Picking Up a Book

Normally when I go to work, it's time to, you know, work. But lucky me, one of my latest work projects has been an absolute blast.

Our building contains a secure detention center that holds juveniles (youths typically between the ages of 12 and 17) who are awaiting a court hearing due to an allegation of committing a law violation. Having toured a number of "model site" juvenile detention centers throughout the United States it occurred to me that something we were seriously lacking for our kids was a decent library.

I was able to develop a partnership with our local library district. They've been exceptionally helpful and even donated 50 books to start our collection. When the books were delivered the kids were ecstatic! We have a teacher in our facility who told me, "You'd have thought we won the lottery." Many of these kids never picked up anything but a video game or remote before. And now they're learning to love reading.

Our next step is to obtain bookcases, chairs, and a rug to define the "library" area. I've secured funding to buy an additional 50 books and one of my collaborative team members is planning a book drive for the center.

It doesn't matter who they are, where they come from, or what they may have done. Kids reading is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

The Storyteller-Edition 16

These days it's tough for a publisher to stay afloat.  Between electronic books, web books, and other publishing venues, more and more printers of the written word are disappearing...a sad effect of the computer age. For me, this supplies plenty of incentive to support books and magazines in print.

A prime example is The Storyteller. If you've never seen it before, you're in for a treat. It's comes out quarterly, and is devoted to providing publication for writers and quality entertainment for readers.  Short stories, essays, and poems are all acceptable genres for submission. While there is no payment currently offered for submissions, sometimes it's worth a million bucks just to see your name in print.  The cost of a subscription is modest, so do check it out. 

I'm fortunate to have my short story, "The Tip", published in the most recent edition of The Storyteller. The magazine arrived on Saturday, and I've been thumbing through it ever since. With feature columns, twenty-nine short stories, four non-fiction pieces, four essays, and fifty poems, it's definitely worth the price.

If you have a story or poem that you love, and one that you think others would enjoy reading, too, check out The Storyteller. Submission guidelines appear on their website.

Bird by Bird

No, this isn’t a blog about our feathered friends. Instead, it’s a review of a book published by Anne Lamott back in 1994.

Okay, maybe I’m not so up to date on my reading material. But after hearing countless writer friends rave about Lamott’s “Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, I figured the time had come for me to dive in.

I’m so glad I did. The book is filled with observations on writing and life’s realities that come straight from the heart, with a liberal sprinkling of humor so irresistible, that I couldn’t put it down.

Fear not, you don’t need to be a writer to enjoy this book. All that’s necessary is that you enjoy reading good writing. If you, like me, are the slightest bit neurotic about life, I promise you’ll find thoughts or scenarios that sound eerily familiar.

Lamott’s keen ability to describe things we’ve all felt at some point in time is spot on, such as her thoughts about the success of others:  "...Jealousy is one of the occupational hazards of being a writer, and the most degrading.  And I, who have been the Leona Helmsley of jealousy, have come to believe that the only things that help ease or transform it are (a) getting older, (b) talking about it until the fever breaks, and (c) using it as material". 

This funny, revealing, and encouraging work will not only aid your writing process, it will help you read more critically and with greater appreciation. I loved the book enough to put my name on the inside  front cover.

And that makes it a keeper.

Reader's Choice

I'm just finishing up a novel by Elizabeth Berg called "Home Safe". It's a fairly quick read about a widow (who just happens to be a writer) and how she copes with her new life, a serious case of writer's block, a mystery surrounding missing retirement money, and her long-suffering adult daughter. Nothing critter-y about it unless you count the fact that she has a dog, but I am enjoying the story.

Are you reading anything good this weekend?