Some weeks ago, Dave Constantin at Teaching Tolerance got in touch with me for an article that came out yesterday: Rewriting History--For the Better. They wanted art for the article and got in touch with Julie Flett, who read it and wrote to me with an idea.
She wanted to show someone reading to children, and thought she'd like to show ME reading to children. I was speechless. And of course, I was thrilled! I love her work.
Julie asked me for photos of me reading to kids. The only photo I have is one of me reading to our daughter when she was a baby. Here's that photo (if you're wondering about the book, we're looking at illustrations in a children's literature textbook).
I sent her more recent photos, too. As we exchanged email about the art she was working on, she asked about a book that I'd like to be reading in the art, and I chose Simon Ortiz's
The People Shall Continue. Permissions to use that worked out beautifully. Here's a screenshot of a portion of the article, and Julie's illustration of me:
I'm humbled, and delighted, and excited... a flood of emotions are racing through me! Thank you, Julie! This is a gift that I'll treasure always.
I've written about Julie's work several times and am pleased as can be to be in her portfolio.
Read the article in
Teaching Tolerance, and order Julie's books for your home, classroom or library collection:
We All Count: A Book of Cree NumbersWild BerriesLii Yiiboo Nayaapiwak Iii Swer/Owls See Clearly at NightLittle You (written by Richard Van Camp)
The past couple of days, I’ve driven home mentally composing great blog posts but, lost interest in them by time I got home. I think it’s time to ‘put pen to paper’ and write something!
With this 2013 stamp, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates the 50th anniversary of the August 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The highlight of the event — in which some 250,000 people participated — was the powerful “I Have a Dream” speech that Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Speaking of pen and paper, I was at the post office today (yes, it was open for business) to pick up a really fabulous hat I ordered on Etsy and got to see some really neat stamps! They included those with images of Althea Gibson, bonsai trees, Ray Charles, Civil Rights March 1963, Emancipation Proclamation and Lydia Mendoza.
I will miss stamps. You think we’ll still be writing letters 10 years from now?
My BFYA pile grew by 7 books in the past week. YIKES!!! February is getting closer and closer, so I’m doing my best to cancel every weekend activity so that I can get these books read. Even my birthday is serving as an excuse to take a day of reading. I don’t believe in working on my birthday, so today I’m home reading! I’ll step out to treat myself to Taiwanese beef noodles and get back to it.
Got this in an email today.
Teaching Tolerance is pleased to share the Smithsonian’s dynamic new way of engaging students in this history: “I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American E-Comic.”
This free, online comic is an illustrated adaption of the I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story banner exhibition and features work by seven exciting Asian Pacific American comic artists. Its graphic narrative format appeals to students and demonstrates that Asian immigrants are an integral part of every chapter in this country’s great chronicle—from building bridges, toppling barriers, and forming communities to pointing the way to its future.
ISU student take over of the Administration building, 1969. ~ISU Archives
There are gems everywhere! Last week I had the opportunity to visit my library’s special collections. We have one of the largest collections of dictionaries in the world, if not the largest. We have a dictionary from the 16th or 17th century that translates an Aztec language into Spanish. There’s an architectural dictionary in two volumes, one with hand drawn architectural images and the other with textual descriptions. Old old textbooks; Eugene Deb’s letters; first edition Mark Twains and Kurt Vonneguts; beautiful limited edition hand bound Indian American poetry; transcripts from the WPA in Indiana… so much good stuff!! I couldn’t help but think about what I’d see if I went to Oxford, la Sorbonne or UCLA and visited their special collections. But then, I asked the dept. chair about what else was in little libraries in IN, which one fascinated her most. She stated that each library had so much uniqueness, so many little gems that it’s hard to say. The problem is that most of it isn’t cataloged. You simply have to visit the library and act interested. The librarians there will talk to you. They love sharing their treasures.
I really need to post the October list of new books!!! Until I do, you can find them here on Pinterest.
Filed under:
Me Being Me Tagged:
ISU,
stamps. special collections,
Teaching Tolerance,
USPTO