Ken Robbins has been busy writing and editing lately and making news. Robbins is the author of a NewSouth-published novel called The City of Churches, a fictional account of two men whose lives were forever changed by a civil rights-related church bombing in a story inspired by real events that happened at the Sixteenth Street Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.

Recently, Robbins’s play In The River has been performed in Washington, D.C., as part of the Source Theatre Festival and was selected for publication in “Literary Laundry,” an online journal published out of Stanford University.

In her review for the Source Theatre Festival, Debbie Jackson said:

… “In the River” by Ken Robbins, directed by Mellissa-Leigh Bustamante and Kjerstin Lysne, is the most mesmerizing piece I’ve seen that covers disturbing cultural alliances fueled by ancient tribal hatreds, within a Slovak and middle eastern context, that is so experiential it almost defies description. It is exquisitely performed by Robert Bromley as the Fisherman and Kelly Mayfield as the River with couplets of characters offering asides, commentary and observations, and an emotional impact that must be seen to be believed.

Robbins also had his essay “The Healing Power of Butoh” published by Cambridge Scholars Press as a segment in Performing Consciousness.

In addition, Robbins and his wife, Dorothy Dodge Robbins, edited Christmas Stories from Ohio, newly published last year by Kent State University Press. The book was honored as the Book of the Year for Literary Anthologies by USABookNews.com.

The City of Churches is available from NewSouth Books, Amazon.com or your favorite retail or online bookseller.

As part of the Louisiana Book Festival, NewSouth author Kenneth Robbins will host a “Wordshop” titled “Action, Character, Dialogue: A Workshop in Writing for the Actor.” From 9 am to 4 pm on October 27, 2006, Robbins will cover the basic principles of dramatic structure, and then critique works submitted by the workshop participants. Robbins is a 2002-2003 Louisiana Division of the Arts Theatre Fellow in Playwriting, and recipient of a Kennedy Center Golden Medallion for his service to playwriting through the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

The Louisiana Book Festival itself is held on Saturday, October 28 near the Louisiana state capitol. This free event offers visitors a chance to interact with over one hundred poets, writers, and storytellers, as well as enjoying shows, demonstrations, food, and music. Visit http://www.louisianabookfestival.org for more information, or http://www.louisianabookfestival.org/lbf2006/Wordshop/Robbins.htm to register for Kenneth Robbins’ workshop; space is limited.

Kenneth Robbins is the author of The City of Churches from NewSouth Books. In the hot summer of 1963, a black handyman and a white cop are killed when dynamite explodes between them. Thirty years later, the sons of these men return, seeking clues to the fathers who were blown from their lives. The City of Churches is satisfying, compelling examination of race and human relations, the terrible cost of the sins of the past, and the promise of racial healing. Available directly from NewSouth Books, Amazon.com, or your favorite local or online book retailer.