Finally ready to ship the results of my picture research for Thanksgiving: The True Story to the editor!! First thing tomorrow off it goes & then we're off with my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter for an overnight in Mystic, CT to visit the aquarium!!! As I did my final check of the material I selected I noted that I've assembled an eclectic, even quirky, collection of archival and contemporary illustrations; undoubtedly stretch readers' visual experience with the topic, but the text will too, so one matches the other.

A Thank You

I spent many hours yesterday with my dear and indispensable friends Sue and Moshe. Dear and indispensable for countless reasons--specifically yesterday for their generosity and support and skills with PhotoShop. I arrived with primary source documents--Harper's Weekly from 1857, 1858, 1866, 1899--with large engravings that I had selected as illustrations in my forthcoming book, Thanksgiving: The True Story. (In addition to writing my books, I do my own picture research, an essential but hugely demanding and time-consuming enterprise that I'll write about in more detail later). I also had emailed Sue a folder of jpg. With unfailing good humor and dazzling skill, Sue, with periodic input from Moshe, scanned and did image processing and burned a CD for me.
Sue and Moshe live in the Bronx and at one point we walked to a small Italian restaurant for homemade mozzarella and pizza with eggplant, Portobello mushrooms and zucchini (not what I would typically order but delectable). When a waiter dropped a tray of glasses, most of the eaters loudly applauded; not us, although when requested by another waiter who said he couldn't sing, we did join in singing happy birthday to someone. I left about 11:45 am, there was heavier traffic across the George Washington Bridge than I expected and my low gas light was on, but I was unfazed in the aftermath of a wonderful, creative, productive time (and I learned a lot!)--thank you Sue and Moshe!!

Check my web site for a slide show of book covers on the home page--my super talented web manager--Renee Harris--and I have been tinkering with the best timing--it's now 6 seconds--what do you think? Also Renee posted new pictures on my speaking engagement page.

Ooops, missed a month, or almost

I posted my last blog on 7/6, three days after I started teaching a course in nonfiction literature for children at Queens College, CUNY. The class ended today and two students--Stephanie and Maureen (both in the literacy program, Maureen is a terrific 4th grade teacher and Stephanie is preparing to be a terrific teacher) noted that I hadn't kept up with my blog.
"You're reading my blog?" I asked.
"Yes"--Turns out they check it everyday. So prompted by Stephanie and Maureen, I'm back blogging.

Stephanie reminded me that during one class discussion about my point that nonfiction is everywhere--Eddie had said, so "Pay attention."
"Absolutely," I responded. "That's a comment for my blog (or something to that effect). Better late than never--Eddie's words of wisdom are now posted!

Part of the reason for my Oooops is that I've been dealing with three copyedited manuscript that landed on my desk in July--two chapters and a book. The chapters are for a book edited by Susan Lehr: Shattering the Looking Glass; Challenge, Risk and Controversy in Children's Literature. One chapter is "On Writing: One Writer's Perspective." The other--"Bold New Perspectives; Issues in Selecting and Using Nonfiction"--I coauthored with my amazing colleagues and friends, Jan Kristo and Sandip Wilson. The nonfiction chapter is packed with provocative and useful proposals, information, ideas and activities. My chapter on writing was a fun essay to write, a bit of a romp that begins:
I wrote for years before I was brave enough to think about how I did what I did--how
I got my ideas; how I did my research; how I wrote articles, essays, stories, and books.
Brave, you may wonder? Yes, brave, I reply, because I was afraid that by analyzing and articulating my process I would lose it. Poof!--there goes the magic spell that makes me a writer.

The book--Thanksgiving: The True Story--took weeks of close reading to unscramble and respond to the copyeditor's handling of my manuscript. In addition, my partner and I had read the entire manuscript out loud during our road trip(see earlier entry) and I knew that I needed to rewrite the last chapter ("Meanings"). Also I had decided that I needed to add more illustrative material. (I do my own picture research and take photographs). All and all a massive project, in addition to teaching that required getting up at 6 am (I'm more owl than an early bird; no worms for me!) to drive to Queens. Then there is the highlight of my week--my Sophie-day, when my granddaughter and I go off on an adventure that this month included 5 hours at the American Museum of Natural History(fascinating fun, as always), a walk through a budgie bird exhibit at the Van Saun Zoo in Paramus, NJ(Wow!), and a trip to the newly reopened Liberty Science Center(disappointing).

Happily tonight everything is finished, and I'm about to dive into my next book--the biography of the legendary friendship between Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Actually , I just realzied, everything is not finished--I have to grade so on that note--with the image of Stephanie and Maureen reading this--I'll sign off and finish grading!

Just Republished the first biography I wrote about a woman!
Breaking the Chains: The Crusade of Dorothea Lynde Dix

An inspiring biography of a courageous, determined, and passionate woman who made a difference in the world. A role model for all ages.

To order call 1-800-AUTHORS or visit www.iUniverse.com

Dorothea Dix was almost forty years old when she discovered that people, especially poor people, with mental illness were "confined in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens . . . . chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience." Outraged by this knowledge, Dix led a forty-year crusade for the humane treatment of people with mental illness. Year after year, she traveled thousands of miles by stagecoach, boats, horseback, and railroad to investigate and expose the horrendous conditions. She lobbied legislators, governors, and presidents to provide treatment and facilities for pople with mental illness. She took her crusade to Scotland, Italy, and Russia. During the Civil War, she served as the Superintendent of the Female Nurses of the Army, as such she had more authority and power than any other woman had had in the military prior to and during the Civil War. After the war, she resumed her crusade. When Dorothea Dix died in 1887, people around the world honored her. Proclamations, testimonials, and tributes were spoken and printed from the United States to Japan to England. A prominent American doctor wrote, "Thus had died and been laid to rest . . . . the most useful and distinguished woman America had yet produced."

Gift of a Valued Used Book

Check my previous entry under the title "New York City Women's History Book Tour" and you'll read about the walking tour I recently conducted for Books Afoot (a week-long literary tour in NYC led by Mollie Hoben of the Minnesota Women's Press). Today I returned from spending a few days at our bungalow on a barrier island off the coast of NJ and found a package with a North Dakota return address. I looked at the name and realized it was from the woman on the tour who knew who Mary E. Wilkins Freeman was and had read Freeman's book The Revolt of Mother! and other stories. (The first stop on the tour was the Academy of Arts and Letters where the inscription on the bronze doors reads: "Dedicated to the memory of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and the women writers of America." I told the group that I did not know about Freeman until I discovered the inscription about the Academy's doors.)

I opened the package and found her copy of Freeman's book with a note: "Hi Penny, I found my copy of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's The Revolt of Mother! . . . . Although the book is showing its age I'm sure you will give it a good home. And perhaps the biographical information in the Afterword will be of some good use to you." Absolutely I will give it a good home and put it to good use and thank you for your thoughtfulness and shared love of women's words and writings.