May 5, 2008 - eight belles

beautiful horse, brave girl. she almost won the kentucky derby. i was watching, rooting for her. she came so close. and in the excitement…big brown’s victory, and his trainer, full of confidence and bravado before the race, it sounded as if he’d been through some personal wars, and i was glad for him that his horse won…in all that excitement, could we be seeing what we were seeing?
eight belles had broken both her front ankles as she rounded the first turn after crossing the finish line, and she’d fallen to the track. she raised her lovely dark gray head as if in disbelief, staring at her injured legs, struggling to stand. she was euthanized right there. i can’t stop picturing that moment, her trying to get up.
her great spirit made her believe she could stand and run. bad things can happen in an instant, ending what we thought could go on forever. there’s a debate about horse racing, about whether it’s cruel, whether the surface should be changed, but right now i’m focused on eight belles, that instant, her last minute, and i’m thinking about a valiant heart that thought she could just keep going.

May 1, 2008 - follow the stars home

just a few mother’s days ago i first watched follow the stars home for the first time—a movie made from one of my novels. what a thrill it was, to see the story brought to life. i’d been on the film set just a few months earlier—a hallmark hall of fame production, wonderful and welcoming. i loved the cast—kimberly williams, campbell scott, blair brown, eric close. it’s the story of mothers and daughters, a special-needs child, and ways we need our families almost as much as we need air.
a woman is raising her daughter alone, but not really. she has the help of her mother, the town librarian, who lives with them. she also has the help of a kind doctor who happens to be her “lost” (in more ways than one) husband’s brother and might just be madly in love with her…
writing the novel, of course i drew on my own family and experience. my mother was a teacher, and my grandmother lived with us. in many ways, it was like having two mothers. they loved and supported each other so much, and that showed me and my sisters the boundless connection possible in families.
i’m so happy to tell you that follow the stars home will be airing on the hallmark channel on mother’s day. there are two chances to see it—saturday may 10 at 1 a.m. and sunday may 11 at 7 p.m. the show will be sponsored in part by my publisher, bantam books, and here’s an image from the ad that will run:

April 30, 2008 - thurgood

i just returned from a great, inspiring evening. opening night of thurgood, and thank you so much joe g for inviting me. the play stars lawrence fishburne, was written by george stevens, jr, and directed by leonard foglia.
the really amazing part is that we sat with the marshall family. thurgood marshall was the first african american supreme court justice. he was the leading lawyer in brown vs. board of education, the landmark case declaring that state laws establishing separate education for black and white children denied black children equal educational opportunities.
the one-man show is riveting, wrenching, yet filled with warmth and laughter. justice marshall’s family said it captured his spirit, intelligence, and humor. i felt honored to be sitting next to his son, thurgood jr, and just a few seats away from his wife, cissy. she radiates light and caring. joe was very kind to include me; i know the deep affection and respect he feels for the family, and it meant a lot to be in their midst. it was wonderful to spend time with jean and her and john’s two lovely daughters, husband and fiance, and to be invited to sit with the family at the party at bryant park grill afterwards.
in the picture above, mrs. marshall is shown with, from left, her son thurgood jr., justice stephen breyer, and lawrence fishburne.
i hope you’ll see the play. if you’re a teacher, i hope you’ll consider taking your class. it’s an an amazing history lesson and a thrilling night of theater, all at the same time.
i leave you with a link that will help you understand the power of what thurgood marshall did for our country: the fourteenth amendment.
also, a beautiful poem by langston hughes (a classmate of thurgood marshall’s), quoted in the play…let america be america again.

April 27, 2008 - tulips

i took this picture in madison square park just after talking to a friend and hearing good news about her mother’s—also my friend—health. the tulips in the garden on 23rd st. were in full bloom, and they seemed to express the joy and gratitude i felt.
i’d been thinking of rose hawthorne lately; thank you to teresa lonergan for introducing me to her.
here’s more good news…

April 24, 2008 - novel in letters

joe and wendy came down to new york from new hampshire. last night we had dinner at the red cat, caught up on life, and talked about the day. i’ve known joe monninger almost forever; we met as young writers, and have long talked about books and writing and nature. we both enjoy reading collected letters of writers, and now we’ve written a collection, a correspondence between two characters. it’s a novel in letters, and i’ll post much more about the project (the letters) as september’s publication nears.
joe is an english professor at plymouth state university in new hampshire. he and wendy live in a converted barn and raise sled dogs. they came to ny on one of the most beautiful days of the spring so far—warm, bright, cherry and crabapple blossoms in bloom. joe and i had a photo shoot with gasper tringale, then had lunch with our publishers, and then went to bantam to meet everyone else. it was a great day, and so meaningful to me. to be able to collaborate with a writer i’ve long admired is a great gift. the fact that he’s an old friend makes it even better. and the fact that i had dinner with him and wendy on the eve of their son justin’s 18th birthday—justin is in indonesia, seeing amazing things, and they’re soon to travel over to connect with him—made it all the more celebratory. i loved talking with wendy; we’re both the oldest sister in all-sisters families. talking with her and hearing about times with her sisters reminded me of my dream of going to ireland with my sisters…i so hope that happens.
i’ll write more about the letters and the whole writing and publishing process as time goes on. but for now, here’s a picture of the photo shoot, taken by a tilting but as always wonderful sarah walker:

April 22, 2008 - jessica

last week, in a beautiful, loving home by the beach, i talked with a young woman who is saving the world. jessica taublib-kiriat was home from the congo to be with her family. i met her long ago, when she had a college job at bantam, but she has traveled many miles since then, brought her kindness and vision to many areas of conflict and suffering in the world.
she is the acting director of program coordination in the democratic republic of congo for the international rescue committee. over five million people have died from war-related causes in the congo. there is a high incidence of gender-based violence. the irc works, first, to save lives. they build hospitals, supply medication and vaccines, train health workers. they work to provide education to children. they provide emergency response and immediate assistance to displaced populations; when violence breaks out, they are there with water, health and household items.
the irc works closely with sexual violence survivors. their services include support, medical care, family counseling and mediation, and legal assistance. to hear from jessica so directly about the women they have helped…to hear about the attacks and the effect they have on women and children, on families, was wrenching. to really think about displaced people, and to witness her compassion as she talked about the scarcity of food and water, about the losses, about violence done along the way, moved me greatly.
jessica’s bright spirit shines through in the picture above, and in conversation with her. she has an indomitable sense of the good in people and the world; she is doing important work, and i’m proud to know her. i know we all can help her and the people she cares about so deeply. please click on the link and visit irc, and see what they are doing to save lives and maybe decide to join in the effort…

April 16, 2008 - young poet

the greater boston intercollegiate poetry festival was held monday night at boston college. poets from all the boston area colleges were chosen to read their poems, and one of them was amelia onorato (shown above). she read cardinalis cardinalis. i was honored to be in the audience, celebrating young poets and their amazing, stunning work. i was especially proud of mia—she’s my niece.
the night before we got together for dinner, friends and family. of course a few stories were told. mia started writing young. she has always seen the world through a poet’s eyes… imaginative, deep, and true.
the festival was a bright and beautiful evening. the poet robert cording gave the keynote address. it opened our hearts and minds for the evening to follow. i love his bio on the holy cross website, where he defines his work as a professor as “teaching students to live life’s questions.” that came through so vividly in his talk. next the young poets each read their poems. it was inspiring to hear them, and to see them be recognized. when mia took her turn, i looked down the row at her mother, also a poet, and i couldn’t help thinking of her grandmother…my mom…who would have been so proud.

mia is shown above with two of her friends, april hegner and laura garrity-arquitt. all are museum studies majors at regis college, and before mia’s reading we went out to the museum where she and laura are doing their internship. it is the most fascinating place—the museum of russian icons. laura gave us a great tour.
the museum is in a 150 year old brick mill building, overlooking the town park. it’s so old new england…but the museum has been renovated in the most energy-conscious way…an absolutely exquisite jewel-box of a space, containing a radiant collection of russian icons: the warmth and glow of the colors, the stories contained in each icon, the symbolism, the fact that they’re called “windows to heaven.” (if you visit, one of your brilliant tour guides will explain why.)
sounds like a poem to me…

April 8, 2008 - winterdale arch

there’s been a western tanager in central park. rare for this part of the world, a first-time sighting in the park. it’s been seen in a viburnum bush just by winterdale arch, feeding on sap flowing from holes left by a yellow-bellied sapsucker.
one day recently i went to see it. stood with a group of birders watching it dart back and forth from the viburnum to a tree across the path and back. a young couple from england came over with their binoculars.
turning to watch the tanager fly, i caught movement in a tall tree. a bunch of dead leaves caught in the crook of two branches. fur, a masked face: a raccoon in its nest.
the flowering pear trees are in bloom all over the city.

April 5, 2008 - gray wolves

gray wolves have been removed from the endangered species list.
on friday march 28th, the first day they lost their endangered status, the hunting began. an editorial in today’s new york times: when protection vanishes.
wolves are one of the demonized species. they’ve been hunted, pursued more vigorously than any other animal in united states species.
they’re pack animals; their packs consist of the parents—the alpha pair—their children, and non-breeding adults. they form close relationships and establish strong bonds. many mate for life, and raise their pups in dens for the first six weeks.
wolves howl to communicate with each other; on a still night, howls can be heard a hundred miles away. loss of habitat has been endangering them all along, and now they’ll be hunted as well.

April 4, 2008 - tobin

tobin hagelin is a teacher and humanitarian, a fellow oldest sister. we were trying to figure out how long we’ve known each other. i think she was one and i was ten. one spring day i was walking home from school, and her mother (the famous mrs. whitney, to readers of my blog) and grandmother (rose bennison) were sitting outside in the yard filled with blossoming dogwood and quince, watching tobin play.
i was mesmerized by the cute little girl and the two women…little did they know, but i was about to adopt them all. they became my second family. i started babysitting shortly after that…but how much babysitting could a ten year old really do? i’m sure it was more that they tolerated me hanging around for hours on end.
years later when the whitneys went on a trip to spain, gram (mrs. bennison) had a dream that something bad happened. she called mrs. whitney and told her to make me the children’s guardian. i’m not sure that was ever done legally, but it was understood that i was going to be there for them.
tobin was in new york for a workshop on teaching adult english as a second language courses. she is a gifted teacher, filled with compassion. she told me about some of the students she’s encountered, the places they’ve escaped, in some cases the horrors they’ve witnessed and experienced. tobin is helping them speak, write, express what they carry inside. i’m very proud of her…
her husband nate and kids oliver, ben, and carly are up in maine. maybe i’ll get to sail with them this summer.
i love this picture of tobin. she’s wearing aunt lolly’s cream cashmere coat. it’s one hundred years old. aunt lolly was mrs. bennison’s sister. she lived in manhattan, and tobin and i believe her coat enjoyed its night on the town, back in the city.