Fun Fall Appearances

I'll be participating in some wonderful programs and events this fall.

On October 18th, I will be presenting to teachers and other educators at Barnes & Noble in Manchester, NH, about how storytelling activities strengthen the foundation for all curriculum, including math and science.

On October 24, I will be appearing at the Book Rack in Newburyport for the store's annual Halloween Party. The event is a fundraiser for the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center for Women. Wear your costume, and join us for lots of Halloween fun. Starts at 1:00 pm.

For the month of November, I will be working with the 6th-grade class at Seacoast Academy in New Hampshire, for National Novel Writing Month. The class will be joining children from all around the world to write a complete novel in one month. I'll be cheering them on every step of the way!

Finally, The Dreamstarter Book will be included as gifts for the Worldwide Orphans Foundation's annual gala on Oct. 25. Please check out this wonderful organization at www.wwo.org.

Happy Halloween!

2009 Book of the Year

I am so very excited, and most grateful, to announce that The Dreamstarter Book has been chosen as the 2009 Book of the Year by Creative Child magazine for the way it brings families together.

Without a doubt, the best part of being an author is when I hear from kids and their parents about the stories they created using The Dreamstarter Book. Thank you, all, for being imagination advocates!

A College Memory

There is a place, two connected cemeteries, that separates the college dorms from the field house where sporting events take place. At night, you can walk around it, staying to the well-lit road, or cut through it–if you dare.

It's a place not unlike a scary movie or a carnival funhouse, where couples draw closer, hold hands for the first time, or even stop to embrace; and most definitely, among the hundreds of silent witnesses, share a little known fact about their childhood.

Heading to Witch City!

I'm appearing at Salem's Literary Festival at the end of March, and I can't wait! 

The festival will be held March 27-30. I will be conducting a Dreamstarter storytelling workshop, Saturday, March 28, at Cornerstone Books in Salem, MA. The event starts at noon, and I'd love to see you and your family.

Not only is the Witch City home to the legendary writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, and was the setting for Arthur Miller's classic, The Crucible, it is also the home to contemporary writers Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader, and Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief.

Both Brunonia and Hannah are appearing at this year's festival, and, as a fan, I'm looking forward to their appearances.

Check out the schedule of events, and check back often. Events are being added every day. It should be a great time. Hope to see you there!

Literally Salem 

Shoes for the Children - a random musing

A long time ago, before we were born, before there was anything, there was nothing.

Just a shoemaker. 

He never slept because there was no moon to tell him it was bedtime. 

He only made shoes to a clock with no time.

He made all kinds of shoes.

Red ones and yellow ones, pink ones and blue ones.

He made ballet shoes and fire fighting shoes, space shoes and riding shoes.

He made high heels and low heels and no heels.

He made warm shoes for cold weather, and cool shoes for warm weather.

He even made dry shoes for wet weather.

He made presidents’ shoes and soccer shoes, doctor shoes, and basketball shoes.

And when it was time for a child to be born, he gave them a very special pair of shoes he made just for them. 

But before the child was allowed to wear the shoes, the shoemaker would ask for a promise…

Promise, he said, to wear the shoes to travel the world, discover new treasures, play nicely with other people, build new things, and take care of old things.

And when the children got too big for their shoes, the shoemaker asked them to do one more thing.

He asked them to find a child who needed a pair of shoes, a very special pair of shoes, and give them the shoes off their feet.

Where will your shoes take you?

 

A Visit to Seacoast Academy

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the sixth-grade boys and girls at Seacoast Academy in Hampton Falls, NH. What a great morning, and what a terrific school!

I shared The Dreamstarter Book with them, and then we divided up into smaller groups for storytelling. The creative energy in the room was amazing. It even led to some terrific improvisational theater!

I was deeply inspired by the kids' enthusiasm for story telling, and I can't wait to read their written creative tales later this month.

The Gift of Gratitude

Surrounded by crumpled wrapping paper, fallen pine needles, and lego pieces, another Christmas season has passed. And as the New Year approaches, it's the perfect time to make a cup of tea and reflect on what has come and gone.

Like many of you, we kept things simpler this year; spent less, and gave from the heart more. Should our bank accounts drive altruistic behavior? Probably not, but we are grateful for the wake-up call just the same.

In preparation for the New Year, and all the creative and loving gifts yet to unfold, our family will strive to be grateful every day.

As for me, I am busy writing Volume II of The Dreamstarter Book, which is due to my editor by the end of January. I am so very grateful for the response to the first Dreamstarter Book, to all of you who helped make it an Amazon Bestseller, and especially for the chance to connect with young readers and writers all over the world.

Happy New Year!