October 21, 2016 Hello ,
Fannie Never Flinched debuts in just two weeks! I've put my heart into this book for ten years and it feels amazing this
day is finally coming. I'm beside myself with nervous anticipation.
It's easy to get overcome by fear that I am not doing enough, or not doing the right things to give my book it's best chance to survive in the world.
Then I remember what's most important--the story,
those of you who helped me bring it to life, and all of you who are so generous with your support.
I could not pursue this writing life that I love without you, the readers. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Please help me spread the word. Forward this e-mail to just one person you know who would cheer for Fannie's story. Help the book get off to a great
start.
Thanks to film student Calum Akins for putting this video together for me!
Also this week, I've got a new calendar up on my website featuring all the stops
on my book tour in Western Pennsylvania. If you know anyone in Pittsburgh, please tell them to come see me. Click the calendar image below to see my full schedule.
Main event:
Book Launch Celebration-Fannie Never
Flinched
Saturday, November 12, 1 p.m. Allegheny-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum 224 East Seventh Avenue, Tarentum, Pennsylvania Also announcing my Spokane area book launch:
Courage for Our Time A Panel Discussion/Community
Conversation
Fannie Sellins and Irena Sendler risked their lives fighting injustice— some of the same injustices that continue to plague us today.
What can we learn from Fannie and Irena? How do we find courage for our time?
Joining me to consider these
questions: Liz Moore, Peace & Justice Action League of Spokane, Lara Estaris, KYRS Community Radio and Jenny Rose, Washington Education Association.
Come join the conversation! Get jazzed to act for justice in the midst of everyday life.
Auntie’s Bookstore 402 W. Main Ave., Spokane Thursday, November 17, 7pm
It was great fun
delivering this press kit to local media today, including copies of both books, bookmarks and details of the event. Thanks to Spokane County Library District for inviting me to be a guest writer on their blog. Here's a sneak peak...
What I Learned
from Michelangelo
I went to Italy and got smitten with Michel Angelo Buonarrotti. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the David, the Pieta, the Sistina Cappella, his work knocks us all off our plinths. But as I walked the cobblestones of Firenze, stood in the shadow of the Duomo and watched the Arno ripple under the Ponte Vecchio, I grew increasing curious about the man, boy, really, for he chiseled his first marble sculpture at
fifteen.
And I don’t know how anyone pursuing a creative life, could walk among his masterpieces and not hope to glean some sliver of the mystery of how he did it. How one man could carve marble, paint plaster, fashion buildings and assemble words in sonnets that still live and breathe so powerfully five hundred years later.
Below: Michelangelo's first work in marble Madonna of the
Stairs.
So, as I licked my way through cone after cone of gelato, I tried to satisfy my hunger to learn about Michelangelo and apply what I could to my writing process. One thing for sure. I’ll never again complain about an editor
after hearing about a guy trying to please a pope. But here are four ideas I’m reflecting on.
Reverence the Materials of Your Art Michelangelo got a new set of nine chisels whenever he started work on a fresh piece of marble, chisels he fashioned himself. He tempered the iron, building an intense, even heat in the forge, as he had learned working among stonecutters as a small boy. And his marble—he had a lover’s passion for the stone he cut.
I’ve always been fascinated by words, my material, but Michelangelo’s tenderness for marble made me want to embrace language with greater appreciation. He respected his material, sometimes battling it, sometimes coaxing it, seeing its flaws, understanding its grain and crystalline structure. What I’d most like to emulate is the joy he found in materials he worked with and the reverence he had for them.
More on what I learned from Michelangelo coming up next
week! Until next week... Have you read a great book? Tell me about it. Have a burning question? Let me know.
If you know someone who might enjoy
my newsletter or books, please forward this e-mail. I will never spam you or sell your email address, you can unsubscribe below anytime with a single mouse click. To find out more about my books, how I help students, teacher and librarians, visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com. My best, Mary
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