Aprille With His Shoures Soote

I[image error]t was with some chagrin I realized a quarter of the year had gone by without a blog post, and me with a book coming out in two weeks. Sorry, I have been pretty busy… especially with my kid. I don’t know how anybody does anything when they have a six year old (especially my six year old). I have some catching up to do.

First, you should know that I will launch Rooting for Rafael Rosales like a baseball over the outfield wall on Tuesday, April 25 at 6:30 p,m. As with all my novels, the launch party will be held at the wonderful Red Balloon bookshop in St. Paul. We will have fun and cake.

It is my only scheduled event so far for this book, though I have a couple of other fun things in the offing.

Second, the highlight of my winter was that Kelly Barnhill, a beautiful writer and lovely person, was given the top honor in children’s literature.

Third, I have been reading The Topps League Series to Byron and he’s loving it, which makes me very happy. I wrote these books on a tight schedule and it is kind of a blur now…but I am really enjoying reading them now, and am proud of what I did, even if I barely remember doing it.

Fourth, I aim to keep a low political profile on this blog, but at times politics are not really about petty partisan things, but tests of our very humanity.  Jenny Holzer said that if you are apolitical, your personal life had better be impeccable. Mine is peccable. So here I go.

Like a lot of people I’ve been deeply concerned by the current administration, and especially the threats to public education and to the arts and humanities, to the environment, and to national parks. It is a battle with many fronts and it feels like an all-out assault on reason and compassion.

I guess I’m speaking to the random visitor, the parent of a child who liked my books who may have dismissed the protesters as sore losers, extremists, or snowflakes (to use a favorite pejorative of Twitter). This is a real crisis; the future of my child and yours hangs in the balance. Please take another look and think about the long-range consequences of what is happening in Washington.

I didn’t expect to say all that when I started this blog entry, but it is much on my mind. Spring is a time of hope and renewal. I hope that the sweet showers of this April can end the drought and heal the parched ground. Even the Twins have been playing well. At least outside of Detroit.

Fifth and finally, a very happy birthday to Beverly Cleary! I spent much of last year celebrating her 100th birthday, and here she is with yet another candle on her cake.

Filed under: Miscellaneous