The Arizona Republic columnist and Arizona Oddities contributor Clay Thompson has made a living out of answering the strangest questions in the newsroom and snarking on some of the people who ask them. Now, he’s gone one step further, asking his readers to submit recipes for a cookbook, just so that he can make money as a writer, but without having to do any of the writing itself. The Enormously Big, Official Valley 101 Cookbook will be available November 21. It retails for $9.95, but Arizona Oddities readers get the chance to win free copies!
You’ve read their informative and often humorous insights into Arizona life, and now you can meet two of the Arizona Oddities storytellers in person. On November 21 and 22, Clay Thompson and Marshall Trimble will host book signings at the ArtFest of Scottsdale, an outdoor festival featuring more than 200 artists. They will be part of a special “Book Street” for Arizona authors. The free event will be held at the Scottsdale Civic Plaza from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Arizona Oddities’ Clay Thompson is best known for his long-running column in The Arizona Republic, Valley 101. For decades, he has offered a humorous glimpse into the quirks and oddities surrounding the Valley lifestyle. And earlier this summer, he gave Arizona residents the chance to show off their comedic skills in the Great Big Annual Hot Weather Limerick Contest.
It’s pretty safe to say that a large amount of residents consider Arizona the “Grand Canyon State.”
State nicknames like this are commonplace around the nation, and many of us thought the massive hole that juts through the northern part of our state supposedly gave us our moniker. Yet it turns out, this isn’t our official nickname, and a crafty little girl from California brought it to light.
