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Have I mentioned lately how much I love Minneapolis? It is by no means a perfect city and the winters are long and hard, but by golly how many other cities have a community advisory group that works with the city council on things like urban agriculture and food security issues? Homegrown Minneapolis is the name of the group and their latest newsletter included a map of all the vacant city lots that can be leased for community gardening and urban farms. Also in the newsletter is information regarding a proposal to turn a public golf course near my house into a food forest.
What’s a food forest? It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a designed landscape that mimics a natural ecosystem while incorporating food producing plants like nut and fruit trees, shrubs, perennial vegetables and herbs. Annual plants can also be grown in the mix. And of course it is a space that also utilizes native plants to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects, control weeds and build soil fertility.
The site of this proposed food forest is a public golf course near Lake Hiawatha. The golf course is very expensive to maintain not just because it was built on a wetlands and requires millions of gallons of water to be pumped out of it every year. It turns out the amount of water being pumped far exceeds the permit limits and is therefore illegal. A portion of the golf course has also been closed since 2014 when we had so much rain that the “back nine” was flooded and is still so soaked and damaged the park board can’t really afford to fix it. This golf course also drains into Lake Hiawatha which suffers greatly from water quality issues do to run-off into the lake. This golf course covers 140 acres and serves very few people, costing to my mind and many others, more than it is worth.
So a young, brilliant city resident has put up a proposal and taken up the challenge to advocate for repurposing the land. His vision allows for a much reduced golf course, fruit orchards, nut trees, and more. His vision even includes returning wild rice to Lake Hiawatha which, I just learned, used to be called “Rice Lake” because local Native Americans grew and harvested wild rice there before they were forced to move elsewhere.
The food forest would be grown on public land, would be tended by volunteers, and would welcome all from the community to go and harvest food from it. It would solve the water pumping problem and the lake’s water quality issues as well. And it would provide learning opportunities for both adults and school children. Plus it would be far cheaper to maintain than a full golf course not to mention more beautiful and useful.
This is such an incredibly exciting thing and if it goes through, if the Park Board decides to go along with it, it would mean Minneapolis would be home to the largest food forest in the United States. And yeah, you know I’ll find a way to be involved with the project even if it is only volunteering a few hours every month. There is a meeting being held on February 27th. It’s scheduled for four hours in the afternoon which is a big chunk of Saturday time for me, but I might just see if I can make it for at least a portion of the meeting. If not, I am sure there will be other opportunities as the proposal picks up steam.
In my own garden, I have a tray full of paper pots ready for onion seeds next weekend. I must continue working at making pots because at the end of the month I will need to get the peppers and tomatoes started. I love this time of year. While it feels so hectic getting everything started, it is also the most hopeful time of the gardening year because there is still so much possibility. The slugs haven’t eaten the greens yet, the squirrels haven’t dug up or stolen anything, there hasn’t been too much rain or not enough, too much heat or not enough. In my mind’s eye my garden is lush and green and perfect. Reality will kick in soon enough, but until then, everything is still perfect.
In chicken news, the same newsletter that brought word of the food forest proposal also informed me that the city council will be voting on the new chicken ordinance on February 12th! I wasn’t expecting anything from the city council until summer. But perhaps they want to get it all settled before spring when people who want to start keeping chickens will be looking to get underway. Bookman has not yet begun to collect neighbor signatures, it has been too cold and snowy. But now we will wait and see what happens come Friday. Bookman may just be saved the trouble of collecting signatures after all. Fingers crossed!
In cycling news, I am still riding in virtual races on Thursday nights. Each week is different and sometimes I finish first or second and sometimes I finish last. One thing for sure, my fitness has improved immensely. I am also in the final week of a 6-week workout program that has meant hour-long (or more) workouts four to five times of week doing intervals of varying intensities. This too has paid off. On a (virtual) ride after my workout yesterday I decided to see if I could beat my personal sprint records on the two sprint sections of the course and I blew each one away by several seconds! I even managed to ever so briefly hit 4 watts/kg, something I thought I would never manage. I also noticed I now frequently go over 3 w/kg which means that after this week I will start racing in group C instead of D. Technically I should start this week but I want to give myself one more “easy” week before I go to the next group and start coming in last all the time. I will be good incentive to work hard and improve, right?
Also this last week on Wednesday night I participated in my first virtual group ride. It was so much fun! I am part of a group on Zwift called ROL (Ride On Ladies — in Zwift you can give riders a “ride on” thumb’s up, it’s a way to offer support and tell other riders they are doing great or thanking them for a good ride, etc). There is an ROL group ride on Wednesday nights but I had not joined in because it is a fast ride and with the races I’ve been doing Thursday nights I didn’t want to overdo it the night before. Anyway, a slower group ride was introduced this week so I joined that one. We used an app called TeamSpeak which allows us to actually talk to each other while we ride. I rode with a couple people from Seattle and someone from Ohio and I think maybe Texas. Technology is awesome!
Also, there are enough ROL women who are interested in racing that we are going to have our own women’s race on Saturday upcoming. It will be a 30km race and I will have to race in group B which is both exciting and scary. There are not a lot of women on Zwift, I saw somewhere that women are only about 8% of the Zwift population, but among them are some really strong riders and racers. It is exciting to ride with them because it forces me to work harder and they are all supportive and encouraging so even though I feel intimidated, it comes from my own personal worries of not being very good rather than anything anyone else has said or done. Currently there are 24 women who have indicated they will be racing Saturday and 56 who have said maybe. We’ll see what kind of turnout there really is. I just hope I don’t finish last in my group. But hey, if I do, incentive to improve!
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By:
Heidi MacDonald,
on 2/18/2013
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PW -The Beat
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Tweet It’s all still a bit cloak and dagger (and very early days), but there’s a new and upcoming event in Minneapolis this August. Cooked up by Zak Sally, Anders Nilsen, Tom Kaczynski (all of whom are currently faculty members at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design), local publishers 2D Cloud, TalkWeird Press, Grimalkin press [...]
The Page Education Foundation is a local nonprofit based in Minneapolis that helps young people from low-income families get to college, through financial assistance and mentoring. Those young people become Page Education Foundation Scholars, and the program requires them to commit to giving back by mentoring other kids in the community.
The people at Page Education Foundation does amazing work, and they’re part of First Book’s national network of 27,000 schools and community programs across the country.
Last year they started a pilot program, ‘Begin With A Book’, where the recipients of Page Education Foundation grants volunteered their time at other community programs reading aloud to younger children. The pilot program was a success, showing real impact on the lives of the younger kids, and so they looked for ways to expand.
But to do that, they needed books.
Having done some homework, they knew they could sign up with First Book to get new, high-quality books to start the library they needed to expand their program. To raise the money quickly from members of the community, they turned to Groupon, the online coupon company that provides “daily deals” in different cities.
Groupon, which also works with local nonprofits, set up an offer to let Minneapolis residents donate $10 toward the Page Education Foundation’s plan to build a library for its ‘Begin With A Book’ program. Over 130 people chipped in, raising $700 to pay for the books.
Because the First Book Marketplace is available exclusively to community programs and Title I schools, we’re able to provide new books at rates significantly lower than for-profit stores; our friends at the Page Education Foundation were able to get 274 new books to start their library.
“I’m so glad the Groupon campaign worked out,” said Eric Rahman, development coordinator at Page Education Foundation. “Now books can be introduced to hundreds of community sites across Minnesota and thousands of younger children can benefit from having a positive role model reading aloud to them.”
Fall offers so many great, comforting tradeoffs as its shorter and cooler days make us pry our once sweaty and tanned hands open and let the last of summer slip through our fingers. The brisk, cooler air is just right for more time outdoors with no worries of slathering on sun screen and heat index [...]
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By:
Aaron Starmer,
on 9/12/2011
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The world of children’s literature is full of generous and supportive people. First and foremost among these are the authors. If they’re competing for shelf space and bestseller lists, they certainly don’t act like it. I’m new to this world, but have been lucky enough to meet and learn from dozens of authors. Kurtis Scaletta has been at this about as long as I have, but it would seem as though he’s been doing it forever. He’s already a seasoned pro. His newest book is The Tanglewood Terror, a beautiful mash-up of classic science fiction, football, bicycle-back adventure, and bittersweet family drama, with a healthy dose of adolescent awkwardness mixed in. It will be released on the same date as The Only Ones: tomorrow! To celebrate the occasion, we decided to interview each other. I’m answering questions on his blog. He’s answering questions here. If you can find a better deal than that, then pin a tail on me and call me a donkey. Because it don’t exist.
Aaron: First off, congratulations on crafting an utterly unique story, a gentle but ominous tale about a plague of mushrooms and a family struggling to hold itself together. And congratulations on your third book in three years (after Mudville and Mamba Point). It’s an astounding accomplishment, especially considering they’re each stand-alone novels set in vastly different times and places.
Kurtis: Thanks. I published my first book at age 40 and I think I was trying to make up for lost time by putting out a book a year.
Aaron: I guess that leads to my first question. In a children’s book industry dominated by trilogies and series, what is it about the stand-alone novel that appeals to you?
Kurtis: Kids love series, no doubt about it. They ask about sequels a lot. I think it’s because they feel really connected to the characters, they make these temporary friends and want to keep seeing them. But I’m usually focused on a kid in a time of upheaval and transformation. By the end of the book, that kid and the world around him have changed too much to go back and do it again. But I did love series as a kid, too, and I have one in the works… it’s for younger readers than my first three novels so it can be a little more static.
Aaron: The Tanglewood Terror is set in present day Maine, in a world of cell phones and the internet. Yet it also seems to exist in a time when kids were granted more freedom. The characters roam the woods for hours on end. There are none of the “helicopter parents” we hear about. The wonderful title and cover art communicate the retro aspect of the story, but I’m curious how this notion of freedom and autonomy informed your writing. Was it something other than nostalgia for you? It reminds me of the
By:
Betsy Bird,
on 9/9/2011
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When I first became interested in children’s literature I decided that it would be a good idea to teach myself about all the old greats of the picture book world. A good idea, but self-teaching is inherently limited. As such, I’ve missed a lot of folks. For example, until now “Saul Bass” meant nothing to me. Yet after reading the Ward Jenkins post on the Rizzoli reprint of Henri’s Walk to Paris, that is one book I would love to get my sticky digits on. Just gorgeous stuff.
I’ve noticed a couple of folks around the country working to make literary loving hip in the mind of the average consumer with varying degrees of success. One project that has interested me, though, is this Litpunch idea the Twin Cities are engaged in. Basically you get a card, you attend fun free literary events, and if you get your card punched twelve times you get a $15 gift card to a bookstore. I do wish the libraries were involved in some manner but it’s a great notion. Imagine if they did the same thing with children’s literature! I await that happening someday.
- This is impressive! Want a fabulous list of in-print books set on every continent of the world? And would you like such a list to also include activities and recipes and the like? Then I think it’s time to take a trip to Read Around the World. It’ll do your old heart good. Promise.
- Speaking of recipes, you know that fabulous book Press Here by Herve Tullet? Well, would you fancy trying a mess of Press Here cookies? Children’s Books for Grown-Ups has got the goods. It’s part of a regular “Bookish Bites” series. I’m seriously looking forward to how Natasha will tackle that upcoming Moomin birthday cake. There but for the grace of parental challenges go I . . .
- Once in a while at Hark, A Vagrant, Ms. Kate Beaton will reinterpret various Edward Gorey covers. Here’s one she may have missed. It appeared recently on the 50 Watt blog and features a Gorey spider. Have you ever seen a Gorey spider? Did you know that you were missing out? That your life contained a gigantic Gorey-spider shaped void?
Well now you know.
By: Laura,
on 5/17/2011
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A bookstore cat
Let’s be honest. The bookstore cat is cliché. Don’t get me wrong. I love cats, and I love cats in bookstores. There’s a reason why they are cliché. Bookstore cats are well-behaved (mostly) and safe (again, mostly) in exactly the way that a bookstore mongoose or bookstore badger is not. Still, I pine for variety now and again. And that brings us to my favorite local children’s bookstore, Wild Rumpus.
Wild Rumpus is nestled in Linden Hills. Linden Hills is nestled in Minneapolis. And within Wild Rumpus is nestled… other things. There’s a whole lot of nestling going on. It’s like a Russian doll thing, in indie bookstore form. Those other things include Mo the Dove, Amelia and Skeeter (a pair of chinchillas), Spike the Wise Lizard (which sounds like a Toad the Wet Sprocket cover band if you ask me), parakeets, chickens (that roam the store freely), and yes, even a cat or two (of the stylish Manx variety).
A chicken climbs a display for PERFECT SQUARE and MY HEART IS LIKE A ZOO, both by local author/illustrator Michael Hall
In addition to housing this menagerie, Wild Rumpus sells books. Really good books. I get the majority of my children’s and YA books from my excellent local library system. But when I absolutely positively can’t wait for my hold to come in, I go to Wild Rumpus. When I do, I also have to watch my wallet because of the temptation to bring the entire contents of their shelves home with me.
Wild Rumpus offers a weekly story time on Mondays and book clubs for all ages. Their ARRG! (that’s Advanced Reader Review Group) recently read YOU by Charles Benoit, one of my favorite books of 2010. I’m a librarian by training and inclination, so I sometimes get nervous when bookstores offer traditional library programs like book clubs and story times. But when the bookstore staff loves children’s literature–as the Wild Rumpus’ staff so clearly does–it’s hard to take offense. Hungry readers benefit libraries and booksellers alike.
I know I’m preaching to the choir when it comes to you Twin Cities readers, so this is for the rest of you. If your travels take you to Minneapolis, let your wild rumpus begin!
~Tony
p.s. Katherine Hannigan, author of TRUE (…SORT OF) and
It’s the season of “in-between” in Minnesota … The ice skates and subzero polar arctic attire can now be tucked away for next season. (Was that a resounding, “Yippee! I heard?) But, it’s not quite the time to do what we love to do in Minnesota in summer – go jump in a lake [...]
Yesterday I returned from Minneapolis and already I can’t wait to get back! Those of you who will be attending the 2010 Kidlitosphere Conference probably feel the same way. Unfortunately, it looks as if this year’s conference will be running at the same time as my 10 year college reunion. D’oh!
In lieu of my return then, I offer you some advice for once you are there. Ms. Caryl Mousseaux of Leaning Tower of Books was kind enough to send me recommendations on where to visit when one is bookish and in Minneapolis. Here I shall recount her fantastic advice. It may prove useful to some of you folks:
… if you’ve lived here, you probably know the bookstores to visit. One you might not know is my favorite used bookstore. It has a great children’s section:
Sixth Chamber Books
http://www.sixthchamber.com/
Owners are husband-wife team, Heather & James, and they are wonderful.
Here is a list of the other independent bookstores:
Red Balloon (If you’re here this weekend, you can meet Chris Monroe of Monkey with a Toolbelt fame.)
http://www.redballoonbookshop.com/
On Grand Ave. near Victoria Crossing
Wild Rumpus
http://www.wildrumpusbooks.com/
In Minneapolis, Linden Hills
Common Good Books (Garrison Keillor, proprietor)
http://www.commongoodbooks.com/
On Selby & Western
Birchbark Books (Louise Erdrich’s bookstore, with a great children’s nook & loft, and a confessional!)
http://birchbarkbooks.com/
In Minneapolis
Micawber’s
http://www.micawbers.com/
On Carter Ave., across the street from the gorgeous little St. Anthony Park branch library. They remodeled just over ten years ago, and their children’s area is really neat — it’s a round room (a rotunda?) at the back of the library that was an addition to the original building. They’ve had an active library association since the 1930s, and we are following in their footsteps. Our library was created during the depression — started out as a little neighborhood-created place in a storefront, then they built the current building in the 30s. Cool history!
Here’s the St. Anthony Park library website:
http://www.sppl.org/locations/stanthony.html
And if you need a non-bookish place to visit, try the Japenese garden at the Como Conservatory. The whole Conservatory is lovely:
http://www.comozooconservatory.org/cons/index.shtml
The Turkish restaurant on Snelling by Hamline U is yummy, tiny and sweet:
http://www.blacksearestaurant.com/
After a few days in sunny Santa Monica, I headed for Minneapolis and the Public Library Conference. It was massive - I think there 15,000 attendees - mindboggling! And so many stands, with so many books... it'll feel like Christmas when my parcel arrives, because once I'd decided to send a box it seemed sensible to fill it properly.
Minneapolis is also the home of Lauren Stringer, the artist who's just started working on my picture book text, One Night. Her home's a fascinating old house, a type I've always wanted to live in, full of amazing art, and it was one of those rare and wonderful meetings that feels much more like picking up an old friendship than meeting for the first time. I can't wait to see what she does with the story.
One of the first books that I saw of Lauren's was 'Our Family Tree', which is quite magical - and I also really love her latest, "Winter is the warmest season".
We held a preview screening of Nim's Island for the conference attendees on the Thursday night; it was a lovely atmosphere; people laughed and clapped and asked great questions afterwards - very encouraging as to what audience reactions were likely to be when it actually came out. Best of all, at least on a personal letter, was that I was able to relax and see it as a film, separate from me, and just enjoy it, so I didn't even cry till Nim did, near the end.
I also met Ingrid Lawes, author of Savvy, at dinner after the movie. The book has gone in my box to read when I get home, but the first sentence convinced me - I predict a great future for the book, and for Ingrid.
It was also great to meet some young Nim fans at a signing at Barnes and Noble in Maple Grove, and then the many librians who came to the signing at the conference the morning after the screening.
Of course Minneapolis was a good reminder of northern winters; there was still snow on the ground, and a snow storm prediccted for the Friday we were due to fly back to LA - I was quite happy that didn't eventuate!
I spent last week in Minneapolis, representing Kane/Miller at the national conference for the Public Library Association.Actually, I stayed in St. Paul (where I was born and raised) with my parents. My son traveled with me to experience the meaning of Spring: watching the final bits of snow and ice melt.We flew from San Diego on the same flight as Brian Selznick, author/illustrator of award-winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Brian, my son and I, and a hand full of other travelers spent almost that entire day in the San Diego airport as our 8:45am flight was delayed by nearly five hours.Brian, on top of the fact that he is a brilliant illustrator and a fabulous storyteller, is also a great individual. He was genuinely interested as my son showed him how his toy worked and explained the fundmanetals of having a car that changes into a robot. I have a great respect for anyone who takes the time to listen to a child - especially when one is waiting at the airport.While at PLA, I purchased two signed copies of one of Jon Scieszka's new books - one for my son, the other for my nephew. They both loved the book, of course.After explaining to my son how lucky he is to have such a wonderful library of books (some of which he has yet to grow into) and the opportunity to meet authors and illustrators, it occurred to me that it might be something he can comprehend just yet.But, as he often does, my son surprised me. Last night at dinner, he announced out of the blue, "When I am a grown-up, I'm going to write a story and there's going to be NO pictures."I can't wait.
By: Mark Peter Hughes,
on 8/15/2007
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So far we’ve gone 10,956 miles in 49 days, with only 6 days to go. As I type we’re whooshing down Route I-94 heading toward Michigan. Not too long ago we went into Indiana, a state we’re passing through for only a few minutes—but it still counts! :-) The grass and shrubs have definitely looked more shaggy since Illinois, but that’s new. For the past few days we’ve been in clean, manicured farm country.
Let’s catch up:
Wall Drug, SD and the Badlands
Wednesday, the day after we saw Mount Rushmore, was a long driving day (about 700 miles!), but Karen is never one to let a cool-sounding place pass by without calling out “Stop!” So that’s what we did in Wall Drug, South Dakota, where the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was in full swing. The entire town, which was originally built around a drug store, was filled with bikers, bikers, and more bikers. How could we pass up a chance to buy a Harley Davidson t-shirt in the biker heartland of America?
BIG, BAD BADLANDS
The badlands: Truly bad, or just misunderstood? Here’s Evan:
EVAN: The Badlands were covered with white rock and it seemed sort of like the moon. It was very hot and I liked it because in some places the rock was burned so badly that it made colors (Mark’s note: actually, this was different levels of sediment—and way cool) and suddenly when you leave the Badlands it looks like you’re in the regular world again. There were a lot of motorcycle guys everywhere too.
Minnesota
So then we reached Minnesota. The photo above was the most difficult "entering a new state" photo we've taken. The sign was on the highway, and we had to climb up a hill, through some brambles, and then squeeze into a tiny area of dirt in the middle of some bushes. Note that Evan is parting a shrub with his arm so the state name can be seen.
In Minnesota we stayed Chaska, just outside of Minneapolis, with our friends Patricia Danielson, Vicki Boeddeker, and Mike Weinkauf. Patricia took a couple of days off work to show us around the Twin Cities. We saw first-hand the damaged remains of the collapsed bridge on I-35W—just awful. Five weeks and two days after crossing the Mississippi in the south (into Louisiana), we crossed it in the north. It’s a lot calmer in the north! We also saw the beautiful state capital building. Thanks Patricia, Vicki, and Mike!
A note from KAREN: Mark asked why I’ve only been writing about bad experiences. I don’t see it that way, I see them as different experiences than life in Wayland, MA. For example, my 2nd night in Vicki’s house. Here we are, comfy cozy, away from bears and rattlesnakes, what else could happen at night? My first big lightening storm on the prairies of Minnesota, that’s what!! Holy cow ! I got out of bed and was blinded by the flashing lightning, and then jumped out of my PJ’s when I heard the loud crack and kaboom of the lightning right outside the window! Did a tree fall down? Did we get hit by lightning? Another night of no sleeping because of fear!! The next morning, as usual, everyone including Mark said it was a normal storm, no big deal . WELL, we got an email from a friend in the area who said the storm blew out windows like a tornado and power was out for a few days. She asked if we were in the eye of the storm! See, I’m not crazy!!
WILD RUMPUS
Wild Rupus was wild indeed. An amazing independent bookstore in Minneapolis, the whole store was designed to look like it was transforming from an inside space to the outdoors. Helping to create the effect were a whole menagerie of animals, including chickens, ferrets, Australian flying squirrels, fish, tarantulas, rats and many more. The kids were in heaven. Here we are with Manager Kristin Bergsagel bookseller Josh Harrod, Poopsie the ferret, and a Japanese chicken named Elvis. Thanks, Wild Rumpus—you are terrific!
THE RED BALLOON
Like a matching bookend to Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis, St. Paul is home to another amazing bookstore called The Red Balloon. Susan Hepburn was a terrific host, serving up lemon drops and lemonade. The Red Balloon is another must-visit bookstore for anyone the St. Paul area!
As a nice surprise, we were lucky enough to meet Shelley Swanson Sateren, fellow SCBWI member and author of the middle-grade novel Cat on a Hottie’s Tin Roof. Here’s Evan’s review:
EVAN’S REVIEW: Cat on a Hottie’s Tin Roof is a fun book about a girl who is geeky who when her friend moves away from Paris she finds a new friend who is stylish and cool. It was an interesting story because it’s interesting to see how a girl with so much smarts can try and be cool and fit in with everyone else. You should read it.
It was great to meet you, Shelley!
BACK TO THE HONDA DEALER ONE MORE TIME
Penelope’s rattling got kind of dubious so we stopped at the Honda dealer in Hopkins, MN. $560 later, (replaced ‘severely cracked’ exhaust manifold and gaskets, oil change, new battery) the minivan sounded a bit better—at least for the first twenty miles or so. After that, we’re pretty much back to the rattling we started out with. Oh well, it’s only money. :-)
Here’s Shane Beals, the Honda guy who washed Penelope—she badly needed it. Thanks, Shane!
Wisconsin
Next we drove through Wisconsin, a land of beautiful manicured farms and more red barns than you can shake a cheddar wheel at. So lovely!
In Green Bay we stopped to see a surprisingly large athletic facility where a local team plays a sport that apparently involves feet and leather hats. I hear that the locals are rather enthusiastic about it.
BUTTERFLY BOOKS
Just south of Green Bay, in DePere, is Butterfly Books, a roomy and cheerful independent bookstore run by Barbara Wilson. Barbara and her friendly team of booksellers were very kind, staying open later than usual on a Saturday afternoon just so that we could visit. Here I am with Barbara and Samantha Parker, bookseller and saxophone player. Great to meet you!
ROLLING AROUND IN PAIN IN MILWAUKEE
In Milwaukee we stayed with our friends Posh (really Josh, but he’s yet another friend with a mysterious nickname given by Karen) and Boris. They showed us around Milwaukee, and took us for custard at Kopps, a Milwaukee thing-to-do. The custard was a lot like ice cream except a lot denser—it’s made with eggs and who-knows-what-else and it sneaks up on you. Thank god I only had a small cone—by bedtime I felt so full that I rolled around in pain clutching at my stomach. But honestly, it was so tasty it was worth it! :-)
MILLER TIME
As any fan of Laverne and Shirley can tell you, Milwaukee is home to many breweries, so how could we pass up the opportunity to tour the Miller factory?
CREEKSIDE BOOKS
In beautiful Cedarburg, WI, about twenty minutes north of Milwaukee, is the terrific Creekside Books. Owner Glen Switalski is a man with an amazing story: After his doctor told him he needed to lose weight, he lost well over 100 lbs by exercise, diet and sheer force of will. Today he can be seen riding his exercise bike in and around his store every day. The guy is an aerobic, bookselling powerhouse! Creekside Books is a great independent bookstore, and Gary is a truly an inspirational guy.
Here I am with Lindsay McLaughlin, a reader and artist who came to see me. She was fun to talk with, and very helpful in suggesting places we could go in the area. Great to meet you, Lindsay! :-)
Illinois: An All-Too-Short Trip Through the Land of Lincoln
Southward from Milwaukee...! Unfortunately, we had only a few hours in Illinois. Still, it counts as state number 31 on our trip! :-)
UNDER THE SYCAMORE TREE
In Grayslake, Illinois, about forty minutes north of Chicago, is a magical bookstore called Under the Sycamore Tree. A new independent store, owner Jackie Harris opened up shop this past November. It’s a roomy, bright place with a big “sycamore tree” inside. The store has taken inspiration from Wild Rumpus (see Minnesota) and filled its space with wild animals. My kids were in their element. Zoe ran at me with a giant grin and a very big python named ‘Snakey’. Under the Sycamore Tree is yet another example of how independent bookstores tend to be run by smart, thoughtful, nice people. Jackie, it was a pleasure to meet you!
Here I am with Jackie and her daughter, Haley:
CHICAGO
Because we’re meeting a friend in Michigan later today, we had only about an hour or so to see Chicago. I know, I know—not even close to scratching the surface. So on top of just driving around a little, we decided that with our limited time we’d stop by Lake Michigan. As far as my eyes could tell, the lake might as well have been an ocean. Way cool. Next time, we’ll plan to spend more time here!
Our Trip Through Indiana: Don’t Blink Or You’ll Miss It
If you thought our stop in Chicago was too short, Indiana is only about a half hour of highway to us. Still, it counts as state #32. :-)
Next stop, Michigan!
--Mark
LEMONADE MOUTH (Delacorte Press, 2007)
I AM THE WALLPAPER (Delacorte Press, 2005)
www.markpeterhughes.com
Michael Sedano
Lucha Corpi’s essay in Friday’s La Bloga asks interesting questions about why Chicana writers and readers avoid mystery fiction. And this seems to be unique to Chicana readers and Chicana writers, since half the card-carrying mystery writers in the United States are women.
In Corpi’s experience Chicanas express a generalized disdain for the value and importance of mystery novels. “That kind of novel”, says writer Sandra Cisneros, she doesn’t read—much less write. And explaining why Corpi remained, for seventeen years, the singular Chicana among mystery writers, “no los han tomado el gusto”, says social critic Norma Alarcón. Yet, Chicanas approach Corpi at her readings to confess their desire to be a mystery writer like Corpi.
It’s never too late to start. I wonder if one reason Chicanas express a distaste for mystery fiction might be the vast gulf between the world of novels and the reader’s. I know certain readers would not welcome the horrible murder of an infant as their initial experience reading a Chicana detective novel. Yet a reader—particularly a baby boomer--might appreciate following V.I. Warshawsky’s rough-and-tumble career to her bumbling middle age, where she’s two steps too slow and losing it mentally. Corpi’s own Gloria Damaso character, feeling her years, has taken on a pair of associates to relieve the load (it’s good to see Gloria’s coming back in Corpi’s next publication).
One answer, then is to recommend the right titles to those late-blooming mystery reader friends. Get them started on a classic then they'll start digging in on their own and one day be ready for infanticide and Corpi's Eulogy for a Brown Angel.
Be systematic. Start with Lucha Corpi’s list and expand it to make up your own list of the best Chicana Chicano mystery titles. Prioritize it with certain friends in mind. Which title will you give to your mom? How about your habitual reader pal? Your book group?
Be serendipitous. One fellow I know is a human resources director. He keeps a supply of Chicana Chicano mystery titles (and children’s titles he spots on La Bloga) in his office. When a worker expresses a desire to move up in the company, the HR guy gives the kid a pep talk and a book. He’s identified several candidates for advancement as a result, and Lucha Corpi has several new readers in southeast LA.
Clearly, Chicanas do not publish mystery fiction. Adding Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s outstanding Desert Blood: The Juarez Murders to Lucha Corpi’s five titles, including her upcoming Death At Solstice, Chicanas have published those six. But do Chicanas read mystery fiction? Do you?
Please take a moment to share a comment about reading Chicana detective fiction, or mysteries in general, to expand on Lucha Corpi’s list of Chicana Chicano Latina Latino mystery fiction. Joining the discussion is easy: click on the word "comment" below.
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The real mystery is where does the time go? Here we are, the 1st of May already. Summer around the corner! See you next week.
mvs
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[...] traded books, and we’re trading release day eve to talk about them. (Here’s the other talk.) What can I say about The Only Ones? (Indeibound | Amazon | Worldcat) I felt sick as I read the [...]
I love the word “avuncular”, and shall aspire now to be more so from now on.
I also love this interview.
Cheers!
[...] Terror, which shares a publisher and publication date with The Only Ones. We traded interviews (here and here) and deep thoughts on each others books. Kurtis is an engaging, intelligent and passionate [...]