DOGGED HEARTS

Hello, and welcome to Poetry Friday! Round up is at The Writer's Armchair.

My contribution is this poem from Ellen Dore Watson's collection DOGGED HEARTS.

I LOVE THIS BOOK. It's from Tupelo Press, and it's all persona poems that illuminate small ordinary moments with inspired thought and vocabulary. It's no wonder Ellen was hailed by Library journal as one of "24 Poets for the 21st Century." I wish I'd known when I met her at Colrain how much I would later enjoy her work. Alas.

Give this one a gander:

AS IF LOVE
were cool and simple, jade against skin.
As if early gifts could negate late inattention.
The way she just stands there, tippety
with counterweights, hands jammed in pockets.
As if even my seeing them would be a thanks
I don't deserve. As if her wrists, bare as the day
I pinned them to the table, and oh her mouth,
never-ready, like the elbow she used to offer me,
to steer her smiling into the sea of smiles.
As if trust didn't sail in both directions.

- Ellen Dore Watson

MISSISSIPPI ON MY MIND

I've been hearing lots of buzz about this book:

Can't wait to read, especially after my recent trip to Vicksburg, where I had a lovely time with all sorts of wonderful librarians, but most especially the crew from Oxford: Dorothy Fitts, Nancy Opalko, Judy Card, Laura Beth and Corey. Thanks so much for the invitation AND for the good time. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love Mississippi!

Now for something that made me laugh: What's wrong with this picture?

Ummm, yeah. That lovely bespectacled woman ain't me! In fact, none of us could figure out who she was at all. So, Lovely Bespectacled Woman, if you're reading, please do speak up. Would love to meet you.

My luncheon talk with the librarians couldn't have gone better -- except for my hair. Lordy, did that Yazoo River do a number on my badly-in-need-of-a-trim locks! (Adding to the to-do list: Get A Haircut)

Another highlight for me was watching Sarah C. Campbell receive the Book Award for WOLFSNAIL. I snagged this pic from her post with the details.

I also waved when I passed the exit for Chunky, MS (at least one reader knows why), then stopped in Meridian on my way home, to visit writer friend Richelle Putnam who is always ALWAYS doing something creative and exciting. This time she showed me her offices at Blue South Publishing, where she is the managing editor of a soon-to-debut arts and culture mag called LEGENDS. SO exciting! And great, as always to share time and space with such a generous, visionary spirit.

What's next, you ask? Well. I've decided to do NANOWRIMO for (get this!) an ADULT project. Yep, it's happening.... happy last week of October, y'all!

FAVORITE SHOT FROM THE WEEKEND

(l-r: Mary Ann Taylor, Irene Latham, Pat Weaver, Stacey Barney and Jana Hutcheson)

Vulcan: it's #14 in the book 101 THINGS YOU MUST DO IN ALABAMA. And it was so much more fun than #54 (or whatever number it was), which was something about getting eaten up by chiggers.

Ummm, NO. Not gonna be the one responsible for introducing Excellent Editor to chiggers. Makes me itchy just thinking about it....

FRIENDS, WRITERS, COMPATRIOTS...

So. Got a lovely email yesterday from a friend who very gently asked, "Where the heck have you been?!"

Sadly, not much on the interwebs. Or, NOT so sadly. Depends on how you look at it.

My book event schedule is jam-packed the entire month of October... tomorrow I will welcome Excellent Editor Stacey Barney to Birmingham, where we are having a Southern-Breeze conference. I've got big plans for Ms. Barney tomorrow, and I'm thrilled some of my best writing compatriots (hey Pat and Jana!!) will be joining us. Then on Saturday I'm giving a little session on Book Trailer Basics, and Stacey and I are jointly presenting a session called "The Author-Editor Relationship: What to Expect After the Contract." Fun, right??

WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

On Sunday I travel back to Auburn (location of probably the Best Writing Conference I Have Attended Maybe Ever-- Auburn Writers Conference) for a YA Panel at the Auburn Public Library with the fabulous youth librarian Eve and other Awesome Alabama Authors R.A. Nelson, Ginger Rue and Rachel Hawkins.

AND THEN...

On Wednesday I travel to Vicksburg, MS, for Mississippi Library Association, where I am the luncheon speaker. I am so very excited about this, because I LOVE Mississippi librarians! I had such a great time with them at Fay B. Kaigler this past April that I nearly decided I should up and MOVE to Mississippi.

Alas.

Will have to settle for visiting often. Looking forward to it! Also looking forward to watching Sarah C. Campbell accept the inaugaral Mississippi Book Award for her amazing book WOLFSNAIL. Sarah always inspires me, so I can't wait to chat, clap, hug, etc.

Also, I have been invited to a Halloween party by author-friend Gin Phillips (THE WELL AND THE MINE and forthcoming GHOSTS UNDERGROUND, which sounds every bit as amazing as her debut!) in which I am supposed to "come as a cliche." How brilliant is that?? Still deciding which cliche to go with... so many, so little time! Suggestions welcome.

So that's me. I hope all your worlds, both real and imaginary, are filled with joy and beauty. xo

Announcing the Classof2K10 230-Book Giveaway!

Announcing the Classof2K10 230-Book Giveaway!

CELEBRATE FAITH

I can't believe it's October. I mean, I love October. I just can't believe it's here already. But wow, is it ever. We've had some wonderfully cool evenings and delightfully sunshiney days, which are fantastic for taking a book out on the porch and reading for a spell.

To start with, there's DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS by fellow Alabamian and amazing writer R.A. Nelson -- it's just out in paperback with an eye-catching new cover. And yes, it's about faith. It also has a ghost in it. Russ is cool like that.









And you don't want to miss LOSING FAITH by Tenner and 2k10 classmate Denise Jaden. This one is tightly written and mysterious and sad and hopeful... and I learned about church home groups and other stuff I knew nothing of. I was fascinated by the tension created by a girl of little faith growing up in a home bursting with faith... congratulations, Denise! May you write many more!!!







Finally, check out this collaboration from Elizabeth Dulemba and Susan Rossen Spain:


Elizabeth said, "be a peach," and I was like, well, sure because I already am! A Georgia peach, that is... yep, I was born there. Which makes me especially excited about this Christmas offering. I still remember my father reading The Cajun Night Before Christmas when we lived in Louisiana... love me some regional Christmas fun! Even in October. For me, anytime is a good time for Christmas cheer.

If you need me, I'll be outside, soaking up the season... hope you are too!

ONE WORD: KRASIVAYA

My Russian readers know what I'm talking about, don't you?

And come March 2011, all the rest of my readers will know as well... because that's when Ruta Sepetys' debut historical novel BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY will be released by Penguin/Philomel.

The book is based on the author's family and the real-life WWII events you may not have heard of: 15 year old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her familiy and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. (taken from inside jacket of ARC)

The facts are just as horrific as you can possibly imagine. But the story is written so beautifully, and with such love, that you come away from the experience partly slaughtered by man's inhumanity to man. More than that, though, you will leave this book inspired, humbled and in awe of the courage and tenacity of the human spirit.

So don't let the tough subject matter scare you away. This book will change you. And having just met Ruta at SCBWI Midsouth conference, I can tell you that her own indomitable spirit is every bit as powerful as what exists on these pages.

Congratulations, Ruta!! Thank you SO MUCH for writing this story. I look forward to watching its journey in the world! And for those of you who want to know more before March... there is a wonderful video found here.

WANTED: JUMP STARTERS!

Okay. Who hasn't wanted to wake up, just once, in someone else's body? Well, Ginger Rue has written a book about that very thing... only It-Girl Brinkley Harper doesn't want it to happen -- which makes her "jumps" all the more fun! You've got to read this book. Great writing, and really fun. And have I mentioned Ginger is a dear friend of mine from way back in high school? Yep. Show her some love!

Now. About these Jump Starters. Here's the skinny, straight from Ginger's blog:

"JUMP Starters will be 25 people who will be selected to help spread the word about JUMP in their communities. They’ll receive a free kit in the mail with a copy of the novel, a poster of the book jacket, and bookmarks to hand out to whomever they choose. If they can convince a bookstore or library in their town to hang up the poster, and then send me a picture of themselves beside the poster, they’ll get another freebie: a JUMP t-shirt. And let me just say that this is a pretty cool t-shirt: a crimson color similar to the background on the book jacket, with yellow print. I have to pay for mine, but JUMP Starters will get theirs FREE!"

Now, go! To be selected you have to visit Ginger's blog, like, right now!! GOOD LUCK! And Congratulations, Ginger, on a wonderful new book!

ON THE VALUE OF WRITING CONFERENCES

A question came up during an intense discussion among pre-published and published authors at Midsouth SCBWI conference (see blog for all the good stuff) in Nashville: Does a writer ever outgrow writing conferences?

My answer is YES.

But that's not to say a writer ever stops learning. Just that once you've broken into the industry, you have all sorts of other avenues to feed that growth.

Writing conferences open the door, but over a writer's lifetime, I don't think writing conferences have the power to sustain. Ultimately, writing conferences serve beginners best. And even though every writing organization I've been associated with strives to keep writers coming back, I think that energy is really misplaced. We should be courting the beginners and pushing the more accomplished out the nest. Tiers like SCBWI's PAL membership only serve to divide the membership, when the whole point is to support and educate budding careers.

Also, there is something to be said for the the turnover of power in these organizations. The fastest way for a group to become stale and useless is to maintain the same leadership over the course of many years. We need new voices, new ideas, new energy. Which means the more established writers should of course make themselves available as mentors, but should also move out and on.

I got much of my education on craft and industry through attending writing conferences, so I continue to be wildly grateful for their existence. But I realized this weekend that the best thing for me to do now is to offer my chair to someone else.

Take it. It's yours. And if you need any help... give me a holler. And to my dear writing friends who have also outgrown conferences, two words: WRITING RETREAT. I am so there!!

FOR THE LOVE OF FRIDAY

First of all, it's Poetry Friday!! Dust off your verses, and share something at Roundup: The Blog With the Shockingly Clever Title.

Next up: We've just had a wonderful visit with Papa. I'm sorry to see it end. But he does live in Bismarck, and he does have other children, so he simply MUST hit the road. So. A little sadness today. But happiness too. Time together is so precious.

Besides, I'm skipping town myself. Heading to SCBWI Midsouth conference. Ellen Hopkins will be there! And lots of writing buds, too. I'm excited!

I'll be back next week with updates and exciting news. Meanwhile, here is a timely
poem I've loved for many years:

September

Tonight there must be people who are getting what they want.
I let my oars fall into the water.
Good for them. Good for them, getting what they want.

The night is so still that I forget to breathe.
The dark air is getting colder. Birds are leaving.

Tonight there are people getting just what they need.

The air is so still that it seems to stop my heart.
I remember you in a black and white photograph
taken this time of some year. You were leaning against
a half-shed tree, standing in the leaves the tree had lost.

When I finally exhale it takes forever to be over.

Tonight, there are people who are so happy,
that they have forgotten to worry about tomorrow.

Somewhere, people have entirely forgotten about tomorrow.
My hand trails in the water.
I should not have dropped those oars. Such a soft wind.

- Jennifer Michael Hecht


from her book,
"The Next Ancient World"


available from Amazon.com or Tupelo Press

YET ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE LOIS LOWRY

A few weeks ago my son announced that The Best Book He EVER Had to Read for School was THE GIVER by Lois Lowry.

I nodded sagely, having enjoyed that book myself, and I located the book on the shelf, moved it to the tower on my nightstand and thought, I need to read this one again, not just as a reader, but as a writer who wants to write books that matter.

A few chapters in, I received an email from a middle school teacher who was requesting a school visit AND announcing that she had paired LEAVING GEE'S BEND with THE GIVER, because they are so much alike.

I was like, wow, really?

And I made it a priority to finish the book so I could see what she was talking about.

Here's the thing: all that Jonas gains through the memories he receives from the Giver, all the ways his world changes from this safe, mundane, sterile existence leads him to a world like Ludelphia's: heartache, pain, striving, love, family, stories, COLOR. When at the end, Jonas and Gabe sled down that hill and arrive... they could be arriving at Ludelphia's cabin.

Cool, huh?

So that set me on a Lois Lowry kick. Next up was GOSSAMER. And it surprised me how touched I was by it. The story comes together in this unusual way, and I was completely drawn in on an emotional level.... if you haven't read it, please do.

Also, consider these wise words from Lois Lowry's acceptance speech for the 1994 Newbery Medal:

"Let me say something to those of you here who do such dangerous work.

The man that I named The Giver passed along to the boy knowledge, history, memories, color, pain, laughter, love, and truth. Every time you place a book in the hands of a child, you do the same thing.

It is very risky.

But each time a child opens a book, he pushes open the gate that separates him from Elsewhere. It gives him choices. It gives him freedom. Those are magnificent, wonderfully unsafe things."

Lois, thanks for giving us Elsewhere and choices and freedom. I'm so pleased our books have become companions. :)

LEARNING TO LOVE MY NAME

We all know how a person can be shaped by his or her name, and how our preconceived notions about a name can be shaped by a person. Some of the best characters in literature have unusual names, and we like that, because they we feel like the character is unusual... when really, a person's name tells far more about the parent than it does the person.

I was named Irene, for my father's maternal grandmother, whom everyone affectionately called Big Mama. It's an old name, Irene... but I've always loved it. It's just unusual enough and yes, oldfashioned, which suits me. So this post is not about the name Irene.

It's about my maiden name: Dykes. You can imagine the middle-school jokes for a girl blessed with this name. Which is why I was pretty happy to banish it from all legal documents when I married. I love the name Latham. And would have wanted to share my husband's name almost no matter what it was. Not because I hated the name Dykes, but because I'm oldfashioned that way. I want to share a name with my life partner.

So the name change served me well. No more jokes. Although I have cringed on behalf of sisters-in-law and nieces on more than one occasion.

Fast forward twenty years to last week's death of my Granddaddy, Newton Emon Dykes. He's the reason I was named Dykes. That was one of his many gifts to me, my father and all my siblings. And he was one of those classic men who taught by example and loved so ardently. You could count on him, for comfort, humor, joy, anything. So today, I'm proud to bear the name Dykes.

Granddaddy, I will do everything I can to live up to it.

MY LITTLE HELPER

MENAGE A MONDAY

You know how sometimes life comes at you so fast you can hardly keep up? Yeah. That's how things have been for me lately. Here are the highlights:

1. This adorable baby boy whom I have had the privilege and honor of loving just turned SWEET SIXTEEN!! We are currently car shopping... and taking him tomorrow to get his license. He's a responsible driver so far, but it still makes me worry.

2. Spent some quality time with one of my most favorite people on the planet: my sister Lynn (below). Love you, sweet girl.



3. Said "goodbye" to one of my other most favorite people: my granddaddy (below). He was 93. But it still didn't feel like enough time.

He died just four months after my grandmother -- his wife of 68 years. I have talked about them here before... I learned so much from them about love and how to live a life. I feel so lucky to have known them.

4. What was once FINISHING SCHOOL FOR HOPELESS ROMANTICS has been retitled: THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS. Working very hard with editor to get this poetry manuscript ship-shape before we move to the next stage.

5. Working on the backside of my charm quilt. Yeah... decided I wanted it double-sided, so I've been cutting larger-size blocks. I think it will make a nice variation. Will share pics when I get to that point!

EXPLODE THE MOMENT

What to say about Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference?

It's tough because I still feel overwhelmed by everthing I learned. And the people were great! Session leaders Joan and Ellen, all the fabulous poets from all corners of the country... and the editors. Awesome!!

I was amazed at the way Tupelo Press editor Jeffery Levine was able to see my heart in my poetry -- he randomly chose three poems out of my manuscript to read aloud, and after he'd read all three, he said they all ended with a "missing other."

Heck, I didn't even know that!

He also commented on the sense of humor he found in my work, and see, I've never really characterized it as such. His comments made me really want to develop that quality in my writing. He also said I was good with sexy and that only one in five hundred manuscripts he gets are sexy. Maybe this is a niche I can fill? Of course, I'd have to keep it separate from my novels-for-midgrade website....



Other things I learned:

I spend too much time on set-up and need to cut many first stanzas of poems.

I have a tendency to want to be a guru of sorts, to wrap up my poems with some sage words. Those are lines I need to cut.

I use great metaphors but don't stay in them long enough. I need to stick with them long enough to "explode the moment."

My prose gets in the way sometimes. I need to get rid of time markers and transitions.

It's better to submit a short manuscript than to pad a short manuscript with mediocre poems. Only put forth your very best work.

I write great titles. Just need the poems to live up to them. :)

ME AND THE GOVERNOR

Still no "official" photo from the Governor's people, but, before you've completely lost interest, I wanted to go ahead and share the ones from my camera.

Here's me and Ginger Rue.
Not only is Ginger an amazing author and speaker, she's also a member of Black Belt Action Commission. Love her AND her books! And she totally saved me... I didn't know I was going to have to speak at the event, and she was like the most awesome publicist ever: gave me some key points, and I ran with them. Plus she dashed around introducing me to people she felt like I needed to meet. Seriously. I need a Ginger at ever event!

Now. Here's one of Governor Riley accepting the Commission's gift to him: a Gee's Bend quilt, of course!

I also got to see Sulynn from Blackbelt Treasures at the event. Wow, seeing her sweet face in the audience sure helped to ease my nerves!

And finally, here's me and the Governor in the same shot at least... Ginger was able to snap this as we were parting ways after the presentation of LEAVING GEE'S BEND. I was so relieved at this point... mission accomplished!


Will share the "official" photo as soon as I have it. Meanwhile, I've got a school visit tomorrow -- my first of 2010-11 school year. I'm excited!

CLIMBING THE CITADEL

Have I mentioned before that my youngest son pretty much HATES to read? Yep. It's enough to break a book-loving mama's heart.

But. He LOVES to be read to. So I still read to him. Every night. And I have to tell you about his most favorite book from our summer reading: BANNER IN THE SKY.

Now I should say right up front that our actual mountain climbing experience is limited to a climbing wall at the mall AND this one time my rock climber brother took us to the Palisades near Oneonta, Alabama, where I slipped and dislocated my elbow. Rock Climbing Brother is also a nurse, so he bravely, miraculously popped the bone right back in place, but still. A pleasant memory this does not make.

But THIS time, we climbed from the comfort of Eric rock-n-roll bedroom. And it was awesome! We felt like were were on that Swiss mountain, breathing that thin air, searching for fingerholds with our poor bleeding fingers. There was adventure, conflict, danger, sweetness, everything.

And now son wants to do the real thing so badly that he spent his hard-earned summer money not on his original plan, but a new one: climbing rope, boots, gloves. And right now, as I type, he is drawing a picture of the Citadel. Fun!

MAKING ART IS CHANCY

Okay. How many of you out there have ever put down your pencil, closed your computer and said, "That's it. I'm done." ??

Well, guess what?

IT'S JUST PART OF THE PROCESS.

Again, from ART & FEAR by David Bayles and Ted Orland

"Fear that your next work will fail is a normal, recurring and generally healthy part of the artmaking cycle… In the normal artistic cycle this just tells you that you’ve come full circle, back to that point where you need to begin cultivating the next new idea."

So. IT'S OKAY TO GET STUCK. It just means it's time to move on to the next thing.

And what if the next thing is so BIG, you feel completely overwhelmed?

THAT'S OKAY TOO.

"Vision is always ahead of execution – and it should be. Vision, Uncertainty, and Knowledge of Materials are inevitabilities that all artists must acknowledge and learn from: vision is always ahead of execution, knowledge of materials is your contact with reality, and uncertainty is a virtue."

Did you hear that, brain??? UNCERTAINTY IS A VIRTUE.

Also: "What’s really needed is nothing more than a broad sense of what you are looking for, some strategy of how to find it, and an overriding willingness to embrace mistakes and surprises along the way. Simply put, making art is chancy – it doesn’t mix well with predictability. Uncertainty is the essential, inevitable and all pervasive companion to your desire to make art. And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding."

PERFECTION, BEGONE!! Remember:

"What you need to know about the next piece is contained in the last piece. The place to learn about your materials is in the last use of your materials. The place to learn about your execution is in your execution. The best information about what you love is in your last contact with what you love. Put simply, your work is a guide: a complete, comprehensive, limitless reference book on your work."

Want more? Buy the book!

AUDIENCE COMES LATER.

So I've been revising my work in progress. To help me along, I picked up a few new books. For the next few weeks, I'd like to share some of the words that have spoken to me.

First, from a book called ART & FEAR by David Bayles & Ted Orland.

"Fears about artmaking fall into two families: fears about yourself, and fears about your reception by others. In a general way, fears about yourself prevent you from doing your best work, while fears about your reception by others prevent you from doing your own work."

Just for fun, let's talk about that second family first -- the fear about your reception by others.

This is a fear I know. I've written about it lots of times, most recently here. Now check out this quote, particularly that last sentence:

"Making art provides uncomfortably accurate feedback about the gap that inevitably exists between what you intended to do, and what you did. In fact, if artmaking did not tell you (the maker) so enormously much about yourself, then making art that matters to you would be impossible. To you, and you alone, what matters is the process: the experience of shaping that artwork. The viewers’ concerns are not your concerns (although it’s dangerously easy to adopt their attitudes.) Their job is whatever it is: to be moved by art, to be entertained by it, to make a killing off it, whatever. Your job is to learn to work on your work."

I LOVE THAT!! (Attaching to my bulletin board as we speak...)

"The lesson here is simply that courting approval, even that of peers, puts a dangerous amount of power in the hands of the audience. Worse yet, the audience is seldom in a position to grant (or withhold) approval on the one issue that really counts – namely, whether or not you’re making progress in your work. Theyre in a good position to comment on how they’re moved (or challenged or entertained )by the finsished product, but have little knowledge or interest in your process. Audience comes later. The only pure communication is between you and your work."

And guess what? I AM MAKING PROGRESS IN MY WORK. So happy!
Wishing you progress too... more of this to come.

KATHRYN ERSKINE VISIT

We had so much fun with Kathy and daughter Fiona while they were in Birmingham! We took them to Yogurt Mountain and Vulcan, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and John's City Diner. And we got to see lots of writer-friends and others at Kathy's signing at Little Professor: Joan Broerman, Jo Kittinger and Kerry Madden.

It was especially great to see again some of the mothers and daughters from the book club! Next I dashed off for Girl's Night at Flip Burger Boutique. LOVE those ladies! And YUM.

Oh. We also made a quilt top for Fiona to take home as a keepsake from her big adventure with her mom. Fun! And, just as they were leaving, Fiona mentioned an ARC she has read twice: JUMP by Ginger Rue!! I was like, Oh! I love Ginger! She's my friend from way back in high school! So, yeah. Small world. JUMP is coming in September, btw. Can't wait!

ON QUILTS AND BOOKS AND THE END OF SUMMER

Isn't it awesome to be around creative folks? I mean, it really gets the brain cells moving. Which is why I am absolutely itching to write/quilt/anything after the quilt show at South Fulton Arts Center in Atlanta. Not only did I meet a bunch of great Atlanta-area authors, but I also got to enjoy the quilts on display. Big thanks to Clara Ford Foundation for inviting me to be part of the festivities!

Here I am with O.V., Merva, Michelle and Myra! Thanks, y'all, for making me feel so welcome at the Hammonds House!

Eric's favorite quilt was the optical illusion one above... mine was the African princess one below. Eric also had fun with some hand drums. And can I just say that I am so going to miss having Eric with me on book events?? Summer has been AWESOME, in part because I've had such a great traveling companion on my book adventures. Alas. Tomorrow is the first day of school for one boy, with the others soon to follow. By next week all three will be back to homework and morning carpool madness. Sigh.
I also have to mention an unexpected surprise at the Atlanta events: I got to meet Farah, who is a former (long-time) Penguin employee and friend of my editor... she just got married and moved to Atlanta, and sweet thing that she is, she came out to meet me! (That's the two of us pictured above.) What a sweetheart. THANK YOU.
Now. Onto more exciting goodness: Kathryn Erskine comes tomorrow! She'll be signing at Little Professor on Tuesday, 4-6 pm. Then, on Wednesday, Kerry Madden will be signing at Alabama Booksmith, 4 pm. Y'all come!

LUDELPHIA AND THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

When my dear friend Susan said, "read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," I thought, really?

Yes, it's a phenomenon at this point, and seems like everyone is reading or has read it. But it's not really my genre of choice.

Then Susan said this: "No matter what happens to the girl in the story, she's not a victim."

And I thought, hmmmmm...

So I'm reading. And Susan's absolutely right.

Then yesterday, an acquaintance who has read LEAVING GEE'S BEND said how much Ludelphia has in common with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He said that the stories may be completely different in terms of setting, genre, etc., but both of them feature strong female characters.

And I thought, cool...

Now for winners of the Poetry Friday Giveaway:
Congratulations, Mary Ann Scheuer -- you've won BORROWED NAMES by Jeannine Atkins! Congratulations, Theresa at Looking for the Write Wrods -- you've won THREE RIVERS RISING by Jame Richards!! Please email me with snail mail, so I can get these out to you.

Happy reading!!

POETRY FRIDAY GIVEAWAY!

Happy Poetry Friday!! I lovelovelove to host this roundup -- please see below for what incredibles ye ole internet has to offer us today. Then add your own!

To make things even more fun, leave a comment by midnight, Sunday, Aug. 1st to win one of these two really awesome poetry books. I've read both of these more than once. And come on, in this day and age, that's saying something!! Even if you don't win, DON'T MISS THESE BOOKS. They're awesome.

by Jame Richards


by Jeannine Atkins

THE HEART OF ART

Sarah Frances over at PLOT THIS just wrote a fabulous post about how art is art, no matter what the medium.

Sarah Frances is pretty darn fabulous herself, and she's on vacation, where she watched some dancers. SF is also contracted for her first picture book as author AND illustrator (Viking!). So she's pretty much an expert in this subject.

I, too, have been known to dabble in all sorts of art forms -- not just writing. And the other night (a few weeks ago actually. Maybe even a month.) -- on THE BACHELORETTE of all shows -- there was a bit of genius that caught my ear.

They were meeting with the director of THE LION KING show on Broadway. I've seen the show, and there is this one scene, the love scene of course, that I completely LOVE. And wouldn't you know it, that's the scene Ali and Roberto got to leap into?

Anyway. Here's the genius part: the director chose Roberto. And when he was telling the cameras WHY he chose Roberto, he said he cast him in the same way that he casts all shows. He looked for the person who exhibited




and



And I thought, yes! That's it! That's exactly what we strive for as writers. Courage and truth.

So there you have it folks... the heart of art. Now go out and CREATE!

THE ART OF LOSING THINGS

Happy Poetry Friday! Roundup is at Language, Literacy and Love. And come back next Friday, when Roundup is HERE! I'll be giving away some volumes of poetry for all you word-lovers out there.

So, onto today's poem.

I've been losing things lately. At first it was little things like a novel left in a hotel room. Or my cell phone case (who knows where). Then I very nearly ran out of gas. (Ummm, distracted much?? That hasn't happened since I was a teenager!) And now I've graduated to bigger things I dare not mention here.

Tell me, dear readers... what is the most important/valuable/silly thing you have ever lost?

And now, in my attempt to reframe things, I give you a most famous villanelle by Elizabeth Bishop. Enjoy!

ONE ART

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.


--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

LONG LIVE TAYLOR LAUTNER

What I found after almost-thirteen-year-old-niece-who-is-beautiful-and-precious-and-amazing left the house:



Adorable, huh?

FIVE FOR FRIDAY

1. This week I visited the art museum in Myrtle Beach, where the quilts of Gee's Bend are currently on exhibit. What a lovely museum and fabulous staff! Here's museum director Pat Goodwin introducing Carla, a museum volunteer, who gave an introduction of my book that pretty much left me tear-streaked and watery-eyed the rest of the day. Simply lovely. THANK YOU.


2. I put in some stiches! The museum had this quilt set up as a community project, so after my presentation, my auht Ruth Ann, cousin Judy and her two boys Nathan and Wes along with me and Eric got right to work. What a great excuse to see extended family! And it certainly goes along with the theme of the quilts.


3. I put my toes in the Atlantic Ocean! Eric, of course, put in more than just his toes. He had such a good time with third cousin Nathan.


4. Gadsden Public Library has been officially awarded "Best Food For An Author Visit." Sausage balls! Sweet tea! Peach cobbler! And more. Son Eric was most impressed. AND I got to meet the President of my Street Team, Glenda Byars. And all the other wonderful library staff like Carol, Amanda, Heather, Dee... Seriously. AWESOME. (Here I am with Eric and niece JuliAnna, who is staying with us a few days.)


5. On Monday, I'll be on the radio! Tune in at 4 pm EST here for my interview on Pat Sloan's Creative Talk Radio. I haven't talked to her yet, but her blog is tons o' fun. I'm excited!


And, BONUS: It's Poetry Friday!! Roundup is at my juicy little universe. Enjoy!

EMBRACING MY INNER BARBIE

You might have guessed by the fact that I wrote a book about a girl who wears a sack dress and no shoes that fashion is not quite my thing.

In fact, I don't think I owned a Barbie doll ever. I was a baby-doll kind of girl and never really understood my friends' fascination with Barbie. I was too busy pretending to nurse my babies and rocking them and pretending with my sister that we ran a daycare and one day none of the parents came back, so the babies were ALL OURS. And that was a good thing!

If I knew one thing about myself as a young girl, it was that someday I wanted to be a mother. And I really do love being a mom.

But back to Barbie. I've seen TOY STORY 3 twice now, and Barbie is a new edition to the cast of toys. She's the stereotypical "dumb blonde" in a lot of ways. She's silly at times and dramatic at others. And she vacillates between being all about fashion to being all about Ken.

Only she isn't just that. Wait a while, and her good heart and independence and loyalty shine through. She's cool and gorgeous and makes a difference at Sunnyside Daycare. She's a 21st century woman. And she delivers the best line in the whole movie.

All this to say I don't feel so heated anymore in my argument against Barbie. I will ALWAYS love baby dolls, and given the choice, will cuddle one in my arms over dressing Barbie in legwarmers any day.

But I celebrate Barbie's independence and image-sense.

Watch out Lindsey Leavitt and Rachel Hawkins: I might start reading SEVENTEEN magazine next. :)

DRINKING WHITE THOUGHTS

Welcome to another edition of Poetry Friday! Roundup is at Carol's Corner. Check it out... I promise it will be a white-hot spot in your day.

Speaking of white-hot... wow, some pretty intense heat this week. As we sat out last night in the front yard watching the fireflies dance, I thought of this poem:

Back Yard

by Carl Sandburg (1916)


Shine on, O moon of summer.
Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak,
All silver under your rain to-night.

An Italian boy is sending songs to you to-night from an accordion.
A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next month;
to-night they are throwing you kisses.

An old man next door is dreaming over a sheen that sits in a
cherry tree in his back yard.

The clocks say I must go—I stay here sitting on the back porch drinking
white thoughts you rain down.

Shine on, O moon,
Shake out more and more silver changes.


Wishing everyone white thoughts and silver changes!

CHARM QUILT UPDATE

So I've been working on my 2010 quilt project. Youngest son Eric and new kitten Maggie have been helping A LOT. We decided to go with a diagonal color wash, which I really love. The final square count will be 729.

Bad news: I ran out of fabric!
Good news: Eric and I went to Hancock's yesterday and will hit Joann's today. :)

Don't you love it??