Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

So now girls are wearing lipstick, nail polish, or rubber bracelets in different colors to indicate what they will do sexually with a dude? And we live in an age in which HIV can take you out?

Hmmmm.

Do you hear alarm bells? I do. If you, or someone you know, thinks this game is cool, please tell me about it. I’m an inquiring mind. I want to know. Just don’t give me any real names. If you’re writing about yourself, just play it off like you’re not. We don’t need to know your business.

The fact that any girl would think this type of game is all right is yet another reason why the 7-book series I’m coauthoring with Dr. Linda Bradley is way past due. Read about Teen Sisters’ Health–A Body, Mind, & Spirit Wellness Guide for Girls of Color here.

 Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

Unbelevable, but true. She was one of my coauthor’s Dr. Linda Bradley’s patients. Stories like this are why Dr. Bradley and I want every teen girl to get our 7-book series, Teen Sisters’ Health-A Body, Mind, & Spirit Wellness Guide for Girls of Color.

Right now, we don’t have a publisher. But we’re working on it with our agent Susan Schulman.

Do you know a story like this one? If so, tell me about it.

LaVora

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

Obama’s “Yes We Can” Speech in New Hampshire, January 8, 2008

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

I started digging this song while I was living in New York City, 1986, and have never stopped. It will remain my favorite song for the rest of this lifetime.  My personal anthem.

In 1986, two of my roommates were a married couple–Israelis who grew up on a kibbutz, Chiam and Ayella (sp?). Chiam said of my Peter Gabriel cassette, “This is really great music! Who is this?” He and Ayella were music engineers, I think. 

The Recording

Live


The Lyrics
Solsbury Hill
Peter Gabriel

Climbing up on solsbury hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night

He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing stretching every nerve
I had to listen had no choice

I did not believe the information
Just had to trust imagination
My heart was going boom boom, boom
Son, he said, grab your things, I’ve come to take you home.

To keeping silence I resigned
My friends would think I was a nut
Turning water into wine
Open doors would soon be shut

So I went from day to day
Tho my life was in a rut
till I thought of what Id say
Which connection I should cut

I was feeling part of the scenery
I walked right out of the machinery
My heart was going boom boom boom
Hey, he said, grab your things, I’ve come to take you home.
Yeah back home

When illusion spin her net
I’m never where I want to be
And liberty she pirouette
When I think that I am free

Watched by empty silhouettes
Who close their eyes, but still can see
No one taught them etiquette
I will show another me

Today I don’t need a replacement
I’ll tell them what the smile on my face meant
My heart was going boom boom boom
Hey, I said, you can keep my things, they’ve come to take me home.

Song Facts
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=393

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

I rarely pass on information I receive in email chain letters. But since this message might save lives, here it is, unattributed, since I don’t know who originally wrote it or created the image: 

RECOGNIZING A STROKE: The 1st Three Letters + S— S.T.R.S.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov) strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to realize what’s happening. A bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S
* Ask the person to SMILE.
 
T
* Ask the person to TALK and coherently speak a simple sentences—for instance, “It is sunny out today?” 

R
* Ask her or him to RAISE both hands.

S
*Ask the person to STICK out his or her tongue. If the tongue is “crooked” and goes to one side or the other, that’s an indication of a possible stroke.

If the person has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. To learn more about strokes, check out the CDC “Stroke” Web pages here.

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

Check back here within the next 2 days. I’ll have a video here of Michelle Obama’s electrifying and inspirational March 4th speech at Cleveland State University—my alma mater.

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

From the Pennsylvania Progressive, March 26, 2008…

“A veteran of Bosnia who was at the event in Tuzla where Hillary Clinton falsely claimed to have landed under sniper fire is accusing the Senator of theft of valor.  As General Walter L. Stewart Jr. of the Pennsylvania National Guard said earlier today on a conference call, soldiers who actually have been in war zones and performed under fire deeply despise those who falsely claim such valor.  They feel this way because it attempts to cheapen or make less, their real and actual valor. “

Read the full story in the Pennsylvania Progressive blog here:
http://pennsylvaniaprogressive.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/bosnian-vet-acc.html

 Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

According to the editor of the Obamesque blog, Jeremiah Wright’s March 11, 2007 letter to the New York Times reporter that allegedly interviewed him under false pretenses is self-explanatory. Check it out and see if you agree:

http://obamesque.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/the-role-of-the-ny-times-in-the-jeremiah-wright-saga/

 Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

My book, Taneesha Never Disparaging, got 2 advance reviews yesterday! Those are reviews that come in before the book is published, which it won’t be until September 1, 2008. I am soooooo psyched about getting these! Here they are:

“Taneesha Never Disparaging is a joy to read. M. LaVora Perry addresses the issues many kids face today– overworked parents, bullying, and social awkwardness–with a fresh and positive perspective. Don’t miss this beautifully and skillfully written novel.”

-David Richardson, Book Review Columnist for Reading Today, a publication of the International Reading Association

~~~

“Taneesha’s voice is fresh, funny, and true as a lotus blossom in a muddy pond.  Readers will become familiar with the word ‘disparaging’ as Taneesha navigates her way through fifth grade as a Buddhist, daughter, and good friend to all. Taneesha Never Disparaging is a warm and welcome read amidst a sea of cynicism.”

-Kelly Easton, Author of Hiroshima Dreams, White Magic, Aftershock, The Life History of a Star, Walking on Air, and The Betts Pets Mysteries

You can read a synopsis, Chapter 1, and new reviews that come in here.

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

Each year, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda presents a comprehensive peace proposal to the United Nationss. Many of his suggestions have been adopted by UN member organizations.

Here is an excerpt from Ikeda’s 2008 proposal, which is available in full at SGI.org:

Almost twenty years have passed since the end of the Cold War, almost ten since the start of the new century, and still the contours of a new and different way of organizing the world have yet to take shape. While the processes of globalization possess a seemingly unstoppable momentum, this can hardly be considered a global order. Rather, the effort to contain through the application of force the many highly explosive situations around the world has met with limited success at best. The situation could perhaps be characterized as one of global disorder.

Important efforts, however, are being made. Recently (January 15-16), the Alliance of Civilizations Forum was held in Madrid, Spain. Based on the belief that the maintenance of international peace and security requires the overcoming of cultural animosities, more than 75 UN member states and international organizations participated in this event. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged further action toward peace, saying, “You may have different backgrounds and perspectives, but you share a common conviction that the Alliance of Civilizations is an important way to counter extremism and heal the divisions that threaten our world.” To read the full proposal, click below:

Read the summary online
Download the summary (PDF)
Download the full version (PDF)

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

On October 17, 2006, Dr. Lawrence E. Carter Sr., Dean of Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel in Atlanta, Georgia, appeared on Singapore television to explain the significance and contemporary relevance of the “Gandhi-King-Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace” exhibit, which has been displayed in several countries. The exhibit, the accompanying Community Builders prize, and the YouTubed GKI video that follow the Singapore interview in this post were conceieved by Dr. Carter.

Dean Lawrence Carter on Singapore Television, Oct. 17, 2006

Gandhi-King-Ikeda: Community Builders, Part 1 of 3

Gandhi-King-Ikeda: Community Builders, Part 2 of 3

Gandhi-King-Ikeda: Community Builders, Part 2 of 3

This video, posted in a 4-part simplified version on YouTube in 4 parts and on the SGI.org website in its entirety, explains the philosophy of the SGI Nichiren Buddhist movement. See related post in the Religion/Spirituality/Buddhism category of this blog.

“Our Shared Humanity” Part 1 (simiplified).

“Our Shared Humanity” Part 2 (simiplified).

“Our Shared Humanity” Part 3 (simplified)
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 4 (simplified)


Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

Two new Soka Gakkai websites were announced today, Daisaku Ikeda.org and JoseiToda.org.

From Daisaku Ikeda.org
 
Daisaku Ikeda is a Buddhist leader, peacebuilder, a prolific writer, poet, educator and founder of a number of cultural, educational and peace research institutions around the world.

As third president of the Soka Gakkai (value-creating society) and founder of the Soka Gakkai International, Daisaku Ikeda has developed and inspired what may be the largest, most diverse international lay Buddhist association in the world today. Based on the 700-year-old tradition of Nichiren Buddhism, the movement is characterized by its emphasis on individual empowerment and social engagement to advance peace, culture and education. Click here for more…

From JoseiToda.org
 
Josei Toda (1900-58) was the second president of the Soka Gakkai, one of Japan’s most influential lay Buddhist movements. Based on the teachings of the 13th-century Buddhist reformer Nichiren (1222-82), Toda developed a methodology of personal transformation called “Human Revolution” that has become the foundation underlying the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a worldwide organization of engaged Buddhists promoting peace and personal empowerment throughout the world. Click here for more…

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

Author, editor, publisher, speaker, and historian Marc Aronson will appear on Book TV at 9 p.m. EST March 25 to read his latest book for teens, Race: A History Beyond Black and White (Ginee Seo, 2007), at the Brooklyn Library in New York City. See more on my Book Cover blog:

http://bookcover.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/marc-aronson-on-book-tv-9m-est-tuesday-march-25-2008/

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

This  blog was getting unorganized—a state of being that I know on an intimate level. So I’ve decided to create a new blog just for writers and readers of books for children and teens. I’m now in the process of moving all the posts related to this subject from this general interest blog to the children’s lit focused blog. Swing over to mlavoraperrykidwriter.wordpress.com to see what it’s all about.

By the way, I’ve just discovered that WordPress makes all this moving of files very easy with their “export” “import” function. If you have a blog, don’t get caught like me—doing this all manually.

Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog

Read CNN contributor Roland Martin’s March 21 peice on what Jerimiah Wright
really said on Anderson Cooper’s blog at http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-rev-jeremiah-wrights-911-sermon/.

LaVora

There’s a great children’s writers’ conference coming up in Connecticut on April 26. It’s sponsored by Eileen Robinson, a former executive editor with Scholastic and Harcourt. She was my editor for my upcoming novel, Taneesha Never Disparaging. I was very happy with Eileen’s work–she helped me take my character deeper and further. For details about the conference, go to her editing services website, F1rstPages.com.

 LaVora

Fortune Child Books is the Buddhist children’s imprint of my publishing company, Forest Hill Publishing, LLC. I published two books under the imprint. They’re still available even though I’m no longer actively publishing books. To check out Forest Hill Publishing’s books, click on the images below.

Oh, I’ve been hitting the treadmill. With wrist weights on, too. It’s either get more fit or lose life span, there’s no way around it.

No doubt my daughter will also want to go rollerskating at least once during this week off from school. I will do that with her. Although I know she prefers the Teen Skate weekend scene, I’ve got a feeling that 11am weekday might feel right to me for some reason. 

Can’t wait until it really starts acting like spring outside. Right now there’s snow out there. I’d much rather be walking or riding or my bike through the park than going nowhere on the treadmill. But the upside of the mill is that I can read while I walk. 

LaVora

My next fiction read will be the Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. I’ll get on it this week–maybe even tomorrow. As often happens, my 12 year-old daughter strongly recommended it to me (”You’ve got to read this book, Mom.”).

I’m going to see if she’ll start a book review column on this blog. Why not? She’s off all next week while her younger brother and sister are in school and I need to be proofing as well as writing for the job that stocks the refirgerator. I’ll give more details about that later. Suffice it to say I’ve got some extremely cool employers and I work from home–my preferred workspace.

LaVora

I’ve been proofing the advance reading copy (ARC)  of my children’s novel Taneesha Never Disparaging for typos. My editor at Wisdom Publications has barred me from making more revisions at ths point. For someone like me–a person that revises in her sleep (or, more accurately, loses sleeps so she can revise)–this is hard to take.

But I’m trying to stick to the rules–which is another thing I’ve had problems doing my whole life long. Is it any wonder why my children are the “independent minded” souls that they are?

I never liked the word “hard headed” and I refuse to use it when talking about children. I mean, who wants to be “soft headed”? Ouch!

I do admit that I have, from time to time, called one or more of my 3 children something unflattering that was definitely not her or his name. If I didn’t say it out loud, I certainly thought it. Even so, I believe I am a very fortunate indeed to have 3 really great people call me “Mom.”

Since I am such an enthusiastic reviser, I’ve decided to write a series on revising in this blog. I don’t know where this is going. But I’m pretty sure that by the time it gets there it will be a very different animal than the one it started out as.

LaVora