Plexus Publishing, Inc. News

'Boardwalk Empire' author to speak at Camden County College

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:58:28 -0500

GLOUCESTER TWP. — The author of the book behind the popular HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” will compare the real Nucky Johnson of Atlantic City history to the fictional Nucky Thompson as portrayed in the series during his second appearance at Camden County College this year.

Nelson Johnson will present “Boardwalk Empire, Part II: Nucky Johnson is Back in Town and He Means Business” at 7 p.m. Nov. 29 in Civic Hall, which is inside the Connector Building on the College’s Blackwood Campus. CCC’s Center for Civic Leadership and Responsibility is presenting the event, which will include a question-and-answer session and a book signing.

“The award-winning HBO series ‘Boardwalk Empire’ attracts millions of viewers to a fictional version of Atlantic City fraught with violence and sex, which often embellishes the historical truth,” noted Center for Civic Leadership and Responsibility director John Pesda. “Nelson Johnson, a gifted writer and speaker, will return to Camden County College to set the record straight with a fact-based account of the city and Nucky Johnson’s role.”

Learn more at ‘Boardwalk Empire’ author to speak at Camden County College at NJ.com.

Scorsese Wins Directorial Emmy for “Empire”

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:06:00 -0400

Martin Scorsese has won an Emmy for directing the series premiere of Boardwalk Empire, the primetime HBO drama based on Nelson Johnson’s Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City.

In addition to directing the pilot, Scorsese is also an executive producer on the series. The pilot episode aired on September 19, 2010 and led to HBO’s almost immediate decision to pick up the series for a second season.

In an early interview about the series, Scorsese was was quoted:

To me, it’s as if we’re talking now about the 1980s or late 1970s. That was like yesterday to me. The 20s in my head were always very present because my parents always referred to it: the music, the people, the clothes. I know all the songs from that period; I know all the films. We knew it all. And so it was a natural transition. But you know I really was fascinated with the idea of working with Terry Winter and these guys, and taking these characters over 13 hours, developing them, developing their story, the complications of corruption in American politics.

Anthony Venutolo of The Star-Ledger covered the award for NJ.com.

Emmy Awards 2011: Martin Scorsese wins Directing for a Drama Series

Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese has won Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the pilot of “Boardwalk Empire.”

The period HBO drama was adapted from Nelson Johnson’s best-selling non-fiction book “Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City.” It centered on real-life criminal kingpin Enoch “Nucky” Johnson. On the show, the central character’s name was changed to Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi). He portrays the Atlantic County Treasurer who rose to prominence during the Prohibition period of the ’20s and ’30s in Atlantic City.

The show is run by Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Terence Winter of “The Sopranos.” Other producers include Scorsese, Mark Wahlberg and frequent episode director Tim Van Patten.

Read the full story at NJ.com.

Nelson Johnson is this Year's ACCVA Spirit of Hospitality Award Winner

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:34:51 -0400

Jeff Vasser, president of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority announced today that historian Nelson Johnson will be honored with the Spirit of Hospitality Award at the 14th Annual Atlantic City Host Awards in May.

“Nelson Johnson has been a supporter of Atlantic City throughout its stages of evolution,” said Vasser. “His fondness of Atlantic City is not only evident in the fact that he’s been a member of the community for more than 30 years, but also in the two decades he spent researching and writing Boardwalk Empire, essentially a love letter to the city.”

The Spirit of Hospitality Award is given to an outstanding individual who has made a significant long-term contribution to the region’s hospitality and travel industry each year.

This year’s recipient, local attorney and now Superior Court Judge, Johnson is probably best known as the author of Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City. First published in 2002, HBO purchased the television rights to Boardwalk Empire and with, Terence Winters, Emmy Award-winning writer of The Sopranos, created the award winning TV series that first aired last September. The HBO series stares Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, based on the real-life Enoch “Nucky” Johnson.

Johnson has recently published a sequel to Boardwalk Empire which was released by Plexus Publishing, Inc. in November of 2010. His new book, The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City chronicles the story of Atlantic City’s Black community and its critical role in the transformation of Atlantic City from a quiet beach village into a national resort. Plexus Publishing has made a sample chapter from The Northside available online.

Along with the Spirit of Hospitality Award, winners from 26 different categories will be announced in the gala event. Proceeds will benefit The ACCVA Foundation, a charitable organization created by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority.

The 14th Annual Atlantic City Host Awards takes place on Wednesday, May 11 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Ballroom at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall. Registration and a cocktail reception begin one hour earlier at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $65. Individual tickets and tickets for tables of 10 are available. For additional information and reservations, contact Jacqueline Carole at (609) 449-7174 or jcarole@accva.com.

Nelson Johnson and his Books Featured on Philly.com

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:37:29 -0500

From: Shoring up the Boardwalk Empire, a black History Month feature.

When Judge Nelson Johnson wrote Boardwalk Empire, his history of corrupt Atlantic City, he certainly had no idea the Prohibition-era chapters would inspire the celebrated HBO series.

But he did know this: The chapter on the African American involvement in the creation of the resort - Chapter 3, titled “A Plantation by the Sea” - was destined to be the basis for another book.

“It became apparent if you remove the black experience from Atlantic City’s history, then the town never comes to be,” Johnson said in a phone interview from his chambers in the Atlantic County Civil Courthouse in Atlantic City.

“When you have two generations where 95 percent of the hotel workforce was African American, then how does this town ever develop as a regional, national resort unless you have the black experience?

“Intellectually this really bothered me,” he said. “I knew a single chapter wasn’t going to do it.”

The resulting book, The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City (Plexus Publishing, $24.95), appeared late last year and has sold about 2,500 copies. It is now in its second printing. Boardwalk Empire, published in 2002, has sold close to 100,000 copies, said Plexus publisher John Bryans.

As to Boardwalk Empire, Johnson said he was most gratified not by the HBO series, but by the fact that three colleges - Rutgers, Stockton, and Princeton - are using the book in urban history classes.

“I’m thrilled that these people who really helped me are still alive,” said Johnson, who plans no book tour but says he will never turn down a church, library, or school.

“When you have first-person accounts from people who experienced something, it’s like a piece of gold thread, you can tie together the story.”

Read the rest of By Amy S. Rosenberg’s Shoring up the Boardwalk Empire on Philly.com website.

Author of Boardwalk Empire and The Northside to Receive Honorary Degree

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:46:20 -0500

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey will confer an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, on Nelson Johnson, author of the books Boardwalk Empire and the followup, The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City. The Northside focuses on the contributions of Atlantic City’s black citizens to the city’s growth and success and Johnson’s first book, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, is the basis for the award-winning HBO dramatic series of the same name.

The announcement was made yesterday at the meeting of the College’s Board of Trustees.

“We are pleased to confer this degree on a man who has devoted many years to researching the Atlantic City region’s history and preserving it for future generations.”

—Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr.,
Stockton President

Nelson Johnson’s family has been in Atlantic County before the founding of Atlantic City itself. A lifelong resident of Hammonton, he practiced law for 30 years and has been active in Atlantic City and Atlantic County civic matters during that time. He was an attorney for the Atlantic City Planning Board at the time of the approvals for many of the city’s casinos; Johnson was inspired to make sense of the city’s history and to write an objective account. The interviews, research and writing involved in his first book spanned nearly 20 years.

The honoree frequently stopped working on Boardwalk Empire to wrestle with how to handle the thorny subject of race in Atlantic City’s history. He persisted, and the result was a chapter “A Plantation by the Sea” that inspired the powerful sequel. Plexus Publishing, Inc. has made A Plantation by the Sea- The Northside available for anyone to read online at TheNorthsideBook.com.

The degree will be conferred at Stockton’s spring Commencement ceremonies in May. Mr. Johnson will also deliver the speech prior to college seniors receiving their degrees.

Q and A with Nelson Johnson

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:28:01 -0500

Historian Nelson C. Johnson, author of “Boardwalk Empire,” has a new book called “The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City” (Plexus Publishing, 384 pp. , $24.95), which is a well-received history about the predominately black neighborhoods of Atlantic City. He spoke with Star-Ledger columnist Mark Di Ionno this past week about why the National Museum of African American History and Culture is important to all Americans.

Q: Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the museum, wants exhibits that shows African-American history in keeping with the overall American experience, from the founding of the nation until today. Do you agree with that approach?

A: Yes. Without free, forced labor, the infrastructure, population and economy of colonial America would have developed at a crawl. If the slave experience were removed from our nation’s history … would the critical mass required to contemplate separation from England have existed? I think not. … Without free labor, the 13 colonies would have been very different.

Q: The history of the African-American middle class in the decades before the civil rights movement is somewhat of a lost story, overshadowed by the more dramatic events of the late 1950s and 1960s. Why is this era important?

A: This era is important because it was an age of “uplift,” critical to moving past the slave experience. The children and grandchildren of freed slaves had a sense of purpose to their lives like few people in our history. From circa 1880 through 1960, by and large, African-Americans had a “civic mind,” which understood the connectedness of their existence and a “sense of urgency” that propelled their advancement through education.

Read the rest of Mark Di Ionno’s talk with Neklson Johnson at Q & A: Nelson Johnson on the African-American museum at NJ.com

Johnson Wanted to Finish The Northside for Key Community Contributors

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:05:35 -0500

Before it was too late…

When Nelson Johnson finally finished “The Northside,” his in-depth history of Atlantic City’s black community, relief washed over him.

Not the type of relief a writer feels when meeting a deadline, nor the relief one feels when an exhaustive process is finally finished. For Johnson, author of the acclaimed “Boardwalk Empire,” it was as though he had beaten death. Not his own, but the mortal timeline of some of his books’ key contributors.

“All of the key people that helped me with Boardwalk Empire are dead,” Johnson said before launching into a list of the deceased. “So, when Sid Trusty died, I said, ‘Oh no, not again.’”

Trusty, a native of the Northside and unofficial historian of the city’s black community, convinced Johnson to write the book, insisting that the story had to be told, and told accurately.

Johnson said he wrote the book for people such as Trusty, to give them what they deserved.

He had originally tried to summarize the Atlantic City black community’s history in “Plantation by the Sea,” a chapter of his bestselling book-turned-television-series “Boardwalk Empire.”

Read the rest of Michael Clark’s article in the Atlantic City News.

The Scotsman Reviews Boardwalk Empire for UK Readers

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 23:39:54 -0500

BOARDWALK EMPIRE
by Nelson Johnson
Ebury Press, 312pp, £16.99
Review by Lee Randall

The Scotsman - Looking for two words to sum up Atlantic City, New Jersey? They’d ave to be “sea” and “sin,” especially when describing its heyday in the first half of the 20th century. Not only were normal rules of decorum suspended, even Federal law didn’t take hold: Prohibition never happened there. The economy was dependent on tourism, so the city pandered to visitors, and as one long-time resident said: “If the people who came to town had wanted Bible readings, we’d have given ‘em that. But nobody ever asked for Bible readings. They wanted booze, broads, and gambling, so that’s what we gave ‘em.”

As a lawyer for Atlantic City’s planning board in the 1980s, when applications for many of the casinos were being approved, Nelson Johnson - now a Superior Court Judge - grew fascinated by the resort’s complicated history. He spent 20 years fact-finding and interviewing eye-witnesses, a task he describes as “a race against death”. Many key sources were elderly and initially reticent. He was persistent, and the pay-off, Boardwalk Empire, benefits from the wealth of detail he unearthed or scrupulously verified. Johnson moves with a reasonable degree of grace between novelistic scenes and straightforward factual reportage. Many of these facts are so eye-popping that they require no further embellishment.

Read the rest of Lee Randall’s review at Scotsman.com News.

Atlantic County MLK Awards Include Keynote Address by Nelson Johnson

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:30:00 -0500

Atlantic County’s 24th annual MLK Commemorative Birthday Celebration Friday was January 14th at the County Office Building in Atlantic City. County Executive Dennis Levinson presented the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. awards to two Atlantic County women.

Jacqueline McBride of Egg Harbor Township and Atlantic City native Turiya S. A. Raheem were recognized for upholding King’s principles who envisioned a colorblind society and strove to end racial segregation and discrimination through civil disobedience and nonviolence based on the teachings of Gandhi.

The awards ceremony on Friday featured a keynote address from Nelson Johnson, Atlantic County historian, and author of “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City.”

The Hammonton resident’s latest book details the extraordinary impact of African-Americans on the city’s history from the early 19th century to its heyday.

“The Northside” was recently selected by Library Journal as a Black History Month sneak peek and “Boardwalk Empire” was adapted into a successful HBO series.

In addition, “The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City” recently joined five other nonfiction titles and four fiction books in a listing of Notable African American Titles released this week by the influential Publishers Weeky.

Fundraiser will be Celebrating the Northside with Nelson Johnson in February

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:31:00 -0500

The Atlantic City Boys & Girl’s Club and the United Way of Atlantic City jointly present “Celebrating the Northside” on Feb 10. The event—held during Black History Month in recognition of the unique accomplishments and contributions of Atlantic City’s African American community—will feature live jazz along with art, photography, and history exhibits. It will also mark the public launch of the new book, The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City, Nelson Johnson’s remarkable sequel to Boardwalk Empire. The $25 admission benefits the two charities and includes a free book signed by the New York Times bestselling author.

For more information visit the United Way of Atlantic County

Boardwalk Empire Snags Two Writers Guild Nominations

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:16:41 -0500

Breaking Bad, 30 Rock and Modern Family were among the television nominees at this year’s Writers Guild Awards.

HBO freshman series Boardwalk Empire snagged two noms, including writing for a drama, while critical favorite Friday Night Lights — currently airing its final season on DirecTV — was honored in the category as well. Cable fare Dexter, Mad Men and Breaking Bad round out the five nominees.

via ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Friday Night Lights’ Among TV Writers Guild Nominees - Live Feed.

Brainstorm Digital on the Boardwalk

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:08:00 -0500

Brainstorm Digital services all the major Hollywood studios tackling the most challenging digital effects in feature film and television by applying their creative ingenuity, technical expertise and love of the craft.

If you can get your hands on a copy of the September 2010 issue of WIRED magazine you can read John Pavlus’s interview of Rich Friedlander, co-owner of Brainstorm Digital, about his company’s role in creating the 1920’s feel of Atlantic City using visual effects.

This video explores the work they did in bringing subtle, yet powerful visual effects to Boardwalk Empire Season 1.

Boardwalk Empire VFX Breakdowns of Season 1 from Brainstorm Digital on Vimeo.

Brainstorm Digital’s before and after shots from season 1 of HBO’s hit series “Boardwalk Empire”. (courtesy of Home Box Office, Inc) www.brainstorm-digital.com

Kristen Coppock reviews Calu and Hart's novel, "Trenton"

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:25:52 -0500

A pair of writers are hoping to raise the profile of the state’s capital with a historical novel that spans from the Revolutionary War to the present.

Released by Plexus Publishing in Medford, “Trenton” blends facts with creative license. Co-written by Mercer County natives John P. Calu and David A. Hart, the work was made available to the public Oct. 4 by the same publisher that released the best-selling “Boardwalk Empire.”

The authors will make a presentation and sign copies of “Trenton” today, starting at 2 p.m., at the Masonic Temple on Barrack Street in the city’s downtown historic district. According to Calu, the Masons’ lodge is across the street from the old barracks and between sites used for Revolutionary War battle re-enactments.

The setting and timing couldn’t be more appropriate.

“We’re very, very passionate about Trenton,” Hart said. “Part of the reason for writing this book was to bring a positive focus to the city.”

The appearance comes during the capital city’s Patriot’s Week. According to the authors, who signed books in Southampton earlier this month, the 10-day event honors a pair of real-life battles that were fought in Trenton.

“Those two battles changed not only American history, but global history,” Hart said. “We’re making history come alive.”

If you miss today’s author appearances, you can watch for new dates on Facebook or on the book’s website.

Read the full review at PhillyBurbs.com: A tale of two stories by Kristen Coppock.

The Northside: Written with "detail and sensitivity"

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:26:08 -0500

“Black people built Atlantic City,” Johnson writes in “(The) Northside.”

“In the early days, 1854 to 1890, starting with the construction of railroad, black people provided the muscle and sweat” for laying ties and tracks, leveling dirt into streets and hammering boards into housing and hotels.

“Between 1880 and 1930, approximately 95 percent of the hotel workforce was African-American,” he writes. Simply put, without them “the town we know today never comes to be.”

Read the rest of Mark Di Ionno’s review of The Northside at NJ.com.

Golden Globes for 2011 have a Bookish Tone

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:16:15 -0500

The Golden Globe nominations for 2011 were released on December 14th and they feature a number of literary adaptations, including “Alice in Wonderland.”

Another nominee is the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire,” which was inspired by Nelson Johnson’s book and is up for best TV drama series.

Nominees in the category for best TV movie or mini-series include “The Pacific,” which drew from Eugene Sledge’s memoir “With the Old Breed” and Robert Leckie’s “Helmet for My Pillow.” Nominee “Temple Grandin,” drew from the memoir “Thinking in Pictures.”

Read more from Read Street from The Baltimore Sun

The Northside Joins Notables

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:05:00 -0500

Nelson Johnson’s “The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City” joins five other nonfiction titles and four fiction books in a listing released this week by the influential Publishers Weekly in an article titled Notable African American Titles by Calvin Reid and Diane Patrick.

Written by the author of Boardwalk Empire, the book the hit TV show is based on, The Northside meticulously documents the role of blacks in building Atlantic City and creating a haven for black life on in the city’s Northside. Mr. Johnson described the role of African American’s in the ride of Atlantic City in a single chapter within Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City titled A Plantation by the Sea (Read Online). That chapter inspired him to undertake the years of research needed to write The Northside and gather the many photographs that brings this history to life.

Alongside the Northside, Publishers Weekly recognized Terry McMillan’s novel Getting to Happy, the sequel to her 1992 bestseller, Waiting to Exhale in their Notable African American Titles in the area of fiction. In nonfiction, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, a memoir of Cornel West by Cornel West with David Ritz and Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius by Steven Roby and Brad Schreiber join Nelson Johnson’s new book.

Krystal Knapp on "Trenton, a Novel"

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:15:55 -0500

Sunday, December 05, 2010 - Krystal Knapp
SPECIAL TO THE TIME

Trenton past. Trenton present. A Trenton with a brighter future.

All three are woven together in a new novel written by two area residents who are passionate about the history of the Capitol City, concerned about its current condition, and convinced that ordinary people can join together to turn things around.

”Trenton” is a novel in two parts by Lawrence resident John Calu and David Hart of Ewing, published in October by Medford-based Plexus Publishing.

It is a mix of history, mystery and political intrigue that is a love letter to its namesake and a treatise of sorts on what ails the city — and possible cures.

Read Ms. Knapp’s review and analysis at Times of Trenton.

The Northside Ships The new book by Nelson Johnson, author of...

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:52:00 -0500

The Northside Ships

The new book by Nelson Johnson, author of Boardwalk Empire shipped this week to those who pre-ordered their copy. For more information, photos, and ordering details, visit www.thenorthsidebook.com.

He Did His Homework

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:30:23 -0500

That was the first thought that came to mind after reading through Nelson Johnson’s latest book, “The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City.” The author of “Boardwalk Empire,” whose popular book inspired the current HBO series by the same name, has turned his attention to the history and contributions of Atlantic City’s black population. One never knows what to expect when an outsider steps forward to tell your story, but Johnson proves that, with great insight and access to original materials and members of the community, it can be done.

Johnson’s “Northside” offers a detailed, richly textured, vicarious journey through black Atlantic City of yesteryear.

Read Dr. Patricia Reid-Merritt’s
review at pressofAtlanticCity.com.

Hammonton Resident, Nelson Johnson, Releases Second AC Book

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:59:54 -0500

Nelson Johnson, a Hammonton resident whose first book served as the basis for the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire,” has finished another book about Atlantic City.

Plexus Publishing, in Medford, New Jersey releases “The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City” on November 29th, 2010.

Johnson’s first book — “Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City” — includes a chapter about African Americans’ impact on the seaside resort community.

Johnson finished writing “The Northside” about a year ago… and a delay in publishing gave him time to find photos that tell a visual tale of the city’s African American community. About 100 images will appear in the hardbound book. A small sample of the included photographs are at TheNorthsideBook.com.

“I’m actually more excited about it than my first (book),” Johnson said. “It means more to me on a personal level. What I probably enjoyed the most was knowing that I was telling a story that no one had even tried to tell.”