Catching up with Myself

Home. It's time for soup and fall vegetables. I bought beets, squashes of all kinds, beans, potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and eggplant at the Farmer's Market over the weekend. Here's today's lunch. It's a mixture of yellow and green split peas, brown and wild rice, carrots, celery, onion, and some marjoram, allspice, garlic, cracked pepper, and ginger. I made it up. Added a slice of Farmer's Market whole-grain bread with just-ground peanut butter, and an apple.

Here's my lunchtime view. It's November, but we're still eating outside -- the sunshine is warm. I'm thrilled with the few days home, even if they are filled with administrivia. Paperwork, mostly, and laundry and lots of slow moving. Sleeeeeping. In my own bed.

I'm pulling together the odds and ends that I have finished so far with the new novel, as I'll meet with my new editor, Kate Harrison, on Friday in NYC. We're about to plunge into this Sixties trilogy in a big way. I spent a good while yesterday putting together a montage of photographs from the Sixties that I want to share with Kate and Harcourt folks. I put the images in PowerPoint along with musical accompaniment by the Maria Schneider Orchestra, in particular the cut called "The Pretty Road" from her new cd, SKY BLUE. I decided against a traditional '60s song and went instead for something completely different and orchestral -- I like the effect. I *love* the Maria Schneider Orchestra.

I was influenced in my musical choice for this montage by the effects in a movie I saw over the weekend, AMERICAN GANGSTER. I usually stay far away from violent movies, but I'm watching all kinds of movies (and documentaries) right now about the 1960s, and I was particularly interested in watching Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe working together. This is an amazing movie, and I loved the musical treatment. See what you think of the way "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" is used in this movie to juxtapose one way of life against another -- amazing, that's what I thought.

I'll be writing (and asking questions) about the Sixties in this journal as I talk about the process of research and writing the new novel. Who has seen TALK TO ME, the new Don Cheadle movie (just out on DVD after a summer theatre release)? It's terrific. I lived in D.C. in the mid-1960s, when Petey Greene was a D.J. on WOL radio.

Before I go back to paperwork, I want to give a shout-out to the good folks in Iowa City who made the week with 5th and 6th graders possible. Thank you all so much, new friends, for everything -- every single thing. Here are a few last photos from last Friday, to wrap up that week. Did I mention that all the "20" tee-shirts stand for the 20th anniversary of this Iowa City Community Reads program:

Friday's schools were Lucas, Hoover, and Wood. These three characters from Lucas were doing their imitation of the lit candle swaying in the dark after the assembly -- ha! They're holding bookmarks. Thanks, guys!






This was a surprise bunch at Hoover -- writers from the Iowa chapter of SCBWI! They brought me treats and a warm welcome -- it was so good to meet them. Thank you for coming! Let's see if I get this right. From left: Linda Karwath, Patty Hinch, Connie Hecker, Katherine House, and Dori Butler.



Here are the Lucas kids -- what a banner! "Pretend my aunts are running for us," I said. "Come here and love my neck! I could just eat you up!"





And here are the Hoover kids -- what a big welcome. I forgot to take my camera out of my bag at Wood, but trust me, I was there! I got a bit frazzled by late Friday -- fifteen schools in five days, 18 schools altogether and so many wonderful memories --


Saying goodbye to Iowa City! Great, collaborating, inventive, curious, creative librarians with a terrific program. Thanks to Julie Larson and Sue, who kept us all organized, to Paula Brandt at the curriculum lab at the University of Iowa, to Hills Banks and the Iowa Schools, to Barb Stein who is a goddess, to Mark and Bob at The Brown Street Inn for taking good care of me, to the folks at Prairie Lights for welcoming me, to the Iowa City Public Library and Katherine Habley, and to all the teachers who prepared their students for this week, and to those students, those wonderful readers and writers, those wonderful smiles and embraces -- all that good energy. I won't forget you. You have enriched my life.

I caught an earlier (and direct) flight home from Cedar Rapids in time to see my daughter's Oglethorpe Singers concert (thanks so much, Barb Stein, for literally speeding me to the airport on Friday afternoon). I slipped into a seat on the front row just in time to hear the Singers perform "Sing Me To Heaven." Here's a YouTube link to this song (rehearsal by the Bucknell Choir).

I stashed my luggage under a table near the theatre seats, and I sank down in gratefulness in my primo front-row seat. Car, plane, Marta train and taxi had brought me to the theatre, and now here was music, live music, accapella live music. I sat there, bathed in the sweetness of coming home and listened to those lyrics, to those voices, those notes. Big fat tears rolled down my face. Home.

After the concert: My daughter Hannah with good buddy Keith. They both graduate in May. Sigh.









Come have some supper with me. It's chilly enough for a fire tonight here in Atlanta. Two more days until NYC and NCTE. My new husband Jim, my piano player, is coming with me. He has the jazz scoped out already.

Can't Sleep....

Beautiful mural at Shimek Elementary. There is more, this is just one panel. Great student collaboration.

Can't sleep. I think it's catching up to me, these days in Iowa City schools. Or maybe I'm excited because I'm going home this afternoon. Maybe I'm too congested to sleep -- I think I've caught something. Maybe.

Or maybe I'm worried about getting the packing done and getting out the door early enough for a breakfast in school, as I need to go straight to the airport after school number three today. Lots and lots of details swimming around in my semi-congested head.

In any case, I woke up an hour ago and can't sleep. What's a body to do? Blog, of course. Here are some photos from yesterday's schools. My feedburner stats are amazing this week. Who are you guys? Lots of visitors!

Feedburner tells me how many people visit this blog. It doesn't tell me who you are, it doesn't give me that sort of information and I don't collect information but there is a counter, just like there is on many web pages, and I suspect there are lots of Iowa City students checking in to see themselves. Here you go. Another post for you.




Here are some of my welcoming ambassadors at Shimek Elementary, with their teacher-librarian Sheryl Little. I was in such good hands there and had a great sound system! Thanks, guys. I know I have your names in my notebook ("Keep a notebook! Rule Number One!") but it's packed right now. Let me get it.


Okay. I unearthed my notebook. Thanks to Kelly, Abby, Hudson, Danny B., Austin, and Tytiana or Ty, who is pictured above, next to Ms. Little.

Thanks, too, to Dr. Charlie Towers, principal at Shimek, for coming to the assembly and being such an integral part of his students' learning experience.


Here's the team at Kirkwood that made our second session possible. We had fun -- I laughed a lot yesterday. These folks and their students gave me so much. That's teacher-librarian Kristi Harper in the middle.



And here's the reading club at Coralville Central, with their hip teacher-librarian Becky Gelman.






Here's the reading club enacting what they would look like if my three maiden aunts came running for them - "Come here and love my neck! I could just eat you up!"


I'm pleased to show you a photo that includes these three beautiful men. From left, principal of Coralville Central Michael O'Leary (who not only attended the assembly, he wore his Community Reads t-shirt and introduced me to Molly, the school dog), Becky Gelman, Becky's DAD -- may we call him Mr. Wonderful? -- and another Mr. Wonderful from Hills Bank, one of the major funders of the Iowa City Community Reads program. I wish I'd thought to take my own advice and used my notebook, Mr. Wonderful, as I would have your name captured in it -- please, someone rescue me. In the meantime, thank you, Mr. Wonderful, you and your generous colleagues at Hills Bank.

Signing Kobi's shirt.



I might go into the shirt-signing business. I like it.











Cool yellow hat. Handmade. I miss wearing a hat. Maybe I'll take it up again.





After three sessions in three schools, I went to the Iowa City Public Library which has a children's room to die for. Here there be heroes:
Librarians who put good books into the hands of children (and cds, and dvds and information and on and on).






I spoke about my love affair with libraries with children's librarian Katherine Habley as we taped an hour-long interview that will air on the library channel soon. Katherine is fabulous.

My nose is not fabulous. It's running. I drank two bottles of water. I'm going to try to get some sleep. See you soon, students at Lucas, Wood, and Weber Elementary Schools. Then I catch a Delta flight home. Six days home and then to NCTE in New York City.

See this sign? It's what I feel about my work-in-progress right now, and I'm sure it's what my editor thinks. The new novel awaits my concentrated attention. I'm going to switch gears soon. I promise.

Raise your hand if....

Wednesday in Iowa City. A beautiful, crisp, fall day full of Van Allen, Wickham, and Penn Elementary students... and one cow. Okay, so the cow didn't come to schools. But I did.





Put your hands in the yoga of writing....












Raise your hand if you've ever had your heart broken. Raise your hand if you've ever been angry. Raise your hand if you've ever been tortured by a brother or sister (as I was!), if you've ever been confused about what's happening in your world, if you've ever been afraid of something...



...if you've ever said, "I have nothing to write about...."







Raise your hand if you created a terrific poster or banner or painting! Raise your hand if you sat on the floor for an entire hour without squirming!

Raise your hand if you are a librarian par excellence (Here is Ann Holton at Penn, one of the many stellar Iowa City teacher-librarians)

Raise your hand if you love revision!









"Is she kidding?"











Raise your hand if you provided thses fantastic zinnias for our cemetery picnic!








Raise your hand if you need your shirt signed!







Raise your hand if you are a member of the LOVE, RUBY LAVENDER book group at Wickham. Raise your hand if you know where the lemon drops came from at lunch.



Raise your hand if you know how these Moon Pies made their way to Iowa City!





Raise your hand if you're pooped just reading this post!

Today, Shimek/Regina, Kirkwood and CorCentral Elementary Schools -- here I come, full of exclamation points!

Sharing Stories in Iowa City

Here are Jeremiah, Josh, Alli and Emmy from Lincoln Elementary. They scoured my website (the "Life Notice" in particular, written by Comfort Snowberger) and distilled it (Comfort is verbose) into fascinatin' facts about Deborah Wiles for the kids at Lincoln and their guests, 5th and 6th graders from Mann Elementary.

I now own a SHIRT, too! It's the 20th year of this Community Reads program in Iowa City, which includes not only an author visit (for which the students are so well-prepared) but lunchtime "Leaders as Readers" (today at the library -- I will miss it -- sob!) and much more. The partnership here between the public library, the university, the public schools and the sponsors, including Hills Bank, is generously creative and wonderfully exciting -- I'm trying to find words for it but it's too early in the morning right now --

Yesterday stretched my teaching sinews, from Lincoln/Mann to Lemme/Longfellow to Twain Elementary -- what a difference!




Five schools of 5th and 6th graders, and three very different locations. I love this look into the fabric of a community.





I love the challenge of reaching all students (sometimes I am better at this than others) and I love the "stay on your toes" aspects of the day -- there are students (and teachers!) from all walks of life in these public schools, just as there are in all public school systems across the country. How do we best serve their needs?

It's a perennial question. How can we best serve our own needs as we work with them and with each other? What are best practices? How do they change? It fascinates me to see the challenges that teachers face in the classroom, and to see the great passion they bring to these challenges. I feel humbled in their presence. I learn so much.


And, as every good teacher knows, our students are our teachers as well.







Last night we had pot luck together, the teacher-librarians and moi. WHAT a time we had. "There's nothing like an Iowa pot luck," said Julie Larson. "And an Iowa TEACHER pot luck -- you're in heaven," said I... and I was right.


Here we are, gathered for a photo. Here are the teacher-librarians who have been making this week possible for students in Iowa City Schools.




I hope to take a walk this afternoon to the cemetery -- cemeteries are some of my favorite places -- to find "the black angel" I've heard so much about. I also want to take a photo of the Vonnegut house for you. It's right outside my window. Think Iowa Writers Workshop, many years ago, a rented house, May Day parties on the lawn, and all those words, all those stories, all those glory days...

Librarian Barb Stein lives in Marilynne Robinson's neighborhood - be still my heart. "Maybe you'd see her out walking her dog if you walked through the neighborhood." Nah. Sometimes it's best to admire from afar. I have read GILEAD twice and need to read it a third time.

"What are you reading?" was the question posed at pot luck last night. Here is a partial list of the titles we shared, in no particular order and sometimes without author listed -- but I'll fill this in later -- got to go to school this morning!

POPULATION 485: Meeting your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry
GODS IN ALABAMA by Joshilyn Jackson
THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY by Trenton Lee Stewart and Carson Ellis
BLOOD DONE SIGNED MY NAME by Timothy B. Tyson
THE BOYS OF MY YOUTH
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen
THE TORTILLA CURTAIN
LITTLE HEATHENS
SUMMER AT TIFFANY
EAT PRAY LOVE
THREE CUPS OF TEA
A FRIENDSHIP FOR TODAY by Patricia McKissack
The new Gilda Joyce mystery
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
THE GIRLS
DREAMS FROM MY FATHER
Diana Mott Davidson (mystery writer)
DIGGING UP AMERICA by Anne Tyler
SUITE FRANCAISE
THIRTEENTH TALE
A SHORT HISTORY OF TRACTORS IN UKRANIA
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID
BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett
SPLENDID SOLUTION (the story of Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine)

Lots to choose from here, including some Iowa writers and stories, when I go to Prairie Lights this afternoon to sign stock.

Off to Van Allen, Wickham, and Penn Elementary Schools this morning.

There are no hills in Hills

Here's the barber shop in Hills, Iowa. It's just down the street from Hills Elementary School where I started my five days in Iowa yesterday. I have lots to say about this Community Reads program and teacher-librarians in Iowa City and how they are working together and making a difference. I want to tell you about these wonderful students!

But I have to go to school, so I leave you with photos for now, but I'll be back.

This was Sunday, when I arrived.








I walked the neighborhood and walked through Iowa City, found Prairie Lights Bookstore where I'll sign stock on Wednesday, ate at a noodle house, then walked back up the hill to my bed. I called my husband, Jim, and said, "We're moving to Iowa City!"

The wind started on Monday -- a cold, hard, relentless wind that made getting from the car to each school an arctic challenge. I called Jim and said, "Cancel that move." Haha! But it was gorgeous, too -- I wish I had photos of the November sky to show you as the wind pushed masses of dark silver clouds across the end-of-the-day sky and the late-afternoon sun slanted through the clouds and sprayed the barns and cornfields with a golden glow. Stunningly beautiful sky. Remarkably overwritten prose. No time to revise.

Had supper with my good friend Jackie Martin (SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY) and her husband Rich (who played the vibraphone for me) in their home in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Jackie's new book, CHICKEN JOY ON REDBEAN ROAD, is pure delight. If you haven't read it, you must must must. Love the illustrations by Melissa Sweet as well.

More as soon as I can -- I love it here. I will see every fifth and sixth grader in Iowa City schools this week, all 18 elementary schools! Students have been well-prepared -- I'll tell you all about it.

Here is the Deborah Wiles Endowed Chair at Hills Elementary. I love these artistic depictions of my books, and I especially love the marbles! In FREEDOM SUMMER, Joe and John Henry "play marbles in the dirt until we're too hot to be alive." Then they run to Fiddler's Creek. "Last one in's a rotten egg!"




Here are some of the students at Weber Elementary, all wearing Community Reads t-shirts -- we had a great day yesterday (and a great pot luck lunch).



Here are Asijah, Tatyonna, and Ronetta, journalists and welcome committee at Roosevelt. Roosevelt hosted Horn Elementary students as well.



The kids at Roosevelt and Horn -- actually, ALL of yesterday's students -- knocked me over with their big love -- I love you right back. But more later -- gotta run!

You can read more about this week in schools in today's edition of the Iowa Press-Citizen.