1455 is thrilled to partner with Red’s Table for an evening of book signings, great food, and the chance to chat with three local authors.
- CHUCK CASCIO, Author of Never Ask “Why”: Football Players’ Fight for Freedom in the NFL
- DANNY OLMES, Author of Memoirs of an Ordinary Guy
- SEAN MURPHY, Author of Rhapsodies in Blue, Founder of 1455
EVENT DETAILS
APRIL 13, 2023 | 5:30 PM | Red’s Table, Reston VA
1455’s Founding Director Sean Murphy will speak with Chuck and Danny about their books. The writers will be available to answer questions—and sign books! The iconic Scrawl Books of Reston will be there to provide copies of books which the authors will gladly sign.
This is a free event.
ABOUT CHUCK CASCIO
Chuck Cascio is an award-winning freelance writer, author, and educator whose work has appeared in numerous publications. He received a Virginia Press Association Award for sportswriting, and a Distinguished Teacher Award in the Presidential Scholars Program. He is the author of the novel, The Fire Escape Belongs in Brooklyn, a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award. He lives in the Washington, DC, area with his wife, Faye.
Website: chuckcascioauthor.com
Twitter: @ChuckCascio
Instagram: @chuckwrites
Facebook: facebook.com/chuck.cascio.3
ABOUT Never Ask “WHY”: Football Players’ fight for freedom in the nfl
When pro football players formed a union to stand up against the NFL for their own interests, they chose lawyer Ed Garvey as their Executive Director. The NFL Players Association (NFLPA), would take on the NFL over player contracts, collective bargaining agreements, and antitrust suits. It lobbied for players’ free agency, contract rights, and impartial arbitration of disciplinary disputes. Garvey navigated strikes, lockouts, scabs, stooges, lies, as well as the sports media complex—to maintain players’ dignity. According to the league, the players were to take what they were given and “never ask why.”
In Never Ask “Why,” journalist Chuck Cascio presents the late Garvey’s rich account of the early years of the NFLPA, taking readers among the players as they held the league accountable to play fair. Learning from their mistakes, the NFLPA would succeed in curbing commissioner Pete Rozelle’s disciplinary power and striking down the Rozelle Rule’s absolute control over free agency.
Garvey tells the intimate stories of how pro football players, rivals on the field, rallied together to stand up for themselves. He worked tirelessly to change a system that exploited players and even controlled the media. In the end, Garvey shows how the NFLPA transformed the state of pro sports leagues today and how, even still, they work to keep down the players on whose backs they profit.
Purchase Never Ask “Why”: Football Players Fight for Freedom in the NFL
at our independent bookselling partner Scrawl Books
ABOUT Danny Olmes
Daniel Stuart Olmes is a husband, father of twins, entrepreneur, and Aerospace and Defense executive residing outside of Washington, D.C., in the Northern Virginia suburbs. He is currently the president and chief operating officer of a mid-sized government contractor and is an avid reader, runner, and volunteer, spending most of his time on the baseball field as a Little League coach. He has founded two companies—Middleburg Capital and Hellen Systems—the first being a commercial real estate investment firm, and the second, a technology company focused on a national security initiative to create a ground-based back-up for the Global Positioning System (GPS). He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Virginia Tech in 2000.
Website: dannyolmes.com
Twitter: @danny_olmes
Instagram: @dannyolmes
Facebook: facebook.com/daniel.olmes
ABOUT Memoirs of an Ordinary Guy: The Everyday Experiences That Changed My Life
Purchase Memoirs of an Ordinary Guy: The Everyday Experiences That Changed My Life
at our independent bookselling partner Scrawl Books.
ABOUT Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy is the Founding Director of 1455, a non-profit that celebrates storytelling. He has appeared on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and been quoted in USA Today, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and AdAge. A long-time columnist for PopMatters, his work has also appeared in Salon, The Village Voice, Washington City Paper, The Good Men Project, Sequestrum, Blue Mountain Review, and others. His chapbook, The Blackened Blues, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2021. His second collection of poems, Rhapsodies in Blue was published by Kelsay Books in 2023, and This Kind of Man, his first collection of short fiction, is forthcoming in 2024. He has been nominated four times for the Pushcart Prize, twice for Best of Net, and his book Please Talk about Me When I’m Gone was the winner of Memoir Magazine’s 2022 Memoir Prize.
Website: seanmurphy.net | bullmurph.com
Twitter: @bullmurph
Instagram: @bullmurph
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSeanMurphy
ABOUT Rhapsodies in Blue
RHAPSODIES IN BLUE is the second installment of a large and ongoing project that explores America (its mythology, its possibility) through a series of poems that function as biography, history, and cultural commentary. Continuing where THE BLACKENED BLUES left off, this collection honors a variety of artistic icons, some well-known, others unjustly obscure, and seeks to capture something essential about their lives, bearing witness while paying homage.
America has always been a cauldron of inconsistencies; so often in our history we’ve ended up with brilliance, tolerance, and progress only after every other option has been exhausted. It seems instructive—and inspiring—to consider that, to take only one from many other examples, this country, which beats and stymies its best citizens, is capable of producing the geniuses who invented and perfected jazz and blues music. Despite every systemic disadvantage and all the obstacles placed in their paths, these musicians lived, played, persevered, and became immortal. Any country that can claim Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, and Howlin’ Wolf is worth preserving, and celebrating.
ABOUT Red’s Table
We are three brothers who grew up right around the corner from what is now Red’s Table. Our menu and food are the central focus of Red’s Table. We strive to provide fresh quality meals in an atmosphere that is comfortable for any occasion. Whether it’s meeting a client, a Sunday football game, a birthday, an anniversary, a girl’s night out, or a quick weeknight meal, we want OUR place to be YOUR place. Red’s Table is an extension of our homes and we hope you feel welcome here for many years to come.
Website: redstableva.com
ABOUT 1455
At 1455, storytellers are sacred, and we’re dedicated to showcasing the written word and other forms of creative expression. Curating community through year-round free programming, 1455 connects art and audience via intimate conversations and the promotion of diverse voices. Taking our name from the year Gutenberg’s printing press helped democratize content on a global scale, 1455 continues the tradition of using technology to advance an understanding and appreciation of impactful storytelling. 1455 exists to serve anyone who appreciates the arts and is interested in the sort of community commonly found only in academia or online book clubs. Every day, 1455 will augment the passion for the literary and creative arts in adults and young people through programs that sponsor expression, education, and sharing of stories.
Website: 1455litarts.org
Twitter: @1455litarts
Instagram: @1455litarts
Facebook: facebook.com/1455litarts
ABOUT Scrawl books
Scrawl Books offers a thoughtful and relevant selection of new books for children, teens, and adults in a welcoming space where people can browse, gather, and explore new ideas. We support local literacy efforts and freedom of speech, and strive to reflect and contribute to the diversity of Reston and Herndon and the surrounding area. Owner Rachel Wood is a librarian and Reston resident with more than 20 years experience connecting books with people.
Website: scrawlbooks.com
