Irene Latham's Blog, page 124

#bookaday Week Nine

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier. It's an engaging, fast-past read, but for whatever reason I just didn't connect with it?? I've read reviews comparing it to The Phantom Tollbooth, and that seems partly right and may explain my lack of connection, as I didn't connect to that one either! But I know some young readers who will eat this book up. Putting it in the "good, but not for me" stack.
I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora. This one really moves along, and since I am here in the Mockingbird State (ummm, NOT actually our state bird*, but because Harper Lee lives here and the book and movie are set here, yes, our state bird), I pretty much had to read it.... kinda like the kids in the story have to read To Kill a Mockingbird. :) Smart, funny writing and a real-feeling family. Kind of like a love letter to books and book-lovers... fun!
The Stepsister's Tale by Tracy Barrett. A retelling of the Cinderella story from the perspective of (ugly? evil?) stepsister Jane. It's a thorough book, kind of dark, completely enjoyable. I wasn't sure at first who to root for, we've been so conditioned to root for Cinderella, and part of the joy of reading this book is realizing how deeply these tropes are embedded. How wonderful to get a fresh perspective! And as I have a personal interest in blended families, I could really see all the sides of all the characters as Tracy portrayed them. Read it!



The Stories We Tell by Patti Callahan Henry. When I'm craving women's fiction, Patti Callahan Henry is my go-to gal! Plus she lives here in Birmingham, so reading her books is like supporting the home team, except better. :) Her last book AND THEN I FOUND YOU knocked my socks off in the best way possible, so I was eager to read this one. It's about mothers and daughters and families falling apart -- and also about strength and new beginnings and growing out of that need to hide-our-true-selves-for-appearances-sake. Real characters, and I look forward to my book club's discussion about how things turned out for Eve.

I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum. I listened to this one on Hoopla. It's about a guy trying to figure his life out -- and yes, there's a mistress and a wife and a daughter and parents and politics and adventures in art to distract and/or aid him on his journey. I think maybe I had too high expectations of the book -- never could really dig into it emotionally. There were some touching moments, but mostly it stayed surface-level for me. C'est la vie! (did love the French/Paris parts of the book!)

Movie Monday: BEGIN AGAIN

Kiera Knightley and Mark Ruffalo star in BEGIN AGAIN as two people in the midst of new beginnings. Together they create a homegrown album -- she as singer/songwriter and he as producer -- and along the way they learn about love and music and creativity and connection and how to honor oneself.

Sweet movie. Young singer/songwriter son said it was about his life. All the New York City scenes made hubby and I want to hop on a plane and wander the city. Wonderful!

One of the Best Parts About Being an Author

.... is working with young writers!
 Last month I spent a lovely two hours with a summer reading group at Trussville Public Library. Here they are, eager and engaged:



I was touched when, at the end of the session, a student presented me with her responses to the following prompts:

1. Mama Always Says...
2. Describe your favorite meal.
3. What is the best (or worst) thing that could ever happen to you?


I always give students the option to respond as a fictional character, if they are not comfortable sharing these things about themselves.... because I remember being that fearful young writer! My stomach got knotty and my pulse was a runaway locomotive at the mere thought of someone reading my words... what would they think??

Scary stuff! For those struggling with similar issues, hang in there. Confidence takes time. It DOES get easier.

We had a great time, and the kids wrote some amazing pieces. I always leave so inspired and filled with joy. Love it! Thank you so much to librarian Laura Edge for giving me the opportunity.

Quilts & Pears & the Summer Poem Swap!

stained glass quilt by Bettye KimbrellHello, and Happy Poetry Friday! I am adventuring today with my Camp Buttercup girls, but I did want to leave a few goodies for my Poetry Friday friends. :) Be sure to visit lovely Linda Kulp at Write Time for Roundup!

As many of you know, I love quilts. I've even created a few, though none so gorgeous as those picture here and made by Bettye Kimbrell, an Alabama quilt-artist whose work earned her a National Heritage Fellowship Award.  learned about Bettye at a recent quilt program presented by Alabama Folklife Association. Her work is so amazing, and she's self-taught! Here's one using a leaf pounding technique:


And here is a postcard piece of art created by Joy Acey, to whom I sent a poem as part of the Summer Poem Swap. (She sent me the postcard as a thank you.) Isn't it lovely?? I immediately started a "pear" poem. :) Thank YOU, Joy!!! You multi-talented poets inspire the heck out of me!


And here is another bit of loveliness I received that I haven't been able to stop thinking about, both picture and poem, from Diane Mayr:

photo by Russell Lee, courtesy of Library of Congress
On the Beach
by Diane Mayr

Not a body, I have no memory
of flesh -- but a thin, faded and
worn, cotton patchwork quilt

made me stop and gape.

I wanted to shake someone,
To yell, "What are you doing?"
How could you be so

careless as to bring family

history to the beach to
cradle your Coppertone
slicked sweating bodies?

Sand, salt, and the sun

will exact a toll on the
handiwork of your mother,
or grandmother, long-gone.

If only, I could finger

the yo-yos of the quilt that
once lay on her bed and say,
"Tell me, who made this?

And when. And where. And how?"

-------------------------
Isn't that great?? How many times have I wanted the answers to those same questions... alas. Thank you, Diane, for putting it in a poem. I will treasure it. And thanks again and again to Tabatha for running the Swap! SO inspiring and FUN!

Camp Buttercup: for Brave & Creative Girls

The next few days I get to enjoy the company of three special girls in my life:

Anna, MadiLynn, BrenLeigh


Here, at Camp Buttercup, we are all about ADVENTURE! And since these three live in rural areas, we're going with an urban theme, and the city of Birmingham will be our playground. We've got art and parks and sewing and writing and scavenger hunts and hiking and so much more!
VERY excited!!!

Japanese Woman, Reading

Every couple of months, I visit a favorite antique mall in Chelsea, Alabama, which is just a dozen miles or so from my house. 
Two visits in a row, I spied the above piece -- a Japanese woman with a book in her hands. It's printed on some kind of fabric, and each time I saw it, I just stood there for a while looking at it. 
I love it. I want to know this woman's story. And while I may not look like her on the outside, I AM THIS WOMAN. 
But. I have no wall space. Our walls are covered up in special art already. So I left the antique store without the piece, but also remembering something my mother-in-law told me years ago: incorporating Eastern decor in the home brings good luck. (Does it? I don't know. But I sure am drawn to it.)
Last week I visited the antique mall again -- and guess what was still there?? Yep. So this time I brought her home. Third time's a charm and all that. :) 
I love her! I'm still deciding the perfect spot for her, and what will have to be taken down to accommodate our new guest. Decisions, decisions...
moral to the story: when it comes to art, if it speaks to you, LISTEN!

My Name is Irene, and This is My AHA Moment

A couple of weeks ago I buzzed down to Tuscaloosa to take part in the 2014 AHA Tour, as presented by Mutual of Omaha. I found the trailer parked in the lot behind The Capstone Sheraton.

It was a windy, humid day, which means my hair was a mess -- and I was recovering from a nasty respiratory infection after driving home the previous day from our family vacation. NOT the best conditions under which to do a video recording! BUT. I wanted to give it a shot.

And these were the lovely faces who greeted me: Brett, Sam, Gary (l-r)


They put me in the booth, calmed me down, and asked me to tell my Aha Moment. Thanks, guys!
Well. I soon discovered it's rather hard to choose just ONE moment. But I knew in my heart the one I wanted to talk about had to do with writing across cultures in my first novel LEAVING GEE'S BEND. That experience changed my life. And it might not have happened if not for writer Julius Lester. Want to know what I'm talking about?? Click here for my Aha Moment.
And here's my parting shot:

To record your own AHA moment, check the tour schedule here!

#bookaday Week Six

 THE THICKETY by J.A. White. The first in a series about a girl who is not a princess, no she's not. She's a witch -- and she's busy learning to use her powers. This book brings to mind Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky." A fantastic magical world complete with all sorts of made-up creatures and words. Great fun for the middle-grade fantasy-loving crowd. And did I mention, dark? I'm interested to read what darkness ensues in the second book.

ABSOLUTELY ALMOST by Lisa Graff. This one is my favorite middle-grade so far this year. Albie is adorable. I was reminded of how I felt when I first read WONDER. So very warm! This book's message can't be beat: kindness matters --- and we don't have to be perfect. In fact, none of us are! A quiet book for the younger MG crowd, and I can see it as a great read-aloud. Lots to discuss!





SEARCHING FOR SKY by Jillian Cantor. Great premise: Sky and her brother River have lived the majority of their childhoods on a island. When they are rescued and brought to California, everything changes. You can imagine! I enjoyed Sky's journey and found her believable and interesting.

THE MEANING OF MAGGIE by Megan Jean Sovern.
The author uses her real-life experience as a daughter of a father with MS to craft a tale about Maggie, who is such an enthusiastic narrator that I had to stop from time to time just to breathe. She's a funny girl, and it's an enjoyable read... and there's footnotes! Can't remember when (if ever) I've seen that in fiction. Fun. AND...Megan is a Georgia author! Hope to meet her in the near future.

A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson

Hello, and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Roundup. (Waiting to post where Roundup is until I see it posted... somehow the schedule I have has been all wrong all this month!)

It's been a busy summer so far... all good stuff! This past week I watched my son perform LIVE at a music/arts festival, met friends and readers at the Birmingham Zoo, taught a writing workshop, and today I am at a quilting event! Hurray for summer! Also, I've been doing lots and LOTS of reading. (See my #bookaday posts!)

AND I finally got to A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL by Marilyn Nelson with illustrations by Phillippe Lardy.

This may be a picture book, but it's very sophisticated in language, and heavy (obviously) in content. And it's sonnets! I would suggest tackling it as a poem a day, or else it's likely to be overwhelming to young readers. I like how the illustrations are simple compared to the text -- it helps the reader take it all in a little easier. This book won a ton of awards, which, I think, is a good message to we striving poets to go ahead and take on those heavy subjects, if our hearts call us to do so.

And now, a poem:

Like the full moon, which smiled calmly on his death.
by Marilyn Nelson

Like the stars, which fluttered their quicksilver wings.
Like the unbroken song creation sings
while humankind tramples the grapes of wrath.
Like wildflowers growing beside the path
a boy was dragged along, blood spattering
their white petals as he, abandoning
all hope, gasped his agonizing last breath.
Like a nation sending its children off to fight
our faceless enemy, immortal fear,
the most feared enemy of the human race.
Like a plague of not knowing wrong from right.
Like the consciencelessness of the atmosphere.
Like a gouged eye, watching boots kick a face.

---------
Wow, huh? The next poem is titled with the last line of this one... which is the pattern throughout the book. And then, the final poem is comprised of the first lines of the 14 preceding sonnets in the collection. Now that requires some wordsmithing skill!

Say Hello to DON'T FEED THE BOY in Paperback!

So today is the officlal release of DON'T FEED THE BOY in paperback. Woohooo! Square Fish has done a lovely job with it -- there's a Discussion Guide, a Zoo Bee, and Q&A with little ol' moi. I love it!
To celebrate, I am hosting ZOO DAYS at Birmingham Zoo.Wednesday, June 25, 9 amSunday, July 20, 1 pm
We'll meet at the Picnic Pavilion (where Whit first speaks to Stella), and then we'll go inside the gates for a tour of all Whit's favorite spots at the zoo. Also, my guests will get a special sneak peek of my new book DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST
 . Zoo admission required. 
For those of you far-flung and unable to get to the Birmingham Zoo, I invite you to visit your own local zoo. Take a picture of YOU at the Zoo (bonus entry for YOU at the Zoo with a zoo animal!), like this one, taken at my very first trip to the London Zoo (I'm the one on the steps, and that's my brother Ken, Mom, sister Lynn and brother Stan):​
You can send it to me via social media:Twitter
 @irene_latham Facebook author page
Instagram
 @irene_lathamPinterest
 (where I will be creating a special board). 
Everyone who sends in a pic will be entered in a drawing to win a classroom set (25 copies) of DON'T FEED THE BOY in paperback! Entries accepted June 1 - July 31. Random drawing & winner announced August 1.
OTHER EVENTS
Thursday, June 26, 2-4 pm, I will be teaching a WRITING WORKSHOP for students at Trussville Public Library
. Hope to see you!

Join me and the Alabama Folk Life Association
 for  Common Threads: Quilting Heritage Program
at the Birmingham Museum of Art
 Friday, June 27!
and finally, writers & artists, don't forget....
DEADLINE JULY 1 for The Electra Awards! A joint project of Birmingham Arts Journal
 & Alabama Power Company, we are offering a contest with cash awards in celebration of The Power of Art to Ignite, Delight, & Unite! Prose, poetry and art categories, deadline July 1. More information here.
Songwriting Workshop for Students, 4 consecutive Thursdays beginning July 10, taught by ASFA instructor Jason Slatton, at DISCO
 (Desert Island Supply Co, 5500 1st Ave. N, Birmingham), 10 - 11:30. Spaces limited... contact me to sign up!