Chris Baty's Blog, page 259

Beach Games

I was lucky enough to spend last week at the beach with my family and extended family and the family of my S.O. One night, S.O.'s stepfather suggested a great game, which I have never played before: name your favorite novel, favorite paragraph, favorite word, and—-if you like—-favorite poet and poems as well.

Seems impossible, right? But it was also fascinating to hear these favorites of my family that, much as we love reading and books and words, we had never discussed before. There were a lot of surprises.

I even surprised myself. I knew that picking a favorite novel was never going to happen. There have been too many works of fiction and nonfiction alike that have had varying impacts on me at different times in my life. But the title I came up was one that resonates on many levels: Frankenstein.

In keeping with the element of surprise, Frankenstein was a novel that surprised the pants off of me when I read it, primarily because I didn't expect to like it so much. In fact, I wildly loved it.

But I also love the story behind its creation. Wikipedia concisely reports: "Shelley was talking with her three writer-colleagues and they decided they would have a competition to see who could write the best horror story."

The origin myth of Frankenstein so closely resembles that of NaNoWriMo. To quote Chris Baty, our founder, "That first year, I managed to convince 20 of my friends here in the Bay Area to write a 50,000-word novel in a month." Like Mary Shelley agreeing to a writing challenge with three of her friends, Chris did the same with 20 of his.

I didn't make the connection immediately. It wasn't until I returned to Oakland and was pondering the highlights of my vacation—that game being one of them—that the lightbulb lit up.

So now that I am back from my enchanting trip to the coast, I want to sit in a circle with all of you and play this game! What's your favorite book, paragraph, word, poet, and poem?

I'll go first, with the remaining categories:

My favorite paragraph comes from an early scene in Michale Chabon's Mysteries of Pittsburgh about [paraphrasing here] a summer filled with gold-tasseled bell hops and the broken spines of lemon wedges in the bottom of a glass.

My favorite words is always changing, but I currently favor "inimitable"—both for the hop-skip it makes on the lips and tongue, and for its one-of-a-kind associations.

My favorite poet is easily Mary Oliver, but my favorite poems are Louis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" (so many favorite non-words form this poem: vorpal, snickersnack, calloo! callay!) and Jon Kavanaugh's "There are men too gentle to live among wolves," because it seems always to be about the important men in my life.

Okay, your turn!

– Lindsey

Photo by Flickr user 50 Watts

YA Literature: It's For Adults, Too!

I was recently reunited with my favorite book of all time. Yup, that's right: although there are many great books out there, I have had a consistent favorite now for five years. For the past few months, the book had been living on a friend's shelf. After I shared my love for the novel, she asked if she could borrow it to see what I was gushing about. When I got it back, I lasted one day before I ended up in my reading chair with The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros in my hands. Do you love it, too?

I have read this book once a year since it was first recommended to me. Cisneros utilizes language to paint a young woman's coming-of-age story that remains timeless. My favorite element of the novel is that it is written as vignettes. This stretched my mind to see other forms that a novel can incorporate, and the lyrical, image-packed chapters contain elements of poetry. This is my kind of novel!

I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was when I began teaching middle school Language Arts and found that The House On Mango Street could easily fit into my class curriculum! Some of my students loved the book and others were ambivalent, but all grew as writers after reading it. For their final project, they wrote vignettes about the houses on the streets where they were growing up. Cisneros' writing encouraged them to utilize simile, metaphor, and personification to share their stories.

Even though this book is categorized as young adult fiction, it resonated with me as an adult. This has been a common experience for me. I've revisited many great titles post-youth, since a lot of my favorites from middle school are still on the curriculum in classrooms today. These novels still have so much to say in the classroom and they still speak to me.

The Giver by Lois Lowry continues to ask questions I can't fully answer, like: What actually happens at the end? Does Jonas die or arrive? This was the first book my own teacher didn't provide a decisive explanation of. Instead, she invited us to debate based on word choice and tone. This opened my understanding to elements of craft I could incorporate into my own writing. I have not had one class in the past three years that hasn't enjoyed engaging in the same debate.

I'm also a big fan of historical YA books. When I was 13, I read The Diary of Anne Frank. I was stunned that a girl who lived in a secret annex to hide from Nazi soldiers almost 50 years earlier and I could have so much in common. It made me realize that there were people in the world who had different life experiences but also helped me to see similarities. My own students were surprised to find such an honest character who shared feelings about a crush and common arguments with a parent. They too saw their worlds expand.

Every year that I have taught and re-read these stories, I have continually found the power behind them. I have watched YA novels live and breathe in the classroom as teacher and students engage in dialogue around them. Through titles like Around The World In 80 Days, Monster, Jip, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Speak, and many others, I hope that students continue to understand more about themselves and the world.

Young adult literature is quite a special genre. In so many ways, it extends beyond a teenage audience to anyone who has survived their own journey into adulthood. Parts of youth follow us—whether we breathe a sigh of relief that it is over or long to live it again. I'm so happy there are great books to journey with us along the way!

Are you a fan of YA literature? What are some of your favorite titles to teach or read?

– Jenelle

With Love and Squalor

I was sending girlchild off to the copy editors in less than two days and had only two pages to go before I could put a bow on it, but I was stumped, immobilized. Which two pages could be so crucial? The dénouement? The grand finale? No: the dedication and acknowledgment pages. Some folks don't include either of these with their novels. Their books, I guess, are solitary beasts, brought into this world alone. But not mine. I owe people. Big time.

I'm a pretty good thanker, I dig gratitude. The list of who to thank via acknowledgments wrote itself: the names of the glorious friends and loved ones who'd let me clock in so infrequently during revision times, the ones who'd never shown weariness of hearing about another round of editing, or that I was going to miss yet another event. I had the who down pat. What boggled my mind was the how.

How to thank someone permanently and in public? How to thank my editor who pretended to never notice my hackles rising in defense of this or that phrase or chapter, who was patient and kind with me for so long that my growling turned to a purr? Or an agent who made me feel brave, even at home, in a new and scary world, who'd become a brother? Or the BFF of 20+ years who had to run on friendship fumes? And the fiancé who'd become an interior designer to the creatively neurotic, hanging each of the 221 pages of the third revision on our bedroom walls at my request? And how to do all of this with humor and sincerity and on the record?

I was stumped. I wandered around my house like Goldilocks, rereading acknowledgments and dedications written by my favorite authors to find a style that fit just right (rereading, because I always read them—they are part of the story for me). I came to understand that like most things in the noveling process, I'd have to find my own way, which I finally did. No good turn is born without a twin, an expression of gratitude for its existence, and the twins arrived when I sat down and began.

The dedication page seemed easier. I'd always known why girlchild exists and for whom—one person. All I needed was the right wording, right? Ha! So much hinges on a to, a for; I went ten rounds with prepositions and was down for the count. My favorite dedications jeered from the bookshelves. Salinger's titular "For Esme, with Love and Squalor," and this dedication that is a masterpiece in four words, almost a novel itself: For Mercedes, of course. I think now that all dedications do what this one does, if not always so gracefully; they speak to a history so rich that with only a few words, we know. Ooooh, we say, especially as writers ourselves, knowing what a book takes from us and so, what it means to give that, to dedicate it, to another, we say: Ooooh, it's like that between them.

Limping and staggering over the finish line, when I sent the final revision off, I mentioned to my editor that I'd added the dedication and acknowledgments. I figured it would be no big deal for her. She's been thanked by better writers and in better ways, but she wrote right back to say that she tore straight to the end of the manuscript to find hers. Like a kid with a Cracker Jack box, she said. I may have nothing else to give her better than that moment—that rush of finding the Secret Decoder ring at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box, and the secret messages it reveals, always the same when the fancy wording is stripped, plainly: I see you. Thanks.

How have you handled your dedications and acknowledgments pages? What dreams do you have for those yet to be written? Is there a certain someone your writing breathes for? Do you even read these, like I do, or are you a strictly story-focused reader? Is there a dedication in one of your favorite books that you love? Do you know which author wrote the dedication For Mercedes, of course? There's no prize for knowing the correct answer to this question, but I promise you'll be sincerely acknowledged if you do!

– Tupelo

Musical Theatre: Underground!

Permit me to use this blog to share with you one of my most persistent dream projects.

Here's the game plan:

1. Max finds several local musicians with very different tastes. Wish list might look like: A) pianist/vocalist; B) acoustic guitarist (folk/rock) / vocalist; C) electric guitarist (noise/punk).

2. Max collaborates with these musicians, as a group and individually, and they write me about three songs each for a total of nine songs.

3. During this time, Max has also been super-inspired and developing one of several rockin' new musical scripts, with characters reflecting the musicians and their styles.

4. Max works with other writers, and the musicians, to develop lyrics.

Still with me? Now things take a further turn for the crazy.

5. Musicians learn their characters, and can now magically act.

6. Rehearse rehearse rehearse.

7. We present the musical like a house show, blocking the whole thing to be performed in variously sized spaces, starting with about a 10' x 10' square. Run time could be as short as one hour. All of this barring me winning the lottery, and buying my way onto a stage.

My idea is less about bringing local independent musicians into a musical theater production, and more about imposing a tiny narrative onto a well-rehearsed concert. Catchy tunes, presented in character. Conflict would also live inside of style-collisions, where characters are vying for power by playing with each other. This is the appeal of having a noise musician playing with (or against) a folk rocker or a pop pianist.

I think somewhere along the line, music and narrative have fallen out of their once-productive wedlock. Musical theatre is floundering. But has there ever been a real small-scale, indie musical theatre scene? Can I jump-start one?

It's also worth noting that musical theatre in the past has always had its own distinct tradition and sound. The show tune sounds like a show tune. Nothing against show tunes, but I love a lot of other types of music. We've also seen a string of musical hits recently that have bent firmly towards a contemporary pop-rock sound, and their financiers aren't complaining. Maybe a less-polished, DIY approach is the next step!

It's worth acknowledging a few of the many hurdles upfront:

A. I can't write music.

B. I've never written lyrics.

C. Finding amazing musicians who can act.

D. Finding a place to perform.

E. Doing it all with (nearly) no money.

Who among ye would be interested in a night of full-throttle indie music, with a little drama thrown in?

– Max B

Photo by Flickr user Apium

The Bloggy Award

You are looking at an object very much prized here at the Office of Letters and Light. "But why is it so valuable?" you might say. "It just looks like a sparkling-water bottle covered with stickers and tied with a lopsided bow."

Though I'm tempted to respond "HOW DARE YOU?!" (cue: echo and thunder sound effects), I suppose I should calmly explain. That, kind reader, is a photo of the prestigious OLL Bloggy Award.

Just like the incentive goodies you get at the end of NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy, we use it to give props to especially awesome blog posts. It's been frequently passed around the office the last few months; whoever currently has the Bloggy gets to choose the next recipient. Lindsey is the latest, for her great "Exploring Life Through Art and Writing." Who will get it next is anybody's guess. (Bribery doesn't work. Lindsey is very ethical.)

From now on, we'll indicate winners via this tag, always accessible on the left sidebar. And if you see a new post you love, feel free to make a nomination suggestion in the comments!

– Chris A.

A Month of Poetry: The End

I've never been a talented gardener, but this summer I decided to exercise my green thumb. I bought mint and cilantro so I could make mint tea, mojitos, and homemade salsa. I've remembered to water my plants almost every day, and move them in and out of the sun to stay healthy. They continually replenish when I pick their leaves and have grown into larger pots. I've thought often of my plants in relation to my month of writing poetry since I tried to water and write daily. I can't believe four weeks have gone by already!

I don't know about you, but writing a poem a day was quite a challenge. I can't say that I have 31 new poems to share. Some days are simply crazy—filled with work, appointments, birthday parties, dinner preparation, laundry, stomachaches, headaches, and the list can certainly continue. Especially at the beginning of the month, it was hard to work through the business and slow myself enough to let metaphor speak. It was also challenging to write creatively when I had a looming list of tasks to get done by the end of a long day.

On the other hand, it's super awesome to watch my writing folder grow, my wall chart collect ideas, and to present new work to my writer's group! What I've learned is that the act of attempting a poem a day by setting aside time to write and creating a rough skeleton of a poem, produces many pages of poetry. As the month continued, those days when I simply didn't feel creative and put my pen to paper, I got somewhere I didn't expect. I had to write through the noise in my mind to get there, but metaphor did speak, maybe even more readily, because I was practicing and gaining endurance each day over the course of the month.

Now I will unleash my inner editor, and I'm excited to have so many new poems to revise! Will I do it again? Yes! Like the plants beside my front door, I want to watch my writing grow, replenish, and become a thick collection in need of a larger pot. The only way to do that, is to write!

Did you write a poem a day for the last month? What did you learn from your experience? Would you try it again?

– Jenelle

The Young Writers Program July Writing Contest

As many NaNoWriMo participants are midway through their first month of Camp, we thought it would be fun to give our young writers (17 and younger) a chance to get into the noveling spirit of the summer months (or, the winter months for our Southern Hemisphere folks). So, we hereby present to you…

What To Write

Compose a brief story (300-word limit) that starts on a bright, sunny day.

Where you go from there is completely up to you. We'll be looking for intriguing description, characters, and plot. Be sure you're able to pack a lot into a short word window!

The Prizes

We will award one Grand Prize Winner, and two Honorable Mention Winners. (One of these will come from each grade level—elementary, middle, and high school.)

The Grand Prize (This is pretty awesome. Be sure you're ready.)

Your story published on the OLL blog
A 30-minute consultation with The Book Doctors. (They can help you with planning the next steps for your 2010 NaNoWriMo novel, assess your 2011 idea, or just give some good advice on the publishing industry.)
A $50 gift certificate for the Office of Letters and Light store
A specially designed contest winner web badge for your website or social media pages

The Honorable Mention Prizes

A link to your story on the OLL blog
Your choice of a NaNoWriMo t-shirt or poster from the Office of Letters and Light store
A specially designed contest honorable mention web badge for your website or social media pages

How to Submit

Just post the text of your story in the comments section of this blog entry, along with an indication of your grade level (elementary, middle, or high school). If you want to post your story elsewhere, provide the complete URL link. The deadline is July 31, 2011.

Read the complete terms and conditions below, and please contact ywp@nanowrimo.org if you have any additional questions.

By submitting to the Young Writers Program July Writing Contest, you agree to the following Terms and Conditions:

Participation in the contest is free.
Participants must be 17 or younger.
Story must be submitted before midnight (PST) on July 31, 2011 to be eligible for prizes.
Story must be submitted via the OLL blog.
Story must be 300 words or less to qualify.
Limit one submission per person.
By submitting your story, you agree to grant OLL the right to publish it on our blog.
Winners will be determined by OLL staff.
Prizes may not be exchanged.

Chris A. and Sarah Debate... The Comedy Emmy Nominations!

Sarah: As we have written about in the past, Chris A. and I are both television enthusiasts. We are also both people with a lot of opinions, and thus are prone to frequent overzealous discussions about various shows we watch.

Naturally, then, last week's announcement of the Emmy nominees began a spirited debate over the various categories. Although we have plenty to say about other genres (I for one am thrilled to see Cat Deeley get recognized for Reality Show Host, because she is a total delight and very good at maintaining order while still being charming), the comedy category is definitely where we have the strongest opinions. So we thought we'd break down those thoughts in another installment of our ongoing "Chris A. and Sarah Debate Things" blog series.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O'Neill, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Chris: My favorite thing about this category is the total pity nomination given to Jon Cryer. ("Sorry Charlie Sheen messed up your livelihood, Ducky.") The preponderance of Modern Family is a little disconcerting, but I can't think of any of these dudes I would take out. MF has my favorite ensemble cast on television—all equally represented, all with perfect timing. If pressed, my pick here would be Ty Burrell, who makes a dimwitted dad character fresh and hilarious every episode.

Sarah: I like Modern Family, but I found the second season too much of a retread of the first to justify this many nominees. Especially since nominating all four means that Nick Offerman didn't get nominated for Ron Freaking Swanson, which is an absolute crime. In fact, I'd argue that both Parks and Recreation and Community have stronger ensembles than Modern Family, and I'd have dropped Jon Cryer (I hate pity nominations) and probably Eric Stonestreet and Ed O'Neill to make room for Nick Offerman, Danny Pudi, and Donald Glover. Although that still leaves Neil Patrick Harris out in the cold, and I'm not sure I can live with that.

I don't think Glee is worthy of many nominations (I'll get to that later), but Chris Colfer is definitely the right cast member.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Sarah: This category annoys me. I feel like Jane Lynch got nominated based on the concept of Sue rather than the actual episodes in the season, because the writers really floundered with her in Season 2 and it showed. I've never watched Hot in Cleveland but I'm pretty sure Betty White got nominated for being Betty White, which wouldn't bother me so much if Alison Brie hadn't gotten bumped as a result. I am a recent convert to Community and she is a revelation on that show, especially if you previously knew her from her role on Mad Men. I'd also be tempted to nominate Rashida Jones based entirely on how hilarious she is when she plays drunk Ann on Parks and Recreation.

Chris: Sarah, you are so right about everything here! What do you make of Kristen Wiig? I had thought it was a proxy nomination based on Bridesmaids' success, but turns out she was nominated for the same award the last two years. News to me! And this past season of SNL was not one of her best. So, where does that leave us? I gotta go with my girl Julie Bowen—I call her J-Bow—who has been awesome for years. When will Ed get a Series Lifetime Achievement award, do you suppose?

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Laura Linney, The Big C
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Chris: Every single lady nominated in this category is totally cool in some way or another. One time in New York, I somehow ended up getting a private tour of some old-school actor's club from Martha Plimpton. But that is neither here nor there. Also neither here nor there is how many times Laura Linney made me cry while watching The Big C. If we're talking who made me laugh the most, that answer will always be Amy Poehler. The ship has sailed on innovation with Fey's Liz Lemon, but Leslie Knope is consistently multi-faceted and surprising. (If Kristen Wiig wasn't a Bridesmaids proxy nod, then Melissa McCarthy totally is. Or maybe Emmy voters fondly remember her from Gilmore Girls?)

Sarah: I like that Melissa McCarthy got nominated in theory, since it's nice to see a non-skinny lady out there representing. But I wish it was for work on a better show.

I cannot even debate this issue, because there is no persuading me that anyone but Amy Poehler should win. She somehow manages to be both the straight (wo)man and the wacky one, sometimes even simultaneously. Plus I'm pretty sure she should get an Emmy for her laugh alone. Best laugh on television.

Lead Actor in a Comedy

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Steve Carell, The Office
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Louis C.K., Louie
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Sarah: I think Steve Carell got nominated by default for his last season of The Office, and I'm pretty sure he'll win for the overall body of work even though this wasn't his best season. I'm somewhat mystified by the presence of Johnny Galecki here. He's perfectly fine and he plays his role well on the inoffensive-but-rarely-hilarious The Big Bang Theory, but his slot should have gone to Joel McHale on Community. He has made a character that we should hate completely sympathetic and likable, and he does so while being absolutely hilarious. (And hot. They probably don't nominate people based on their ridiculous ab muscles, though.)

Chris: You nailed the issue with Carell, although I won't be mad if he wins. Michael Scott is a character for the sitcom ages, and the recognition is deserved. Big Bang Theory is an aggressively mediocre show, so no dice there. Same with Baldwin, who's not doing anything new on 30 Rock. I'd love it if Louis C.K. got some recognition, as Louie is such a brave, esoteric sitcom—more about mood and Louis' sensibility than laughs. I'd say he's a not-totally-improbable dark horse here.

And Sarah, please stop letting cheese-grater abs cloud your judgment. We're trying to have a debate.

Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Parks and Recreation
30 Rock

Chris: Okay, this one's for all the ab-grated cheese. The main event. 30 Rock and The Office have become institutionalized in this category—still very good shows, but not what they once were. Glee? Guh. And I've already established my feeling on Big Bang Theory. So for me, it comes down to Modern Family vs. Parks and Recreation. And I think I need to go for the latter. It's a series with momentum, that somehow keeps getting funnier. The addition of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott brought a whole new dimension to the larger town story arc, and the season's denouement was—yes—traditional, but also sweet, genuine, and well earned. Plus, Li'l Sebastian!

Sarah: I'm totally with you on Glee. I like it for nice mindless fluff and peppy songs, but the idea that it's one of the six best comedies on TV and Community isn't is completely laughable. That said, Parks and Recreation is absolutely the best show on this list. Not only is it hilarious, charming, remarkably uplifting for such a funny show, and probably the best representation of female friendship on television (not to mention one of the strongest lead female characters on a sitcom in I don't know how long), Season 3 was incredibly consistent. I don't think there was a bad episode in the bunch. None of the other shows on this list can say that.

Chris: Blog audience, what do you think? What were your favorite comedy shows of last year? Anything or anybody unfairly overlooked? Did Sarah and I dismiss anything we shouldn't have? Also, how many crunches do you think Joel McHale does every day?

My name is Percy Jackson.

When I was a kid, my best friends were books. Sound familiar? In fact, back in the day, when the MS Readathon was held in the US, I was the national champion! Twice! I'd like to say that this had to do with my nascent philanthropic heart, but a more honest answer is that the Readathon gave me an excuse to spend even more time with my BFFs, and like any kid avoiding chores or life, I took it. For one month each year, I was free to read during every waking second. One of the books I read during that time, returning to it again and again over the years, is Edith Hamilton's famous Mythology. Remember it?! It is a compendium of the Greek myths, told in a straightforward style. Hamilton makes the myths' concepts easily graspable, even when read in the less-than-pastoral setting of my youth.

Hamilton has been on my mind lately since Tutoree and I have been reading The Lightning Thief. In the year that we've been reading together, Tutoree has not proven to be a lover of books. He is busy with real friends from the real world, he is a champ at karate, he swims. No matter how I encourage him, fairly shouting about the glories of reading, he'd rather live off the page. But The Lightning Thief is provoking a change in him where I've failed. He read a record 59 (!) pages on his own this month (for the first time, I had to catch up with him!). I am positive that this new-found love for reading is because Greek myths are at the heart of The Lightning Thief's adventure and they work like a magnet to our minds.

My tutoring cred has increased dramatically as we've read through the book, as well. Our reading of The Lightning Thief began with comments like:

Tutoree: Why do we have to know about Greek mythology?

Moved through:

Tutoree: A trident? Like, the gum?

and

Tutoree: Why does Mr. D [Dionysus] smell like grapes?

To this dazzling moment for any tutor:

Tutoree: How do you know all this stuff?

I know all this stuff because of Edith Hamilton! Because she made it easy for a girl in a trailer park on the edge of the desert to fall in love with the Greek myths and embrace their vitality. I can still remember imagining Perseus, the messenger of the Gods, and to my young mind, the true hero of the Greek myths. I've been in love with Perseus since then, trying to summon him in my wild youth by foolishly letting too many troubles loose on the world, by creating problems that regenerated like Hydra heads, by turning mortals to stone… and today I still love the cocktail created by the qualities she combines: thievery, kindness, and courage, with a dash of winged ridiculousness.

Consider the following annotated list of my life's romantic aspirations:

– the first "person" I wanted to marry: Bugs Bunny. Who better to capture Perseus' dynamic qualities?,

– Hawkeye Pierce from the television series M*A*S*H, note the devil in his eye, and like Bugs, Hawkeye will make a joke even during the worst of times and escape bullets unscathed,

– when I outgrew Hawkeye*, my heart became fixed on a young David Letterman (his teeth echoing Bugs'), I stayed up too late to watch his monologue all through junior high,

– and now, another tall mischief-maker, finally found in real life, able to handle life's real adventures with a mix of steel and humor and who never forgets to free the hope I sometimes smash the lid on.

While it is fun to find the seemingly mythological qualities we admire in another person, the archetypal heroes and monsters the myths are based on are best found, nurtured, tamed, and perhaps destroyed (er, integrated), inside each of us. This is part of what Tutoree and I have been discussing as we pour through the first book of Percy Jackson's adventure.

Last week Tutoree asked me why humans have to live in the middle place between the Underworld and Mount Olympus. I doubt I'm qualified to answer this question, having gone to art school and all, but I tried my best. It's the human condition, I said, and with the wisdom of a 12-year-old, which is considerable, he accepted this answer. Between these two realms is where the quests lie and that's what we're all on, right? Quests! Edith Hamilton knew this, I think, and I'd like to thank her for opening up my young mind to the workings of timeless adventure, allowing me to see the quests and heroes all around me. Thank you, Edith!

I'd love to hear how your quests are going, literary or otherwise! Did you read Hamilton's Mythology as a kid or later, as a kid-at-heart? How are the famous myths intersecting with your work? What monster is your hero seeking to slay? What hope awaits your hero's return in order to be freed upon the world?

– Tupelo

*This is a lie. I've never outgrown Hawkeye. Shhhh. Don't tell my betrothed.

Thanks, Harry.

I read the first three Harry Potter books when I was 18, shortly after the third book was released. Like nearly everyone else on the internet, I spent the years between the release of Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix speculating wildly and waiting impatiently for the new book. (Nearly three years she made us wait!)

In late 2004, speculation began that the release date of the sixth book was going to be announced. As soon as the rumours started flying that it would be some time in summer of 2005, my mother emailed me and said, "I bet it'll be July 16."

She was right.

The problem with July 16, 2005? I was getting married that day.

There was some immediate wailing and gnashing of teeth. I wouldn't be able to go to the midnight release! I wouldn't be able to stay up all night reading! It was terrible. I briefly considered writing a letter to J.K. Rowling to persuade her to send me an advance copy. I debated postponing the wedding. (Not really, but the thought did cross my mind.)

But in the end, there was nothing I could do. And so I pre-ordered my book at the independent bookstore where I used to work and told my photographer that we'd be making a stop on the way to the wedding.

The morning of the wedding rolled around, and although I'd toyed with the idea of rushing out to the bookstore at midnight the night before, my bridesmaids talked me out of it. As we were walking to the hairdressers, though, it occurred to me that I'd planned this very badly. Sure, the photo op would be great, but I was about to sit in a chair for almost two hours without anything to read. Why hadn't I pre-ordered from the bookstore next to my hairdresser?

And that was when someone did one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Detouring into the bookstore's Starbucks to pick up a coffee, my best friend bought her own copy of the book, walked out of the store, and handed it to me. "I know you want to read this more than I do."

I think that was the closest I came to crying that whole day.

I read furiously while my hair was getting done, pausing only briefly after I was finished when a groom who'd just had his hair cut looked over at my veil and said "aren't you nervous?" in a quavering voice. I said a few reassuring things, but all I was thinking about was the book and what was going to happen next. Any nerves had been overshadowed by speculation about what was going to happen in the book. (Some people might think I should have been contemplating the enormity of what I was doing, but I've never been good with anticipation. Distraction was exactly what I needed. It's our sixth wedding anniversary on Saturday, so I'm not too concerned that I didn't take it seriously enough.)

We went over to my parents' house to finish getting ready, and we left more than an hour before the wedding so we'd have plenty of time for the staged picking up of the book. It was hilarious to see the expressions on the faces of the people in the store, and the picture of me threatening to smack one of my bridesmaids with the book when she pretended to flip to the last page to see what happened is one of my favourites.

It makes a great story and even better photos, and I think it made our wedding more memorable—the reception was full of Harry Potter jokes and there are some great staged photos of me pretending to read while ignoring Jamie at the head table. (I read some more in the basement of the church for the half hour before the wedding started, but then didn't touch it again until the next day. If anyone ever doubts my devotion to my husband, I tell them I put down a half-finished Harry Potter book for 36 hours for him!)

But when I think about Harry Potter, and the wedding, and all the associated memories, the thing that sticks out the most for me is my best friend handing me that book without a second thought. And for all the magic and wizards and villains and action and drama, when you get right down to it, that's what the Harry Potter books are about for me. The story of three friends, and the things they'd do for each other without even thinking about it. Sure, my best friend didn't have to defend me from a supervillain or anything, but the sentiment remains the same.

And now, it's the end of an era. What's your favourite Harry Potter memory?

(The picture in this post is the Harry Potter cake my husband and his mother made for our gift opening. They actually made two; the other one was for my Harry Potter-themed shower. Impressive, isn't it?)

– Sarah