Women Awakening

I am honored to be included among the talented writers who shared their stories for the newly released I Am Subject: Women Awakening book. This anthology includes stories from 36 women. Each essay is different, each is beautiful. The variety of voices and experiences works well when brought together with the thread of claiming or reclaiming. It is a book about women coming to a realization about themselves and taking control of their lives. Separated into four parts: Family History, Body and Mind, Internal and External Roles, and Life Altering Moments, these many stories are combined into one beautiful collection.

Women Awakening
is a compilation of thought-provoking, powerful, and genuine stories.

Women Awakening (I Am Subject Stories) is available for purchase here and here. Edited by Diane DeBella and Anora McGaha, founder of Women Writers, Women's Books.

The Write Path is Here!

A few months ago, I wrote a letter to my younger self. So did many other bloggers. Remember that? "How I Found the Write Path"? Well, the book is here. A compilation of letters from over 60 fabulous writers collected and formatted into an eBook by the lovely Carrie Butler and PK Hrezo.  

It's out and it's available for purchase. And by that I mean you can spend your time going to any one of these sites and downloading all these fantastic letters full of advice for FREE.

AMAZON

NOOK

KOBO

iBOOKS

SMASHWORDS

'TXTR

SCRIBD

AMAZON UK

AMAZON AU  

The letters range from thoughtful to humorous (and everything in between) but all speak to the writer's younger, less experienced, self. The anthology gives advice while entertaining readers with the many different voices and takes on the prompt. A brilliant idea from PK and Carrie. A huge thank you to both of these amazing authors for taking the time to compile these letters. How I Found the Write Path is a must-read for all types of writers at all stages in their writing careers.

Summer Reading Book (s)?

When I was in school, we had required summer reading lists. Every year. With multiple books we were required to read. End-of-summer / back-to-school meant buying clothes, pencils, notebooks, and a backpack. It also meant preparing ourselves to prove we did our summer reading. In grade school, we had to write book reports. When we entered junior high, we were tested on the reading.  

Okay, I suppose I'm old(ish) but, wow, have things changed that much? Get this. My kids have to read a book over the summer. One. Book. AND they don't technically have to read it—this is a request not a requirement. Reading a book is "great!" and "encouraged!" but not "required". Consequently, my kids will not be tested on or even asked about the book(s) they read because they weren't expected to read any.

Also, there is a page trying to talk students (or parents?) into this one book by spouting "summer slide" statistics and research about expanded vocabulary and increased success in school.

There is a list of book suggestions, yes, but they are "popular books" including comic books and magazines. I'm not looking for a fight. My kids read both of the above and some of them are fantastic but I'm talking summer reading here. I don't understand how we went from a required list of specific books to a suggested list of popular books in one generation. What has happened?

Okay, it's been twenty thirty years since I was in grade school and things are bound to change a bit in that time but, honestly, taking away summer reading? It's still there, technically, but it's really not. Not with the mild, mousy voice of it-would-be-so-neat-if-you-could-maybe-possibly-read-one-book-or-something-with-words-on-it-this-summer.


Did you have summer reading when you were in school? Do your children? Did they read this summer? If so, was it for fun or because their school required it? 

Potty Humor and the Peloponnesian war

 Conversations with my 7-year-old.

“Can I read Big Nate?”

“No,” my husband responds. 

“Why? Because it’s inappropriate?”

“Yes, because it’s inappropriate. And I’ve told you this before.”

“I know but I thought you might have changed your mind since then,” he says.

“Changed my mind since last week?” My husband smirks. “No, I haven’t changed my mind. Just because you're able to read a book for older kids doesn't mean the content is something we want you reading."

My little one sighs and looks at my husband. “It’s not like I’m reading about the Peloponnesian War.”

No. It's definitely not like that. 

 

Just for the record, I did NOT teach my 7-year-old anything about the Peloponnesian War. 

Einstein, Edison, and…Tesla?

One of the coolest things about raising children is that you learn neat stuff like where Wisconsin is. Not that there aren’t other things that are lukewarm super cool about raising children, but I love learning new things. Like, hey, did you know William Taft was the fattest president? (Did you know William Taft was a president? I won’t tell…)

I have never claimed to know everything. No one knows everything. That would just be weird. But it amazes me the depth of my ignorance about some subjects. I mean, I was vaguely aware I wasn’t very good at math, couldn’t find Morocco on a map, and wouldn’t be able to name 15 presidents under threat of death. But, ever since I had kids, that has all changed. It’s glorious! I know all fifty state capitals, all 44 presidents, and, even though I can’t actually do it, I know what set theory is.
(It’s math.)

So, when my son received a book about Nikola Tesla, I thought, Huh, that looks good. Who the frick is Nikola Tesla? Well, he’s only an amazing genius who invented everything in the world. Well, lots of stuff anyway. And his research led to even more inventions. Did you know this poor little Serbian boy came all the way to America to meet his hero, Thomas Edison, just to have Edison employ him, turn on him, then try to ruin him? 

Wow, kudos to Elizabeth Rusch the author of this book because not only did I find out who Tesla was, I’m all pissed off for him long after his death for getting a raw deal. Kudos, indeed!

FYI, in case you don’t know who Tesla was either, he invented tons of useless stuff that you wouldn’t have heard of like electricity, remote control, the radio.... His discovery of AC electricity lit the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, the first all electric fair in history. Edison tried to stop him and get the job himself, but Tesla wound up getting the job and resulting fame. Tesla also wound up getting the “Edison Medal”. I find that amusing.