Category: Nikola Tesla

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Tesla Off-Broadway Opens Soon – Get Your Tickets Now

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In less than a fortnight the off-Broadway production of TESLA kicks off its run at Theatre 80 in New York City. I had the privilege of talking to the cast about Tesla, Edison, and other key characters two weeks ago and based on the script by Sheri Graubert and the direction by Sanja Beštić, I expect this to be a great play. Here’s the official poster for the show:

Tesla official poster

Without giving too much away, the basic premise is that of the aging scientist living out his last days in World War II-era New York, lamenting his inability to save his war-torn homeland of Yugoslavia. The old “Tesla,” played by veteran actor Jack Dimich, reminisces about his glory days as an inventive genius bringing alternating current to the masses. James Lee Taylor stars as the young “Nikola” as he works first with, then as a competitor to, Thomas Edison (played by Tom Cappadona). The interactions – and the contrasts – in personalities and work styles between Tesla and Edison is a key aspect of the play.

Other characters from Tesla’s life also make appearances, including collaborator George Westinghouse (played by Alessandro Colla), radio-rival Guglielmo Marconi and friend Mark Twain (both played by Anthony Guerino), Yugoslavian King Peter and Luka (played by Luka Mijatovic), and long-time friend Katharine Johnson (played by Samantha Slater).

I’ll have more on the play as opening night gets closer. You can follow directly on the Tesla Off Broadway Facebook page.

The timing of the play couldn’t be better. A week ago the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe signed the papers to officially purchase Tesla’s last laboratory on Long Island. My book, Tesla: Wizard of Electricity, will be available from Barnes and Noble by early July, just in time for Nikola Tesla’s July 10th birthday and the Tesla Days celebration in Philadelphia.

So no time to waste. Check out the links below to get your tickets for the play now.

EasyTheatres proudly presents TESLA written by Sheri Graubert, directed by Sanja Bestic.

US Premiere, May 24th 2013 at 8pm
@ Theatre 80, 80 Saint Marks Place, New York City.

Get your tickets today at:
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/922789
http://www.teslaoffbroadway.com/
http://www.theatre80.net/

More information on the release of Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

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Nikola Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Laboratory Purchased for a Museum

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WardenclyffeThe New Yorker Hotel, where Nikola Tesla lived out the last 10 years of his life, was the setting for a remarkable news conference on May 2, 2013. Jane Alcorn, President of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe announced that after many months of paperwork, Tesla’s Wardenclyffe laboratory was now officially purchased. The group will turn the famous scientist’s last working lab into a museum and science center.

This has been a long road for Jane and others, who have striven for many years to acquire the more than 15-acre property. Yesterday that dream became a reality.

In a follow up article I’ll have more on the event and the future activities to renovate the laboratory. For now you can watch the recording of the live feed (provided free from Kevin Wood) on the Tesla Science Center‘s home page or on the RememberTesla.com site. An earlier post of mine provides more details on the history of the purchase.Congratulations to Jane Alcorn and all of the people who worked so hard to make this happen.

More information on the release of Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

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Attendance at the American Society of Journalists and Authors Conference

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David J. KentLast weekend (April 25-27) I attended the annual conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). I’m not a member, yet, but plan to be as soon as I meet the strict eligibility requirements for this professional society. My book, Tesla: Wizard of Electricity, is one credit towards being eligible, and I’m working on others.

Three-and-a-half hours on Amtrak and a 1.25 mile trek through Manhattan (with laptop and garment bags heavily strapped to my shoulders) brought me to the Roosevelt Hotel, the “Grand Dame of Madison Avenue.” I arrived just in time for the awards ceremony, where ASJA honors their own for excellence in writing, including Wendee Nicole for science writing.

As a first-timer I picked a range of sessions to get my feet wet. I started with “Building Your Business Through Travel Blogging.” As readers of this site will no doubt have guessed, one of my passions is to travel, so I must admit to being envious of the panel members who get paid to travel and write about their experiences. I was especially intrigued by Patricia Serrano, whose unique blend of travel writing and film-making is summed up well in her Fresh Traveler blog’s tag line – “off the beaten path adventures for a fresh mind, body and spirit.”

Next up was “Covering Your Assets: Personal Finance for the Independent Writer,” where I learned about retirement plans, insurance, and why you should NOT quit your day job. Then on to luncheon with featured speaker A.J. Jacobs. Jacobs is the author of three best-selling memoirs that include reading the entire 32-volume Encyclopedia Britannica, living a year by the rules of the Bible (Old Testament!), and his latest, Drop Dead Healthy. In short, Jacobs was both hilarious and helpful as he offered some great advice to writers. But Jacobs wasn’t the only person at the luncheon that gave out good advice – I had the pleasure of chatting with David Volk, an ASJA member and author of The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Seattle. David was the one who reminded me to get photos of my meeting with the cast of the off-Broadway play, Tesla.

After lunch I couldn’t resist a session called “Spice Up Your Storytelling with Statistics.” Led by Laura Laing, author of Math for Grownups and the forthcoming Math for Writers, the session showed how statistics can help bring out the meat of the story. She also showed how not to use statistics, like pie charts of types of pies that total up to over 200%. The chart was confusing if not delicious. Next up was “Humanizing Esoterica: Turn Complex Ideas Into Great Stories,” by the inimitably named pairing of Barry Burd and Patchen Barss. Both of these afternoon sessions fit into my overall vision of communicating science in a way that is understandable and interesting to the general public.

But wait, there’s more.

As a winner of an ASJA scholarship to attend the event, I also had the chance to sit down for a mentoring session with an established author. I was privileged to spend a half hour with Tim Harper, author of 12 books as well as a freelance writer, writing coach, editorial consultant, and in his spare time, brainchild behind a new publishing venture at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Tim provided some valuable insight for putting together a proposal for my new book on Abraham Lincoln’s love of science and technology.

And that was just day one. A good place to stop. More on the second day in a later post.

More about ASJA.

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My visit with the cast of Tesla off-Broadway

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While in New York for the ASJA conference this weekend I had the opportunity to visit with the cast of the new off-Broadway play called Tesla. They had heard about my Nikola Tesla book through the grapevine (most notably Nikola Lonchar of the Tesla Science Foundation) and asked me to talk to them about the personalities of key players like Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi, Mark Twain, and of course, Nikola Tesla.

Meeting the cast of Tesla off Broadway

Photo courtesy of Sanja Bestic

I’ll have more details later but for now I’ll just tell you that I enjoyed the experience immensely. Sanja Beštić, director of the play, and Sheri Graubert, the playwright, along with other members of the cast welcomed me to a hot New York studio for two hours of Tesla-heavy conversation.

With Sanja Bestic and Sheri Graubert

Our session ended abruptly as someone had reserved the studio, but we managed to squeeze in a few photos. Here I am with the star of the show, James Lee Taylor, who plays the younger Nikola Tesla.

With James Lee Taylor

A quick stop at the local Dean & Deluca for a bite with Sanja and Sheri and then I was on my way to Penn Station and a long Amtrak ride home. But I expect to be back in New York in late May to catch opening night of Tesla at Theatre 80. I hope you’ll join me.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Tesla Off Broadway and Me

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Tesla: Wizard of ElectricityAs I write this the cast and crew and director and writer are hard at work rehearsing for a new off-Broadway play about Nikola Tesla. Appropriately called Tesla, the play was written by Sheri Graubert and is being directed by Serbian-American director, Sanja Bestic. Here is their promo photo (Click on the photo to go to their Facebook page):

Tesla Off BroadwayThe play’s lead is James Lee Taylor, an English actor and model. Six actors take the stage, three in dual roles. Tesla explores the multiple facets of Nikola Tesla’s personality, his inventions far ahead of their time, and his relationships with Thomas Edison and others. Opening night is May 23, 2013 at Theater 80 on St. Marks Place in New York City. That’s the East Village for those in the know.

I’ll have more on the play, the actors, the director, and the playwrite in future posts. The purpose of this post is to introduce the play. Oh, and to surreptitiously mention that I have been invited to give a lecture about Tesla to the cast on Saturday, April 27th. As previously mentioned I’ll be at the annual American Society of Journalists and Authors conference in New York this weekend, so while I’m there I’ll meet with the play’s principals. The goal is to trade insights into Tesla the man as the cast prepares to introduce Nikola Tesla to the theater-going public.

I’m very excited for this opportunity. In a way it’s reminiscent of Tesla hobnobbing with actors, writers, musicians and the like at The Players, a club started by the famous Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth. And yes, it was that Edwin Booth, older brother to the more infamous John Wilkes Booth, just one of several links between Nikola Tesla and Abraham Lincoln. But that, as they say, is a story for another time.

More information on the release of Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

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More details about Tesla: Wizard of Electricity book release

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Tesla: Wizard of ElectricityI mentioned a week or so ago that Tesla: Wizard of Electricity is scheduled to be published on June 30, 2013. The book is currently being printed and will be in the warehouse by June 20th. I can now share some additional details about the publishing process. [By the way, click on the book image (left) to get to my Facebook author’s page.]

  • The initial print run will be 10,000 books. This is considered a large printing for a non-fiction book but if it sells well – which I very much hope and expect it will – we could actually have to go to a second printing. [Hint: Get your First Edition while they last.] Interest in the man, his inventions, and his Wardenclyffe lab has been skyrocketing as of late. And with the Tesla Science Foundation expanding its plans, clearly this is a great time for Nikola Tesla.
  • Tesla: Wizard of Electricity is visually pleasing. It is jam-packed with many photographs of him and his experiments, some historical and some never-before-seen. The interior is in full color and includes sidebars and pull-out quotes to make it both interesting and informative for all readers. A foil treatment on the cover should make it stand out on bookstore shelves (and your shelves at home).
  • Because Sterling Publishing is a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble the book will be “on a promotion.” That means it will be placed prominently near the front of each of B&N’s 700 stores. That means high traffic and great visibility.

I’ll also have some books in my personal possession for book signings and presentation events. See my Tesla Events and Speaking Engagements page for more information on where you can find me.

So how much do people know about Nikola Tesla? Well, if you extrapolate from the video below the answer might unfortunately be, well, not as much as you might expect. I hope to change all that by bringing Tesla to the people with Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

More on Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

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Tesla: Wizard of Electricity – release date

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Tesla: Wizard of ElectricityWe have a book release date! Tesla: Wizard of Electricity is officially scheduled to be published on June 30, 2013. That is when it will be available to the general public. A mere nine months after I submitted the manuscript. Of course, it isn’t really that easy. The process of publishing a book, while not quite like having a baby, apparently takes just as long.

I actually finished writing the book and submitted it to the publisher on September 10, 2012. A few weeks later I receive word from my editor that the manuscript was just what they were looking for. Then by the time I finish my “happy dance” I have a set of edits to review. To my amazement and relief most are minor and the few more substantive ones are easily addressed. That got us to November. By January the electronic manuscript files were sent to the overseas printer.

Then I wait.

Tap, tap, tap.

Okay, is it done yet? No? More tapping.

Spring forward to April 2nd – details from my editor at Sterling Publishing. Happy dance again. [Okay, for those who know me, I admit that I didn’t actually do a “happy dance” because, well, let’s just say it would not look so happy. Feel free to rid that rhetorical flourish from your mind’s eye.]

In any case, the printing of the book is going to take a while. It’s being printed overseas so that the cost savings can be put into all the color for the interior pages and the foil treatment being used for the cover. In short, this is going to be a nice looking book. If all goes well with the printing then the books should hit the warehouse by June 20th and be available in Barnes and Noble stores by June 30th.

Which is just in time because I plan to attend the Tesla Days events in Philadelphia on July 6-10 celebrating the 157th anniversary of Tesla’s birth. I’ll have a supply of books on-hand for purchase by anyone who will be in the area to witness displays of Tesla-inspired inventions, attempts to produce free energy, a “battle of the Tesla coils,” a Tesla art show, and music, movies, and literary wonders galore. I hope you’ll drop by.

More on Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

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New Page – Tesla Events and Speaking Engagments

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Now that Tesla: Wizard of Electricity is (soon to be) on the shelves, it’s a good time to start tracking various speaking engagements, interviews, and other related events. I expect this will be a living page, that is, will be frequently updated with new events as they arise.

Check out the new page here. And bookmark so you don’t miss an event near you.

Tesla book cover from CB 3-7-13

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Tesla Science Foundation Expands Efforts to Recognize Nikola Tesla’s Contributions

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Nikola TeslaThe Tesla Science Foundation is expanding. Following the success of the most recent Tesla Memorial Conference, which took place on the 70th anniversary of Telsa’s death on January 7, 2013, the Foundation is working with other Tesla groups to recognize Nikola Tesla’s contributions to society. As Nikola Lonchar, President and Founder of the Tesla Science Foundation, recently announced:

Nikola Tesla’s popularity is growing.  Our hard work has helped make that happen. Additionally, our hard work has placed our group in a strong position to do more as the most active Tesla-related group in the country.  With this power comes the responsibility to carry out the mission of the Tesla Science Foundation, the Nikola Tesla Club and Nikola Tesla Inventors Club by facilitating the growth of free and renewable energy.

To accomplish this, the Foundation and its affiliate Tesla Groups have proposed a series of activities to enhance the Tesla name. They include:

  • Consolidation of all of the Tesla groups domains into a single website location called TeslaTalk.tv. A webinar series will provide background on Nikola Tesla, allow interviews of “some of the world’s most knowledgeable scientists and Tesla enthusiasts,” and rebroadcasts of Tesla lectures from around the world.
  • Monthly meetings and lectures at libraries, schools and universities.
  • Development of new Tesla Clubs worldwide.
  • Continue organizing two annual conferences per year in the United States – the January Memorial Conference in the New Yorker Hotel (New York City) and the July Tesla Days celebrations in Philadelphia.
  • A project to restore the Tesla Room in the New Yorker Hotel to its original appearance, including a permanent Tesla display in the hotel.
  • Funding of innovative and promising projects by group members with the goal of promoting the legacy of Nikola Tesla and developing future innovations based on his work.
  • Opening of a Tesla Club building in Philadelphia. The vision is to include an art gallery, book store, library, a “Tesla: Past, Present, Future” display, a coffee/snack shop (featuring Tesla’s favorite foods, of course), and a webinar recording studio and communication center.
  • A traveling exhibit version of the “Tesla: Past, Present, Future.”

I’ll provide more information on each of these goals in future posts so be sure to check back here often. You can search on keywords “Tesla Science Foundation” to get a list of relevant articles.

I’ll also have more on an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that is currently being developed to help make these goals a reality.

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Tesla: Wizard of Electricity (The Cover Design)

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Nikola TeslaExciting news today.

I received the current working cover design for Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

So, what do you think?

Tesla book cover from CB 3-7-13

You’ll notice that it differs from the cover design I had posted here up until now. I’ve been using a “body double” while the editor and his staff worked their way through the book layout and design stages. We may still tweak this a bit, but odds are the final cover will look like this one. This past week I also provided two bios – a short one for the back cover and a longer one for the inside. The finish line is within sight.

I have to admit that this is an exciting day for me. I submitted the manuscript to Sterling Publishing last September and have been holding my breath waiting to feel the actual book in my hand. Of course, I’ll have to wait a bit longer since it is just now going to the printer. A bit behind the original schedule but I’m still looking at it “going live” by my birthday.

In the meantime I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the people who have worked the hardest to give Nikola Tesla the recognition he deserves. I presented at the Tesla Memorial Conference in New York City in January and hope to present at the Philadelphia Tesla Conference in July. I’ve started lining up other speaking engagements as well, including inquiries for talks at the public libraries in Ipswich, Hamilton-Wenham and Fairfax once the book hits the shelves. Please send me a note if you can arrange a speaking engagement near you (especially if you live in Belgrade, Serbia).

Also feel free to opine on the cover in the comments. Too blue? Not enough lightning bolts? My name not big enough? The photo of Nikola Tesla looks just a wee bit like your Uncle Wally? Let me know what you think.

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