Knopf thought this was their kind of tree. We do, too.

Saturday at Noon Neil White will be signing Mississippi’s 100 Greatest Football Players with Kayo Dottley.

Neil tells the story in this Lemuria guest post:

Kayo Dottley ran a 9.7 second 100-yard dash in 1946. Two college coaches attended his high school graduation — Bear Bryant and Johnny Vaught. Both were desperate to sign Dottley. His father wanted him to sign with Bryant; his mother, Vaught. Kayo did what his mother said.

In 1948 at Ole Miss, Dottley rushed for 1000. But he and Vaught had a scare the following summer. Dottley’s name came up for the draft. Vaught wasn’t going to hear of his top running back going off to Korea. So the legendary coach let Dottley borrow his car so he could go sign up for the National Guard in his hometown — and stay in the U.S. for the following season. Once at the National Guard recruiting center, the officer in charge of physical fitness tests asked Dottley to do a deep knee bend. He bent down, winced with pain and let out a yelp (he’d injured his knee in practice).

When Dottley returned to Oxford, Vaught asked, “Did you get signed up?”

“No,” Dottley told him, “they said I was unfit for service.”

The following fall, Dottley rushed for 1,312 yards — still a single-season Ole Miss record.

As a rookie running back in the NFL, Dottley led the Chicago Bears in rushing. It’s a little-known fact that he was the first rookie ever asked to play in the Pro Bowl.

Kayo Dottley might very well be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame but for a freak accident on a windy Chicago night. As Dottley was waiting for his car outside a Chicago hotel, a drunken valet ran a car up on the curb and pinned Dottley’s legs between two cars.

George Halas, certain Dottley’s career was over, wrote that he was the finest running back he had ever coached.

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Meet the legend at noon on Saturday at Lemuria Bookstore in Jackson.

He’ll be signing Mississippi’s 100 Greatest Football Players of All Time (Nautilus: $45).

BeanFruit is something that everybody at Lemuria is really excited about. In this blog post we’re going to tell you a little bit about our own experience with BeanFruit coffee.

First, here’s Joe:

I know the exact day I met Paul Bonds. It was April 26 and I was selling books at a Millsaps event. Paul was there giving away coffee samples and once the event started and the crowd cleared out I made my way over to check it out. Two things – one, love at first sip, the coffee is amazing. Two, Paul is a great guy, unassuming, and the best representative for a coffee roasting company that I could imagine. Basically Paul is a coffee genius – sometimes when I’m drinking coffee I try to think of any coffee related questions I can imagine, but I can’t stump Paul. Not only does he have an answer, but he patiently explains things over and over until I get it – he’s a great teacher. One final thing – I keep telling Paul that he has changed my life but he just shrugs me off. But seriously – everyday I get to wake up to the purest, freshest (he stamps the roasting date on each bag) most lovingly picked and roasted cup of coffee imaginable. Pretty great.

Here is a little blurb to tell you more about BeanFruit:

BeanFruit Coffee Company is small roasting company located in Flowood, Mississippi. They select & roast high quality coffee from around the globe. BeanFruit Coffee Co. is Mississippi’s only Fair Trade Certified roaster & primarily works with small farms and/or Fair Trade farms ensuring that the producers at origin receive a fair price for their coffee. They focus on offering high quality Single Origin/Single Estate coffees. BeanFruit Coffee Co. believes in keeping the spotlight on the coffee farmers where it is rightly deserved & works diligently to build a connection between the producer and the end consumer.

BeanFruit Coffee has a heart for the local & international community. They donate 15 cents of each pound of green coffee purchased to We Will Go Ministries in downtown Jackson, Mississippi & Grounds for Health a non-profit who provides cervical cancer screenings & treatment for women of coffee producing countries. Paul, the roaster at BeanFruit Coffee, believes that every cup of coffee we enjoy tells a story about a country, a person, their hard work and sacrifice. Hence their motto: Coffee. Character. Cause

Lisa: I was not a coffee drinker until I drank BeanFruit. So not only has the world of coffee been opened up for me, but I have forever impressed my sweetie with a new coffee. Right now, Lemuria is really busy and we had a late night with David Sedaris. All I can think is that I wish I had a cup of BeanFruit. But that we’ll be remedied, at least for tomorrow. Paul will be setting up a coffee tasting bar in Banner Hall right outside of Lemuria. You can learn all about the coffee and taste the different beans. Lemuria is also proud to announce that on Saturday we start selling BeanFruit Whole Bean Coffee in the store.

Join us and Paul at the coffee tasting bar in Banner Hall on Saturday from 10:30 – 3:00. See you there!

Click here to learn more about BeanFruit Coffee.

Hey, fellow Lemuria fans! We’d like to introduce ourselves as our favorite bookstore’s newest neighbors up on the third floor. Our family-run studio, Creative Distillery, provides design and writing for brands. You may have seen Darren’s graphic and web design for Cups Espresso Cafe and Melia’s writing for the Jackson Free Press.

Today between 5:30 and 8 pm, you’re invited to our Happy Hour & Office Preview following the David Sedaris reading. Enter to the left of Barnette’s on the second floor, come up the stairs, and enjoy some wine and Mangia Bene hot appetizers. We’ve been renovating our high-ceiling office for the past few months and are eager to show you around. Half the office is dedicated to the Creative Loft, a coworking space for creative professionals. Desks are available to rent month-to-month, with access to shared spaces like the conference room and kitchen. It’s a great opportunity for someone who’s self-employed or works remotely. (Read more about coworking.)

We couldn’t be happier to be near our friends at Lemuria. For years, Melia was on staff at an independent bookstore in her hometown of Sonoma, California, and Lemuria feels like home.

Look forward to meeting you!

Creative Distillery
www.creative-distillery.com
Suite 302, Banner Hall

“All good things, as they say in the trade, must come to an end sooner or later. Please accept my genuine, my honest and heartfelt thank you for the kindness that you have displayed to me during my 58 years. It has been one genuine pleasure to be associated with such a magnificent university.”

– Jack Cristil, Feb. 23, 2011

Voice of the MSU Bulldogs is signed by the author Sid Salter and Jack Cristil.

To reserve a copy of Voice of the MSU Bulldogs for IN-STORE PICK-UP or for UPS delivery, please call the store at 601.366.7619.

You may also place an order for UPS delivery on our website by clicking here.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call!

Liz Sullivan is our Random House/Double Day rep, and we were lucky enough to have her join us for Chuck’s Damned Night. Liz also writes a blog about her Adventures in Book Land with another friend who also works in the publishing industry. I enjoy reading their unique perspectives, and Gianna and Liz are also funny! Inspired by Liz’s ambition to read every Chuck book before the event, Gianna is now inspired to read every Danielle Steele book. At last count, I think that’s about 178 books! Read about their Adventures in Book Land here.

Liz kindly allowed us to republish her blog. Here’s what she had to say about meeting Chuck Palahniuk and the whole Damned Day and Night. -Lisa

After reading ten Chuck Palahniuk books in under three weeks, on Thursday the actual Damned event d-day arrived. I picked up Chuck and his publicist Todd at 8:45 Thursday morning and we joined Lemuria’s blog goddess Lisa and my boss Valerie at the Eudora Welty House for a 9 o’clock tour.

Lisa, Liz, Valerie, Chuck, Todd, and Eudora's niece Mary Alice

Welty house expert Karen Redhead and Eudora’s niece Mary Alice White met us there and we received the VIP treatment. If you’re going to Jackson, the Welty House should be on your agenda. It’s close to my version of paradise; books are everywhere, the house is a quaint style with great windows and architectural lines, and there was even a cat out front. The gardens are lovely too, but I’m sure that I’d just manage to kill the plants. It didn’t even have a shower; just a bath. You should know by now that I love my soaks. Also, Eudora’s literary awards are under glass so you can’t lift her Pulitzer. Sorry.

Chuck in Eudora's garden

Chuck seemed to really enjoy the tour. He likes to view other writer’s homes and writing spaces because it helps him connect to their writing. He spent extra time in the gardens. The Welty house was an excellent way to begin the day, a bit of quiet that would progressively amp up until the climax that night.

Helloooooooo Nurse!

From Eudora’s place we drove to Lemuria Bookstore. Chuck was treated like a celebrity upon entering the store. How did this event happen? Zita, one of the Lemuria booksellers, is the biggest Chuck Palahniuk fan I’ve ever met. The first time I met her several years ago, she was reserved until I mentioned that there was a new Chuck book on the list I was selling, and she animated like Wakko Warner spotting Hello Nurse (yes, that’s an Animaniacs reference. I love the Animaniacs.) When I sold Damned in the spring, John Evans, the buyer and store owner, mentioned that they’d never hosted Chuck. Joe, the store events guy, added Chuck to their events requests and I talked to Todd, Chuck’s publicist. John and Joe talked up a Chuck event at BEA (Book Expo America), too. Todd thought it was a good opportunity and we set a date. And then the Lemuria staff went to work.

Chuck books everywhere you look at Lemuria...including the Penguin Classics spinner. Sweet.

Back to Zita. She is a Chuck Palahniuk super-fan. Her love of Chuck spread among the staff and when I next visited Lemuria to sell the spring list, it seemed like everyone there was reading and talking about Chuck. They were talking about Madison, the protagonist for Damned, and they were talking about his older books. We started talking about event ideas, and about making Damned one of the Lemuria first editions club picks. When Chuck walked into Lemuria on Thursday, the hug Zita and Chuck shared was one of the best moments I’ve witnessed in Book Land. It was perfect.

Damned print made for the big event

One would have to have been blind to set foot in Lemuria and not to know about the Damned event (and why would a blind person spend a lot of time in a bookstore?). Chuck books, Damned posters and bookmarks, Damned t-shirts–there was Damned stuff EVERYWHERE. They featured a display of Chuck’s favorite books and authors, you know, for some variety. I take some secret joy in knowing that other publishers’ reps have been walking into Lemuria to sell books and they’ve been staring at Chuck (and therefore Random House) endorsements for hours. Yes, I am that competitive.

High School fan.

While at Lemuria, Zita acted as store hostess and helped Chuck sign books and meet-and-greet a class of high school students. One kid wore a buffalo hat. Yeah, he’s definitely read a Chuck book or two in the past.

After making memories with some high schoolers (get your minds out of the gutter, pervs!), Chuck returned to the hotel, and Valerie, Todd, and I ate lunch and drove to Hal and Mal’s, the venue for the evening event. Hal and Mal’s is an old warehouse that’s been converted into a restaurant and entertainment venue. The space is huge, and almost all of it was dominated by the Chuck preparations. Hal and Mal are Zita’s uncle and father, and apparently she’d basically lived at the place for the last week decorating for the event. The effort was obvious. In addition to the book reading, Lemuria coordinated with other local businesses to make the night a huge JX RX (Jackson Rocks) event in support of local businesses. From Hal and Mal’s to Cathead Vodka, to local artists, to the Parlor Market restaurant, to bands, the community bonded over the event and helped spread the word.

Art Show Devil--very cool.

In one room at Hal and Mal’s, an art show inspired by Damned covered the walls. Devils and images of hell and violence covered the walls. If I’d had $1,500 to spare, I would have purchased one of the pieces. They were all very cool, and the art show was a great idea as a passive way to entertain people (and hopefully sell some local art) before the show started.

Stale popcorn ball.

And then there was the room where Chuck would be speaking. It’s HUGE. And every part of it was decorated like the hell from Damned, no detail overlooked. In Chuck’s hell, stale popcorn balls and candy are the only foods, and Zita made popcorn balls and hung them from the ceiling. In hell, The English Patient movie plays round-the-clock. Done. Light bulbs were switched for red lights. Staffers and fans dressed in costumes. While Chuck was still in the hotel giving phone interviews, Valerie and I took pictures of the empty space and ate a quick dinner in the restaurant at Hal and Mal’s, and by the time we left to pick up Chuck and Todd from the hotel, the crowd was already building, two hours before the main event and over an hour before the doors opened.

Packed house in hell.

When we drove back to Hal and Mal’s with the author and publicist in tow, we couldn’t even find a parking space. PACKED house. Chuck and Todd went inside to set up while Valerie and I parked, and then we joined them backstage, where Todd was blowing up an inflatable skeleton and Chuck was inflating a brain. Chuck likes to play games with his crowds. I peeked around the curtain and indeed what I saw was my version of hell–hundreds of drinking, rowdy people anxiously crowding a stage to see their literary hero and have a good time. (I don’t like crowds). John, the owner of Lemuria, introduced Zita, and then Zita introduced Chuck.

Chuck on stage with an inflated brain.

Chuck Palahniuk the performer is the consummate crowd manipulator. It’s fascinating to watch him push them into a raucous frenzy and then instantly calm them with an insight into humanity. He told a graphic and disgustingly hilarious story about being a candystriper as a 13 year-old Catholic going through confirmation classes, and the lesson learned was both appropriate…and dirty (I’m not going to give it away since Chuck may be using the story at all of his events). Then he threw out hundreds of inflatable brains to the crowd in a game and generated the hysteria…only to settle the crowd once more as he read an original story written for the tour. Chuck spoke for over an hour, never letting up. People pay $60+ for tickets to hear A-List comedians, yet Chuck’s performance is so much more than that, and longer, and for the Jackson crowd on Thursday night, free.

Chuck with Madison from Damned, aka Maggie.

So what’s Chuck Palahniuk like in real life? He’s quiet and unassuming and highly intelligent. He has a wicked sense of humor and a great appreciation for absurdity, but he’s also sensitive to feelings and kind. He’s a generous donor for charities including animal no-kill shelters (he’s recently donated the coffee table from the movie Fight Club to auction as a fundraiser for The Pixie Project) and he’s a champion of other authors and their books. I talked to him about the animal sex capitol of the world and a zombie convention while we were driving from Eudora Welty’s house to Lemuria, but it was a totally normal conversation. No, really, it was. He reminded me of some of my most hilarious friends, the kind of guy you want to ask to dinner and the kind of guy who can tell a good fart story over dessert in the hotel after a huge event and long day.

Thank you to the Lemuria staff, the Jackson local businesses, Random House, and Chuck Palahniuk for making the Damned book night possible. I’m glad that I was able to participate. It was a great night to be a part of Book Land.

Chuck and Zita

At the end of the interview, Chuck Palahniuk asked if we’d mind if he plugged something he cares a lot about–animal rescue. All over the country animal shelters have had  to deal with more and more animals being abandoned due to financial hardship.

Lemurians have a long history of working with animal shelters in the area, namely Pat who has worked at Lemuria for over 18 years. When she’s not at Lemuria, she’s helping the City of Jackson Animal Shelter. It seemed natural for us to devote a separate blog post to the cause.

Here’s what Chuck has to say:

I’d like to plug a topic that lies very close to my cold, dead raisin of a heart.

In 1998, during the filming of “Fight Club” I teased the director David Fincher about the fact that he couldn’t use actual Ikea furniture in his film. Due to copyright liability, 20th Century Fox had to hire artists to make very expensive, slightly differing copies of the furniture in question. This included a hand-made, two-thousand-dollar version of the “Yin Yang” coffee table which sold at Ikea for, like, sixteen dollars. Actually, the artist had to make three: One was exploded, one was partially burned and is visible in the post-fire wreckage of the narrator’s condo, but the third is the table clearly visible in the long panning shot that’s designed to suggest a catalogue page. It’s this third, pristine, table that Fincher sent me as a joke. It has sat in my office for a decade, and this fall it will be auctioned for charity.

Amy Hempel

As the economy falters, record numbers of dogs and cats are being abandoned. My only hero, the glorious writer and person Amy Hempel, has written an astounding essay on the situation and on her volunteer work to rescue animals. Please watch for Amy’s essay, “A Full-Service Shelter”, in the next issue of Electric Literature, but be warned: It will hurt to read.

Although I adore my stupid hand-made table, all the money raised by its sale will go to a no-kill shelter called “The Pixie Project.” Edward Norton is also donating auction items related to the “Fight Club” film, and our hope is that these animals, as Marla Singer would say, “… once loved intensely, and now dumped at the side of the road…” will find lives and futures to share in new homes.

For more information, please check out the Pixie Project at www.pixieproject.org

I’ll shut up now.

-Chuck Palahniuk

Join us at Hal & Mal’s tonight. Get the details & times here.