Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 121
March 24, 2010
keep Haiti in your heart
Haiti no longer makes the news every day, but that doesn't mean you can't still donate to the recovery effort and educate yourself about the historical circumstances that produced such desperate poverty. Here's a brief history of Haiti, in case you need a refresher:
And did you know that Ari's reviewing books about Haiti all this week? Stop by Reading in Color to learn more. The mass rape of women and girls in the Congo is another crisis that doesn't make the nightly news. My fellow...
March 23, 2010
National Black Writers Conference 2010
There's a great write-up in the NY Times about this week's National Black Writers Conference at nearby Medgar Evers College. I'm presenting as part of the children's program on Thursday morning, but I'm not sure if it's open to the public; we were expecting 400 students, which would suggest a full house, but now things have changed. So if you're on campus, do swing by and say hello! There are tons of amazing authors on panels, giving readings, paying tribute to Amiri Baraka and Toni...
March 22, 2010
Millie Eckstine
This week I have three 45-minute poetry writing workshops with a group of local 5th graders—the BPL asked me to prepare the kids for an upcoming tribute to Shel Silverstein. I have to say, until this past weekend, I'd never read any of Silverstein's work! My friend Kate shared one of his stories with me years ago, but I have to say—I'm not a silly/goofy kind of girl. And you have to have a strong sense of whimsy to appreciate these poems, so…today I came out of my shell and acted out...
March 21, 2010
Southern hospitality
I arrived in Baton Rouge, LA about three weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast…it was a turbulent, traumatic time for many of my students at LSU–especially those who had to leave their colleges in New Orleans and start over in a new city with next to nothing. I had been warned by another faculty member that Louisiana was a whole other world, and it didn't take long to realize he was right! But one of the things I love about travel is the opportunity to meet new people with...
March 20, 2010
life's hard
I often regret going into Manhattan, unless I'm heading to Harlem. The city can be rather alien at times, whereas Brooklyn's the planet I know best. This morning I went to the garden, admired the magnolias, then stopped at the central branch of the BPL to get some books I need for the poetry workshops they've asked me to lead next week. Then I got on the train and headed to Stuff for the Teen Age at the central branch of the NYPL. Sometimes when I see what passes for "normal" for others, ...
March 18, 2010
great expectations
Ok, this post might be a little incoherent because my head feels kind of full these days. I'm still reading Sarah Schulman's Ties That Bind, and I'm still taking my time as I navigate her many profound ideas. Today I want to talk about interventions, because yesterday I received an email from the NYPL in response to my complaint about the lack of diversity in the NYC Teen Author Festival. Now, it seems that the NYPL is only hosting some of this festival's events, but I rely on public...
March 17, 2010
upcoming events
Will you be near the Bronx tomorrow? If so, stop by the Bronx Library Center and hear Neesha Meminger read from her YA novel, Shine, Coconut Moon (Coe Booth will be there, too–find the complete schedule here). If you're in Brooklyn, head to the Central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library to hear Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich read from 8th Grade Super Zero. And if you're anywhere in NYC, save a few hours on Sunday afternoon for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Black Book Fair—I'll be...
Irish eyes
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Like a zillion other people, I've got my "one drop" of Irish blood: my grandfather was Irish-Canadian, and I always wondered why we weren't Catholic…turns out we're Scotch-Irish, descended from Scottish families who were used by the British to "settle" northern Ireland. So did my ancestors leave Ireland because of the potato famine, or have I got that wrong, too? My uncle's registered with ancestry.com so hopefully we'll have some answers soon. I'm heading...
March 16, 2010
the future of books
Be sure you watch this through to the end:
a teen speaks on the future of books
Be sure you watch this through to the end:
