But don’t worry, it started right up. Man, it’s good to have a defibrillator in your bag! Some people have to learn that the hard way.
And so, it is with a heart that soars that I proudly invite you to two special book release parties, both of which are totally open to the public, and totally free:
- This Thursday, May 11 at 6:30 at Greenhills School, 850 Greenhills Drive: you are all, each and every one of you, invited to the unveiling of Suddenly My Heart Stopped for Just a Small Portion of Time: Defining Moments, a collection of personal narratives written by Greenhills seniors and Haisley Elementary fifth graders. Not only is the content in this thing at turns funny, harrowing, and poignant (a special thank you to my thesaurus), but the book itself is gorgeous. Due to a generous donation from an anonymous donor, we were able to hire a designer and have the covers letter pressed. If you don’t know what “letter pressed” means, trust me, it’s fancy. Join us for all manner of grilled goodies as we celebrate with a barbeque.
- On Monday, May 22 at 7:30 at the Neutral Zone, 637 S Main Street: you are all, each and every one of you, invited to the book release party for Vacansopapurosophobia, or V. The title, which means “fear of a blank page,” was chosen by the same group of people who chose the content: a group of teens from the Neutral Zone. After much deliberation over the last seven months, this student editorial board pared hundreds of submissions from area youth down to the eighty poems, stories, and essays published in the volume. Join us on this night for snacks, student readings, and music from Community High School jazz musicians.
And here is the part of the blog where we thank a few of the many people who’ve helped with these projects: THANKS to Mollie Edgar, who designed both books and is just incredible, overall; THANKS to Ryan Howard, who did any number of tasks, both meaningful and menial, but always important; THANKS to Valerie Shedd and Stella Beale, the two wonderful teachers I not only got to work with, but also become friends with; THANKS to the editorial board of V, who stayed with me through the whole process, and didn’t even seem to mind that much when I didn’t know what I was doing; and THANKS to all the students who are being published for being such wonderful writers! And of course I’d like to thank my parents, and the Academy…