Ruth Tenzer Feldman's Blog, page 25
March 15, 2012
What's with the Cucumbers?
There she was again, that odd girl, wearing the same gray dress and stuffing cucumber sandwiches into a large handbag.
I've received a lot of questions to answer for an upcoming blog tour (which I'll tell you about another day). So far no one has asked: "Why in Blue Thread is Serakh so totally into cucumbers?" Just in case inquiring minds want to know, here's the answer.
The Serakh character in Blue Thread is based on two references to Serakh (or Serah), daughter of Asher, in the Bible. One...
March 12, 2012
Micah House Answered the Challenge
As some of you know, Blue Thread is about a 16-year-old girl who discovers an ancient prayer shawl. Embroidered on this magical garment is a phrase from the Bible with the commandment to pursue justice. One of the organizations that pursues justice for women in the here and now is Micah House.
I asked Ed Lazere, president of Micah House and the executive director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute in Washington, DC, to tell us more.
What is Micah House? Micah House, is in fact, a house. A...
March 7, 2012
Petticoat Government Makes Headlines
Laura Stockton Starcher, Oregon Historical Society CN009047
Articles in The Oregonian and OregonLive.com this week remind us of the 1916 coup in Umatilla, Oregon, when Laura Stockton Starcher, the wife of the town's mayor, beat her husband at the ballot box with a write-in vote. Four other women won the council seats that year; they and other women ran the town until 1920. Darleen Bailey Beard memorialized the revolution, which happened four years after Oregon women got the right to vote, in ...
March 5, 2012
Is Blue Thread a Midrash or Not?
During a Q and A session with Ooligan staff about Blue Thread, Stephanie Kroll—now with Scholastic in New York (yay!)—leaned over to me and whispered, "It's a midrash."
Exactly. OK, some might argue that Stephanie and I are stretching the meaning of this Hebrew word. Midrashim (the plural of midrash) are part of a body of writings that developed over the centuries to expand upon, and explain, the moral, legal, and ethical writings of sacred Jewish texts, particularly the first five books of...
February 29, 2012
Women's History Month: Think Links
History is all about links. So is the Internet. This blog post offers you both. But first, if you live around Portland, Oregon, here's an opportunity to visit with women authors and artists, to celebrate Women's History Month.
March 1, 2012: Meet and GreetThe First Thursday evening of every month is a Big Deal in Portland's Pearl District. Join me with other Portland authors and artists as we celebrate Women's History Month. We'll be featured at Albina Community Bank's First Thursday...
February 22, 2012
Channeling Suffragist Birdie Wise
Sometimes you have to give it your all. So here I am in the Collins Gallery of Portland's Central Library, after a photo shoot for an article on the centennial of woman suffrage in Oregon and the launch of Blue Thread. I'm decked out in my 1912 costume, from outrageous hat to button-sided boots, and I'm sitting a few feet away from the suffrage exhibit. I'm also a few days away from my Petticoat Postcards! presentation with artist Addie Boswell in this very room. I want inspiration. I want ...
February 20, 2012
Come to the Launch!
Ooligan Press is staging the official launch of Blue Thread on February 27th, and it will be a stellar event. Take my word: Blue Thread weaves Oregon history, woman suffrage, Jewish culture, and fantasy, not to mention your classic coming-of-age tale, licorice nibs, salmon cakes, and a whole lot more.
Launch photo by Ben Feldman, magician.
Date:
Monday, February 27, 2012
Time:
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Place:
Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland, OR
Join me in celebration. I'll read. I'll ...
February 17, 2012
Sacajawea: Real Words and Fake Lips
While we're on the subject of historical fiction, here's the story behind that Sacajawea scene in Blue Thread.
It was easy to find information on the young Native American woman who helped to guide the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Pacific. We're L&C fans in Oregon, since these guys and Sacajawea traipsed through our forests to reach the ocean. You can still see their 1805-06 salt works in Seaside, OR.
And it was easy to find out about the statue of Sacajawea that was unveiled at...
February 13, 2012
Was Anna Shaw's Train Really Late?
That's the thing about historical fiction. How do readers know what's real and what isn't? Maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe most readers just want a flavor of the times. Or maybe a few of them, like me, get curious about where fact ends and fiction begins.
Take the scene from Blue Thread where Miriam and her friends are waiting for national suffragist Anna Howard Shaw to arrive for a rally in Portland. Did Anna Shaw really come to Portland then? Yup. By train? Yes, indeed. From Pendleton? Sure t...
February 10, 2012
Interview with Richard Michelson
Welcome to my interview with Richard Michelson, author of Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King (Sleeping Bear Press, 2011), a 2012 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Younger Readers. The interview is part of the official Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour, sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Click here for a list of all the Sydney Taylor award, honor, and notable books for 2012. Let's get started:
You are well known for your poetry for adult readers. How does your poetry...
