Show Mr Brilliant some love!
A year ago today, Mr Brilliant started his own blog, full of amazing images and knowledge and just downright smart and funny and erudite stuff. Tonight between putting Tessie to bed and driving to pick Emma up from community band and all the other many things he does to keep …
50th birthday year giveaway extravaganza #1!
The story of the scarf from Patti Digh on Vimeo. I may have mentioned once or eleven thousand times that I'm turning 50 this year. As part of my celebration, I'm giving away 50 things over the year, things I love, that have some special meaning to me or a …
Take out your earplugs and sing together
Their cause must be our cause too. Because it's not just negroes, but really it's all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome. – Martin Luther King, Jr. (1965) When you stand on the balcony of the Highlander Center in New …
Peaches and Verbs
I've been so thrilled to read in remarkable bookstores and art spaces all around the country, many of them independent bookstores which we all need to support especially in troubled economic times, and I can't wait to visit Charis Books in Atlanta, on Thursday, February 5th. I hope you can …
Your library needs Verbs
Having started my working life in the world as a 16-year-old librarian at the Morganton-Burke Public Library (where I will give the keynote this February 12th at their annual Author's Luncheon, which tickles me no end), I must admit that I am partial to libraries. I like the idea that …
Knock it off.
When I was little, where I grew up, I used to hear people talk about getting "jewed down" all the time. Or, as a source of pride, they would announce that had really "jewed" somebody else down. Because in my Southern Baptist universe I didn't know any Jewish people, or …
Need help in NYC…
I'm very excited to be coming to New York in February to attend the Books for a Better Life Awards ceremony. Life is a Verb is one of five finalists, out of 450 nominees, in the "Inspirational Memoir" category and the winner will be announced on February 23rd. It's up …
Next to the frozen peas…
A few weeks ago, I started getting phone calls and emails from people I know–and people I didn't yet know, but do now–excitedly telling me about finding Life is a Verb at their local grocery store. The first call came from a woman I used to work with, but haven't …
Keep calm and carry on…to the post office
We don't write letters much anymore, or send things with handwriting on them, do we? We need to. Molecules need to be shipped around the world sometimes, not just ones and zeros from our happy laptops. We need to leave the imprint of our pen on paper sometimes, like a …
Learn 50@50, or 45@45, or 20@20…well, you get the idea.
I think they’re wonderful. They have so much courage! Here they are, hurling through space on a molten rock at 67,000 miles an hour, and the only thing that keeps them in their shoes is their misplaced faith in gravity." —John Lithgow as Prof Dick Solomon, in Third Rock from …
