Favorite clicks.
Children’s book author Jan Godown Annino and I sat at a table in a huge banquet room at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, both of us feeling as if we were at a high school dance. The “author’s lunch” sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English was a test of an author’s popularity. In a room full of authors would anyone choose to sit at our table? I couldn’t have found better company for this torture. Jan is one of the most generous and thoughtful writers I know.
True to her nature, her blog is a forum for sharing resources and ideas about writing for the children’s book market. If you hope to one day sit nervously at an “author’s lunch” I suggest you get to know her. She is always good company–and since I first posted this Jan has won the Florida Book Award for her picture book “She Sang Promise.” I bet she’s the popular girl at the “author’s lunches” now! http://bookseedstudio.wordpress.com/
In this new virtual universe we sometimes find like-minded travelers through the good fortune of matching search terms, in this case “body and soul.” That shared tag brought Robin Dorko to my blog where she felt quite at home. When I returned the visit I felt the same way about hers. Robin explains herself as the mother of two, grandmother of one with two more on the way and the wife of the same guy for 37 years. She leads spiritual retreats and listens to what she calls people’s “sacred stories.” I immediately liked her thoughts and the way she converts them into short, honest, beautifully written essays. http://ammaponders.wordpress.com/
Perky Granger introduced herself with an invitation to be the writer-in-residence for the first-ever “Fiction Among Friends” retreat on St. George Island. Five retreats later Perky is a great friend–kind, caring, a wonderful writer and a damned fine cook (go on retreat with Perky and you will quickly learn who can cook and who can’t).
For more about the St. George Island retreat, click on the words. I also have a blog post called, The Writer’s Retreat about our getaway last November.
To visit Perky’s blog or find out about the many other cool things she does–including a writer’s retreat in the Adirondacks visit: www.PersisGranger.com
Leslee Horner is one of the young members of The Wednesday Night Writers. Her blog chronicles her progress as a writer and her ongoing spiritual search. I’ve watched her grow and question and become an ever-stronger writer, and an ever-better human being. http://lesleehorner.wordpress.com/
Leigh Muller and I have traded pages for more years than either of us would like to admit. We have helped each other say what we mean—and have often prevented embarrassment on the page. Leigh is a great friend and traveling companion along the writer’s road.
She is the author of “First Instinct,” a thriller with a rare, warm and human side. She is also the best book doctor I know. When it comes to diagnosing what is wrong with an ailing plot her insights are spot-on. Leigh has made a huge difference in the pace and tension in my stories.
And now she has a blog. The Writer’s Roadhouse is a great place for conversation about the ins-and-outs of fiction writing. Drop in with your ideas and questions. You are guaranteed a lively discussion along with some practical help and a few family recipes (for when you need more literal nourishment). http://writersroadhouse.com/
Judy Ransom and I spent a wonderful handful of days on a writer’s retreat on St. George Island. Judy cooks a killer pot of chili, makes a very loud “breakfast shake” in a blender—and in one of those coincidences a fiction writer could never get away with, we discovered that we went to the same elementary school (Evans Park in Pearl River, NY).
While I contemplate the ordinary and hear a choir of angels, Judy finds the banana peel. To see the funny side of daily life, take a look at Judy’s blog. http://JudyRansom.com
Mary Lois Sanders and I have known each other since the very first Fiction Among Friends writer’s retreat gathered on St. George Island five years ago. Mary Lois is thoughtful, smart, and a marvelous storyteller who has lived a well-traveled life. She writes historical fiction for young readers and a blog I visit as soon as she posts. Join her at: http://myotherzone.com
And yes, ML always wears a smile at least this big.
The first time I encountered Richard Edward Noble, he was reading from his poem, “Mr. Duchnowski’s Bean Suppers.”
The poem opens (please read this with a Boston accent):
Listen to me…Listen to me!
You guys is entirely on the wrong track, ya see.
Skip the nightclubs, the booze, and the dim lights.
Take your self down to a church bean supper one of these nights.
In this poem Mr. Duchnowski is giving the kids he’s addressing the skinny. Church bean suppers are where you find the prettiest girls! Among the kids being wised-up is the poet himself, known as Richie in those days.
Richard Edward Noble , the hobo poet, is a writer with wide ranging interests, but I know him best as the chronicler of a place where pretty girls dish up bean suppers; Lawrence, Massachussetts. As charming as Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon, Richard’s Lawrence—My Hometown–is real.
If you would like to receive posts from Lawrence, drop Richard a note at richardedwardnoble@fairpoint.net I’m sure he’ll be happy to add you to his email list.
I highly recommend you take a break from whatever you are supposed to be doing to visit Richie’s hometown, a place where guys hang out and get into interesting trouble.
