Shel Silverstein
October 26, 2011
Shel Silverstein is an icon of the written word – poetic, lyrical or prosaic. Collections of his poetry, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up and A Light in The Attic, are nostalgic favourites of several generations now. Award nominations came his way for writing chart-topping songs like A Boy Named Sue and The Unicorn (bet you know the words yourself to those classics!) as well as many other more serious ones performed by musicians like Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Marianne Faithfull, and Peter, Paul & Mary. While the words captivate and amuse in his written collections, the charming illustrations are just as entertaining. Silverstein began his creative life as a cartoonist and only well into that career began to add writing for children.
Leaving behind an astounding legacy of words, written, sung, and performed in theatres, Shel Silverstein died in 1999. In 2005, Runny Babbit: a Billy Sook, was released – apparently Silverstein had been creating this collection of spoonerisms for over 20 years. Another posthumous release, and only very recently, is Everything On It – again combining over 100 poems with delightful drawings. Prophetically perhaps, one of the poems in this collection reads:
“Although I cannot see your face
As you flip these poems awhile,
Somewhere from some far-off place
I hear you laughing–and I smile.”
A reviewer of this latest production wrote: “It should come as little surprise that I thought Every Thing On It was really great, setting my brain’s wonder-and-glee-meter off the charts many times.”
And so if you’re not familiar with the legend of Shel Silverstein then I hope you’ll make yourself so by reading one of his beloved books, listed below. (Unintentional poetry!) If you only know him by his poetry then be tempted to listen to compilations of his music and be entertained. If you are a devotee already then share your favourite poem with us in the comments. I’ve always been partial to this one:
Dragons!
October 14, 2011
The CBC television program, Dragon’s Den, is a runaway success. Viewers watch hopeful business innovators seek financial investment and expert guidance from a panel of extraordinarily successful Canadian business persons. These experts are willing to invest significant sums to give the aspiring entrepreneur an advantage on the road to success. Of course the panel members do so only when there is strong faith and proof that they will gain impressive returns. The business ideas are creative, witty, and practical with huge potential and with great risk for failure, while the entrepreneur wannabees range from confident to colourful with a healthy dose of crazy too. It is great viewing and has spawned what appears to be great reading as well.
The experts or “Dragons” have their own intriguing stories – rags to riches with adventurous highs and lows along the way. Three of the Dragons have recently put their tales (not tails!) into written form. If you are familiar with the show you will know that each Dragon has his or her own strong and unique history and personality – the book titles and images clearly reflect this. (Click on book cover to be taken to website)
Oh Canada!
October 3, 2011
Four wonderful Canadian writers have recently released new novels. Having savoured previous novels by each of the authors I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into these new stories. The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens, The Birth House by Ami McKay, The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston and Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards are all evocative and memorable – each one capturing an element of the Canadian experience with beautifully crafted language and imagery. Harsh elements and themes of survival make all of these particularly well suited to long winter nights curled up in an armchair. Enjoy!
War Horse
September 25, 2011
Michael Morpurgo is a prolific and well-loved English writer of children’s literature. A number of his more than 120 cherished stories have been adapted for television, theatre and even opera and ballet. The beloved War Horse, first published in 1982, has recently been enjoying enormous success as a stage play in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York City. Steven Spielberg has been working with Morpurgo to share the story on an even larger scale – his movie version will be released during the Christmas holidays this year. By all accounts it’s going to be a winner.
Our family had an opportunity to attend one of the theatre productions and we were all bewitched. The story is a classic heart-wrencher: love, loss, pain, hope and reunion. Remarkable puppetry is used to portray the horses and must be seen to be believed – incredible! If you have an opportunity to attend one of the big shows or a travelling version, gallop, don’t trot, and get yourself a ticket. Here’s a quick glimpse though the clips really don’t convey the realism adequately:
We’ll be looking forward to the movie version as well. The trailer has recently been released:
It really is worth becoming familiar with Michael Morpurgo, the writer, himself. He receives accolades for his award-winning writing but is also a keen educator and philanthropist. I’m personally enthralled with the Farms for City Children project he and his wife masterminded and generously support. This endeavour allows urban children to experience the wonders of the rural world: “Over the years the formula has changed very little. Simply, children are involved in everything necessary to keep the farms going. They learn hands-on where their food comes from, the importance of caring for animals and the land, and the value of working co-operatively as a team. The rewards are, unusually, non-material and self-generated: children discover an active enjoyment in life and a sense of achievement, the effects of which remain with them long after they have waved the farms goodbye.”
I hope as the weather cools you’ll find some cozy reading time and can enjoy some of Michael Morpurgo’s stories – he is a wonderful storyteller and his books shouldn’t be limited to children’s bedside tables – add a few to yours. I’m sure you’ll be delighted you did.
Creative Juices
September 14, 2011
September seems to prompt the creative juices to get flowing – a loyalty to acquiring education that remains in our hearts long past the school years perhaps. I found myself inspired to read an intriguing non-fiction book called The Element – How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Sir Ken Robinson. Robinson may be a familiar name to those of you who’ve had an opportunity to see his TED talk on the importance of incorporating creativity into education. I’ll include links to the talk and to his books below for those who would like to know more about Sir Ken and his theories. He is a compelling (and funny!) speaker and writer. Find his website here and enjoy a number of his archived articles as well.
Meanwhile, I thought I’d share this list with you – it’s posted above my desk to keep me focused (with varying results) – and I hope it prompts you to explore your own creativity with great success!
Books by Ken Robinson:
TED talks:
Back to School and “Wonderful Messes”
September 6, 2011
I have been waiting almost a year to share this wonderful “Back to School” story with you. I am an enormous fan of the charming Stuart McLean’s writing and storytelling. Stuart is our Canadian treasure and can be heard on CBC radio as well as on itunes. Any family road trip of ours is prepared for by loading up on (downloading?) his Vinyl Cafe stories in podcast form; we all enjoy them. Of the hundreds and perhaps thousands of stories Stuart has told, this one, “Pink Eraser”, is one of my favourites. This first day of school seemed the best day of the year to share it with you. May you enjoy your day and make some “wonderful messes”!
Pink Eraser by Stuart McLean
by Vinyl Cafe on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 7:39am
“ I have a letter here I wrote to a young friend of mine on the weekend. I don’t think he would mind if I read it to you today…well I know he wouldn’t – I asked him if I could share it. I could just as well have written it to someone heading to university … or for that matter … starting a new job.
Dear Sam,
We are celebrating the beginning of school on the Vinyl Cafe today … and knowing that we would be doing this, I have been thinking about you … and wondering what I could give you this year to mark this moment. These annual autumn bells: the shuffle of feet on stairs, the rattle of lockers opening and closing. The echoes we all hear when September rolls in. The echoes of the schoolyards and the school days that are both here and not here. I have been thinking of these things and wondering if there was some token I could wrap and give you, some little thing that would ring bells as you head off once again with your brave little bag of books. Some perfect little thing that tells you I understand the complexity of this week. That I know that though the first day of school is a grand day, the grandest day of all in many ways, that even in its grandeur, in the grandeur of new shoes and shirts, new friends and old ones, new teachers and new classes … that it is a grand bag of tricks too … it comes with the bag of exams and papers and other things that can go all too wrong. Everyone says this is the week that marks the real new year . And why not? What could be more full of possibility than the first day of school. As full of potential as a toboggan at the top of a hill, of a pencil hovering over a blank page, of the smile of that girl with the golden hair sitting in the front row. But sometimes the snow melts, and you are standing there with your toboggan, feeling a fool … the only one who didn’t hear the weather forecast. It is a complicated thing this business of school. And it is in the complexity of it that the sorrow and the sadness comes. The heavy burden of books that pile up, and the numbers that don’t … the big numbers that won’t add, the equations that won’t equate. The metaphors that lie there on their backs with their feet wiggling in the air. Time tables and exams, projects and essays … all that stuff that can build up and cause problems and I was hoping this thing I would give you could acknowledge that stuff too.
My first idea was a dictionary. A blue cloth-covered Oxford Canadian with the title stamped in gold letters. If I gave you a dictionary, you would have all the words in the world and you could look them up and write them down in any way you wanted and the wind would blow and the bells would ring and the lockers would slam and teachers would be bewitched by your way with words … and that girl with the golden hair too. I thought maybe a dictionary with gold letters on the cover would be just the thing.
Then I thought, maybe a new pair of shoes. A brand new pair of sneakers … sneakers as heady as dandelion wine …a pair of “royal crown, cream –sponge, light-foot tennis shoes, and when you put them on, you bounce, and when you run you run like a gazelle.” Is it a pair of sneakers you need as you run to school?
Or what about lunch? What about lunch every day for a year. If I packed you a lunch of carrot sticks and raisins, and peanut butter sandwiches on soft white bread with jelly the way you like it, the bread so fresh you dent it with your fingers just in the unwrapping. I thought if I wrapped your sandwich in wax paper and wrote little notes on the paper with a black felt pen and slipped in some chocolate from time to time that might do the trick.
I thought and thought… and I thought I could be your wordsmith, your shoemaker or your chef. But none of them seemed right. The shoes didn’t fit … you forgot the lunch bag in the bus. And who needs more words anyway. There are words enough to go around.
And that is when I decided to give you this eraser. An original Pink Pearl. This little plug of pink rubber with a point at both the ends and this broad side too the perfect size for mistakes … big or small an eraser that will fit in your hand whatever size your hands are four or forty five or fifty something that will work today and work tomorrow that has deep in its rubbery little heart memories of a rubber tree in some thick forest. A gash in the bark the drip drip of sap but more than that, the worried frown of a chemist too because your eraser has been vulcanized my friend and even though I don’t have the slightest idea what that means I do have the deep conviction that if we all carried some small vulcanized thing with us at all times we would have an easier go of it and be less prone to explosive anger road rage yelling and the gnawing anxiety of our fears. This is for you. I wrapped it in this brown paper to give to you this morning, this first day of school, and I hope you will understand when you unwrap it that life’s greatest treasures are the simple ones. Take its measure, roll it between your fingers, put it in your pocket. It is all you will need to get through the year safely. It will give itself up to correct your mistakes. Its sharp edges slowly rounding like a piece of glass rolled in the sea until all that’s left of it are little pink smears on the pages of your life. What more could you ask of anything than that? If I am right about this, with this eraser in your bag you can risk it all. Exams will mean nothing to you, they can roll out the big numbers and all the arrhythmic poems and you will knock them clean out of the park. This year you get the pink eraser from the deep thick forest. I give it to you with my love and these instructions: Take it with you everywhere. You never know when you are going to make a mess or where, just that you are bound to mess things up. And don’t worry about that. I give you my permission. Make many messes. Make wonderful messes The harder you try, the bigger they’ll be. Don’t mind mistakes, the mistakes are how you learn. You have an eraser so go ahead, make the messes. Then … clean them up. Try again.“
The September Issues
August 23, 2011
The days may be sunny and warm but in the next few weeks a chill will settle in the evenings and thoughts will lead to sweater weather again. An end of summer ritual for many is spending time with the September issues. Traditionally, the September issues of fashion magazines, appearing in mid-August, have the greatest sales and the most significant heft of the year. The record breaking edition was September 2007’s American Vogue magazine at some 840 pages, weighing in at over 5 pounds. Advertisers have been a bit harder to come by in recent years but Vogue’s 758 pages this year is still impressive. Understandably, the cover model is an important decision for these issues. September 2011 will see the following:
Vogue (US edition) – Kate Moss
In Style – Beyonce
Elle (US)– Gwyneth Paltrow
Harper’s Bazaar – Lea Michele
Vanity Fair – Jennifer Lopez
For entertaining insight into the behind the scenes development of not only a magazine, but one of these iconic issues, view The September Issue. This documentary follows Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue, during the entire process. View the trailer here and then plan to hoist a big September issue onto your lap and snuggle up to watch the DVD on a cool late summer evening.
Heavenly Reading Retreats
August 17, 2011
What could be better than snuggling up with a book in a cosy corner? How about cuddling up with a book in a cosy corner in a cool cottage, resort, or even castle, somewhere exotic with delicious meals provided? I’m swooning.
A variety of special reading-themed retreats have surfaced in the news lately and I’ve been eager to share the findings with you. While holidays are lovely and preparation usually involves drafting an ambitious reading list, I do hear those plans sometimes get pushed aside when other vacation-oriented activities vie for attention. The solution to this challenge? A Reading Retreat where reading is the sole pursuit … well with maybe a little wine drinking and book chatter – but only if one chooses. The locations can range from architecturally extreme homes in Suffolk to Italian or Bulgarian castles. My personal dream location? Full on charm on the West Coast of Scotland, lighthouse included.
The School of Life is a fascinating endeavour founded in 2008 and based in London, England. Its premise is to “offer a variety of programmes and services concerned with how to live wisely and well. The School of Life is a place to step back and think intelligently … from philosophy to literature, psychology to the visual arts – to tickle, exercise and expand your mind. You’ll meet other curious, sociable and open-minded people in an atmosphere of exploration and enjoyment.”
On staff are Bibliotherapists who interview clients in order to “prescribe” a personalized reading list. “Our bibliotherapists will meet you at The School of Life for an in-depth, one-on-one conversation about your reading history and interests. Over tea or strong coffee, you will be invited to share the particular area of concern or curiosity that you would like to address. Following the discussion, you will be given an immediate reading prescription. A longer list will be sent to you by email within the next few days.” And then … the Retreat comes into play. You may take your list on a Reading Weekend to one of several beautiful locations where reading and inspiration are the only items on the agenda. A partnership with Living Architecture provides access to some stunning home choices. They must be seen to be believed so click here to help imagine yourself there.
If you are interested in socializing a little along with your reading then there are School of Life retreats that cater to that too. My dreamy favourite (which I’ll share here if you promise not to tell toooooo many people!) is at Turnberry Wells in Scotland. Well known writers (like David Nicholls of One Day fame) are invited to facilitate conversations about writing and reading. Groups are kept to an intimate 18 members or so and while long walks and some visiting is fostered, quiet reading time is strongly encouraged. Count me in! For full details of the event, click here. Beware the swoon.
To learn more about the Reading Retreat experience, follow these links to articles in The Telegraph and Salon. Both worth reading in my opinion.
Airport Updates
August 11, 2011
I introduced you to a few literary connections to airports a while ago (here) and since then have heard of a few updates to share with you.
First of all, the Live @YVR contest has progressed and the 80 Day Writer in Residence has been selected. I, for one, am impressed with his slick submission (see below) and look forward to tuning into his perspective – I have a feeling he is just the storyteller YVR had hoped for. Remember to tune in to Live@YVR to follow his reports.
Meanwhile, back at Heathrow … their Writer in Residence program continues to flourish and like Alain de Botton, the newest incumbent will likely entertain and enlighten. Tony Parsons is a popular writer (often considered one of the first Lad-Litters) with whom many of you are no doubt familiar.One of his best-loved novels is Man and Boy published in 1999.
Here is a glimpse of Mr. Parson’s Heathrow endeavour:
Spying this trend in airport story archiving, the National Post newspaper followed up with a little speculation about which Canadian literary icons it felt would be best suited to which airports across the country.
Here is the link to the article and their suggestions.
Canadian Airport Writers-in Residence
And just to further impress upon you that Airport stories are the trend of the moment – tune into your television this fall to see PanAm – a new series featuring a fictional foray into the world of flight attendants and pilots at Pan Am airlines in the early 60’s. Soapy I’m sure and reminiscent of that classic 70’s titillater “Coffee, Tea or Me”!
A Good Reading Run
August 2, 2011
