Irene Latham's Blog, page 55

TRIBE OF MENTORS: Q.7 New Belief That's Most Improved My Life

Welcome to the latest installment of my TRIBE OF MENTORS by Timothy Ferriss series.

Earlier posts:
Q.1 about books
Q.2 about best purchase under $100Q.3 about my favorite failureQ.4 my billboard message
Q.5 most worthwhile investment
Q.6 absurd love

Today's question:

In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?

I could say all sorts of things here: playing the cello, drinking veggie juice every day, moving to the lake, daily meditation practice, Alanon... the past five years have definitely been the best in my life! And I think mostly it's because of shifting beliefs...
In general: 

Gratitude. Being grateful for everything I have rather than focusing on what I don't have.

Not being so attached to my thoughts/feelings.

Choosing to be happy.

Letting go of things I can't control.

Meeting people where they are, instead of where I want them to be.

Specifically related to my writing career, this quote:

"There is no limit to what a person can do or where s/he can go if s/he doesn't mind who gets the credit."

and this one, for everything: PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION.

I could go on... but that's enough for today. :)

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TRIBE OF MENTORS: Q.6: Absurd Love

Welcome also to the latest installment of my TRIBE OF MENTORS by Timothy Ferriss series.

Earlier posts:
Q.1 about books
Q.2 about best purchase under $100Q.3 about my favorite failureQ.4 my billboard message
Q.5 most worthwhile investment

Today's question:
<!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } </style> <br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jS6tGvmzyV..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jS6tGvmzyV..." width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie keeping the new<br />quilt warm.</td></tr></tbody></table>I ran through a number of things in my head before I settled on this: <b>quilts.</b> I love quilts. I'm kind of like a cat lady when it comes to quilts... when I see one, I have to take it home! Just the other day I was in an antique store with a friend, and there was this beat-up quilt. The batting was coming out in all kinds of places, but I just looked at it -- the colors, the stitching, the stains -- and I could just imagine the life it's lived and the stories it has to tell! My friend bargained with the seller, and for $15, I brought it home.<br /><br />I don't know what I'm going to do with all these quilts. Every now and then I promise myself (and my husband!): no more quilts! But it never lasts. I love opening the closet and just admiring the way they looked all stacked together, those colors and patterns moving and blending... and I love alternating my display of quilts around the house, according to the season. Of course right now the focus is on red and green for the Christmas season.<br /><br />Here's what I know: We love what we love. It's something beyond our control or understanding, really... maybe even hardwired. And it needn't make sense to anyone else. (the Quilt Lady has spoken!)</div><br />

TRIBE OF MENTORS Q.5: Most Worthwhile Investment

What is one of the best and most worthwhile investments you've ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)

So many things come to mind! And they all have to do with educating myself about writing. There's my SCBWI membership, and all the conferences I've ever attended... the Artist's Way support group I joined a few years ago... the writing retreats with sweet friends... the website, the bookmarks, the postcards... BUT... if I had to pick one thing, it would be this: learning to be an effective public speaker.

No one tells you when you say "I want to write and publish a book" that a big part of that life is sharing yourself in a public way -- especially when you write for kids.

The year LEAVING GEE'S BEND was released -- my first novel for children -- I gave over 100 presentations! I presented at schools and book festivals and quilting groups and writing groups and teacher/librarian/educator conferences. I'm a shy person who would much rather be behind the scenes than onstage, so this wasn't easy! However, the more I've done it, the better I've gotten at delivering the message I want... and not just delivering it, figuring out what it is in the first place. :)

possibly my first school visit
as a children's book author
 (2010)Being able to talk about books is a whole separate skill set than writing them. I'm still learning. But I can do it now without quaking or being sick, which is a huge improvement. I've successfully addressed students from Kindergarten all the way through college... writers of all ages... even auditoriums full of middle schoolers, which is still the most intimidating! BUT. Some of my most meaningful interactions have been with middle schoolers. And it's those connections that make facing the fear, creating the presentations, working to get better at it... all worth it.

Also: something that's helped me on this public speaking journey and in all areas of my life: a regular meditation practice. I use Headspace. Check it out!

TRIBE OF MENTORS: Q.4 Your Billboard Message Here

An InLinkz Link-up

Finally, here is a signup for 2019 hosts for Spiritual Journey Thursday. Please leave in comments your name and your topic (if you know it).  We will of course check in with each other via email each month regarding topics. No pressure! Thanks so much for sharing the journey. xo
2019January 3 - Ruth @ there is no such thing as a godforsaken town -"2019 OLW"February 7 - Donna @ Mainely Write - "home is where the heart is"March 7April 4May 2June 6 -  Ramona @ Pleasures on the Page - "significance"July 4August 1September 5October 3November 7December 5 - Irene @ Live Your Poem -reflections on 2019 OLW

TRIBE OF MENTORS: Q.3 Favorite Failure

Today I am continuing my TRIBE OF MENTORS by Timothy Ferriss series.

Earlier posts:
Q.1 about books
Q.2 about best purchase under $100

Today's question:
How has failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?

I got my start in children's publishing with a middle grade novel LEAVING GEE'S BEND. That book found a warm, loving readership, and I followed up with another middle grade novel DON'T FEED THE BOY, which also happily found an audience. I thought that's what I was: a poet and novelist. A writer of middle grade novels.

And so I kept writing them. Novel after novel. I submitted them to my agent, who also loved (most of) them. But none of them sold. After four years of this, I was disheartened and questioning everything about myself as a writer.

So I turned to my other love: poetry. I just let myself play and have fun. Eventually I shared them with my agent. We started submitting these projects. And lo and behold, a few of these manuscripts sold! Poetry first, and then narrative picture books.
And then some were released, and more of them sold! I currently find myself swimming in picture books, and I. Love. It.

None of this could have happened if I hadn't "failed" with all those middle grade novels. And I know that every word I've written moves me toward something new, some other learning, some higher plateau. It wasn't a "waste of time." I don't wish I'd re-routed sooner. It all happened just as it needed to.

Just so you know, I haven't given up on middle grade novels. I'm still writing them and have some exciting news I hope to share very soon. :)

Meanwhile, my next picture book MEET MISS FANCY will be released in January, thanks to Excellent Editor Stacey Barney from Putnam -- with whom I worked on that very first novel (LEAVING GEE'S BEND). Cool, huh?

TRIBE OF MENTORS Q.2 Best Under $100 Purchase

Today I am continuing my TRIBE OF MENTORS by Timothy Ferriss series. Read the first post and Q.1 about books here.

Today's question:

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last 6 months (or in recent memory)? My readers love specifics like brand and model, where you found it, etc.

Our move from the oh-so-convenient suburbs to the lawless side of a rural county has meant lots of changes, especially about our eating habits. We can no longer dash out and grab take-out for supper. No quick trips to the grocery for eggs. Because the nearest store is at least 15 minutes away, we've had to do more meal planning.

So, a few months in, we ordered stuff from Omaha Steaks. Having food in the deep-freeze is GREAT! But we really do not eat a lot of red meat. (Omaha lobster tails are excellent! Also the apple tarts. Yum!) Lucky for us, in the first Omaha shipment, there was a coupon for HelloFresh. It's a meal kit delivery program in which you choose the meals you want, and they send you the ingredients for you to cook. Check it out: www.hellofresh.com

We signed up -- and we love it! It totally takes the stress out of "what are we going to eat tonight?" We subscribed to the 3 meals a week for 2 package (cost is $10 per person per meal, so $59.99 a week), and not only is everything fresh, but the recipes are inventive. We have tried things we've never tried before, like Moroccan chicken tagine. (Recently they did a series of "global eats," which we particularly enjoyed.) There are so many meal choices, and here's the best part: no waste. It's enough food for 2. We prepare it. We eat it. It's gone! And all the packaging is recyclable.

Who knows what the future holds, but for now we are happy subscribers and intend on keeping it that way. :)

What about you? What's your answer to the question?

Mentors, The Prophet, and Poetry as an Answer

Hello and Happy last Poetry Friday of November! Be sure to visit Carol's Corner for Roundup.

Thanks to all who read and commented last week about Laura Purdie Salas' forthcoming LION OF THE SKY. The winner of the f&g is....

Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone! Molly, please email me your address: irene (at) irenelatham (dot) comThank you!
Today I'd like to share with you a book I've really enjoyed: TRIBE OF MENTORS: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Timothy Ferriss. The author wrote it after a tough year in which several near and dear to him died. He wanted to know their answers to some questions, and now it was too late. So, the author interviewed people at the top of their fields, whether it be entertainment, business, inventor, scientist, etc... and the experience changed his life. 
The book has been meaningful to me as well -- both the answers to the questions, and the questions themselves. So I thought it might be fun to ask myself the questions, and post my own answers to them here, as a series. Maybe someday my kids will read them.
So today is Day One. 
What is the book (or books) you've given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?At first this seemed like an impossible question. Book lovers, you know what I mean! My life has been greatly influenced by a whole bunch of books!
But then, when I really stopped to think about it, I knew my answer: 
THE PROPHET by Khalil Gibran. Whatever I'm going through in my life, this is my go-to book -- thanks to my father, who gave me my first copy when I was 13 or 14. It's wise and beautiful and full of nature-inspired analogies.
At our wedding, my father read two passages from the book, and one of my most treasured possessions is a copy of the book that my father gave me not long before he died -- the best part is that it contains his highlighted passages and dog ears and even some comments in the margins. 
Recently I gifted our youngest son with a copy, and much to my delight, he loves it, too!
As for most-oft gifted books, I have a tradition of giving books to librarians, administrators, organizers who hire me for appearances. The title often changes with my interests and will sometimes be an anthology in which my own work appears. This year at schools I've most often gifted SCHOOL PEOPLE, edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins.  For the past couple of years I have gifted new parents and parents of young children (and young children themselves) ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME, edited by Kenn Nesbitt. (I do not have a poem in the anthology; I just think there's something in the book for everyone and anyone!)
So. Isn't it telling, that all my answers are books of poetry?
Yep. I'm a poetry person through and through. How about you? What's your answer to this question?

Wordless Picture Books for #GivingTuesday

Karim Shamsi-Basha and I are huge fans of The Cat Man of Aleppo, and in our research on our forthcoming book, we found out that Alaa is now running an orphanage in addition to Ernesto's Cat Sanctuary. At the time Karim spoke with Alaa, there were 68 kids living in the orphanage.

We immediately started thinking about how we might reach out to these kids, and we landed on "wordless picture books" because
1) they are good for any age child
2) it doesn't matter if you are a good reader
3) or what language you know
4) Karim can deliver them when he travels to Aleppo next spring to film a documentary about The Cat Man.

Thank you, Jama!So far we've collected about 20 books! THANK YOU! But we still need more. If you'd like to participate, pick your favorite wordless picture book and mail it to:

Irene Latham
PO Box 122
Oneonta, Alabama 35121

Can't think of a wordless picture book? Try these links to lists of wordless picture book titles:
Reading Rockets
All About Learning Press
Goodreads
A Fuse #8 Production

Thank you for joining us in making a difference in a child's life!

Remembering Ruby with GOOD ROSIE by Kate DiCamillo

For the past 8 years we've enjoyed the companionship of our high-energy, sweet, protective, crazy Australian shepherd Ruby.

She died this past Saturday, and we are feeling so sad, so lonely without her.

Those of you who have beloved pets know what I'm talking about -- because you don't bring home that puppy or kitten without knowing that someday this day will come.

It's a tough time.

What's helped has been thinking about all the things we've loved about Ruby, all the joy she brought to our lives. Here's the start of our list:
last pic of Ruby
her enthusiasm for the rubber chickenhow she'd bark as if to say “throw it! Throw it again!”the way she'd cock her headher high energythe joy she had in runninghow she was so polite that she didn't want to eat in front of youhow excited she was to get a treathow she would dip her paws in the water bowl to help her cool offhow she followed us around the outside of the house when we were inside without herhow she howled along when I played my cellothe way she rubbed against things to scratch an itchthe way she'd grunt in pleasure when you scratched an itch for herher little nub wagginghow happy she was to go on walkshow she made those chairs on the front porch her ownhow good she was in the bathhow tenderly she took anything from your handhow faithful she was, how close she stayedhow she was always rounding us uphow she did a sweep of our yard and the neighbor's yardhow proud she was of that last Thanksgiving turkey bonethe way she knew so many wordshow funny she was about getting into the boat – not sure where/when to get in -- but determined to get in!how she'd stand at the prow as we cruised the lake, and then would lay down to enjoy the ridehow she piddled around the shore, investigating, and didn't know what to do the first time we put her in the lakehow she would set off an alarm when anyone suspicious came near our househow she would let us pet her when she was half asleephow she would get up and follow Eric to the door when he went inside -- ever the escort
Ruby was Eric's dog really. (Parents, you know how that goes, right?) He said there would never be another dog as good as Ruby. He's right. This loss has been really tough for him.
Something else helping us to get through this time is reading dog books. For some time I've been meaning to blog about GOOD ROSIE! by Kate DiCamillo, illus. by Harry Bliss, brought to us by Candlewick.
I love this book! It's like a graphic novel for the young set. And Rosie truly is a good dog and loves her human George. (Those early scenes really do remind me of Ruby!) But Rosie is a little lonely, too. She needs some dog-friends. She has a lot to learn when she first visits the dog park. Eventually, after some near-disasters, she gains two new friends in Fifi and Maurice. It's super-sweet. I hope you'll check it out and remember those special pets in your life.
Meanwhile, I'll be here, remembering Ruby. Ruby's first Christmas (2010)

LION OF THE SKY by Laura Purdie Salas + Giveaway

Welcome, Poetry Friday friends! Roundup is here at Live Your Poem!!

You might notice the blog has a new look. Yes, I am in the process of renovating all my materials to include this happy, imaginative little octopus, specially created for me by Thea Baker, illustrator for LOVE, AGNES.

I have been thinking about this for several years, as my bibliography has grown and my writing life has moved away from adult work. I decided I wanted to fully embrace the joy of writing for children!

But it's hard, you know, letting go of the old...  Our shifting identities are intensely personal and come barnacled with all that has come before... and how to predict the future?

Well, I decided to just focus on FUN, and that's when I figured out that the only thing all of my books have in common is imagination. And what better symbol for that than a purple octopus conversing with a yellow bird? :)

Speaking of imagination....

Pre-orders available NOW.you'll find the linkup below, and today I want to share with you a beautiful book of poems by one of our own: LION OF THE SKY: Haiku for all Seasons by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrations by Merce Lopez, brought to us by the good folks at Lerner Publishing (April 2, 2019).

This book is beautiful, both in words and pictures. Laura has graciously given me permission to share one poem for each season, and boy was it hard to pick! These poems aren't haiku for the haiku purist -- they do follow the 5-7-5 syllable scheme, but they are bursting with all sorts of rich, evocative metaphors -- which aren't employed in traditional haiku, where the focus is on the literal experience of the moment. Helpful article about tenets of traditional haiku found here.

Plus, these poems have an additional fun element: they're all riddles! In fact, the collection grew out of one of Laura's National Poetry Month projects which she called Riddle-ku. There's a wonderful note from Laura about this at the back of the book, and an invitation to readers to try crafting their own riddle-mask-haiku.

Giveaway! Laura is offering one autographed review copy for one lucky reader. Simply add your comment to this post by noon Thursday, Nov. 29, and Maggie the cat will select a winner! Winner will be announced next Poetry Friday (Nov. 30).

And now a sampling of poems from the book... as you read, see if you can solve the riddle! (I've made "fall" particularly easy for you by adding the art. :)

Spring


colorful flowers -
we sprout on stems of people,
bloom only in rain


Summer


you gasp as I roar,
my mane EXPLODING, sizzling --
lion of the sky!

the "pencil" page
Fall


I'm a yellow train,
CARRYING thoughts from your brain
to the waiting page



Winter


I'm think silver blades,
spinning circles, carving lines --
you and I, we FLY!



Did you guess them?? The art in the book is exquisite, and really helps guide the reader to the answer.[answers: umbrella, fireworks, pencil, ice skates] There's also an answer key at the back of the book.

You may remember a similar book that was popular a number of years ago: IF NOT FOR THE CAT, haiku by Jack Prelutsky, paintings by Ted Rand, brought to us by HarperCollins back in 2004. I remember poring over this one with my now-grown boys!




And I will leave you with a quote that feels apt and true... won't you read a poem aloud today? Happy Thanksgiving!



An InLinkz Link-up