HAPPY WORLD READ ALOUD DAY! 2023
Happy World Read Aloud Day 2023!
that’s worth repeating:
Happy World Read Aloud Day 2023!
Isn’t amazing! All over the world people are stopping whatever they are doing, grabbing a book, and a friend so they can READ! READ! READ!
ME Too!
And now you!
World Read Aloud Day is about celebrating the power of reading aloud. It was created by the non-profit organization LitWorld, “with the aim of bringing people and communities together through the power of words.” The event is now celebrated by over 173 countries around the world.
How exactly do we celebrate?
We grab a book and a friend and read!
I have the book: Shel Silverstein’s Where The Sidewalk Ends.
I hope you’ll be my friend!
Ready! Set! Click on my “Happy World Read Aloud Video” if you don’t see it below, it’s on my YouTube Channel: Kelly Bennett Books!
For more about Shel Silverstein—including a 7-minute Poetry Challenge, Lucky you! It just so happens a few months ago, right here in the Fishbowl, we featured Shel Silverstein in “Upside Down & Sideways".
What Inspires Me? The Third Act
This has been a wrenching few weeks. My dearest, long-time adult friend, John, passed away suddenly mid-December. (“Adult” as in we were of-age when we met, not that we were grown-ups.) We returned from his memorial Monday and then attended another memorial Tuesday for Bob Lupone, co-founder of the MCC Theatre, as well as an actor, primarily a dancer—the first Chorus Line Zach, in fact. (And yes, he was Patti Lupone’s brother.)
Robert Lupone, “Zach” with ”Cassie” in Chorus Line
I’m not going to talk about John here, but this is for him and about him, too, so bear with me.
Bob Lupone wasn’t a “friend,” but through MCC he was a part of our lives. MCC, the Manhattan Class Company, is an Off-Broadway Theatre Company he founded along with his maybe first adult friend, Bernie Tesley in the mid-80s—, the same time John and I began cooking together in the New Harvest kitchen. When they founded the MCC with a mission: “To create new work for the American stage.”
Almost 40 years later, the MCC is renowned for staging new plays—many that have gone on to bigger and more. And most importantly, MCC it is committed to and renowned for workshopping, developing, nurturing new playwrights.
In the MCC to tribute to Bob Lupone and at his memorial, many who spoke or shared written testaments talked about how much he loved discussing the work during creation of a play and performances. How they would “walk out of the theater anxious to go to the bar or restaurant and spend the rest of the night hashing over what [they] had seen?” And how, when developing plays he always asked the tough questions.
Lupone called that, the part that sticks with us afterwards, the things that keep us returning, remembering, making us think, keep us savoring the meal long after the dishes have been done, The Third Act.
“Whenever we considered a play Bob always made us ask ourselves if it had a ‘third act’? ”
Jubilee by Ellen Yeomans is A Third Act
A Third Act! Life beyond the stage, the page—afterlife.
When working with picture book creators—either workshopping our own work or discussing/dissecting published picture books—books we wish we’d written and those we are glad we didn’t—much of the conversation is about that after. The Third Act!
For lack of a better term, I call it the “about-about” as in sure we know what happens in the story but what is it really about? What is a reader left with afterwards? What’s the take-away? And what keeps us returning to the same story over and over again? Now I have a better name for it “The Third Act.”
Since John passed, we all—John’s family and friends—have been sharing photos and memories. Below are a few from our big-belly-laugh moments:
Give Me Somebody to Dance With
Tourists in Turks: John and me at L&R’s wedding
Play Me the Music!
“Baby you can drive my car!”
Give Me a Reason to Dance
John at M&M’s wedding. That’s not me dancing with him—wish it were!
The Third Act! That’s inspiring!
“All I ever needed was the music, and the mirror, and the chance to dance . . .”—Chorus Line
What Inspires Me? Woody Guthrie "Keeping the Hoping Machine Going"
Happy Brand New Year! 2023. Time for fresh starts! New beginnings! Resolutions! Did I hear a GROAN????
Call me a hypocrite because every-single-other year I have written a post about making resolutions, their value, how important goals are yada-yada. . . but. . .
I hate making resolutions!
Not because I don’t have resolve. I absolutely do. Along with a mean followthrough…and I am not talking tennis!
"Hey hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song..." when Bob Dylan was a boy, he went to meet his hero. This PB by Gary Golio and Mark Burkhardt tells the story.
The problem is that coming up with that list of resolutions takes so dang long, wheedling it out to the important few, even longer—and when I’m finished my list of resolutions is always soooooo boring.
Which brings me to Woodie Guthrie
You might call it Back to the Future because I am talking the Woodie Guthrie circa January 1943. When he was on the road, seeing America and writing, strumming, singing songs, telling it like it was—with hopes for how it could be.
On January 1st, 1943, Woodie drafted and illustrated a 33-item list of resolutions.
An inspired heartful list with resolutions he felt worth fighting to keep—Number 33 is exactly that:
“Wake up and Fight.”
A few others touched me especially, including:
“Keep Hoping Machine Running”
“Dream Big”
“Write a song a day.”
“Dance Better.”
Don’t take my word for it! Go on and read for yourself (I’ve included the list below along with a link to the Town and Country article in which it was unearthed. Who knows a few items on the list might be just the reminder you need to encourage you to resolve that this will be a great great year!
Keeping our hoping machines running . . . now that’s inspiring!
Here’s to YOU and 2023, too!
And hearty thanks to @clarenashme for bring the article in Town and Country to my attention. Click the hyperlink to read it in its entirety.
Suggestion: And, if you have not yet visited the Woodie Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma—add it to your list. It is amazing! And right next door is the Bob Dylan Center!
What Inspires Me? Reading Free
I just celebrated my 4th Anniversary as a Little Free Library Steward. It began selfishly. As a way for me to cull my overflowing book collection. Frankly, in those first several months, I was my best library customer.
Then CoVid shutdown came, and with it library and bookstore closings. During that time, my library was the only book source in town! And, suddenly, instead of dwindling stock, I found myself curating stacks of donations. Sure, a few visitors used it as a dump for raggedy outdated textbooks and computer programing manuals. But most donations were gently read and some even included reviews and notes:
“Read Me! You’ll be glad you did””
Confession: I judiciously cull my library offering. Yes, I even ban some books from it.
I ban books I think are poorly written.
I ban some books I found boring.
I ban books that BIPOC friends find offensive.
I ban pamphlets.
I ban religious material folks slip in. (Not because I object to said material. More because I’ve made a decision to keep my library non-secular.)
I ban non-PG books.
As we all know—I’m not the only one banning books. And this might sound hypocritical, but this horrifies me. Towns defunding libraries because librarians refuse to ban books. Towns firing or “polietly” shoving out librarians who refuse to take “banned” books off their shelves….McFarland, CA seriously considering shutting the library—and turning it into a police station.
This, I can do something about. And every one of us with a Little Free Library can do something about. Because we are the stewards of our own Little Free Libraries. We can act!
We can stock banned books.
If you’ve got books! It you love books! If you like sharing books! Then there are 2 things you should consider doing:
Support your local library and librarian’s choices to purchase, stock and share books by diverse authors and on diverse subjects.
Steward your own Little Free Library. It’s fun. It’s rewarding. You can stock it with books that are being banned for the wrong reasons…and help keep reading free!
Besides, Little Free Libraries are so flippin’ creative, cute, clever….cool. Here are 36 Cool Little Free Library Designs. See for yourself.
What Inspires Me? Museum of Broadway
There are museums for everything, right? Art museums, Sports museums, Train museums, Firefighter museums, Sex, Toy and Torture museums (different buildings in different cities). And yes, there is even the Museum of Everything. But… not quite everything!
Finally the museum that will have Broadway Theatre loves knocking their foreheads saying “Duh! It’s about time!” is live!
The Museum of Broadway opened officially November 15, 2022.
I was so lucky to get a sneak peek of the Museum a few days before its official opening.
One word: WOW!
The costumes, the scenery, the makeup, the props…There is No Business Like Show Business (Sing it Nathan!)
Museum of Broadway has got some of everything that makes Broadway, Broadway Baby!
I predict it will be SOL soon.
Hint: Book you’re Museum of Broadway tickets at the same time you’re book your Broadway Show tickets. That’s a must!
What my hungry writer’s heart found most inspiring were the words.
Handwritten Lyrics from Chorus Line with “picture of someone” scribbled out and “picture of a person I don’t know” written below it.
Richard Rogers word list—surrey, curry, flurry—scribbled for Surry with the Fringe on Top.
Hmmm... what do you think sounds better: “Ducks and chicks and geese make tasty curry? or better scurry?”
And more words!
Artist Rachel Marks’ revisioning of the entire Showboat score into art.
Museum of Broadway. Inspiring! Don’t take my word for it!
The website has a sneak preview video—I tried to post it but couldn’t embed, so click over and watch: Museum of Broadway: About (themuseumofbroadway.com)
What Inspires Me? Plungers, Hooves & Boobies
Creativity is a quagmire of contradictions: “Follow the rules” “Learn the rules, then break them” “Make your own rules” “Rules are meant to be broken” “You didn’t follow the rules” “Been there done that”…
This is especially true of the picture book publishing world in which the two-dimensionality of paper/binding, materials used, production and printing costs are hard and fast. Working within these physical constraints are part of what makes creating picture books challenging and exciting.
Many other “rules” about picture books, however, especially those pertaining to subject matter, have absolutely nothing to do with physical limitation. Rather these rules are set by gatekeepers “protecting” tender young eyes and minds. Really?
At times like these, with books being banned right and left for various reasons, it is a surer bet to stick to safe subjects. This “play it safe” trap is one (I am not proud to say) I often fall into when choosing which story ideas to pursue. Safe is predictable. Safe is easier. Safe is also, often, bor-ring.
I’m good with safe. Or was until a cluster of picture books challenging the good ole safe kittens-bunnies-sunshine-lollipops-happy-ever-after picture book “norm” knock me right out of my comfy, safe nest. Picture Books like these on Travis Jonkers’ “The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Books of 2022” list. Picture books with daring, exciting, surprising ideas and characters—and creators— that delight and remind me.
Interior of Sam Winston’s A Dictionary Story
Here’s a sampling of books from Jonkers’ Astonishing List:
One and Everything by Sam Winston about a story—the best, most important story ever—that called itself “The One” and started eating all the other stories—stories made of seas and full of dogs and . . .
Sanm Winston, other picture books include A Child of Books with Oliver Jeffers and A Dictionary Story which he self-published with proceeds from a Kickstarter campaign, about a dictionary that brings her words to life. Here’s the video of Sam explaining the A Dictionary Story project—fascinating!
I Want to Be a Vase by Julio Torres, about a plunger who would rather be a vase which gets all the household objects thinking about what they’d rather be. Here’s the read-aloud.
Torres calls the book “a Coffee Table Book for Kids.” it’s so hot, so trendy Seth Myers featured Torres and “Vase” on Late Night.
Hooves or Hands? by Rosie Haine. A concept book Jonkers’ calls, “a surreal and playful exploration of our relationship with horses.” Which would you rather have? Hooves or hands? Four legs or two? Eat food or hay? Say yay or neigh? Rosie Haine, who’s PB debut It isn’t Rude to be Nude is likewise smart, thought-provoking and fun.
Boobies by Nancy Vo. A book all about Boobies—yes those Boobies! Blue-footed Booby, who does not have any boobies at all, since only mammals have boobies wants them. Thus launches an exploration of boobies, who has them why, where milk comes from—boobies and plants too! Vo makes taboo titty talk fun and fine!
As has been the case so often in the past—and forevermore—Boobies will stop my ramble. Have no fear, these books and more are on Travis Jonker’s “The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Books of 2022” Bookstop list! When you finish here, click over to read about the rest. And. . . Commercial: If you decide to buy online, try Bookstop.org first as the proceeds go to support Indie Bookstores.
Along with making me laugh and wonder, these mind-expanding, possibility packed picture books reminded me that “No” and “No one will ever” and “No way can I” are lies we tell ourselves so we won’t have to dare.
Thumb your nose at the rules, push the conventional boundaries and DARE! If we do “go there” and do IT well, they absolutely will come along for the ride! Now that’s inspiring!
What Inspires Me? Amy Gallup
Amy Gallup isn’t a real person. And no, the photo below (same as the one in the preview) is not me—although, I must admit, that is what Covid hair me looked like—that’s Amy’s creator Jincy Willet.)
But, dang, don’t I wish Amy Gallup were real and that I could meet her. Amy’s creator, author Jincy Willett, similar to Amy in The Writing Class and others of Willett’s book, is a writer, editor, writing teacher living in San Diego, California, so theoretically I could meet Jincy in person. But I don’t think I will. (Although Jincy Willet’s website Intro is sassy and irreverent, read for yourself, but not now…wait until after you my post, please.) I am afraid I might be disappointed. Amy Gallup however, never disappoints me.
This morning, for example, I was reading a pre-facing-the-frost early chapter of The Writing Class when I came upon a passage explaining why Amy began writing a blog, even though she had no intention of doing so, nor did she want anyone to read it ever. Amy’s excuse for writing the blog is that “She did have to do something creative, even if it was just some little thing, because she was not writing and…
…not writing was hard work, almost as hard as writing.”—Amy Gallup, page 39 The Writing Class (published by Picador, 2008).
Amy/Jincy has a wicked wit she unleashes joyfully throughout her books. Take the usual disclaimer printed in The Writing Life:
And Jincy dreamed up—and unabashedly used—one of the most brilliant book titles ever: Winner of the National Book Award. Imagine it printed in author bio, dust jacket, or spoken in an introduction…go ahead.
One incy-wency problem with using Winner of the National Book Award as a title, and perhaps the reason it isn’t an actually National Book Award winner—because it totally should be—and the reason you might not have heard of author Jincy Willett before now, is that Winner of the National Book Award it is so flipping hard to find online: Try to find it—let alone buy it online. Google it every-single-other-NBA-winner-finalist-hopeful reference pops up.
Upon considering that title, I began listing other clever brilliant albeit probably equally problematic titles and made a list.
Lists are what Amy writes sometimes to make herself feel better… (refer back to above quote).
Here’s my list of titles to consider for future books. You’re welcome to use any-all as long as you publish before me! I’m calling it my
List of Brilliant Titles
Bestseller
NY Times Bestselling
All Time Bestseller
Blockbuster
Made into Movie
Adapted for Television
Booker Prize Winner
Million Selling Author
After all, that’s writing. . . right?
Thank you, Amy Gallup! now that’s inspiring!
What Inspires Me? Lighten the Load
Lately, I’ve been walking around lugging an extra 50 pounds…of baggage (OK, and of actually blubber, but that is not what this is about, yet.) This is about that extra baggage. The lists of must do-need to-overdue items on my task list. They are weighing me down. And so, yes, I do do them. But often at the expense of doing what I want to be doing. Guilt is a huge motivator.
Truth is, before last weekend when I attended the first in 3 years—hooray!—Alumni retreat, I hadn’t paid much attention, or frankly though it was something I could do anything to change. Instead, I just carried on lugging the baggage, growing more stooped, grumpy, unfulfilled…
Okay, so back to the actual blubber which is probably a result of dealing with tasks at the expense of personal needs—aka exercise—that hasn’t helped. But those extra blub pounds had finally become so disgusting that, inspired by friends and family members I finally decided to actually track my intake and pay attention and so I downloaded the Lose It App. Cue The Band’s Take a Load off Fanny. Confession, until I looked up the YouTube, I have been singing “Granny” as in Take a Load off Granny…which, now that I think about it is why I downloaded Lose It and what this post is about…
Which takes me to the VCFA Alumni Residency. The closing lecturer was new VCFA faculty member Anica Mrose Rissi who’s presentation, “Process Is a Story We Tell Ourselves” was partly about how how maybe—just maybe—the reason we do—or don’t do—what we want is because the story we tell ourselves is “I can’t! Too busy! I’m not important! What I want is not important! insert all our various “too busy for me” stories. Anica Mrose Rissi is former editor who managed to publish a slew of books while being a fantastic editor and is now, still, writing delightful books and teaching (Absolutely check out her books.) She suggests we change our stories. Rissi is inspiring! Her talk was inspiring. It inspired me to change my story from I-can-only-write-when-I-have-a-chunk-of-alone-time-and-my-chores-are-done to I WILL WRITE 15 MINUTES A DAY with the same commitment I give to brushing my teeth. And I have excellent dental hygiene. But saying it—even in ALL CAPS—is one thing. . .
This is the one I downloaded.
Doing it! Carving out 15 minutes for M.E. Making sure I do it! And celebrating it was another. Back to Lose It!
Lose it! *as I said, is a FREE (and if you want more paid) calorie tracking-exercise-weight loss app, like NOOM I suppose (although I’ve never used NOOM). The Lose It App is easy to use to track meals and exercise. It’s on my phone which is literally plastered to my yoga-pants clad leg aaaaaall the time. And best, I was using it. Heck! I was on a streak—not weight loss streak but a 10-day long Meal & Exercise Logging streak. So I got to thinking. Accountability! Celebrating! Record Keeping! Can I use the Lose It! App to record my 15-Minute Writing Goal.
And YES! YES! and YES! So I am not Tekke. I do not like “exploring” apps. I’m a tell me what and how to do it and I will do that and exactly that Tek user. But I did a little searching on the Lose it! App and discovered one can add Customized Workouts to the list of exercises listed. So that’s what I did.
I added “Writing” to the list of exercise options. And, because the App requires one to post the calories used beside exercises, I figured dang, when I’m writing, my brain is clicking—as are my fingers—so that has to use calories. At least as many calories as resting Yoga, hence I gave it 10. That’s it!
Amazing how a tiny change to My Story and rewarding myself by tracking my success has made such a difference! I’m still hauling around all that luggage, but the promise and reward of 15 minutes writing has me singing a new song. And not going overboard, I’m considering adding a few more goals worth tracking to my handy dandy customized LOSE IT app. After all, “Leisure Reading” and “Photo Sorting” are workouts, too, right? Care to join me?
Lose It is helping me Do exactly what I want! Now that’s inspiring!
*No Lose It App didn’t pay me to write this or provide the download link. But they should…hint hint