FOR THE LOVE OF RUSSIAN POETRY

Have I mentioned that I've been on something of an ice-y, cold-life kick, ever since reading THE WHITE DARKNESS this past spring?

It's like this frostbitten world is chasing me -- and it's beginning to emerge in my poems.

Which is why I want to share some Russian poetry with you today, by Anna Akhmatova, whom I just discovered in the book we read for book club (We meet tomorrow night! Woohoo! I've missed you gals!) WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah. Each section of the book opens with an excerpt. I'm in love:

All is for you: the daily prayer,
The sleepless heat at night,
And of my verses, the white
Flock, and of my eyes, the blue fire.
 
-- from the poem "I Don't Know if You're Alive or Dead"

 And raspberry-colored bonfires bloom,
Like roses, in the snow.

--from the poem "How Can You Bear to Look at the Neva"





Along the hard crust of deep snows,
To the secret, white house of yours,
So gentle and quiet – we both
Are walking, in silence half-lost.
And sweeter than all songs, sung ever,
Are this dream, becoming the truth,
Entwined twigs’ a-nodding with favor,
The light ring of your silver spurs... 

-- from the poem "Along the hard crust of deep snows..." 

But listen, I am warning you
I'm living for the very last time.
Not as a swallow, nor a maple,
Not as a reed, nor as a star,
Not as spring water,
Nor as the toll of bells…

-- from the poem "But Listen, I am warning you" 

For more great poetry, visit Tabatha (who shared an original poem by Eva, sister to Jack of Beanstalk fame. So creative!) for Poetry Friday Roundup!

NEW BOOKS ABOUT FAMILY FOR FAMILY STORIES MONTH

As many of you know, I love to write family stories. And, ever since LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE,  I love to read them too.

So, for Book Talk Tuesday, I thought I would share about a few new titles I've read in recent weeks:

JUNONIA by Keven Henkes.

It's a quiet story about a turning-ten-years-old only child named Alice who's looking for a junonia shell during her family's annual trip to Sanibel Island in Florida. Some kids might not have the patience for it, but put it in the hands of your avid readers and see what happens. See Eva's Book Addiction for a complete review.

 WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE by Tess Hilmo. 1950's Arkansas. Ollie is the oldest daughter in a preacher's family who stumbles upon a murder mystery. You get the tent revival lifestyle without in-your-face religion. Booking Mama has a really nice review.

ICEFALL by Matthew J. Kirby. Solveig is the middle child in a Viking-like family  -- and yes, here's another murder-mystery. I bet you won't figure it out. :) READ THIS BOOK. Fellow Tenner Kirby had me with his first novel A CLOCKWORK THREE. This one is even better. Don't believe me? Read the review at Fuse #8.

WORDS IN THE DUST by Trent Reedy. For readers who like to be transported, this book is for you. I was fascinated by Zulaikha's struggle to find her place within her family in Afghanistan. It also provides an "other side" view for those who question America's role/efforts in that country. Check out the review at Madigan Reads.

What family stories have you read lately? And for more book reviews, don't forget to visit Kelly at the Lemme Library for Book Talk Tuesday.

A VIEW FROM A DREAM

 

In my dream, Artelia Bendolph in 1937 Gee's Bend, Alabama, looks out her window to see...

  
...little Lauren smiling and spinning and dancing with a character she (Artelia) inspired:
 
Ludelphia Bennett from LEAVING GEE'S BEND.

Authors: do your characters make odd appearances in your dreams?

THE DAY MY OVEN EXPLODED AND OTHER DISASTERS

I confess: I take a lot of things for granted.

Like my oven, for instance.

When I made a special trip earlier this week to Fresh Market for red bell peppers and organic zucchini and those gigantic mushrooms, I pictured myself drizzling on the olive oil and garlic and pepper, sliding that tray into the oven, and I was thinking, mmmmm, roasted vegetables.

So I did all that. And not two second later, there was a sizzle, a boom and a blast of light.

Once my heart settled and I dared place my hand on the oven door handle and pull, I found withered vegetables with a gritty grey coating of something that probably causes cancer, or at the very least, a stomach ache.

Out with the vegetables, and in with the repairman.

Of course the repairman was busy with other jobs and couldn't come for a few days. And when he did, took one look and said, Sorry, lady, we can't fix this. Get yourself on down to Lowe's for a new one.


Which I did.

But guess what?


Apparently this is the worst time of the year to get a new oven. With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, everyone is getting a new oven. And because my kitchen is so darn special (read: outdated), it's not like you can just roll out the old oven and insert a new one. There will be cutting and sawdust involved. Which means....

it's not going to happen for a while.

Which REALLY means... no turkey for Thanksgiving. No sweet potato casserole. No cornbread dressing.

And I have 27 people coming!

(Not really, but I did think about saying that, just in case it moved me up in the service queue.)

And yeah, I know: it's not really a disaster -- there are a multitude of other eating options.

But it is an inconvenience. Because we do use the oven A LOT around here, for things such as these:

(Just so you didn't think we were all vegetables around here. :)

BECAUSE WE CAN MAKE DO WITH SO LITTLE

Dear Friends,

It's been a crazy week for me, stressful (more on this next post), and I have returned again and again to this little poem for comfort. I hope you love it as much as I do.

For more great poetry, don't forget to visit Roundup at Teaching Authors where the theme is thankfulness.

American Life in Poetry: Column 346

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006

It seems to me that most poems are set in spring or summer, and I was pleased to discover this one by Molly Fisk, a Californian, set in cold midwinter.

Winter Sun

How valuable it is in these short days,
threading through empty maple branches,
the lacy-needled sugar pines.

Its glint off sheets of ice tells the story
of Death’s brightness, her bitter cold.

We can make do with so little, just the hint
of warmth, the slanted light.

The way we stand there, soaking in it,
mittened fingers reaching.

And how carefully we gather what we can
to offer later, in darkness, one body to another.

 
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2010 by Molly Fisk from her most recent book of poetry, The More Difficult Beauty, Hip Pocket Press, 2010. Reprinted by permission of Molly Fisk and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2011 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

******************************

American Life in Poetry provides newspapers and online publications with a free weekly column featuring contemporary American poems. The sole mission of this project is to promote poetry: American Life in Poetry seeks to create a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. There are no costs for reprinting the columns; we do require that you register your publication here and that the text of the column be reproduced without alteration.

You can subscribe to this column by submitting your e-mail address at http://www.poetryfoundation.org. 

THE GEE'S BEND QUILTERS ARE HERE!

This week at the Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, the Gee's Bend quilters and a group of mud cloth makers from Mali called Groupe Bogolon Kasobane will be working on a collaborative quilt project. They will be set up in the lobby, working away, and you're invited!

Also, tomorrow at noon, I will be there talking about my love for the quilts and the quilters and how Ludelphia's story was born in a little book called Leaving Gee's Bend.

Oh, and here's our family's contribution to the community quilt project:

(It's batik. Youngest son created it with the help of honorary grandmother Liz Reed. Thanks, Liz!)

EXCERPT ALERT! (DON'T FEED THE BOY)

I posted today over at Smack Dab in the Middle, where our monthly theme is "gratitude."

Indeed, I have much to be grateful for.

And my characters in DON'T FEED THE BOY feel the same way-- although not all of them speak English. Check it out!

2011 GOODREADS AWARDS LIST FOR MIDDLE GRADE

Have you seen the list?

Two of my very favorites made the list:

I can't even vote, because I can't decide which I prefer... please, no one put me on any Awards Committees! I love books for different reasons -- there are just SO MANY good ones.

To name the "most distinguished" of the ENTIRE year, like those fabulous librarians do for the Newbery?

Uh-uh. Can't do it.

Did any of your favorites make the list? Which ones??

TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Look what I got in the mail:    BOOKS  &  CHRISTMAS FABRIC!!!

Thanks to the talented, generous Terry Lynn Johnson, author of DOGSLED DREAMS and dear, faithful, I-don't-know-what-I'd-do-without-her Pat.

I seriously don't know what to do first, read or quilt. Hmmmmmm........

ODE TO THE SUGAR MAPLE IN MY BACKYARD

Is there a better time of year??!

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ME (AND THEN SOME)

Welcome! This is my attempt to make Blogger's new Dynamic views work for me-- no sidebar means the pertinent info must be included here, in the flip cards. We'll see how it works out.

Meanwhile, here's the basics:

I am a poet and novelist who writes heart-touching tales of unexpected adventure. I've just finished work on my next middle grade novel DON'T FEED THE BOY (Roaring Brook/Macmillan, Fall 2012), which is about a boy who lives at the zoo.

My other books are THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS, LEAVING GEE'S BEND and WHAT CAME BEFORE. I especially love characters (in books and real life) who have the courage to go their own way. And I believe there are no wiser words than these: "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

You can also find me at my website, Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

For Poetry Friday, the lovely, talented, generous Robyn Hood Black posted an interview of me. (blush) She asked some great questions! And there's a Halloweenie pic too. Check it out! And don't forget to visit Diane at Random Noodling for Roundup. Happy weekend, All. xo

THREE REASONS YOU SHOULD READ VANISHED BY SHEELA CHARI

1. It's a mystery!

2. The mystery centers around a veena.

Don't know what a veena is?

Well, I didn't either. Until I read Sheela's book. (For the impatient: it's a very large stringed musical instrument from India that sings of magic.)

3. It's transcontinental. Yep, by the end of the book you feel like you've traveled to India. And I don't know about you, but I've always wanted to go to India. And now I have.

BONUS REASON: Sheela's a lovely, giving author you'll be glad to get better acquainted with! Visit her website, the Elevensies and From the Mixed Up Files blog.

MESSAGE FROM MY MAIL CARRIER

Yesterday I put over a hundred envelopes in my mailbox for the mail carrier to deliver.

As I was flipping up that red flag, I thought, hmmm, I'm not sure my mail carrier is going to be as happy about all these letters as I am. So I real quick jotted her a note -- "thank you" with a smiley.

Later, when I noticed the red flag had been flipped back down, I checked my box to find a reply from my mail carrier:

Love that attitude! Totally makes me smile.

ARS POETICA FIVE FOR FRIDAY

Yippee, it's Poetry Friday again! Jama the Delicious has Roundup, so don't forget to drop by.

Now I give you 5, all poetry-related:

1. My book THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS won the Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Prize for poetry!

It will be announced in the 2012 March/April issue. (How's that for advanced notice?) To find out why this is extra-special to me, check this out.

2. I sold my first poem in the children's market!!! It's a persona poem, in the voice of a shipwreck. The fabulous publication? Scholastic's Storyworks, which is one of those distributed-in-the-classroom magazines. Awesome editor Lauren Tarshis is also the author of the Emma Jean Lazarus books, which I adore, and a whole bunch of other great titles. I'm so honored she selected my poem!

3. We had an overwhelming response to our call for submissions to the 'storm' issue of Birmingham Arts Journal-- and they're still coming in. It broke my heart to reject so many good poems... we just don't have enough space in our magazine. But oh, the ones that did make the cut! Lovely, wonderful, inspired! Thank you for writing them. Keep it up.

4. I just read HIDDEN by Helen Frost. It's a novel-in-verse that has gotten a bit of Newbery buzz. And isn't the cover gorgeous??!

5. I'm also reading BEAUTIFUL & POINTLESS by David Orr.

The author makes an argument in there about how one should approach poetry as one does travel to a foreign country. Which means you've got to expect a little confusion. You've got to be patient with yourself (and others) as you learn the language. And oh the rewards that await if you do! (If I wasn't so snug under my quilt I'd jump up and give the specific quote. I'm sure I don't do it justice. Sorry, Mr. Orr!)

Wishing everyone a fantastic fall weekend!

WHAT STAYS WITH YOU LATEST AND DEEPEST?

This week I read UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand.


It's an excellent book, and as is often the case with excellent books, I found poetry in those pages -- starting with the epigraph that opens the book, which is taken from an actual poem:

What stays with you latest and deepest? of curious panics,
Of hard-fought engagements or sieges tremendous what deepest remains?

- Walt Whitman, “The Wound-Dresser”

(complete poem here)

It's a great question, isn't it?

I think every poem we write should answer that question.


For more poetic thoughts and verse, visit Poetry Friday Roundup with David at FOMOGRAMS.

MEET BELLE, THE LAST MULE AT GEE'S BEND

For Book Talk Tuesday, I want to talk about this wonderful picture book BELLE, THE LAST MULE AT GEE'S BEND by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Stroud, with illustrations by John Holyfield.

Being a Gee's Bend groupie, I'm completely biased and knew before I read it that I would love this one. While it is not set during the Depression as is my novel LEAVING GEE'S BEND, it still captures many of the Gee's Bend characteristics that I fell in love with: quilts, of course. People who are strong and inspiring. And yes, a mule.

In LEAVING GEE'S BEND, there is also a mule. Her name is Delilah. She and Belle must have been related. But actually, the character in LEAVING GEE'S BEND that Belle has the most in common with is Ludelphia.

Strong, I tell you. Stubborn. With hearts that bulge that goodness.

Please add this lovely little book to your shelves and pull it out any time, but particularly during February. Pair it with STITCHIN' AND PULLIN' by Patricia McKissack with illustrations by Cozbi A Cabrera.

For a more complete review, see The Examiner's review.

Happy Reading, and don't forget to visit Kelly at the Lemme Library for other Book Talks!

FIVE FOR FRIDAY

1. I have quilts to share:

This one I am completely in love with. And these are not colors I would typically choose. They aren't in my fashion palette. But for some reason they feel like ME right now. So I'm using this one on my side of the bed. :)

That centerpiece in this one? It's from a pillow my mom made for me when I was 13 years old. When I found it in my basement, it was all slobber-stained and butter-smooth from lots of use. And now it's in a cute little quilt I use to cover my legs while I write in the recliner by the window.

2. I'm training for the 2012 Mercedes Marathon. No, I am not a runner. But I love having goals. And I don't have great aspirations -- as long as I come in before the balloon lady (she sets the ending pace of 6 hours), I will be one happy gal.

3. I got some really good poetry news this week. Will share as soon as I am able! Meanwhile, don't miss Poetry Friday Roundup with Mary Ann at Great Kids Books.

4. I'm retreating this weekend with some dear writer friends, and man, do I have some work to do on the wip. I'm ready!

5. It's family picture time, and when I asked the boys what color we should wear, two of them said, at the very same time, "purple." Jinx!! They were shocked when I actually came home later from Kohl's with a bag full of purple shirts! Will post. :)

Happy Weekend, everyone!

FAIRY DUST FOR WRITERS

...check out my post over at Smack Dab in the Middle, a blog written by a band of authors who write for the middle-grade audience.

Prepare to be inspired (to be inspired)!
(Read it. You'll see.)

Happy Monday!

FROM YOUR LOVER: THE NIGHT CIRCUS AND EVERYTHING

You've got to read these three books:

If you are in the mood for a decades long love affair, THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER by Jojo Moyes

If you want to feel dark and sensual and magical, THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

and if you want to stir up the brain juices and be a little bit creeped out while being in awe of the writing, THE END OF EVERYTHING by Megan Abbott

And if you've read any of these, I would lovelovelove to hear your thoughts! And big thanks to the amazing and effervescent Ashley Parsons for steering me in good book directions. Again. You rock!

OUR TRIP IN EIGHT SENTENCES

We visited Charles Lindbergh's home in Park Rapids, Minnesota.

Ludelphia rode a buffalo.

We saw a delightful and unexpected "apron" exhibit at Hubbard County Historical Museum.

We visited Lake Itasca State Park in Minnesota (gorgeous!) and walked across the headwaters of the Mississippi River. (bonus sentence and a promise: I'm using this as a metaphor in a poem about the importance/unimportance and slippery nature of the "beginning" of things.)

We were t-boned in Detroit Lakes, Michigan, and had to leave my father's probably-totalled car behind (which caused all kinds of chaos, I mean new adventures).

I got to meet the Book Club and wonderful children's librarian Traci Juhala at Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library.

Eric got to spend some quality time at the shooting range with a gun collector and expert who happens to be a good friend of my father's.

We admired the prehistoric life at the Bismarck airport to distract us from being sad about saying goodbye. (Bonus sentence #2 and #3: But oh my, we were SAD. Sigh.)

GREETINGS FROM THE PRAIRIE LANDS

Oh, North Dakota, how I love thee!

We are here in the land of wind and grass and good people (via Minnesota where we visited Charles Lindbergh's home and the headwaters of the Mississippi River) visiting my father, who lives in Bismarck.

This afternoon and evening I will be sharing about my adventures with Ludelphia and LEAVING GEE'S BEND to kids and adults at Bismarck Public Library. And I will probably slip in a couple of my Dakota-inspired poems like "How the Sacagawea River Got Its Name" and "After One Thousand Miles the Road Rises" (from my book THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS).

I'll be back with a full report (and pictures!) early next week. Oh, and perhaps I'll say a few words about the excellent books I've been reading: THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER by Jojo Moyes, THE END OF EVERYTHING by Megan Abbott, CLEOPATRA'S MOON by Vicki Alvear Schecter and THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern. Good stuff! I hope your week has brought you lots of goodness too. xo

WHEN LYNN COMES TO TOWN

We smile a lot.

We whisper.

We watch our kids play.

We remember.

WHY OUR CHILDREN NEED ROCKY ROADS AND THUNDERSTORMS

How else is a person to grow, if not for blisters and throbbing and that feeling of I can't go on--- and yet still finding a way to go on?

How can one learn just how fast she can actually run or what it feels like to be warm and loved and wanted if she has never had to run, if she has never been cold and wet and hungry?

Consider John Irving's epigraph at the beginning of A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR, which is one of my favorite epigraphs EVER:

"...as for this little lady
the best thing I can wish for her is
a little misfortune."

- William Makepeace Thackeray

And this NYT article entitled "What is the Secret to Success is Failure?"

As hard as it is to let our fledglings fall, we need to let them. It's the only way they'll learn to fly. (Writers: this goes for characters too!)

SEPTEMBER QUILTING UPDATE

So it's September, and I have officially completed 11 quilts for 2011! Which means I have my 2011 Quilt A Month Challenge well in hand.

These three are all gifts for friends, each of them lap-sized cuddle quilts.

This one I've been calling the "shoe" quilt, because it uses lots of shoe pattern prints. Isn't it FUN?

I love this one because who isn't happy when they see yellow and blue? It's very old-fashioned with the 9 patch pattern, and I used an old super-soft bed sheet as backing, so it even FEELS old. Love!

And this one has a horse theme, although it is hard to tell in this picture. One of the prints is white with tiny blue horses. It's also backed in an old super-soft be sheet and feels old-fashioned and warm to me.

I've got two more tops already pieced, which will put my count to 13 for the year... one is for ME, and I'll tell you why when I can share a pic of it all quilted and everything. And the other has orange and red tones, and I am completely in love with it! It's a gift-quilt. Will share very soon.

WHY I LOVE DOG STORIES

When I think about what relationships matter most in childhood, I think about:

1. family, as in parents, siblings and grandparents

2. pets

3. friends

These are the primary relationships that set the stage for all other relationships in a person's life. It is through loving - and losing- these people and animals that we first learn about love.

Which is why I was really excited when I heard about Bobbie Pyron's A DOG'S WAY HOME.

It is definitely a love story between a girl and her dog (or a dog and her girl). But don't be afraid to put this book into the non-dog lover's hand as well. It's really about a girl learning to fit into a new life, and it's got that Appalachian flair I particularly enjoy. Give it to your readers who like books by Kerry Madden, Kathryn Erskine and Deborah Wiles.

Here's the first two chapters to whet your appetite.

My homeschooler and I are also on a dog kick. We just completed CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London and we're currently listening to DOG SONG by Gary Paulsen. Next up is DOGSLED DREAMS by Terry Lynn Johnson.

If you have a dog book recommendation, I'd love to hear about it! And for more book talks, don't forget to visit Kelly at the Lemme Library for Book Talk Tuesday.

MY SON HAS A DRINKING PROBLEM

Happy Birthday, sweet boy! Can't believe you are SEVENTEEN today. We are SO LUCKY to know and love you. Now go clean out your car. :)

FIVE FOR FRIDAY

1. I finished copyedits for DON'T FEED THE BOY. Although "finished" is not quite the right word -- yesterday I stewed for HOURS over one little word and first thing this morning sent my dear editor another tiny tweak. (It's a word in the very first sentence, so pretty darn important.)

2. After two weeks of reconstruction, the inspector comes TODAY to sign off on repair work required after Formosan termites made a meal of our home. I cannot tell you what a relief this will be. The workers have been great, but it's still PEOPLE IN MY HOUSE. All day. Looking forward to some quiet!

3. Ruby had her spay surgery this week and tomorrow I will take her to The Dog Whisperer Pat who will keep her until October 1. We've got a big trip to North Dakota later this month, and Ruby needs a little help with socialization and learning not to jump. Pat is just the gal to whip that sweet girl into line!

4. I got a new van. I pretty much drove the wheels off the last van -- nearly 200,000 miles! So now we're enjoying that new car smell and I'm obsessing over every speck and smudge. This, too, shall pass.

5. It's Poetry Friday today, so don't forget to visit Katie at Secrets and Sharing Soda. And if you happen to have written any poetry inspired by storms (recent or otherwise), please send 'em to me for consideration for publication in or April 2012 "Storm" issue of Birmingham Arts Journal. Deadline is December 31.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

IN WHICH BOOKS ARE LIKE CANDLES

Please see my post on Print Books vs. Digital Books over at Smack Dab in the Middle!