Ready or Not...
The mission of the Ready or Not...They're Gay Book Launch Party was to provide:
- A memorable experience
- A night of inspiration
- A call for action
The Experience
May 21, 2009 will be remembered as a night filled with the loving support of our family, friends and community.
We want to thank the over 420 attendees, event planners, entertainers, speakers and sponsors for their overall contribution to the evening. A special thank you to The Firm, Evolution, Borders, PFLAG, Beyond Chocolates and the W Hotel Minneapolis for their partnership; this would not have been the evening it was without their support. Additionally, Victoria, Darrin, Belladiva, Soul 2 Soul Dance Conversion, Esera Tualo and Candi Stratton took it out of the park with their performances. Thank you all!
How did this all happen? An amazing event team of Mark Schultz, Brooke Jordan, Marie McKay and Rich Gonzales spent four months of their spare time in an effort to make this a night to remember. In addition, 22 volunteers ensured all of the details were taken care of so all went well for our guests. Thank you!
Are you ready to go back to this beautiful night? Click Here for a video recap of the evening. We would love to hear your comments and feedback. Kudos to Life Image LLC for their talent in recreating the amazing evening for you to enjoy time and time again.
For those who attended, are you ready to see your sassy self in a photo? The talented Toby Sprague captured the evening in still photos that you can view, download and have printed for a nominal cost. Click his name above, click client access, select Ready or Not, and enter your email address; all the photos will magically appear for your review.
Inspiration
The heartfelt stories shared by Todd Savage, Deb LeMay, Carol Curoe, Gary Mazzone and the always entertaining Doug Melroe gave insight and inspiration to the future of GLBT acceptance. Thank you for your courage to publicly share your stories. Do you want another good read? Carol Curoe's book, Are There Closets in Heaven, can be purchased on Amazon.com.
A call to action: You may ask, “What's next for Hjordy & Paul Wagner?” The answer is exciting - more book signings and a Ready or Not Road Tour of the U.S.A. Wait until you hear about this! :)
Friday, June 19th, 7:00 pm: Rosedale Borders Book Signing & Meet/Greet
866 Rosedale Center
Roseville, MN 55113
Saturday, June 20th, 1:00 pm: Richfield Borders Book Signing & Meet/Greet
800 West 78th Street
Richfield, MN 55423
Note: Are you in the Cities June 19 and 20? Email us for a voucher which entitles you to 15% off your purchases at Borders and is good for the entire weekend of June 19th - June 21st. The proceeds (15%) will go to support PFLAG St. Paul Minneapolis. Time to shop!!!
And, more appearances at:
Saturday, June 21, 2:00 pm: PFLAG Presentation - bring your friends and family!Mayflower United Church
106 E Diamond Lake Road
Minneapolis, MN 55419
Saturday and Sunday, June 27th and 28th, 10:00 am -5:00 pm:
Twin Cities Pride
Loring Park
Minneapolis, MN
The Ready or Not booth is next to the Target booth in the Children & Family area. There will be book signings, a children's activity, and drawing each day for a Border's gift card. Thanks, Borders!
Can't make any of the appearances but still want to buy the book? No problem, just visit Borders.com to buy the book online.
Ready or Not...Road Trip
You heard it right, Hjordy & Paul are going On he Road Across the U.S.A.
You know the mission, we have heard your voice of encouragement, and now it is time that we get the message out to the rest of the country. Their focus through September will be in the tri-state area of MN, WI and IA.
Starting in October, Hjordy and Paul will begin the first leg of the U.S. tour traveling west. There are 3 legs to this tour. We will share more with you as our plans develop.
How you can help...We will be circling back with you in the upcoming weeks once we have the Ready Or Not Road Trip Itinerary. In the meantime, please let us know if there is a city in the U.S. that needs our special attention.
Thank you again for your support, love and encouragement!
For more information on Hjordy & Paul Wagner and their upcoming events, please visit:
Website: http://www.readyornotstories.com/
Facebook Fan Page: Keyword: Ready or Not or Click Here
Email: readyornotstories@gmail.com
Here are the direct links for this blog:
Book Launch Video Recap: www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_kOQlLLpvw&feature=channel_page
The Firm: http://www.thefirmmpls.com/
Evolution: http://www.evolutionhair.com/
Borders: http://www.borders.com/
PFLAG: http://www.pflagtc.org/
Beyond Chocolates: http://www.beyondchocolates.com/
W Hotel Minneapolis: http://www.whotels.com/
Belladiva: http://www.belladivamusic.com/
Soul 2 Soul Dance Conversion: http://www.facebook.com/ Keyword: Terry Kuehn
Esera Tualo: http://www.eseraonline.com/
Candi Stratton: www.candistratton.com/
Life Image LLC: http://www.lifeimagellc.com/
Toby Sprague: http://www.tobysprague.coma/
re There Closets in Heaven: http://www.amazon.com/ Keyword: Are There Closets In Heaven?Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Ready-Or-Not/73973854351
Thank you,
Hjordy & Paul Wagner
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Book Expo America was Unbelievable!
We (Paul, Hjordy and Brad) don't need much of an excuse to go to New York so when we had the opportunity to have an author package for Book Expo America (BEA) from Phenix and Phenix, our publicist, we jumped on it. The first and last part of our week was fun time. We went to some plays and a few daytime talk shows when we weren't busy with BEA. We were in the audience of The Mike & Juliet Show and were sorry to hear that the show was closing.
The first day we went to BEA we were overwhelmed with the sheer volume of people and booths. We talked with some vendors and just walked the area. We left feeling we hadn't been too productive. After debriefing about the day, we decided the next day (Saturday), we would hand out bookmarks and cards to book store owners, librarians, and teachers. The strategy served us well. We heard a lot of good feedback about our book and stories were shared about someone they knew who was gay. The stories were sad, surprising, and heartwarming. At 1:30 we took our place in booth 16 and had a solid line of people waiting for their book and signature. Our strategy worked. All of our books disappeared with people standing in line wanting our book.
One young man broke our heart. He didn't speak English very well but the essence of his story was his family had shunned him. There was no communication from his family over the past year. He wanted our book with the hope that his family would see a different point of view and accept him for who he is.
After the author signing, we went to the podcast area. We answered questions for about 5 minutes. The interviewer was great and we left with a sigh of relief. We continued to network but we also decided it was time for us to get some of those coveted author signatures. We ended up sending a box of books home, or so we thought. Our box ended up in Deleware. All was not lost, however, because the man who had our books told us his story. He didn't want to be defined as the homophobic guy. He became friends with a gay man and he saw that he was wonderful person. He is now on the aother end of the spectrum as a strong advocate. We met and talked with the most amazing people since our book has come out. He was one of those amazing men.
Sunday at BEA was slow. The volume of people was diminished so we had time to talk with the exhibitors. It was relaxing and fun. We left around noon to meet the sons of our good friends in Red Wing. We don't know if we'll be at Book Expo again but it was a learning experience and we will hopefully come back in the near future.
The first day we went to BEA we were overwhelmed with the sheer volume of people and booths. We talked with some vendors and just walked the area. We left feeling we hadn't been too productive. After debriefing about the day, we decided the next day (Saturday), we would hand out bookmarks and cards to book store owners, librarians, and teachers. The strategy served us well. We heard a lot of good feedback about our book and stories were shared about someone they knew who was gay. The stories were sad, surprising, and heartwarming. At 1:30 we took our place in booth 16 and had a solid line of people waiting for their book and signature. Our strategy worked. All of our books disappeared with people standing in line wanting our book.
One young man broke our heart. He didn't speak English very well but the essence of his story was his family had shunned him. There was no communication from his family over the past year. He wanted our book with the hope that his family would see a different point of view and accept him for who he is.
After the author signing, we went to the podcast area. We answered questions for about 5 minutes. The interviewer was great and we left with a sigh of relief. We continued to network but we also decided it was time for us to get some of those coveted author signatures. We ended up sending a box of books home, or so we thought. Our box ended up in Deleware. All was not lost, however, because the man who had our books told us his story. He didn't want to be defined as the homophobic guy. He became friends with a gay man and he saw that he was wonderful person. He is now on the aother end of the spectrum as a strong advocate. We met and talked with the most amazing people since our book has come out. He was one of those amazing men.
Sunday at BEA was slow. The volume of people was diminished so we had time to talk with the exhibitors. It was relaxing and fun. We left around noon to meet the sons of our good friends in Red Wing. We don't know if we'll be at Book Expo again but it was a learning experience and we will hopefully come back in the near future.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Book Launch Celebration: May 21, 2009 at the W Hotel
Where to start.... On May 21, 2009, Paul and I had one of the most memorable evenings of our life. We had a sold out crowd with 400 registered guests. Brad had assembled a planning committee and group of volunteers that totalled over 30 people. In addition to that, there were all the people from the W Hotel making the evening special for our guests. This event will be viewed forever through the eyes of our photographer who took over 400 photos of the evening and a videographer who captured the essence of every aspect of the evening. We will share that with you when it is completed.
The guest speakers who shared their personal stories with our guests were moving. There were tears in the audience. Paul and I weren't sure if the lump in our throat would go away before we were behind the podium. Our boys spoke prior to us and we could not have been more proud of them. The Emcee of the evening was absolutely fabulous. He had just enough humor and was extremely prepared for every transition with just the right introduction. Paul and I shared our remarks with the crowd. Paul brought down the house with his golfer joke. We were humbled by the turnout and warm words of support we received from our guests. It was amazing.
And then the celebration became an out and out PARTY! The Belladivas turned up the energy with their wonderful singers and band. They definitely earned their award as the best group of the Twin Cities area. Esera Tuaolo sang two wonderful songs followed by Candi Stratton with her Cher impersonation. The evening ended with the Belladivas rocking the house. The room was still full of energy with people lingering after the last song was sung. It was a true celebration of diversity where everyone could be themselves and feel good about who they are.
A huge thank you goes to Brad and his committee for putting the details together and making this the best party ever! I am sure there has never been a book launch like this one......
The guest speakers who shared their personal stories with our guests were moving. There were tears in the audience. Paul and I weren't sure if the lump in our throat would go away before we were behind the podium. Our boys spoke prior to us and we could not have been more proud of them. The Emcee of the evening was absolutely fabulous. He had just enough humor and was extremely prepared for every transition with just the right introduction. Paul and I shared our remarks with the crowd. Paul brought down the house with his golfer joke. We were humbled by the turnout and warm words of support we received from our guests. It was amazing.
And then the celebration became an out and out PARTY! The Belladivas turned up the energy with their wonderful singers and band. They definitely earned their award as the best group of the Twin Cities area. Esera Tuaolo sang two wonderful songs followed by Candi Stratton with her Cher impersonation. The evening ended with the Belladivas rocking the house. The room was still full of energy with people lingering after the last song was sung. It was a true celebration of diversity where everyone could be themselves and feel good about who they are.
A huge thank you goes to Brad and his committee for putting the details together and making this the best party ever! I am sure there has never been a book launch like this one......
KSTP Twin Cities Live
May 21, 2009 was a day to remember on so many fronts. Two days prior to our Book Launch, we received a notice from our publicist that Twin Cities Live wanted us for an interview. We were interviewed over the phone by the producer and then it was a go for the show. We were unaware of the questions we were going to be asked which gave us some nervous moments.
Once we arrived at KSTP, we were welcomed and escorted to our "holding area." Paul observed their wall of fame with famous guests throughout the years such as Edgar Bergen, Andy Griffin and many more actors and sports stars. We weren't there very long before being called to studio.
We sat on the couch to see how the three of us looked - usually they don't have more than two people. Andrew was able to come with us but Brad was too busy with final details of the Book Launch.
John Hanson and Rebekah Wood, co-hosts of TCL, made us feel very comfortable. John talked with Andrew about his work and life in Las Vegas. I think we talked nonstop for 15 minutes before going on the air.
The interview was about 9 minutes and was at the top of the hour. They asked good questions and we felt comfortable with our answers. It was a great experience. It you haven't watched Twin Cities Live, be sure to tune in. Both co-hosts are amazing. Click on this link to view the interview: http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S942046.shtml?cat=11215.
Once we arrived at KSTP, we were welcomed and escorted to our "holding area." Paul observed their wall of fame with famous guests throughout the years such as Edgar Bergen, Andy Griffin and many more actors and sports stars. We weren't there very long before being called to studio.
We sat on the couch to see how the three of us looked - usually they don't have more than two people. Andrew was able to come with us but Brad was too busy with final details of the Book Launch.
John Hanson and Rebekah Wood, co-hosts of TCL, made us feel very comfortable. John talked with Andrew about his work and life in Las Vegas. I think we talked nonstop for 15 minutes before going on the air.
The interview was about 9 minutes and was at the top of the hour. They asked good questions and we felt comfortable with our answers. It was a great experience. It you haven't watched Twin Cities Live, be sure to tune in. Both co-hosts are amazing. Click on this link to view the interview: http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S942046.shtml?cat=11215.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Caledonia SEED Workshop: May 11, 2009
It was great to visit Paul's hometown of Caledonia, Minnesota. We spend three hours with dedicated educators from Caledonia, Spring Grove, and La Crescent along with other school personnel. We ended our time with our Ready or Not...Let's Talk discussion cards. We left Caledonia feeling we had contributed something important to the lives of those who attended and the many students and parents who may benefit from our words through their educators. Here is a review from the instructor of the SEED group.
Your presentation was a powerful reminder to me of how important it is to be'ready' for life's surprises and challenges. Even when we're really skilled at'talking the talk', we may not always be ready to 'walk the walk'. I think the love and acceptance you show for your sons is and will be a comfort to so many others who face these kinds of challenges. I especially appreciate your courage in speaking out and your commitment to advocating for LGBT youth at home, school, and in the community. It's so easy for me to become complacent about the needs of LGBT youth. I appreciate your respectful, yet powerful reminder that their struggles really can be a matter of life or death, and I can never stop'walking in their shoes'.
Your well-organized presentation was respectful and educational, but filled with humor and love. Thank you again for joining us at SEED, and we hope to see you and hear you speak again very soon!
Deb Morse, School Psychologist
Hiawatha Valley Education District 507-725-5205, ext 1231
Caledonia Elementary 507-725-3316, ext 2008
Caledonia Middle/High 608-769-1619 Cell
Your presentation was a powerful reminder to me of how important it is to be'ready' for life's surprises and challenges. Even when we're really skilled at'talking the talk', we may not always be ready to 'walk the walk'. I think the love and acceptance you show for your sons is and will be a comfort to so many others who face these kinds of challenges. I especially appreciate your courage in speaking out and your commitment to advocating for LGBT youth at home, school, and in the community. It's so easy for me to become complacent about the needs of LGBT youth. I appreciate your respectful, yet powerful reminder that their struggles really can be a matter of life or death, and I can never stop'walking in their shoes'.
Your well-organized presentation was respectful and educational, but filled with humor and love. Thank you again for joining us at SEED, and we hope to see you and hear you speak again very soon!
Deb Morse, School Psychologist
Hiawatha Valley Education District 507-725-5205, ext 1231
Caledonia Elementary 507-725-3316, ext 2008
Caledonia Middle/High 608-769-1619 Cell
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wagners Speak at River Falls Unity in the Community Day
What a day in River Falls, WI. Paul, Brad and I met so many wonderful people who readily shared their stories with us. Paul and I did our first official presentation regarding our book, Ready or Not…They’re Gay. I surprised myself when emotions overcame me a couple of times. Our audience was awesome. We were able to speak with most of the people who attended following our talk. At the Public Library that evening we saw talented people from UW-River Falls along with River Falls community members perform a variety of venues. Every single performance was outstanding. We felt privileged to be a part of Unity in Community. Our hats off to River Falls for providing a well planned day to celebrate diversity in their community. Look at our photos of the River Falls event on our Ready or Not Facebook Fan Page.
Our Visit to Austin: Book Pros and Phenix & Phenix
We have anticipated meeting our friends at Book Pros and Phenix & Phenix for quite some time. We had a great phone and email relationship but it is nothing like meeting in person. The official reason for visiting Book Pros and Phenix & Phenix was to receive information on what to expect once the book is published. Phenix & Phenix employees conducted the training for us and three other authors. The day was a mixture of information, practice, and critiques. We learned the difference between publicity and marketing. We all had a chance to practice radio and TV interviews. Our fellow authors attending the training came with experience, e.g. radio announcer and CNN employee. Lucky them! At the end of the day, we felt better prepared for an interview. We were glad we went to meet with our publicist because we feel better prepared. Once we left, we knew we had to practice our answers so they are succinct, interesting, and memorable (my words, not their words!). Paul and I had a 12 hour drive once we flew into Denver so we had plenty of time to practice. “Now Paul, tell me a little about…..” It went on for hours! Look for our photos on Ready or Not Facebook Fan Page of our Book Pro and Phenix & Phenix saviors - George, Peggy, and Amy.
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