Sam Barry (author)
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Samuel Barry (born January 26, 1957) is an American author, columnist, publishing professional, and musician.


Career

Most recently, Sam Barry collaborated with Ellen Harper, coauthoring her memoir: Always a Song: Singers, Songwriters, Sinners & Saints: My Story of the Folk Music Revival, with a foreword by Harper's son
Ben Harper Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...
. He is the editor of and contributor to the interactive e-book ''Hard Listening: The Greatest Rock Band Ever (of Authors) Tells All''. He is also the author of the humor-inspiration book ''How to Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons'' and co-authored the book ''Write That Book Already! The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now'' with his late wife
Kathi Kamen Goldmark Kathi Kamen Goldmark (August 18, 1948 – May 24, 2012) was an American author, columnist, publishing consultant, radio and music producer, songwriter, and musician. Goldmark was the author of the novel ''And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You'', ...
. Barry and Goldmark wrote ''Author Enablers'', a national column and blog for ''BookPage''. Goldmark died of breast cancer on May 24, 2012. In 2014, Barry oversaw the posthumous publication of Goldmark's novel ''Her Wild Oats'' (Untreed Reads Publications). Barry is the Author Services Liaison at Book Passage, where he heads the Path to Publishing Program. He is a contributing editor at the literary magazine
Zyzzyva ''Zyzzyva'' is a triannual magazine of writers and artists. It places an emphasis on showcasing emerging voices and never before published writers in addition to the already established. Based in San Francisco, it began publishing in 1985. ''ZYZ ...
, and serves on the board of San Francisco’s literary festival,
Litquake Litquake is San Francisco, California, San Francisco's annual literary festival. Originally named Litstock, the festival events took place in a single day in Golden Gate Park in the spring of 1999. It now has a two-week run in mid-October, as well ...
. For many years he wrote the Author Enabler column for the national book review publication ''BookPage'', offering information and encouragement to aspiring authors. He has previously worked for the San Francisco-based imprint of
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
Publishers, HarperOne. Barry is also a musician who is best known for his harmonica and piano playing. He has performed and toured with the
Rock Bottom Remainders The Rock Bottom Remainders, also known as the Remainders, was an American rock charity supergroup, consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book, magazine, and newspaper authors. The band ...
, together with his late wife and co-founder of the group
Kathi Kamen Goldmark Kathi Kamen Goldmark (August 18, 1948 – May 24, 2012) was an American author, columnist, publishing consultant, radio and music producer, songwriter, and musician. Goldmark was the author of the novel ''And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You'', ...
. During the 2020 pandemic Sam joined his
Rock Bottom Remainders The Rock Bottom Remainders, also known as the Remainders, was an American rock charity supergroup, consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book, magazine, and newspaper authors. The band ...
bandmates and recorded the song "(Don't) Stand By Me" to raise money for bookstore employees. He has frequently appeared on the national radio show
West Coast Live ''West Coast Live'' is a weekly two-hour radio variety show hosted by Sedge Thomson. The unscripted program features interviews with world-renowned authors and cultural figures along with performances by musicians, comedians and other entertaine ...
, and has been a guest on the
Leonard Lopate Show Leonard Lopate (born September 23, 1940) is an American radio personality. He is the host of the radio talk show ''Leonard Lopate at Large'', broadcast on WBAI, and the former host of the public radio talk show ''The Leonard Lopate Show'', bro ...
, the Brian Copeland Show, the Peter B. Collins Show, Liz St. John's Peep Show, and Alan Farley's Book Talk.


Biography


Early life and education

Barry was born in
Armonk, New York Armonk is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of North Castle, located in Westchester County, New York, United States. The corporate headquarters of IBM are located in Armonk. Geography and climate As of the 2010 census, Ar ...
as the fourth child of David and Marion Barry. His father was a Presbyterian minister and social activist who, as the Executive Director of the New York City Mission Society, worked to improve the lives of people in New York's inner-city. He has three siblings: Mary Katherine Barry, the humorist
Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comic ...
, and Phil Barry. Barry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the
State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...
in 1981 and a Master of Divinity from the
San Francisco Theological Seminary The San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) is a seminary in San Anselmo, California with historic ties to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). SFTS became embedded in a new Graduate School of Theology of the University of Redlands in 2019. It was ...
in 1994.


Adult life

Sam Barry is a musician and author in the San Francisco Bay Area. He also plays with the
Rock Bottom Remainders The Rock Bottom Remainders, also known as the Remainders, was an American rock charity supergroup, consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book, magazine, and newspaper authors. The band ...
, an all-author rock band founded by Goldmark in 1992. Other members include his brother
Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comic ...
,
Scott Turow Scott Frederick Turow (born April 12, 1949) is an American author and lawyer. Turow has written 13 fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Turow’s novel ...
, Roy Blount Jr., James McBride,
Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
,
Greg Iles Greg Iles (born 1960) is a novelist who lives in Mississippi. He has published seventeen novels and one novella, spanning a variety of genres. Early life Iles was born in 1960 in Stuttgart, West Germany, where his physician father ran the US Emba ...
,
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
,
Amy Tan Amy Ruth Tan (born on February 19, 1952) is an American author known for the novel '' The Joy Luck Club,'' which was adapted into a film of the same name, as well as other novels, short story collections, and children's books. Tan has written ...
,
Ridley Pearson Ridley Pearson (born March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York) is an American author of suspense and thriller novels for adults, and adventure books for children. Some of his books have appeared on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Literary ...
and
Mitch Albom Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and musician. His books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in his early career, he turned to writing the ...
. The group often perform in support of charitable causes. Barry is the author of ''How to Play the Harmonica and Other Life Lessons'' (2009, Gibbs Smith). He coauthored ''Write That Book Already!: The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now'' (Adams Media, 2010) with his late wife,
Kathi Kamen Goldmark Kathi Kamen Goldmark (August 18, 1948 – May 24, 2012) was an American author, columnist, publishing consultant, radio and music producer, songwriter, and musician. Goldmark was the author of the novel ''And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You'', ...
. Following Goldmark's death in 2012, Barry edited and contributed to the book ''Hard Listening: The Greatest Rock Band'' (of Authors) ''Ever Tells All'' (2012, Coliloquy), which tells the story of the band founded by Goldmark, the
Rock Bottom Remainders The Rock Bottom Remainders, also known as the Remainders, was an American rock charity supergroup, consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book, magazine, and newspaper authors. The band ...
. In 2014 Barry published Goldmark's novel ''Her Wild Oats'' (2014, Untreed Reads). Barry is the co-creator with Jennifer Lou of the humor website The Hilario www.thehilario.com Until late 2017, he was the director of the Path to Publishing program at the well-known independent bookstore Book Passage.


Works

* ''How to Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons'' (Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2009) * ''Write That Book Already! The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now'' (Adams Media, May 2010), co-author
Kathi Kamen Goldmark Kathi Kamen Goldmark (August 18, 1948 – May 24, 2012) was an American author, columnist, publishing consultant, radio and music producer, songwriter, and musician. Goldmark was the author of the novel ''And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You'', ...
* ''Hard Listening: The Greatest Rock Band Ever (of Authors) Tells All'' (Coliloquy, 2013), editor and co-author with
Mitch Albom Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and musician. His books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in his early career, he turned to writing the ...
,
Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comic ...
, Roy Blount Jr.,
Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
, Ted Habte-Gabr,
Greg Iles Greg Iles (born 1960) is a novelist who lives in Mississippi. He has published seventeen novels and one novella, spanning a variety of genres. Early life Iles was born in 1960 in Stuttgart, West Germany, where his physician father ran the US Emba ...
,
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
, James McBride,
Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...
,
Ridley Pearson Ridley Pearson (born March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York) is an American author of suspense and thriller novels for adults, and adventure books for children. Some of his books have appeared on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Literary ...
,
Amy Tan Amy Ruth Tan (born on February 19, 1952) is an American author known for the novel '' The Joy Luck Club,'' which was adapted into a film of the same name, as well as other novels, short story collections, and children's books. Tan has written ...
&
Scott Turow Scott Frederick Turow (born April 12, 1949) is an American author and lawyer. Turow has written 13 fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Turow’s novel ...
. * ''Always a Song: Singers, Songwriters, Sinners & Saints: My Story of the Folk Music Revival '' (Chronicle Books, January 2021), co-author Ellen Harper


References


External links


Official Website

Author-Enablers Blog on BookPage


{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Sam 1957 births Living people American columnists Rock Bottom Remainders members People from Armonk, New York