s been the first moment I held the book in my hand.
What do you hope readers take away from this book?
I hope folks will be amused by what they read, and in some cases identify with some of my experiences. Mainly, my hope can be summed up by something that Aaron Sorkin wrote in The West Wing. He had one of his characters, a poet, say (and this is a partial quote) “An artist’s job is to captivate you for however long they’ve asked for your attention.”
Do you have other writing projects either ready to go or in the back of your mind?
I have a few plays and short stories that I’m revising, but the project that I’m thinking about is a compilation of short stories about relationships—familial, romantic, platonic.