Ever since I’ve known Howard, he’s been dead. So begins author Patricia Kambitsch’s memoir, Looks Like Howard,
a story about how her father, despite his untimely death, thrives
through the collective memories and imagination of his widow and six
children.

Two events in Cleveland will celebrate the release of Looks Like Howard:
● 10 am to noon, Saturday, April 19, at The Lit
located in the ArtCraft Building, 2570 Superior Avenue, Suite 203: Book
signing, reading, and author reception. Workshop presented by author
titled “Truth, Lies and Memoir: The Shady Experience of Writing and
Sharing Personal Nonfiction.” Cost: $55 per person. Writing a memoir
can be tricky business. How reliable is “the truth” when memories fade,
inner critics taunt and fears of offending loved ones threaten to
silence the writer along the way? Included in this hands-on writing
workshop are tips, strategies and structures for creating personal
narratives based on memory. Call 216-694-0000 for more info.

● 8
p.m. Saturday, April 19, at Visible Voice Books, 1023 Kenilworth Ave.
Reading and multimedia performances with characters in the memoir --
including members of Kambitsch’s own family. Observe such Kambitsch
family antics as the “Dirty Word Scrabble and Sing-Along” in action.
Guest performers include Cleveland memoirist Anna Kiss. Call
216-961-0084.

The quirky Kambitsch family also comes on life in
Patricia Kambitsch’s memoir, in which questions of what really happened
to Howard, the mild-mannered über-geek hero, give way to fantasy
suspicions that include the next-door neighbor who was last seen with
her father, secret government projects and alien abduction. Truer tales
range from graveside family antics to playing Jesus on the sidewalk.
Growing up in the shadow of grief never sounded so funny.

“Kambitsch
writes with the neurotic wackiness of an Anne Lamott. She has a droll
wit that reminded me of Anna Quindlen. Kambitsch is the real deal,”
wrote Dayton Daily News book critic Vick Mickunas. “The book rises up and clamps right down on our funnybones.”

As
one of 13 brothers and sisters growing up in Dayton, Ohio, Kambitsch
triumphs over the chaos of her Cold War childhood by telling dark and
funny stories about her unsuspecting family.

“In a world where sticky sentimentality is the norm, Looks Like Howard
is a completely irreverent, original, funny, poignant romp through the
wicked imagination of the author -- an imagination that finds Howard
nowhere and, in a heartbeat, everywhere,” wrote Barry Heermann, author
of Noble Purpose and Team Spirit.

Kambitsch
also is an educator and advocate for the arts. She is offering
workshops on themes related to her book, such as grief, humor and
healing, as well as truth and lies in memoir writing.

Her other projects include the farcical self-published ‘zine, Fallen Away,
which won Kambitsch a national following among recovering Catholics.
She also is the host and facilitator of several long-standing
participatory arts events in Dayton, including an interdisciplinary
arts salon, creative arts workshops, expressive dance events, and
writers’ groups. She resides part-time in the Dayton area and part-time
in Toronto with her husband, Peter Jones.

Link: http://www.kambitsch.com