Ray Olderman
Goodman Community Center-Ironworks 149 Waubesa St., Madison, Wisconsin 53704
Anyone who's spent time in the theater scene knows that Ray Olderman is one of Madison's best-kept secrets. He's a diminutive yet dynamic force of nature, onstage and off. This event celebrates the release of his new memoir, Good as a Girl, where he recounts a scrappy childhood growing up in the projects and working-class neighborhoods of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The title stems from growing up knowing his mom wanted a daughter. In this engaging memoir, he recounts a history of mouthing off and standing up to authority that led to him quitting many jobs, including a tenured position as a UW-Madison English professor in 1980. Maybe it all started when his boss at the bowling alley said he could smell a Jew from a mile away. "So I lifted my arms, pushed my arm pits toward him and told him, 'Go ahead and take a good whiff,'" writes Olderman.
Refreshments, book talk and signing will take place June 28 at the Goodman Community Center. We'd really appreciate your RSVP by June 21 so that we can plan appropriately. Please email Ray at rayo5@tds.net.