Sophie

Sophie's home! We've had two fun-filled days catching up, including checking out familiar places, e.g., the pond at Flat Rock Brook Nature Center, which, as you can see is covered with duckweed! Sophie spied a frog & pulled out a pocket magnifying glass; her Daddy gave it to her, she said. (The one beaded braid is what remains from the many beaded braids she and her cousins got during their time at Mallorca.)

Sarah Jones

Here's a link to my daughter-in-law Sarah Jones' fabulous performance, "Sarah Jones As a One Woman Global Village," at the 2009 TED conference. Those of you who saw Sarah in "Bridge and Tunnel, her Tony-award-winning one-woman Broadway show, will be delighted to see some of her characters again. Those of you who go to Queens College--listen for her character who "teaches" at Queens College. All of you, I'm sure, will love Sarah and her characters.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sarah_jones_as_a_one_woman_global_village.html

Wonderful Writing and Stone Creek Woman

It's been tooo0 hot to do much more than dust and in the process refamiliarize myself with my books which are stacked everywhere. (Even now at 9 pm sweat is dripping down my face as I write in my un-air conditioned basement!) Anyhow, today I uncovered a beautifully done book--Women in the Wilderness: Writings and Photographs, selected and edited by Susan & Ann Zwinger. On p. 92, there's a gorgeous photo of a slot canyon followed by an excerpt from Unspoken Hunger by Terry Tempest Williams, a wonderfully descriptive & evocative nonfiction writer. The piece begins with: "Few know her, but she is always there--Stone Creek Woman--watching over the Colorado River. Over the years, I have made pilgrimages to her, descending into the Grand Canyon. . . .It is always a pleasant journey downriver to Mile 132--Stone Creek, a small tributary that flows into the Colorado."
With the thrill of recognition & connection, I exclaimed, "I know that place. I've been there!" Jumping up, I retrieved a copy of my account, Grand Canyon Magic, of my long ago paddle-raft trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. On p. 28, I read this:
Day Nine, I woke up feeling more rested this morning, maybe it's because I dreamt that I was being towed down the river in my tent.
We spent the morning hiking Stone Creek Canyon. The trail wandered back and forth across the creek, over red rock and multi-colored boulders, through lush vegetation to about a thirty-foot waterfall, surrounded by a profusion of greenery.

Williams describes Stone Creek Woman as emerging "from behind a veil of water. . . with her redrock face, her maidenhair ferns, and waterfall of expression." All those many years ago, did I see Stone Creek Woman? Not according to my written record, but I do now through the connection via William's vivid writing.

Scrabble

Last night--we play Scrabble every night--I "wrote" BLOVIATE--for 101 points (we don't keep score but I couldn't resist adding up the points because the "b" was on the triple word square!)
"Do you know that word from speaking or reading?" Linda asked.
"Reading," I replied.

Dot's summer reading

Readers of my book, Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II, "know" Dot Chastney; they've seen her grade school picture and read about her experiences growing up during World War II. Shortly after I interviewed her for Rosie, Dot moved to Florida where she is a middle school librarian, a continuation of her long career as an awesome & inspiring librarian. We have great e-mail conversations about books, reading, schools, kids, etc. (you'll find Dot in other posts & comments). Recently she sent me the list of books she read this summer. When I asked her if I could post it she replied:
Sure! You can also add that by far and away my favorite of the past six months is HUNGER GAMES, Book One by Suzanne Collins. It is also futuristic, and I prefer historical fiction or non-fiction. However, this kept me flipping the pages until I finished it. Book two is coming out in September and I can’t wait to get it. Our lower school 5th graders are reading it and I would say it would appeal to any age, right through high school.
Here are the books Dot read & her comments:
Hi, Penny,
Here’s a list of the books I read this summer:
SHIFT by Jennifer Bradbury, my favorite. Two boys bicycle across the country after high school graduation. One disappears near the end of the ride.
THINGS THAT ARE by Andrew Clements. This kept me reading, although I thought it was somewhat implausible. A blind girl has a boyfriend who has the ability to fade. She learns that a man who also has the ability to fade is stalking her boyfriend. The FBI contacts her because they are hunting for this man. It seems they fear someone with this ability could use it to threaten the safety of the country.
THE SKY INSIDE by Clare B. Dunkle. I had to force myself to keep going with this one--a futuristic, perfectly ordered society where children are genetically engineered. When the young children are taken away, a boy who loses his little sister begins to question why they were taken and sets out to search for them.
THE GIRL WHO COULD FLY by Victoria Forester. Also had to force myself, although the character development here was somewhat interesting. As the story moved along, some of the characters turned out to be different than they first appeared. It’s another story of a child with a unique ability who is taken away and placed in an underground school where she will be brainwashed and forget about her ability to fly. As she realizes what is happening to her and the other kids, they begin to plot an escape.
WHISPERS FROM THE BAY by John Tkac. (He is a local author; lives in Delray Beach.) A young boy living in Florida has a unique connection to dolphins. He actually talks to them and they carry on whole conversations with him. It’s the first book in a planned trilogy. When a friend and neighbor is kidnapped, he enlists the help of the dolphins to find and free the girl. Honestly, there is no way I can picture a kid having a conversation with dolphins who say, “Hey, Mike, you should fish around here. There are big sailfish in these waters.”
That old saying, “Truth is stranger and a thousand times more thrilling than fiction” seems more TRUE than ever. My next read definitely will be non-fiction. (I added the boldface!)
Dot Emer,
Middle School Librarian
Schmitt Library
Saint Andrew's School
Boca Raton, FL 33434

The summer months when Sophie visits her mother's family in Europe, I write and send her & her cousins short nonfiction stories about various events; most recently I sent one, illustrated with photos, about the powwow (see previous posts with video). Moments ago I finished one (writing short pieces is time consuming; every word counts!) titled "Uncle David and Aunt Crystal and the Dresser." The gist is: David and Crystal moved a tall, heavy dresser (it's behind them in the car) from the third floor of our house to their apartment, only to discover that it made their bedroom toooo crowded. My stories always end with a "What do you think. . ." In this case: " What do you think is going to happen to the dresser now?" I illustrated the story with photos, including this one of David and Crystal saying "Hi, Sophie!"
(When they're not moving dressers, David is a history professor, Crystal is finishing her dissertation.) click on pic for lager image.

August

This August instead of relocating to our bungalow on the barrier island off the coast of NJ, we're going back and forth in order to keep up with our work projects, i.e.,Linda's starting new research projects, etc.; I'm starting a new book & finishing the picture research for my forthcoming book Stirring Up the World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a Biography of a Powerful Friendship, etc. Happily we're both mostly engaged, even love, much of what we do work-wise because it's tempting to stay at the Shore when, for example, yesterday the ocean water temperature 74 degrees!! the waves rollicking. Kayaking on Barnegat Bay we saw many Great Egrets, a Little Blue Heron and Osprey (see picture).

The Indian Hoop Dancer

More from the powwow--this is the Hoop Dancer. My previous post has more details about the powwow and another video.

Powwow

Last night we went to a powwow at the Queens County Farm in Floral Park, NY. It was fabulous. Here's a clip of Keith (whose last name I didn't catch, but I'll try to track down), a Plain Cree from Alberta, Canada, doing the Chicken Dance-Indian. The announcer explained that it's a male "showing off" dance. It is also done during a "long and strenuous healing ceremony that lasts four days and nights." The singers and drummer are the Silver Clouds. I labeled this post "Teaching with Nonfiction" because typically the life and times of American Indians are taught as long ago history. This experience and video (I'll post more) are resources for me to use with students.

Ah, technology

Just had a Skype call with Sophie and her two cousins--Alexa (a few months older than Sophie) and Georgia, who is a few years younger. It was a first & really fun. They're in Mallorca until Saturday, then back to Zurich. Before Sophie left, she wanted to plant her own garden so together we extended the flower/herb garden that is by the back door.
"How is my garden?" she asked.
"Fine," I replied. "I'll send you a picture."

The caterpillar mystery

Arriving home this afternoon after two days at the Jersey Shore (no Glossy Ibis sighting, but a magnificent Great Egret), I spied an Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly in my garden. Wanting to photograph it for Sophie, I grabbed my camera and quietly walked toward the butterfly, took some pictures, and returned to help Linda unload the car. On my second trip into the house, she said, "Look--what's that on the kitchen floor?" Not quite believing my first impression, I knelt down to confirm that it was a Monarch butterfly caterpillar(Danaus plexippus)--right there on our kitchen floor! How it got there, I don't know, except that perhaps it "hitched" a ride on me when I was in the garden??
Perhaps our friend, "Sue the Science Educator" knows--I just left a message on her phone--"Hey Sue, how did a Monarch buttefly caterpillar get on our kitchen floor?" (click on image to enlarge)

Glossy Ibis

Monday morning--a thrilling sight!!--After ten years of kayaking on Barnegat Bay, we spotted a Glossy Ibis (it was a juvenile) on the west side of one of the islands in the Bay! Linda & I got a good long close look, but I was so transfixed I forgot I had my camera, until the ibis took flight and then I snapped this picture. Look closely (click to enlarge), you'll see its long downward curved bill. David & Crystal arrived in the early afternoon & we headed for the ocean side of our barrier island. The water was clear, clean, 66 degrees with waves breaking every which way. Linda & Crystal stretched out on the sand. David & I swam/played/in the waves. He skillfully rode in on them; me, I got tumbled upside down a couple of times.
As we were packing up to head back to cook dinner--lobster bisque, scallops, Jersey corn, Jersey tomatoes & zucchini, Jersey blueberries, etc.-- I spontaneously asked David to riding in on one more wave so I could take a video to post for Sophie--he did, which meant we were still there when four pelicans flew by just off shore! (No video, 'cause I forgot to press the button.)

Sophie's Adventures

Last week we had a wonderful 5-days with Sophie; wide range of activities from taking her with me to my Nonfiction Literature for Children class at Queens College to kayaking on Barnegat Bay where she spotted baby swans. A few days ago she & her mother left for Switzerland where her mother's family lives; actually right now she & Katrin, plus an aunt, uncle, & two close-in-age cousins are in Mallorca for two weeks. Jonathan--Sophie's Daddy met them there. She returns mid-August with lots of exciting adventures to share!

Bear Cub

My son David just sent me these photos of a bear cub's "visit" to their apartment building located in a town in New York just across the NJ border. He reported that she was a 100 pound cub who first tried to run into their lobby and then onto a neighbor's balcony. Foiled, she climbed a tree and ate berries for three hours (first picture).
Finally she was tranquilized (pictures 2 & 3). Turned out she was a tagged cub & a "repeat offender" (picture 4) from NJ, which is where (last picture) she was relocated and set free.

Road Trip

Back from our road trip north to Quebec, east to Tadoussac, ferry boat across the wide St. Lawrence River, south through New Brunswick & Maine, west across Massachusetts, south through Connecticut, New York, home--quick summary: discovered 3 terrific used book stores; went whale watching & saw porpoises, harbor seals, minke whales and many beluga whales; long walks through beautiful forests (but, oh, so many black flies that inflicted serious damage!!)--the muffins I made (previous post) saved us several times, including the night we ended up eating muffins, a banana, cheese & crackers for dinner.
Returned late last night, up early to begin teaching a nonfiction literature class at Queens College. The pics are the front & back of a beluga whale t-shirt I bought for Sophie at the The Center d'interpretation des manniferes marins (Center for Interpretation of Marine Mammals)in Tadoussac. Quebec, of course, is French speaking so the five behaviors pictured on the back are in French, which Marilou, the super attentive guide translated as: (top to bottom, l to r) porpoising, birthing, tail flapping, eye-spying, nursing, feeding. The artist is Frederick Bach. Check out the center at http://www.gremm.org
Note: the URL will take you to a page where you'll need to click on that URL again.)

Adventures

We're off tomorrow on a road trip to Canada, one stop is Tadoussac, where the beluga whales breed in the summer. I'm psyched! I made banana-oatmeal-honey- pecan muffins to sustain us.
This is Sophie's last week of school; (the following week she leaves with her mother to spend six weeks with her Swiss relatives in Zurich, with side trips to Mallorca, Monstein, & Milan--very cool!) Instead of our usual Thursday, I picked her up today at school.
As we walked out, holding hands, I said, "Hey Sophie, this is the last time I'll pick you up at kindergarten."
"But you'll pick me up at first grade," she said with a slight question mark in her voice.
"Absolutely," I replied.
She wanted to see her garden so we headed to Englewood. After surveying it, she suggested we expand it, i.e. dig up more yard. Since I love to dig, I ordinarily would agree, but the ground is toooooo soggy! So we played inside board games (by the game rules, not Sophie rules). Then we played "ticket," which basically involves Sophie using my stack of post-its etc. to write ticket to admit me to various events.
"Who are you bringing with you?" she asked.
"Three girls and a cat," I replied.
"No cats," she said. "How old are you?" "Do you have a Blackberry?" etc.

I Wrote A Book Today

"I wrote a book today," Sophie announced from her car seat.
"Tell me about it," I replied.
"The title is My Mommy, she said. "The story is--'I love you, but who is my Mommy? This is my Mommy.'"
"I like that," I said. "Did you draw a picture of your Mommy?"
"No, Grammie," she exclaimed. "It's about a baby tiger!"
Oooops, I thought--of course, Sophie-the-animal-lover! Curious, I asked how she went about writing the story.
"I took a piece of paper and folded it in the middle. The title is on the outside. The story is on the inside. I wrote one long sentence--'I love you, but who is my Mommy?' Then a short sentence--'This is my Mommy.' I made the baby tiger say in a bubble, 'Who is my Mommy?'"
"You mean a speech bubble?" I asked.
"Yes, a speech bubble."

Nonfiction Summer Reading List from P.S. 174

Students in Marie Russell's 6th grade class at P.S. 174 in Queens put together this summer reading list of nonfiction books in response to my post about the absence of nonfiction books on lists (see May 30, 2009).
Marie e-mailed it to me with this message: "As promised, here is a list that my students put together of titles they recommend. We also read as a class the following and even though they weren't that eager to read them, in the end they rated them very highly. Of Beetles and Angels by Mawi Asgedom, Dave Berger, eds. and Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of the Shakleton Expedition by Jennifer Armstrong. All of these books were part of a grant that our school library received and we were the first class to look at the books." Click on the list for a larger image.
Thank you to Marie Russell and her terrific students!

My Great Story! from NDSS

Check out My Great Story, a new public awareness campaign launched by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). Fascinating & truly inspiring great stories of the 400,000 Americans living with Down syndrome are showcased in a beautiful online storybook at www.ndss.org/stories. I'm thrilled to share news of this exciting & worthwhile venture on my blog (and not just because my son, Jonathan, is president of NDSS)--these are electrifying stories!

Two great stories will soon appear as national public service announcements (PSAs): Sujeet Desai, The Traveler and Sara Wolff, The Public Speaker (see pics). Anyone who loves stories--and we all do!!--will loved these!! Check them out at www.ndss.org/stories & watch for them in national media outlets.

Also teachers --the My Great Story website is a terrific online resource for teaching community, diversity, character education, writing, social issues, etc. etc. Check it out: www.ndss.org/stories

If you have Down syndrome, NDSS wants to hear your great story; or, if you have a great story about someone you know who has Down syndrome, NDSS wants to hear from you. You can contact them through: www.ndss.org/stories.

Quite the road trip!

One hundred years ago today--June 9, 1909, twenty-two- year- old Alice Ramsey, with her two sisters-in-law and a friend, set off from New York CIty to drive across America in a Maxwell DA. Fifty-nine days later (41 actual driving days), after many hair-raising adventures, they arrived in San Francisco, where cheering crowds welcomed them. Thus, as the only driver, Alice earned the title of the first woman to complete the transcontinental trip. Today Emily Anderson with Christi Catania to help navigate, and a rotating list of two additional passengers set off to re-create Alice's historic trip in a Maxwell DA that Emily and her father have rebuilt from scratch. Linda and I cheered them on from the side of the road in Wappinger Falls, NY, then followed them to Poughkeepsie for a reception at Vassar College, Alice's alma mater. Fabulous experience!! You can learn more and follow their adventure (via map, blog, Twitter) at www.aliceramsey.org. The top picture is Emily holding her four-month old daughter, who along with her grandmother, is on the trip, too. (They ride in a car that follows the Maxwell DA.) The smiling woman at the right is Catharine Bond Hill, the president of Vassar. The bottom picture is me talking with Charlie MacDonald, an antique car buff, who waited for hours to see Emily drive by. We're standing by his 1936 Buick; the antique car community, I discovered, is quite interested in this trip and the Anderson's rebuilt Maxwell DA. The video is of their departure from Vassar.
For more information, to follow their progress, blog, Twitter go to: www.aliceramsey.org

Read Aloud

Linda's 9-month old granddaughter is staying with us for a few days next week while her mother and father tend to work obligations. Since our children's book collection has aged up with Sophie, I just bought Mem Fox's new book, "Hello Baby." In the process, I discovered her web site & highly recommend it, in particular, check out her pages on "How To Read Aloud" and "See and Hear Mem." I'm going to be using both in the two classes that I'm teaching this summer. Here's the link:
www.memfox.net

Pasta with red sauce

Sophie & her parents moved yesterday; six streets north and about 1/4 mile east to a larger place. She spent the night at our house, which meant getting up very early to get her to school in the city by 8 a.m. She's not a breakfast eater, except when I make her pancakes. But when the radio announcer said that traffic was backing up on the George Washington Bridge due to an accident, I decided there's wasn't time for pancakes; instead I followed her mother's recommendation to take a bag of Cherrios for her to eat in the car.
I handed her the Cherrios, but no luck. In my typical information-conveying style, I started telling her true stories, hoping to motivate her to eat. First, about how when I was on the NJ Commission on Hunger we did research to find out whether or not breakfast was important for school children & discovered that it is!
Sophie was interested but unmoved so I told her two more totally true stories, hoping to what?--I'm not sure. Anyhow, I confessed that a long time ago when I was a kid, I didn't like breakfast until one morning my grandmother offered me a cold hamburger, which I ate with gusto (a fun-to-say-word, Sophie said). Then there was the case of who-is-going-to-eat-the-trout: during my early teenage years, I spent two weeks in the summer with my grandparents, who lived in New Hampshire. Gramp & I we liked to go fly fishing for trout, until Grammie said we couldn't go anymore unless someone starting eating the trout that were piling up in the freezer. (Knowing that Sophie is a passionate animal lover, I interrupted my narrative to tell her that nowadays many fishers catch and release fish.)
Gramp refused; I agreed & ate trout every morning for the two weeks of my stay!
I ended my storytelling with a tidbit about how when Linda's son Jeremy was in kindergarten he said he'd only eat soup for breakfast.
Then I said (naming Sophie's favorite food), "I wonder--would you have eaten pasta with red sauce for breakfast this morning?"
"Yes," she enthusiastically answered.
"Ok, next time," I replied.
"But, I also like pancakes."

Summer Reading Lists

Because we subscribe to The New York Times we get part of the Sunday paper on Saturday, including The Book Review. That's why this morning, while drinking coffee and eating Silver Palate's thick and rough oatmeal with pump juicy raisins, I know that the issue dated 5/31/09 is devoted to "Summer Readings." I counted the titles and found 15 fiction books, including 2 for children and 62--yup, sixty-two--nonfiction books, including 10 about cooking, 12 about gardening, 6 about travel and 4 about music, plus there was a nonfiction essay.
That ratio of fiction to nonfiction books, however, will be flipped, on the 2009 summer reading lists that teachers and librarians compile for children & young adults; in fact, in my experience, many--if not most--of those summer reading lists will have no, or only a few nonfiction books, or list books as nonfiction that aren't like the Magic School Bus.
Let's challenge the hegemony of fiction on summer reading lists for children and young adults & compile a list of nonfiction books; please send me your recommendations! Thank you!
p.s. (For more about the importance of nonfiction, check my podcast, "The Potential of Nonfiction," on my website.)

Author visit

I am about to do a Q & A with eight middle school girls at Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, FL via Skype. My long time friend Dot Emer (Dot Chastney in Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II) is the middle school librarian at Saint Andrew's. This is a first for the girls & the school. But we're all prepared--the technology is OK, the girls read some of my books, reviewed my web site, including examples of Q & A & I "talked" with two of the girls yesterday in a trail run. Ooops, better sign off & turn on my Skype or I won't be "show up" on time!
Update:

This picture was posted on the Saint Andrew's web site shortly after our fun Skype conversation. Here is an excerpt from the accompanying article: "On May 19, 6th and 7th grade students gathered in the Schmitt Library in the Middle School to skype online with acclaimed author Penny Colman, who was in Englewood, New Jersey. Each student was able to get behind the Web cam to ask Penny for advice on the writing process and about her professional career as an author. . . . Using Skype as an Internet connectivity in the classroom provides opportunities for interactive exchange and collaboration between students and the outside world. These synchronous, real-time discussions using VOIP software like Skype can tangibly expand the walls of the traditional classroom and engage students to write, share, and communicate with an authentic audience inaccessible just a few years ago." (Picture/article posted at: www.saintandrews.net & click on "Middle School Skypes with Author Penny Colman"/click on this pic for larger image.)

Saturday & Sunday--We finally managed two days & overnights at our bungalow at the Jersey Shore; unlike many people we typically go year round--I kayak into December--but this year our work pressures have been toooo intense to spend time there. Plus Stirring Up the World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a Biography of a Powerful Friendship was too big a writing project to do there, i.e., not enough room for all my research material, no wireless internet connection, etc.
The days were sunless, but peaceful with few other intrepid people & Linda finally had the time to finish reading my manuscript. Getting to "know" Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony through my writing, she said, was a "deeply emotional experience." That was what I discovered too; so what a wonderful response to receive from her, my relentlessly perfectionist critic.

This evening my son Jonathan, a singer-songwriter, also president of the National Down Syndrome Society, is performing at a club in New York City. Another son David, a professor of African American history, is talking about his book Race Against Liberalism: Black Workers and the UAW in Detroit at the Englewood Library. We've gone to two of Jonathan's fabulous performances, plus he said tonight is for a "young" crowd, so we don't have to flip a coin to decide where to be--we'll go to hear David!

Eventful Day

This morning I spoke on "Celebrating Women," at the 18th Annual Women Veterans Health Conference at the VA Hospital in Brooklyn. Here a picture of one of the veterans showing me her portfolio of amazing art work--wood carvings, paintings, sculptures. I have a video of our conversation that I'll post later. Thank you to Catherine Nadal, Women's Veterans Program Manager, who invited me to speak. (click on pic for larger image)
Afterwards I drove to a section of Brooklyn that's been on my list of "women's history site to visit" for a long time--Gravesend, a permanent colonial settlement founded by a woman--Lady Deborah Moody in 1645(the date the Dutch granted her the town patent). A religious dissenter, Lady Moody had been dubbed a "dangerous woeman" by the Puritan leaders in Massachusetts, who had expelled her. In the town she founded, people were granted religious freedom and women could vote. From there I drove home, change clothes and returned to NYC to picked up Sophie. I'm driving, she's telling me about school, when suddenly she says: "Grammy, I remember when your hair was brown."

Rosy Red Nose

Sophie was waiting for me to put on my shoes so that we could go out for pizza. She had a page of stickers & we were joking about something--I don't remember what--when she spontaneously stuck one on end of my nose.
What's that?
A red star.
What will people think at the pizza store?
They'll think you're a writer.
Really?
Yes, writers look like that.
They do?
Let's pretend you're a poet and you want to imagine yourself:
Look at my
rosy red
nose with a
bright
star on it.

Award

Last night I was thrilled to be honored as a 2009 Woman of Achievement by the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs of General Federation of Women's Clubs and Douglass College of Rutgers, the State University. It was a glorious event and experience!!! Thank you to Anne H. Redlus, President of NJSFWC and all the members!!!!! The pictures L-R (click on pic for larger image): me giving my thank-you speech; Joint Legislative Resolution of commendation and congratulations from the Senate and General Assembly of New Jersey; Certificate of Recognition from NJSFWC

What a Concert

Yesterday morning, Linda came home from the bagel store with the news of a 5:00 p.m. concert at Madison Square Garden in honor of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday; a once-in-a-lifetime concert, she said, sad that we would miss it. But we didn't, I got tickets & there we were--4 1/2 hours of music performed by, among many others--Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, Ani DiFranco, Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou Harris, Richie Havens, Dave Matthews, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Toshi Reagon, and Bruce Springsteen. The crowd greeted Bruce with a chant we couldn't deciper & that prompted the woman sitting next to Linda to worry that he was being booed. "What are they saying?" I asked the young woman next to me. In a flash, the boy and his father, from Austin, Texas, who were sitting in front of me, spun around to say in their twang, "Bruuuuuuuuce, they're saying Bruuuuuuuuuce."

We all did lots of singing & the concert ended with Peggy Seeger, Pete's half-sister and a renown folk singer, getting the entire ensemble (everyone packed on stage) plus the audience to sing "Irene Goodnight." Very coooool evening!
p.s. At point, I politely asked a group of Madison Square Garden bouncer-like ushers who were loudly chattering to "please, keep it down." "Lady, you're at a concert, not the opera," a tough looking guy snarled back. FYI: No, I was not dressed for the opera! Yes, they quieted down.

Libraries and Bookstores

Where: My car
When: Just picked up Sophie
What: Deciding what to do during our time together

Note: it was "poem in a pocket day"
Me: I have a poem in my pocket for you.
Sophie: I have a poem in my backpack.
We read our poems and then talked about what to do together:
Me: We could go to the zoo, a museum, a park, playground, library, bookstore. . . .
Sophie: A library and bookstore are different!
Me: "That's interesting--tell me more."
Sophie: "In a library you have to be quiet. Someone shows you a book and you decide if you want to take it home but you can't keep it. In a bookstore you get to pick out what you like and take it with you and keep it."
Me: You mean you can keep it after you pay for it at the bookstore.
Sophie: Yes, but you can return it if you want to, like sometimes we have to return clothes."

p.s. we went to a woodland park with climbing equipment. Sophie is happy to share my enthusiasm as I point out all the things my mother pointed out to me, oh, so many years ago--skunk cabbage, violets and dog-tooth violets, may apples, etc.

Mother's Day

I cut and pasted this from the National Women's History Project. For more information, check out: www.nwhp.org
History of Mother's Day
Given the following possibilities, how many of us could pick the right answer?
Mother's Day began:
* In 1858, when Anna Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker, organized "Mother's Work Days" to improve the sanitation and avert deaths from disease-bearing insects and seepage of polluted water.
* In 1872, when Boston poet, pacifist and women's suffragist Julia Ward Howe established a special day for mothers --and for peace-- not long after the bloody Franco-Prussian War.
* In 1905, when Anna Jarvis died, her daughter, also named Anna, decided to memorialize her mother's lifelong activism, and began a campaign that culminated in 1914 when Congress passed a Mother's Day resolution.
The correct answer: All of the above. Each woman and all of these events have contributed to the present occasion now celebrated on the second Sunday in May.
The cause of world peace was the impetus for Julia Ward Howe's establishment, over a century ago, of a special day for mothers. Following unsuccessful efforts to pull together an international pacifist conference after the Franco-Prussian War, Howe began to think of a global appeal to women.
"While the war was still in progress," she wrote, she keenly felt the "cruel and unnecessary character of the contest." She believed, as any woman might, that it could have been settled without bloodshed. And, she wondered, "Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters to prevent the waste of that human life of which they alone bear and know the cost?"
Howe's version of Mother's Day, which served as an occasion for advocating peace, was held successfully in Boston and elsewhere for several years, but eventually lost popularity and disappeared from public notice in the years preceding World War I.
For Anna Jarvis, also known as "Mother Jarvis," community improvement by mothers was only a beginning. Throughout the Civil War she organized women's brigades, asking her workers to do all they could without regard for which side their men had chosen. And, in 1868, she took the initiative to heal the bitter rifts between her Confederate and Union neighbors.
The younger Anna Jarvis was only twelve years old in 1878 when she listened to her mother teach a Sunday school lesson on mothers in the Bible. "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day," the senior Jarvis said. "There are many days for men, but none for mothers."
Following her mother's death, Anna Jarvis embarked on a remarkable campaign. She poured out a constant stream of letters to men of prominence -- President William Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt among them -- and enlisted considerable help from Philadelphia merchant John Wannamaker. By May of 1907, a Mother's Day service had been arranged on the second Sunday in May at the Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where Mother Jarvis had taught. That same day a special service was held at the Wannamaker Auditorium in Philadelphia, which could seat no more than a third of the 15,000 people who showed up.
The custom spread to churches in 45 states and in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Mexico and Canada. The Governor of West Virginia proclaimed Mother's Day in 1912; Pennsylvania's governor in 1913 did the same. The following year saw the Congressional Resolution, which was promptly signed by President Woodrow Wilson.
Mother's Day has endured. It serves now, as it originally did, to recognize the contributions of women. Mother's Day, like the job of "mothering," is varied and diverse. Perhaps that's only appropriate for a day honoring the multiple ways women find to nurture their families, and the ways in which so many have nurtured their communities, their countries, and the larger world.

Sophie & Yankee Doodle

Where & When: my car, last week
What: singing all the verses of "Yankee Doodle"
Why: the kindergarten kids are singing it as part of a show

I'm navigating traffic & half listening to the lyrics, which I don't really remember 'cept for the part about riding on a pony and sticking "a feather in his hat" and calling " it macaroni." I hear Sophie sing something about girls being "handy." Then she stops and says, "Grammy, girls certainly are handy."
"What? What do you mean?" I reply.
"When the boys carry the tables, sometimes they need the girls to put their hands under the table and help them."
"The boys carry the tables? Why?"
"Because they are strong."
"But, so are you, Sophie. You are really strong. Think about how you just climbed the climbing wall and ran very fast."

This morning I was repeating this dialogue to Linda, who just returned from speaking at a conference in Mallorca, & commenting about gender socialization when she interrupted me to say, "The lyrics are 'and with the girls be handy.''"
Oh! Oh, well, on the one hand, neither Sophie or I understood that; but on the other hand, now that I "got it" she undoubtedly will too before too long.

Sophie, Birds' Nests and Books

I picked up Sophie today. Before driving, I gave her a snack. While she ate, we sat together in the backseat & I showed her the pictures I took to document what her birds' nests look like on day 2, and day 3. First I showed her the photo I took the day she made the nests (see previous post), then the day 2 photo. Quickly pointing to the empty dish, she said, "They ate the food!"
When I showed her day 3. She was silent, then said: "The birds came." "What do you think they did?' I asked. "Danced," she replied. "Made a cape," she said gesturing to her shoulders. "And a skirt," she added, dropping her hands to her hips.
I told her we had brought the towels in the house because it was going to rain. "Do you think that was a good idea?" "No, because the birds came," she replied. "Should I put them back?" "Yes, but you don't need to put the dishes back."
I took the third picture at Acorn, a wonderful independent book story. Sophie asked for a book on how to draw animals. "We have several," the bookseller said. "Come I'll show you."
As you can see--she did!!! Very cool experience!!!!!
During our time together, we were stopped at a red light, when I heard her say in a reflective voice, "The white goes well with the blue." I figured the white was a blossoming spring tree. But what was the "blue." I glanced back & saw the white tree, just as Sophie added, "the blue sky."
day 2

day 3

SBA

Susan "died" at 10:46 p.m. I ended the story of their friendship at 10:55 p.m. About then, I heard Linda come downstairs.
She comes to the basement. I look up:
"I just finished. Do you want to hear the ending?"
"Yes."
I read it.
"Perfect," she says. "It's moving & perfect."

Writing books is a miraculous process--it's so hard & then so easy, or so it seems.

ECS

As if she had just died now, I noted what time it was when I wrote the sentence "Two weeks before Elizabeth’s birthday, Harriot sent a telegram to Susan with the news: 'Mother passed away at three o’clock.'”
For the record I wrote that at: 8:08 p.m., April 19, 2009, page 266 of my manuscript Stirring Up the World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a Biography of a Powerful Friendship. I'm teary eyed; writing biographies is an intense experience. Now to write about Susan's reaction. First, I should go upstairs and tell Linda.

End stretch

I'm pressing onward to finish Stirring Up The World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a Biography of a Powerful Friendship. My editor is waiting. Spring break is over, back to teaching 3 classes at Queens next week, plus a author visit at a school on Friday, etc. Yikes! I'm close, but I think torn between the pressure of needing to get to the end of their friendship and not wanting to have them die! My music for this end stretch is Beethoven's piano concertos--over and over they play. Right now I'm struggling with a section I wrote last night & realllllly like, but in the light of day I think it slows down the narrative---plus I can't go forward & that always means I have to unravel until I can.

Sophie's Experiment

Sophie & I were working in the garden. (We both love gardening, in particular digging holes.) A cardinal was singing and singing.
"Grammy, wouldn't it be a good idea to make a nest for the birds?"
"Well, that's an interesting idea." Briefly I considered pointing out that we don't get birds that nest on the ground, but I was tired and she was so enthusiastic, her imagination was in high gear.
"We could dig a hole, put soft things in it. . ."
"Well, yes, I guess we could start collecting things," I replied. (Yes, it was an attempt to stall.)
"We could use a towel," she said & dashed off to the house.
She returned with a hand towel & asked me if that was OK to use. "Yes," I absentmindedly replied and went in to make dinner. As I left, she said, "We need to leave food for the birds. Do you have bird seed?"
"No, it's gone, but I'll look for something else."
In a few minutes, she was in the kitchen asking for the food. I got some bread crumbs.
"Do you want to sprinkle some on or put them in a dish?"
"A dish."
Out she went with a half-filled glass custard dish.
While I cooked, she made a second nest with another dish of food.
She ate & then I drove her home. On the way, she said, "Grammy, tomorrow, don't forget to check the nest to see if the bird is there."
"Ok"
"Check everyday. You can make a chart."
"Ok"
"Check the food too. Even if the bird isn't there, it might eat the food. You can put that on the chart too."
Ok.
I returned home & went back to writing Stirring. When Linda arrived, I told her the story. She figured that Sophie must had gotten the good guest hand towels from the downstairs bathroom (because Linda put them there for our weekend guests). We went out to look. The sight was so sweet--the "nests," each with a dish of food, carefully arranged side-by-side between the daffodils and hyacinths. "Let's leave it. We can wash the towels," Linda said. "Yes," I replied. "Besides I have to make a chart."

Sophie's Observation

What: Snippet from our conversation
Where: My car
When: Driving Sophie home this evening

Sophie: I passed my swimming test. I moved to a different level.

Me: Wow, that’s great.

Sophie: Now I have a boy teacher in the deeper end. All the boy teachers are in the deep end. The girl teachers are in the shallow end. But that’s not fair.

Me: Why isn't it fair?

Sophie: Because what if a boy teacher likes little kids and wants to teach them in the shallow end?

Me: Oh, that's a good point. Did you talk to someone about that?

Sophie: Yes, Scott (her boy teacher) said he likes to teach big and little kids and they’re going to make another pool . . . (Sophie continued with the explanation but I got distracted navigating the traffic on the George Washington Bridge & couldn't track it.)

p.s. No, I've never done that type of gender analysis i.e. "all the boys teachers are in the deep end. . ." with Sophie.

Sophie, Bee-Eaters & Writing

We spent yesterday at the Bronx Zoo. Here are pictures and a brief video of the zoo biologist feeding crickets to the White-Throated-Bee-Eaters, birds that lives free in East Africa. L to R: Sophie (with pigtails) watching the biologist reach into a plastic bag full of live crickets. Bee-Eaters on branches. They catch a cricket mid-flight and then "smack" it on a branch to make it easier to eat. The"cliff" is where they build nests (last year they produced 9 fledglings). In captivity, the birds eat "cat chow" (you're not hearing things in the video; that's what she says), softened with water, enriched with calcium. The cricket feeding activity, she explained, is for "fun," i.e., to keep the birds from "getting bored." When the weather gets warmer, she collects bees from the hives that are on the top of the building (The World of Birds) and releases them for the birds to chase and consume. The exhibit is open, i.e., above the railing in the first picture (the birds stay put because of the branches, "cliff", and food), except when the bees are released. Then a curtain is drawn to keep the bees from escaping. The "smacking" ejects the toxin and stinger from the bees.
Later while we were eating dinner, I asked Sophie what she liked about writing:
"Using my imagination," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Looking in my brain."
"Imagination is interesting," I said. "You can use it to make up things to write or you can use it to remember something that really happened to write about. That's what I mostly write about--things that really happened."
As an example, I suggested, we use our imagination to describe the White-Throated Bee-Eaters.
"Their beaks are like bananas," she said.

Up at 3 am

I've been up since 3 a.m.--no, that is not typical, in fact, I've never done that--but my editor is waiting for my manuscript for Stirring Up The World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a Biography of a Powerful Friendship. Plus Elizabeth and Susan are soooooo on/in my mind that I decided to get up and write. It's now 12 hours later--I'm drinking iced coffee (from the breakfast left-over) and popping popcorn--no, not typical, in fact, I've never done that either; maybe I'm delirious!? Back to work!

Reading with Sophie

I thought Sophie would be intrigued by Sylvia A. Earle's first-hand account, Dive!: My Adventures in the Deep Frontier (National Geographic Society, 1999). Earle, a legendary marine biologist and ocean explorer, starts off with a note that immediately engaged Sophie. "If you want to . . ., " Earle begins and continues with a series of possibilities. She concludes: “I know such things are possible because I have had the fun of doing them and have glimpsed how much more there is to discover.” Opposite the note is a full page color photo of Earle wearing scuba equipment & eyeballing a jellyfish, with the caption: “Jellies, such as this lacy beauty, collapse into great gobs of goo on the beach. The best way to get to know them and other sea creatures is to go where they live—underwater.” Sophie & I laughed at the descriptive phrase “great gobs of goo” (and delighted in the alliteration!) because we’ve seen them during our many walks along the beach at the Jersey Shore. There’s lots of text, but Earle’s personal style held Sophie’s attention until I read about the summer she went to “the whales’ dining room—the plankton-rich waters of Glacier Bay, Alaska." Then she interrupted me to ask:
“Grammy, why did she say ‘dining room?’”
“That’s an interesting question. I wondered about that too,” I replied. “Perhaps she thought it would be easier for readers to understand that that’s where humpback whales go to eat. Sometimes writers do things like that. What do you think? Did she need to write ‘dining room’? Was it a good idea?”
“No,” she said. “But keep reading, Grammy.”

Earlier in the book Earle reported that humpback whales make “short grunts and squeals.” At which point, I interrupted my reading to say, “That's the sound I made when I sat down on the floor to read this book with you!” She laughed; me too!

The Met

Lucky, lucky us--two nights in a row of going to the Metropolitan Opera, and tomorrow is the radio broadcast! It happened this way because we had to exchange tickets once my teaching schedule got set. It's a wonderful happenstance because my writing on Stirring Up the World has been flowing--I'm right up against the deadline--and going to the opera will not disrupt that (nor does my time with Sophie); everything else does to some extent.

Sophie & Daffodils & Writing

Over the years, I've planted daffodils--all kinds--all over our backyard. This year the first to bloom are at the edge of our "woods." Sophie and Linda are headed to pick a blossom for Sophie to take home. Later we were coloring together & she spontaneously said:
Sophie: I don't want to be a writer.
Grammy: Why?
Sophie: Because they write all the time.
For me, this was a particularly interesting exchange because Sophie's school (she's in kindergarten at a NYC public school) uses a writing program in which during the writing period students' real names aren't used; instead they're called "Writers." In my classes at Queens College (long before Sophie started school), I've questioned that practice for several reasons: it erases student's individual identity, it collapses the art and skill of becoming a writer into a generic label, and it conflates/confuses the task of learning the life skill of writing with the decision to be a writer when you grow up--while that decision is optional, the task is not.
So what did I do?? Oh, wow, I thought, now what do I say? (while simultaneously thinking--this is evidence for my critique). Then I said,
G: But you don't have to be a writer, you just need to be Sophie who can write.
S: Oh.
G: Do you still want to be a veterinarian?
S: Yes.
G: So you don't have to worry about having to write all the time. But you do have to write when you go to school to learn how to be a vet, and when you write How-To books about taking care of animals (Sophie had written a how-to book last week on "How to put children to bed). And you love to illustrate stories, right?
S: Yes.
G: So that's another reason to write, to write stories for your pictures.
S: Oh.

Making up a Story

On Thur--our Sophie/Grammy Day--Sophie wanted to go to the American Museum of Natural History. Although there wasn't much time,--I pick her up from kindergarten at P.S. 153 at 4 pm & the museum closes at 5:45--off we went. Having gone many times, including taking Planet Classes, she's a pro at getting around (Over the years, I've gone a gazillion times, but am definitely not so skilled!) & we had a great time. We exited to discover it was raining & cold & on the trek to where we had parked, we exchanged this dialogue:
Sophie: My feet hurt.
Grammy: Mine too
Sophie: My toes hurt.
Grammy: Mine too
Grammy: Sophie, are you thinking that it would be good idea for someone to carry you to the car?
Sophie: Yes
Grammy: Well, you’ve grown so tall, I’m not sure I could carry you all that way. Besides, you’re the granddaughter and I’m the grandmother and I read somewhere that granddaughters are suppose to carry grandmothers.
Sophie: Where did you read that?
Grammy: “Oh, I don’t know somewhere in a story.
Sophie: a long pause then: Grammy, I think that’s a story that you’re writing right now.
Grammy: with a delighted laugh: Sophie, you're right--that's just what I'm doing!
She laughed too & in no time we arrived at the car.

Heads-Up for Earth Hour and Women's History

My lifelong friend Mary Dalrymple Putnam just emailed me this heads-up: "Have you heard or read about Earth Hour set for tomorrow evening? People everywhere are asked to turn out their lights at 8:30 for an hour. I thought Sophie would like this. Another exciting activity is The Globe at Night. www.globe.gov/globeatnight explains the project based on views of Orion that one can report." Check out Earth Hour at www.earthhour.org

My women's history colleague and dear friend, Margaret Crocco, Chair, Department of Arts & Humanities, Teachers College, Columbia, University, sent me a link to an interesting interview with the editor of a book, The Evolution of American Women's Studies: Reflections on Triumphs, Controversies, and Change, in which she has a chapter: http://www.insidehighered.com Margaret is also a co-editor of the new & invaluable book, Clio in the Classroom: A Guide for Teaching U.S. Women's History.

Rosie the Riveter

On March 23, 2009, I presented the keynote address, Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II, at the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Club of GFWC's 101st Public Affairs Day. Two women war workers were in the audience--Ruth Siuta, who did what was called an "essential civilian" job at the Air Force Base in Rome, New York, and Rosalie Cutitta, a riveter who worked on bomber planes like the B-17 Flying Fortress and the Grumman Avenger at the Fleetwings Plant in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Despite suffering hearing damage, Rosalie says she would do it again. Here's a video clip of her comments, including her story about driving across the Delaware River on the Burlington-Bristol Bridge from her home in New Jersey to the factory in Pennsylvania. Ruth Siuta is at the left in the video. On the right is, Anne H. Redlus, president of the New Jersey Federation, who organized the marvelous event. Rosalie and Ruth received a standing ovation from the appreciative audience.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

A couple of years, David and Crystal, gave me the Shout, Sister, Shout!, the biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, an extraordinary musician everyone-who-loves-gospel- rhythm- blues- rock-and-roll should know about (and I didn't).
Yesterday on my way to the airport to pick up Linda, (who had been at a research conference in New Orleans), I heard a terrific piece about Tharpe; on what would have been her 94th birthday, a group of fans raised the money to buy a headstone for her grave. The link is http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102167126
There are many videos on the internet of her performing; check out her powerful voice, dazzling guitar playing and exuberant style.

Spring, etc.

A lovely coating of snow greeted me this morning--the first day of Spring; happily my snowdrops and crocuses held their blossoms high!

This post is a potpourri: in addition to Happy Spring to all, I want to tell you about a blog I recently discovered, "Ms. Yingling Reads: One librarian's attempt to read all the Young Adult Literature in the world and shoot her mouth off about it." On March 3, she reviewed Thanksgiving: The True Story, which is why I happened to find her blog. I read more of her reviews & liked her insights and voice. Here's the link: http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2009/03/wednesday.html (Scroll down to the pic of Thanksgiving.

Re my last post about my daughter-in-law Sarah Jones, if you google "Michelle Obama + Sarah Jones," you'll find a cool pic and articles about MO's women's history day in Washington, DC.

Celebrating Women's History

Tomorrow Sarah Jones, my daughter-in-law and Tony award winning star of "Bridge and Tunnel" is celebrating women's history by having breakfast with Michelle Obama and 20 other women, spending the day doing events for girls in DC schools, and performing at a dinner at the White House. For more about Sarah go to: http://www.sarahjonesonline.com/ My son Steve emailed me the update. He's a poet and a star of the Tony award winning show "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway." All of the events are for school girls and women from the Obama administration and other celebs, so, although Steve's going with Sarah, he says that he will be "watching from the front gate."
As for me tomorrow, I'm doing my "Celebrating Women" multimedia presentation at the FDIC (yup, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) in the morning, then racing to Queens College to teach. On Thursday, I speak at the United States Mint in Philadelphia (yup, the money-making place). If you're wondering why??--it's because Women's History Month is designated by Congress therefore federal agencies, including the military, need to schedule programs; thus they sometimes contact me, which means I've gone to many interesting places to share my passion for women's history!

Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin

Sunday morning, I was half-listening to NPR while reading the newspaper when the lead to a segment titled "Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin" snagged my full attention. Having written about Claudette Colvin in my book Girls: A History of Growing Up Female, I abandoned the paper and turned up the volume on the radio. Do check it out--it's a terrific segment with excerpts from an interview with Colvin, a 69-year-old retiree who lives in the Bronx. Phillip Hoose talks about his new biography Claudette Colvin for teenagers. (I'm going to discuss the book with my classes next week.) David Garrow, a historian of the Civil Rights movement, welcomes the visibility of Colvin's role because "the real reality of the movement was often young people and often more than 50 percent women." Here's the link to the NPR piece: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101719889

Link from Charlotte

My dear friend Charlotte Bennett Schoen, an indispensable member of the city council in Englewood, NJ, just sent me this link to the Jewish Women's Archives, which "is launching a series of podcasts of Jewish women recalling "ah-ha" moments that catalyzed their social activism, political activism, or work as religious innovators." I checked it out http://jwa.org/discover/throughtheyear/march/activism and heard Bernice Stern recall taking a stand to condemn racial prejudice against African-American soldiers serving in World War II; Anita Weinstein talk about her advocacy for women on campus; Lynn Amowitz remember overt discrimination during her graduation from medical school; and Idit Klein recall the moment when as a four-year-old she asked her great aunt about the blue numbers on her arm. The podcasts are a few minutes, a transcript and photo of each woman are included.

Sophie's Pussy Willow

This evening, during a phone conversation with Sophie, I discovered that she thought that the pussy willow she had planted last year had died during the winter. (See 3/25/08 for a pic of Sophie planting it.) So, out I went to check on the pussy willow and happily discovered the first catkins. I emailed this photo to Sophie & thought that you all would like to see that Spring is on its way in NJ, despite our recent snowstorm.

To the Library

What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World by Rosalyn Schanzer (National Geographic, 2009) In her Author's Note, Schanzer tells readers that she "loved everything about making this book." She traveled & took over 3,000 pictures and did "reading, reading, and more reading." Her decision to use "a graphic novel layout with lots of diagonals" resulted in a book replete with her illustrations--as many as 10 separate images (some realistic, many cartoonish) on a two-page spread--many quotes (some in quote bubbles) and her own minimalist text. Abridged quotes from Darwin's various writings appear in brown type, quotes from everyone else are orange, and the author's text is black (that hard-to-find information is provided on the title page in a bird's dialogue bubbles). To make sense of everything, I had to skim, read, and reread the book. Soliciting other opinions, I showed it to Linda Hickson, special education professor, Teachers College, Columbia University; Sue Kirch, science educator, New York University; and the graduate students in two of my classes (“Issues in Children’s Literature” and “Nonfiction Literature for Children” ) at Queens College; to a person they agreed that the format was overwhelming; so much so that it limited the appeal and/or usefulness of the book. If you do decide to teach with the book, here are some sequential suggestions: brief students about Darwin and his importance; underscore the fact that the book features his journey on a ship, the H.M.S. Beagle; explain why that journey is important; examine the map in the end matter; read the black text (author's narrative) all the way through (before scrutinizing the illustrations and quotes); read the information in the bird bubble on the title page. Also my graduate students noted some advanced vocabulary words; so have a dictionary handed. If you have comments, please feel free to add them.

Women's History

Presidential Proclamation on Women's History Month
Obama pays tribute to women who helped preserve, protect the environment
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
March 3, 2009
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, 2009
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
With passion and courage, women have taught us that when we band together to advocate for our highest ideals, we can advance our common well-being and strengthen the fabric of our Nation. Each year during Women's History Month, we remember and celebrate women from all walks of life who have shaped this great Nation. This year, in accordance with the theme, "Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet," we pay particular tribute to the efforts of women in preserving and protecting the environment for present and future generations.
Ellen Swallow Richards is known to have been the first woman in the United States to be accepted at a scientific school. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1873 and went on to become a prominent chemist. In 1887, she conducted a survey of water quality in Massachusetts. This study, the first of its kind in America, led to the Nation's first state water-quality standards.
Women have also taken the lead throughout our history in preserving our natural environment. In 1900, Maria Sanford led the Minnesota Federation of Women's Groups in their efforts to protect forestland near the Mississippi River, which eventually became the Chippewa National Forest, the first Congressionally mandated national forest. Marjory Stoneman Douglas dedicated her life to protecting and restoring the Florida Everglades. Her book, The Everglades: Rivers of Grass, published in 1947, led to the preservation of the Everglades as a National Park. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.
Rachel Carson brought even greater attention to the environment by exposing the dangers of certain pesticides to the environment and to human health. Her landmark 1962 book, Silent Spring, was fiercely criticized for its unconventional perspective. As early as 1963, however, President Kennedy acknowledged its importance and appointed a panel to investigate the book's findings. Silent Spring has emerged as a seminal work in environmental studies. Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1980.
Grace Thorpe, another leading environmental advocate, also connected environmental protection with human well-being by emphasizing the vulnerability of certain populations to environmental hazards. In 1992, she launched a successful campaign to organize Native Americans t o oppose the storage of nuclear waste on their reservations, which she said contradicted Native American principles of stewardship of the earth. She also proposed that America invest in alternative energy sources such as hydroelectricity, solar power, and wind power.
These women helped protect our environment and our people while challenging the status quo and breaking social barriers. Their achievements inspired generations of American women and men not only to save our planet, but also to overcome obstacles and pursue their interests and talents. They join a long and proud history of American women leaders, and this month we honor the contributions of all women to our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2009 as Women's History Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

For more information and to buy the poster go to: www.nwhp.org

Rosie the Riveter

Last night I gave my Rosie the Riveter PowerPoint speech to a terrific audience. Marilyn Hindenlang brought the Certification of Commendation that the Navy awarded to her mother when she worked at Grumman. Her mother's name--I. F. Norton --is on the certificate and she received it on September 2, 1945 (my first birthday!). The "I" is for Irene and the F is for Florence. Norton was her married name; she started work with her original last name--Kacinski. Thank you to Marilyn for sharing this important document; workers at only 5% of all defense factories earned this commendation. Her husband kindly scanned it and made a pdf file and a copy for me.
During the Q & A, a feisty woman said that didn't like the fact that "Rosie the Riveter" became the catch-all phrase during the war for women workers. "It was that song," she said. "It overshadowed the fact that lots of us were doing other things--I operated a lathe machine and then a press and other machines!" At which point, everyone spontaneously applauded her. "Thank you for your service," someone called out! Yes, thank you.
This was my first PowerPoint in which I inserted video clips from WWII propaganda films aimed at recruiting housewives--happily they worked beautifully & added another dimension to the story.

Sophie/Grammy Day

Before Sophie and I went to the museum, she excitedly showed me the flower on the pumpkin seed we planted last Halloween when 3 generations--Sophie; her mother Katrin; her grandmother Ille, who was visiting from her home in Zurich, Switzerland; and I got together to carve a pumpkin. I had never scraped out the flesh of the pumpkin (we just remove the seeds), which, I learned, was Katrin's family tradition. So we scraped and scraped and reaped two benefits: the candle light illuminated the entire pumpkin and Ille turned the pumpkin scrapings into delicious soup!!! For sure, that's a tradition I've adopted! I'll keep you posted re the progress of Sophie's pumpkin plant.

Sophie/Grammy Day

It's Tues morning I'm listening to Beethoven's violin concerto, the snow is piled high outside my basement window, I'm about to dive into Stirring and my phone rings--it's Sophie calling to say she'd like to go to the museum with the space ship, which I guess is the Liberty Science Museum . . . here's the scoop, according to her mother: she had a fever yesterday (NYC schools closed for snow day) and wasn't totally up to par this morning so Kat kept her home, but by mid-morning she was fine and raring to go and wanting to call me for an adventure, so she did.
Although writing, teaching, speaking keeps me working all the time, I've got flexibility, especially on Tuesday (except on the 17th when I'm booked for two speeches) & I embrace spontaneity--so off I go to pick up Sophie!!!!

National Women's History Month

My dear friend, Sue Kirch, a science educator at New York University, shared a large part of her weekend digitizing my World War II propaganda films--"Glamour Girls of 1943," "The Hidden Army," and an oral history, "Good Work, Sisters"--and teaching me how to make clips in IMovie on my Mac to use in my PowerPoint presentations, "Rosie the Riveter" and "Celebrating Women." I'm psyched to be able to share this very cool material with my audiences, which will include former women war workers! So I'm off and running for National Women's History Month--of course, women's history is a 365 day affair around here, but my speaking schedule ramps up in March.

Throughout the month, I'll be posting photographs from my twenty years worth of road trips in search of monuments, markers, and memorials to women.
Another twenty year milestone is the anniversary of the Boston Women's Heritage Trail, a project that was sparked by a young girl who interrupted a field trip on Boston's Freedom Trail to ask: "Where are the women?" Check out their terrific web site at: www.bwht.org Order their guidebook with seven self-guided walks throughout Boston neighborhoods. It's a must have if you live in or around Boston, or visit; if you don't, it's an excellent model for setting up walks in other communities. Their newest trail is "Boston Women & the Law. To receive their newsletter, send your email to sara@bwht.org.
Celebrate Women!