Archive for Explorers Club
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” –Winston Churchill
What better time to reflect upon the strategy and results than at the beginning of a new year? Every author hopes that their never-ending pursuit of success will net a bestseller. That didn’t happen. Of course, it didn’t help that my book was not in the bookstores for over six months—and is still working its way into outlets nationwide. This is normal protocol when changing publishers. Nevertheless, I still rejoice 2008 as a successful year. (Obviously I’m not referring to my financial portfolio!)
I’m referring to the enriching experiences that money cannot buy:
· Receiving an award from the New England Book Festival for Alive the Andrea Doria. The award is for general excellence and passionately telling a story, as well as for the book’s potential to be read by wide audiences.
· Doing a presentation at the elite venue, The Explorers Club of New York.
( www.explorers.org) it was a thrill to be considered an authority on my topic, along with world-renowned marine scientists. I was also in the company of nine divers of the Andrea Doria!
· Speaking for many warm and welcoming groups, locally and nationally
· Writing and presenting a technical report called “The Loss of the Andrea Doria” with my friend and naval architect, Bill Garzke. This was one of the most challenging writing feats. I felt rewarded when I discovered that it was the first technical report written by a shipwreck survivor in collaboration with a marine scientist. Bill and I presented this report for the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (www.sname.org) in New York and at the University of Michigan.
· Meeting and dining with James Cameron, director of the film Titanic. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000116/ At the same table were Cameron’s main shipwreck consultants, including Bill Garzke. The James Cameron event on the Bismarck, was held by the American Society of Naval Engineers in DC. (www.asne.org) I dedicated a copy of my book, Alive on the Andrea Doria to the film giant and had a long chat with him.
· Receiving the “Collegian Award” from my alma mater, Wayne State University. The award recognizes my Italian book, L’Ultima Notte dell’Andrea Doria, as a contribution to the community in my field of study, foreign languages.
· Transferring publishing rights from a small to a large New York publishing house, Morgan James Publishing (www.Morganjamespublishing.com)
· Publishing my short story, Thank God for a Catastrophe: Surviving the Andrea Doria Shipwreck. (www.thankGodI.com) the story is published in book 1 of the Thank God I inspirational book series launched this fall. Its focus is on gratitude for ALL of our experiences. The book was an Amazon.com bestseller in December.
· Welcoming to my home, a southern gentleman named Jimmy Walker. He was one of the Andrea Doria rescuers at age 23, while serving as a US merchant Marine officer.
· Selling world film rights of my Italian book to a Roman film producer. (An author can’t get much luckier than this!)
As you can see, my 2008 strategies have gleaned the titles “award-winning book” and “award-winning author”. Not bad results for a first-timer. I am very grateful and humbled.
Nonetheless, I have a long ways to go before I sleep. I have only skimmed the surface of how I will continue to serve the seas—the goal for my blog and for everything I do professionally. This will be the essence of my strategy for 2009. But who knows what the results will be!
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Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | ASNE, Explorers Club, James Cameron, Museo dell'Emigrazione, Museum of Immigration, Frossasco, Torino, Piemontesi Protagonisti, SNAME, thank God I|No Comments
It happened! I spoke for the elite group of explorers at the Explorer’s Club of Manhattan on November 15. And…I didn’t have to wear a mermaid’s outfit to get their attention! My talk, “Surviving the Andrea Doria Shipwreck: An Up-close and Personal Account” was well-received. Upon uttering my last words, the audience actually clapped heartily. Then, I heard someone blurt out, “phenomenal”…followed by more clapping. Whew!
An audience of about 100 came to hear me and some very distinguished scientists tell their “Sea Stories”, also the name of the program. Topics explored the world of dolphins, saving the bluefish tuna, traveling from the Antarctic to New Guinea, and investigating Mayan caves.
During my talk, I felt comfort, yet even more accountability knowing that I had my own special ‘entourage’: nine divers of the Andrea Doria (three are close friends), the Italian Consul General of Italy, Andrea Doria survivor and legendary songwriter Mike Stoller, and my dear friend Vince Lionti, who plays viola in the MET.
The Explorer’s Club offered more bonuses for me: a historical building of their own filled with mementos from great expeditions, my own book signing, and an invitation to return in the future. This message from the co-chairman of “Sea Stories”, Will Roseman, warmed my heart:
I started reading your book this weekend and could not put it down! I finished it before the weekend was over. Rarely do I hear people talking about a lecture with such excitement as I heard people talking about yours. It made me very proud to have met you. Please know that you always have a home and many, many fans at the Explorers Club.”
When I return, I hope to meet some of the great explorers and past speakers: astronaut Buzz Aldrin, aviator Chuck Yeager (the first man to break the sound barrier), and Col. Matthew Bogdanos, who led the recovery of looted antiquities in Baghdad, among a few legends in our lifetime.
You may want to check out their fascinating website: www.explorers.org.
Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | exploration, Explorers Club, sea stories|No Comments
November 1, 2008
Okay. I’m rolling up my sleeves for the first official blog entry. You undoubtedly want to know how I’m currently serving our seas—in addition to being an author of a shipwreck. (my book is called Alive on the Andrea Doria! The Greatest Sea Rescue in History)
On November 15, I’m doing an awesome event in Manhattan. I’ve been invited to present the Andrea Doria story to the Explorers Club for a conference called “Sea Stories”. Having been told that its members are an elite group of the explorers, I researched them and found this impressive description.
Founded in New York City in 1904, The Explorers Club promotes the scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space by supporting research and education in the physical, natural and biological sciences. The Club’s members have been responsible for an illustrious series of famous firsts: First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the surface of the moon—all accomplished by our members. (read more: http://www.explorers.org/about/about_the_club.php)
I’ve concluded that the only reason I was invited to speak is because I explored, unwillingly, the foggy Atlantic Ocean on July 25 – 26, 1956. Seriously though, perhaps they did consider the fact that I am the first shipwreck survivor to write a definitive and complete account of one’s shipwreck. Nevertheless, I’m a little concerned that I might be upstaged by camels, Emperor penguins, or elephants! This humorous article will explain why: http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/200608/richard-wiese-explorers-club-1.html
What does one wear to describe one’s shipwreck experience—especially to a group that is not easily astounded by anything? Hmmm…I wonder where I can find a mermaid outfit!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Explorers Club, famous firsts, sea exploration, shipwrecks|No Comments
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