Banned Books Week September 26-October 2, 2021

This week, from September 26 through October 2 of 2021 is National Banned Books Week. Book banning and censorship is a crucial issue that should unite readers and writers. Throughout the world and humanity’s history, governments, churches, and other institutions have banned or attempted to ban and censor books.

Most of us are familiar with the images from Nazi Germany in which thousands of books were burned by the Fascists. All banning, however, is not so explicit. Sometimes in the United States of America, books are challenged, especially in the context of not being allowed to be taught in the classroom.

I oppose all such censorship. As a writer, it is an obscenity; as a teacher, it is an imposition of chosen ignorance; as a reader, it is an intolerable abomination. We must unite and oppose book banning, in all of its forms.

Fight for your freedom to choose what to read.

Here are several important links about this issue:

Banned Books Week

American Library Association

I will later, this week, in honor of this important cause put out another call for readers to become part of my unofficial group that opposes censorship–The Underground Library Society, The U. L. S.

In the meantime, I ask all of you this question: what is a book that has been banned or challenged that you love?

I choose To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Some News, A Challenge, Book Launch & Signing

Please check out Liz Gauffreau’s new book of poetry Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance!

Elizabeth Gauffreau

Three Generations

Some News

My debut poetry collection, Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance, launches on Sunday, September 26th, in honor of National Family Day. The local book signing will be held in Peterborough, New Hampshire on Saturday. (I’ll confess to some trepidation about COVID, but I’m fully vaccinated, and masks are mandatory for everyone regardless of vaccination status.)

My big news is that my daughter will be flying in from San Diego tonight to spend a week with us and help me at the signing. It’s been way too long since we’ve seen her in person!

The Challenge

This photograph of my little brother and me sitting on our father’s lap was taken shortly before The Kingston Trio released their song “M.T.A.” in 1959. The challenge for my mother related to this photo was to try to convince me that I didn’t need to wear my pink dress…

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The Most Important Things in Life

Please read this wonderful post from the excellent teacher, Jennie!

A Teacher's Reflections

Bottom line = times have changed, but children have not.  What they need and want is the same as it has always been.  Academics are one thing, but in order to get there, children have to be grounded in the most important things in life.

I have taught preschool for over thirty years, and I know children and what they need.  It’s all the little things that mean the most, as they become the big things in life.

A few years after I got my feet wet teaching, I read Robert Fulghum’s book, All I ReallyNeed To Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  That had a profound influence on my career.  His opening essay seemed to take all the stars in the sky and bring them to earth in a simple package; for me it validated what I was learning, and how I was teaching children.

I knew…

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Brittany’s Street Art II

Please enjoy this wonderful post of street art from https://bonjourfrombrittany.wordpress.com.

Bonjour From Brittany

Whether you choose to call it street art or simply common graffiti, the walls of several Breton towns have been enriched by some wonderful examples of the craft in recent years. In an earlier post, I highlighted some from the north Breton city of Saint-Brieuc and this post features many new murals that now adorn that town as well as a few that were painted over. Additionally, some works spotted in the towns of Morlaix and Brest were just too good not to include here too.

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Whether you regarded these as fine pieces of urban poetry or just bits of colourful vandalism, I hope that you enjoyed seeing these few daubed walls of Brittany – formerly blank canvasses that now carry the gift of a smile for the passer-by or, at the very…

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Happy Birthday to Stephen King!

I want to wish a happy birthday to one of the great American writers–Stephen King! 

Stephen King is not only a prolific writer, having created 63 works of fiction and 5 of nonfiction, all of which have become best seller, but also he is finally being recognized as one of the great American writers.

Stephen King, one of the most important and best American writers, continues to receive acknowledgement of his work on extremely visible and important stages.  On September 10, 2015 President Obama presented Mr. King with a National Medal in the Arts.

 

Mr. King also was garnered the 2003 lifetime achievement award from the National Book Awards.

I am both a beginning novelist and an experienced educator, with a Ph.D. in English Literature. I am not saying that to be an egoist; rather, I want to show that there are those in the academic world who consider Mr. King to be an extraordinary writer.

Mr. King has, for many years, demonstrated his talent for telling deeply powerful stories with moving themes and unforgettable characters.  Some of his work stands as among the best novels written.  Hearts In Atlantis and The Stand are, in my opinion, masterpieces of literature.

 

Once again, I want to wish a very happy birthday to Stephen King!

Robbie Cheadle Reads Her Poetry from Behind Closed Doors a collection of unusual poems.

Please view Robbie Cheadle reading her poem “Do you want it enough” from her book of poetry Behind Closed Doors a collection of unusual poems. 

I give Robbie Cheadle’s book of poetry Behind Closed Doors a collection of unusual poems my highest recommendation. Robbie Cheadle is an excellent writer of both fiction and poetry, and her work continues to be of the highest quality.

In this collection of poems, Robbie Cheadle deals with a wide variety of issues and uses a variety of forms of poetry, among them Tanka, limericks, and haiku, and she does this with great passion and control of her art. The poetry in her book is powerful, compelling, and evocative.

Several of the poems resonated with me in particular, including “Opportunity”, “Hope”, “Making a splash”, “Perspective”, “Lockdown in poverty”, and “I saw a fish a-swimming”.

Choosing these poems to highlight was difficult, because Robbie’s work is excellent throughout the book. 

If you enjoy poetry, you need to get and read this book!

Please visit Robbie Cheadle’s wonderful sites:

Roberta Writes

Robbie’s Inspiration

Robbie Cheadle–Books/Poems/Reviews

September Self-Promotion Party!

It’s the ides of September, and it is a perfect time for a soon-to-be-Autumn Book promotion party!

So, don’t be shy, and be your own best publicist!

Promote

Your

Book(s)!

Be proud of your writing!

Let the world know about your book(s)!

Shout to the world about your writing!

Tell us about your book(s), and leave an image and a link if you can.

In order for as many people to see your work as possible,

please Tweet and reblog this post!

Here is my self-promotion: my latest book can help writers who have issues issues with finishing first drafts of their books. If that is you, I  offer direct, practical advice on how to

Get The Draft Done! Helping Writers Finish Their First Draft

by Charles F. French.

Get The Draft Done! is available here: Amazon.com

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.

An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.

Please follow the following links to find my novel:

ebook

Print book

Thank you!

The book trailer:

Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I

My radio interview:

interview

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

The Start of a New Year at School – Part 2

Please enjoy part II of the extraordinary teacher, Jennie’s, series on the beginning of the school year.

A Teacher's Reflections

In Part 1, I talked about welcoming children to a new year at school.

Part 2
This is the really important piece – The Teacher.  What a teacher brings to children and the classroom makes all the difference in the world.  I have written this to teachers before, yet today children need teachers more than ever.  Here is my letter to teachers:

Finding Joy – It’s the Magic Word!

Dear Teachers,

As you start your new school year, there is one word that will get you through the uncertainty and the worry.  It’s the same word that is the heart of educating.  That word is ‘joy’.  No, it’s not the happiness that children bring. It’s the happiness that you bring because it inspires and ignites the mind and the heart of children.  Yes, that’s how it works.

Children come to you with big eyes, looking at you to teach…

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The Start of a New Year at School – Part 1

Here is an excellent post, the beginning of a series, from the extraordinary teacher, Jennie!

A Teacher's Reflections

When children come to school next week, they will be greeted at the front entrance by this hand painted dove.  I can’t imagine anything more welcoming for children than walking across this threshold to start their day at school.

This Peace Dove goes way back, and was painted by Janine, then a parent in my class – the same parent who drew children’s ideas for the Peace Quilt.  As years have passed, she has repainted the Peace Dove whenever needed.  See, parents hang on long after their child has left school, much like children do.

Janine is an artist, and her daughters were in my class.  It’s surprising (in the best of ways) how art can play such a huge role in school.  I only have three art posters in the classroom; a sun by Eric Carle, a Grandma Moses painting, and Starry Night.  That’s it.  Janine’s daughter, Juliet, always…

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Are You Down for a Series? #1 Flight~

Please enjoy these wonderful photographs from Cindy Knoke!

Hummingbirds in flight are difficult photos for me.

You can see his tongue here,

and here.

The world has been so depressing for such a long time now,

that I am sharing some of what keeps me going.

And risk boring you with too many photos.

I am going to post a series of hummingbirds, macros are next.

Hummingbirds help me realize how hopeful the world still is.

I hope they help you too. Cheers to you from The Holler Hummers~

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