This past year, fall and winter particularly, has been all about the 30th year of punk. Books by Arthur Kane’s widow, Barbara Kane (I, Doll: Life and Death of the New York Dolls), and Vera Ramone King (Poisoned Heart: I Married Dee Dee Ramone), Dee Dee’s former wife were released as well as Robert Matheu’s and Jeffrey Morgan’s photo biography of Iggy Pop (The Stooges: The Authorized and Illustrated Story) and one about Joey Ramone by his brother and former Birdland guitar player, Mickey Leigh (with Legs McNeil). The two recently had a successful, full-to-capacity book signing at the St. Mark’s Place Barnes & Noble book store for I Slept With Joey Ramone.

Leigh and McNeil have another reading/Q&A session on 7:30 P.M. Tuesday December 8th, at Goodbye Blue Monday, 1087 Broadway Bushwick Brooklyn, NY.

A couple of people we know wrote about the former subjects at some length. New Times editor Bill Holdship penned a fine cover story on Iggy, which included an entertaining interview. He also discusses the books by Kane and King. And Punk Turns 30‘s Theresa Kereakes also gives kudos to Matheu’s book.

In other print matters, American expat NPR correspondant Ed Ward pens a piece about Bukka White in this month’s issue of the Oxford American. And there’s a very witty interview with writer and ukulele enthusiast, Sylvie Simmons in 1heckofaguy.com about her upcoming, hard won book on Leonard Cohen.