News from the Stillpoint

Recent posts Timepiece Flash Giveaway! “To Boldly Go”: Splitting Infinitives and Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Care Book Descriptions 101: Have I Got a Book for You! Book Covers 101: You CAN tell a book by its cover Book Marketing 101: What to do BEFORE you pay for ads

The Power — and the Study — of Myth

Angkor Wat In the latter half of the 20th century, mythologist Joseph Campbell’s vast body of work — from “The Hero With A Thousand Faces” in 1949 to the broadcast of “Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers” just months after his passing — resuscitated interest in comparative mythology, revitalizing the study … Continue reading The Power — and the Study — of Myth

Sail Away’s Maiden Voyage a Success

Author Jack Beritzhoff reads from his newly published memoir Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman Author Jack Beritzhoff reads from his newly published memoir Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman

August 5, Larkspur, CA. Jack Beritzhoff (93) didn’t start writing until he was ninety. Today, a packed house at Folio 949 listened to him read from his newly-published memoir, Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman and then lined up to have the “young. aspiring author” (as he described himself) read from his book of memories about the time that he served as a member of the US Merchant Marine from early in World War II through the Korean War.

Sail Away follows Beritzhoff from port to port, around the globe to five continents. “Jack’s a born storyteller,” said David Kudler, publisher of Stillpoint Digital Press. “It was fun to work with him. He brings a world at war to life through a series of charming vignettes rather than sweeping tales of battle or flying shrapnel. Sail Away is a view of epic events seen through a very human-sized, very bright window, offering glimpses of humor, humanity, and grace at the darkest of times.”

Sail Away Signing a Huge Success

August 5, Larkspur, CA. Jack Beritzhoff (93) didn’t start writing until he was ninety. Today, a packed house at Folio 949 listened to him read from his newly-published memoir, Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman and then lined up to have the “young. aspiring author” (as he described himself) read from his book of … Continue reading Sail Away Signing a Huge Success

Last Day of the Kickstarter Drive!

Today is the final day to help launch Stillpoint Digital Press’s first original title by contributing to the Kickstarter drive for Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman! We’ve already achieved our minimum funding goal thanks to the support of a wonderful group of backers. This guarantees that we’ll be able to get the book … Continue reading Last Day of the Kickstarter Drive!

The (Other) Little Death

My fourteen-year-old interviewed an artist yesterday for Fastforward, the local kids’ newspaper: a wonderful painter by the name of Helen Steele. I went along as chauffeur and photographer. Julia asked some great questions, which got Ms. Steele talking eloquently about the most interesting thing of all: her process as an artist. She talked about how … Continue reading The (Other) Little Death

Sail Away chapter: Sebastian

Sebastian A Chapter from Sail Away by Jack Beritzhoff It was a U.S. Army Hospital far up north on the northeastern Australian coast, near the outskirts of a small town called Townsville. It was a medical facility receiving many casualties from New Guinea and the islands. It was here where l was sent as a … Continue reading Sail Away chapter: Sebastian

Support Sail Away on Kickstarter

Stillpoint Digital Press has just launched a Kickstarter drive to underwrite publication of Sail Away—a memoir by Jack Beritzhoff, a 93-year-old former Merchant Marine sailor who sailed around the world from the beginning of World War II through the Korean War. To support creation of this new project, go to the Kickstarter.com page (see below). … Continue reading Support Sail Away on Kickstarter

Sail Away Kickstarter Project Successful

Thanks to a wonderful group of supporters, our Kickstarter drive to underwrite publication of Sail Away came successfully into port, exceeding our goal by 25%! To see the results of this new project, go to the Kickstarter.com page (see below). Thanks so to those of you who helped launch this worthy project. Not only have … Continue reading Sail Away Kickstarter Project Successful

Riverrun, to a Monitor Near You — Joyce Manuscripts Now Online

The Irish National Library has very quietly taken advantage of the entry this year into the public domain of the works of Irish novelist James Joyce by posting its horde of rare Joyce manuscripts on its online archive.