tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095178427894402012024-03-14T01:46:33.073-07:00Scribble InterludesDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-49549424098928429052010-04-27T18:01:00.000-07:002010-04-27T18:03:03.378-07:00Night night<h3 style="font-weight: normal;" class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span class="UIStory_Message">At bedtime tonight, my six year old asked me if the tooth fairy was real. Don't lie, he said. Is it real? Goodbye the magic of innocence. :(</span></h3><h3 style="font-weight: normal;" class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}">xo</h3>DeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-7093217928802838942010-04-16T11:30:00.000-07:002010-04-16T11:44:12.304-07:00A Day of ReadingsThis past Tuesday was a Spoken Interludes kind of day. In the morning, there was the graduation event for the boys at Abbott School from Spoken Interludes Next, the outreach writing program for at-risk children. Here is the first brave young man reading while the other students listen and wait their turn.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OUaEqeEakNw/S8itfXL5HFI/AAAAAAAAAAs/ne-B7G7DMzw/s1600/IMG_1576.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OUaEqeEakNw/S8itfXL5HFI/AAAAAAAAAAs/ne-B7G7DMzw/s200/IMG_1576.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460805302498171986" border="0" /></a><br />The boys at this school are all in the foster system, and have had to endure hardships that would test the sanity of most adults, much less children in these tender years. The stories they wrote were brave and funny and imaginative and observant. We had a big feast set out for them before and I had the best time serving them apple juice and making sure they weren't too shy for seconds (and thirds and fourths!). It was a wonderful, moving morning. Next few weeks: graduations events at Hawthorne Cedar Knolls, and Blythedale Childrens Hospital.<br /><br />Then that night, I had a Spoken Interludes at the fabulous and yummy Chutney Masala. Navjot, the owner, made this divine fish dish that I've been dreaming about all week. And I have tilapia to make for dinner tonight and somehow know it won't be half as good. Jonathan Dee was there reading from his new novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Privileges-Novel-Jonathan-Dee/dp/1400068673/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271443386&sr=1-1">The Privileges</a>, <a href="http://danishapiro.com/">Dani Shapiro</a> read from her moving and wonderful memoir, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devotion-Memoir-Dani-Shapiro/dp/0061628344/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271443365&sr=1-1">Devotion</a>, and <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a10139.asp">Tad Friend</a> of <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/">The New Yorker</a> read from his hysterical memoir, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheerful-Money-Family-Last-Splendor/dp/0316003174">Cheerful Money</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OUaEqeEakNw/S8iv3QblegI/AAAAAAAAAA0/MVarEkVTepQ/s1600/df_100413_6096.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OUaEqeEakNw/S8iv3QblegI/AAAAAAAAAA0/MVarEkVTepQ/s200/df_100413_6096.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460807912025061890" border="0" /></a>xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-73651893873010509232010-04-09T13:06:00.001-07:002010-04-09T13:07:02.574-07:00This blog has moved<br /> This blog is now located at http://delaunemichel.blogspot.com/.<br /> You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click <a href='http://delaunemichel.blogspot.com/'>here</a>.<br /><br /> For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to<br /> http://delaunemichel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.<br /> DeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-21478873457440745802010-02-07T17:53:00.000-08:002010-02-07T18:02:08.804-08:00Yarmouth BlueI <a href="http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Benjamin-Moore-HC-150-Yarmouth-Blue-p/mpc0006968.htm">painted</a> my sons bathroom today with my sons (ages 6 and 3) and my nephew who is 12. When we started, and my six year old was on one side of the bathroom wielding a roller, and my three year old was on the other side, waving a roller, I had a moment of, "What in God's name was I thinking?" My nephew summed it up when he said, "Aunt DeLauné, I think you are spending more time taking care of needs than painting." But never underestimate the tired muscles of small children. They lasted about 45 minutes, then were done, so my darling nephew took them into the playroom while I finished. Hurrah! And I finally disamantled the dreadful fluorescent light above their sink since a new fixture is coming, and suddenly the bathroom is SO much better. But most important, Geaux Saints!!<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-74141521067317798232010-01-28T09:00:00.001-08:002010-01-28T09:06:18.772-08:00My New Favorite ThingAwhile back, I read an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/magazine/25FOB-WWLN-t.html?_r=1">article in</a> the New York Times Magazine section about <a href="http://macfreedom.com/">Freedom</a> - an application that disables networking on an Apple computer for up to 8 hours at a time. Since then, it is my new best friend for writing. I punch in how long I will write - usually 120-150 minutes - and I'm off. Offline and off to writing. it is heaven. if the perpetual pull of email or "research" on the web is too powerful for you, too, check it out. I happily sent in my 10 dollar donation for it.<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-79066469275826888212010-01-20T17:54:00.001-08:002010-01-20T18:53:34.876-08:00my life for the past month<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_1340-728552.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_1340-727622.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />My husband, Dan Fried, moved his photography studio, <a href="http://www.handhphotographers.com/">H & H Photographers</a>, to the beautiful and historic Stanford White building on the Hudson in Irvington, New York. I handled the design, renovation, decorating, and settling in of the space, so from Thanksgiving until this past Sunday, my life was all about that, other than my two sons who each had birthdays. A busy time! but it is done, and now I get to look forward to the party! if you're in Westchester on Feb 10th - come! <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><b><br />H & H Photographers<br />50 South Buckhout Street<br />in Irvington, New York 10533<br />914.591.4200</b></span></span></span> <!--EndFragment--><br /><br />here's a little peak at how some of it looks:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_1339-789004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_1339-788533.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_1341-746944.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_1341-746463.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_1338-788902.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_1338-788424.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>DeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-86411446602027846592009-12-13T18:48:00.000-08:002010-03-08T17:16:50.547-08:00Letter about Writing ProgramWe are in the midst of graduation events for the students of Spoken Interludes Next, the 8-week outreach writing program I started and run for at-risk children. We had a ceremony at <a href="http://www.abbotthouse.net/">Abbott House</a> where the young men there did a beautiful job reading their stories, and Carolyn Whittle, their teacher, bought them extremely yummy Chinese food to celebrate after.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/P1030385-783898.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/P1030385-783509.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>That's Carolyn with Evan, one of the students, and Jim Morris, who works with the boys at Abbott House.<br />We also had the graduation event for our classes at <a href="http://www.hcks.org/home">Hawthorne Cedar-Knolls</a> and had an amazing day with those kids. I just received this letter from one of the Directors there, and wanted to share it:<br /><br />Dear DeLauné,<br /><br />I am writing to convey my sincere admiration and appreciation for the program you have brought to our high school. As you know very well, not many programs are successful with our very special population. We serve the children that society has truly "thrown away". In their short lives our young people have sustained experiences and traumas that would bring many people to their breaking point. As a result, these youth are cynical and have put up walls to prevent getting hurt beyond the wounds they are currently healing.<br /><br />I didn't know quite what to expect when I came to the final readings. I hadn't had the time to "drop" in during the learning process. And it was a bit frightening for us because we were in the middle of a state audit of our programs and the Regional Associate was invited and attended the final readings as well.<br /><br />It turned out that I didn't need to worry at all. I needed to have faith in the interaction between your caring and experienced staff and our young people. Scared as they are, our kids wanted to share their thoughts. The selections they read or the teachers read for them were transparent in communicating their fears, their hopes, their dreams, and their traumas. It was very moving.<br /><br />If you knew their histories, you would be even more amazed at what they shared. We serve children who have witnessed murder, have been prostitutes at age 13 and have been forced into drug distribution as elementary school aged children. Every Friday or day preceding a holiday is a traumatic time in our residential school. Our children don't know if they are welcome back to the chaotic place they call home. The only home they have. Or they may have to stay in the institution with staff that want to be home with their own families. It is so incredibly sad.<br /><br />These and so many other emotions were so evident in their writings. Their stories conveyed tremendous strength and survival. I heard hope. I see that your program has provided a vehicle for them to put pen to paper as an outlet for this pent up frustration. I could also feel that the participants realized the power of their creative channeling. I just know they will take this experience with them and continue to write. They may never publish. But they may transcend. They may find their voice and their strength.<br /><br />I couldn't write this to you during the day to day craziness that exists in running a place like this. It took a weekend for me to digest the great meaning in the human interaction you and your staff provided. Our teachers are terrific. However, they are like parents. Too close and too tied to standards and responsibilities to elicit the kind of creativity your staff can pull from our kids. Your program is a perfect compliment to our regular offerings. You may not know that we are NOT funded for any after school activities like clubs that typical kids enjoy. That is another reason your program is so important to a place like our district.<br /><br />Finally, I will share with you that the SED Regional Associate did tell me that she was also very moved by the presentations. As we all were. Thank you!<br /><br />DeLauné, I hope we can find funding for another round of classes. I think the kids will line up at the door. The word has spread in the school. Bless you and your staff for what you have done and are doing. You are providing a way for helpless young people to voice their pain and experiences. You are showing them ways to write in order to process their lives and this they can take with them and use in their future as a strategy. This is beyond therapy. It is self realization. And it is portable and not dependent on anyone else. Powerful stuff: writing!<br /><br />I can't thank you and your wonderful staff enough.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Chris Casey, Ed.D.<br />Director of Student Resources<br />Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Union Free School DistrictDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-34030341592987944792009-10-19T12:55:00.001-07:002009-10-19T12:55:19.670-07:00This is a test of Ping.fmDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-72911196196254054322009-10-14T20:01:00.000-07:002009-10-14T20:08:39.156-07:00Spoken Interludes tonightWe had a great SI tonight. Julie Metz couldn't come, but for a wonderful reason that I can't reveal here, but Tom Vanderbilt and AJ Jacobs were charming and funny and fabulous, and it was heaven hearing them. Some women from the Book Walkers Book Group came out.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/Spoken-Interludes-001-701529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 110px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/Spoken-Interludes-001-701521.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>I went to their book club last January for Safety of Secrets and the 14 of us sat around talking until almost midnight. They're an amazing book group that also raises money for many issues. Maria, Colleen, and Denise (see above) all walked in the Avon walk this past weekend. 40 miles!! And slept in a tent. I'm still not sure which one I'm more daunted by. it was a really great night. Now to fix a lunch to backpack to school tomorrow!<br />x0DeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-21417689880155783762009-10-09T05:32:00.000-07:002009-10-09T05:41:41.970-07:00Mindful in ManhattanSo, tomorrow I'm going to do an all-day mindfulness retreat with <a href="http://www.plumvillage.org/">Thich Nhat Hanh</a>, my most favorite Zen Buddhist ever. I have heard him speak in LA, and did a week-long, silent meditation retreat with him in Santa Barbara (talk about - no pun intended! - meeting yourself, just be silent for a week), and am so thrilled I get to do a mini-version of that tomorrow. At the retreat in Santa Barbara, we did our mindful walking meditation on the beach; tomorrow's will be on the streets of the Upper West Side - closed to traffic, of course! ;) So I guess the roar of the ocean will be replaced with the roar of traffic on Broadway.<br />Namasté<br /><br />Thich Nhat Hanh<br />Building a Peaceful & Compassionate Society<br />A Full Day of Mindfulness<br /><br />Beacon Theatre • Saturday, October 10<br /><br />9:30 a.m.<br /><br />Meditation<br /><br /><br />10:00 a.m.<br /><br />Dharma Talk<br /><br /><br />11:30 a.m.<br /><br />Break<br /><br />Noon<br /><br />Mindful Lunch<br />A mindfulness-based eating meditation is part of this program.<br /><br />12:45 p.m.<br /><br />Mindful Walk<br />The walk will take place outside the theater on streets closed to traffic.<br /><br /><br />3:00 p.m.<br /><br />Beginning Anew<br /><br /><br />4:00 p.m.<br /><br />ClosingDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-9499550326576475552009-10-01T18:16:00.001-07:002009-10-01T18:25:14.234-07:00Coming to a website near you...So, if you weren't able to get to the 9/14 show in person, or catch it streaming live, it will be available to watch on the <a href="http://www.spokeninterludes.com/">Spoken Interludes</a> website very soon. Not that I have any idea how that will happen, but thank God for people like <a href="http://mizenko.com/">Clara</a> - my amazing webwoman who will make a page where the archived shows will be, and the incredible Paul Fireman at <a href="http://www.vivolive.com/">Vivo</a> who made the whole live streaming thing happen in the first place and with only 48 hours to do it in, and on a weekend when we were both (but separately, of course) trying to be with our kids.<br />So check ba<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/yeardley-smith-783936.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/yeardley-smith-783729.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ck, and catch Yeardley Smith, Susan Choi, and Blake Bailey, all of whom were heaven.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/blake-bailey-pg-771456.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/blake-bailey-pg-771222.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/susan-choi-724311.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/susan-choi-724105.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>DeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-17918311879624290762009-09-27T11:36:00.001-07:002009-09-27T11:36:50.888-07:00Spoken InterludesDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-1679269532820844182009-09-14T11:39:00.000-07:002009-09-14T11:42:57.436-07:00Spoken Interludes Live Broadcast TonightWatch the live broadcast of our Spoken Interludes Salon for September, tonight, September 14th, at 7:30pm eastern time on Vivo.<br /><a href="http://www.vivolive.com/delaune/spokeninterludes"><br />http://www.vivolive.com/delaune/spokeninterludes</a><br /><br />Blake Bailey, Yeardly Smith, and Susan Choi will read from their books. See you tonight!DeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-84728099725481487912009-09-07T18:40:00.000-07:002009-09-08T04:57:34.664-07:00Robert, Emily, and JohnWell, to quote old Bobby Burns: <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />The best laid schemes o' mice and men oft go astray.</span><br /><br />So, call me mouse or man (just don't call me late for dinner; couldn't resist, sorry!), but astray mine did go. Though here I am blogging with if not renewed vigor, then certainly a sense of hope of being here regularly again.<br />Cue Emily D:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hope is the thing with feathers </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> That perches in the soul, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> And sings the tune without the words, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> And never stops at all,</span><br /><br />Has anyone ever gotten it better than her?<br />but I digress and digress and digress....<br />My oldest son starts kindergarten tomorrow.<br />After he graduated from preschool this past June, I spent four days convinced that we had bedbugs and that we were going to move into my in-law's home while everything was heated past boiling and then sealed for six months. Needless to say, or maybe I do need to say, they were ecstatic about being with their grandsons full time. The worst part of the whole ordeal ended up being when I had to call them and tell them we were staying put. So, a week and a half ago, when I was overly emotional about something, I looked at my husband and said, "No matter what I do or say until mid-September, just repeat to yourself, 'kindergarten.'" He thought it was a great sign that maybe this time we wouldn't have to go through some other kind of faux-infestation (mice, anyone?) for my feelings of... Who are these people, and what are they doing with my child?<br />Because, frankly, that is exactly how I feel.<br />And I am still in shock that my entire life's calendar is going to be controlled, in a general but large way, by the Public School System.<br />As will my son. Sort of, kind of, but really.<br />And, okay, I know it is all good. Not only good, but great even. Because I also know that we are part of the very lucky ones - he's going to school. Too many children either aren't or have horrible circumstances around that experience, especially this year. Which makes me feel very humbled and grateful and amazed that I got so lucky to be able to have this experience of motherhood, which is common as dirt, but for me holds everything, as does the earth. Like mice. And with that, I'll let Mr. Keats take us out:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The poetry of earth is never dead:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> That is the Grasshopper's--he takes the lead</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> In summer luxury,--he has never done</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> With his delights; for when tired out with fun</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The poetry of earth is ceasing never:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> On a lone winter evening, when the frost</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Cricket's song, in warmth increasing ever,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Grasshopper's among some grassy hills.</span>DeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-28839515079439674792009-06-24T19:20:00.001-07:002009-06-24T19:51:53.049-07:00Back, FinallyIt's been so long since I've written here that I had to reintroduce myself to my blog. I don't know where April, May, and June went. But I will try a short recap.<br />I moved Spoken Interludes to the fabulous <a href="http://www.chutneymasalabistro.com/">Chutney Masala</a> on the Hudson River. The food is divine, and I never even thought I cared for Indian food, but it's now my favorite place. Audience favorite <a href="http://www.arthurphillips.info/">Arthur Phillips</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/arthur-phillips-757840.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/arthur-phillips-757324.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/david-denby--781546.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/david-denby--781047.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />read, along with Pam Lewis, and<a href="http://gregames.com/buffalolockjaw.htm"> Greg Ames</a>. David Denby talked about his new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Snark-David-Denby/dp/1416599452">Snark</a>. All wonderful fun.<br />Then I went to Newburyport for the book festival there, and got to see and catch up with <a href="http://www.elinorlipman.com/">Elinor Lipman</a>, who I adore, and <a href="http://www.the19thwife.com/">David Ebershoff</a>, who I did a book festival with earlier this year. And I got to see my dear Dubus cousins, which was just wonderful. I missed André's talk, but Dan got to hear him. The boys and I were on a great playground outside during it, but got visit time after. And then to the beach with Peggy. It was a gorgeous day, like summer, and I had no idea it was so close, so that was heaven.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/newburyport-767460.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/newburyport-767152.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Signing at Newburyport.<br /><br /><br /><br />Then in mid-May, I went back to the Vo-tech school in lower New Jersey to do my one day outreach writing program workshop I do there twice a year. The kids there are darling and sweet and motivated, and I loved being with them. Here are some of the seniors.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/CIMG1645-719347.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/CIMG1645-719339.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Then we did one more Spoken Interludes because the April show was so fun at Chutney, and I don't have to drive far - my LA years are showing! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/audience-watching-a-show-740404.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/audience-watching-a-show-739639.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://leewoodruff.com/">Lee Woodruff </a>read and Ben Cheever who is so charming and funny, and I love hearing him read, and <a href="http://rushkoff.com/">Doug Rushkoff</a>, and <a href="http://www.joannahershon.com/">Joanna Hershon</a>, who I'd be trying to get there forever, so that was a wonderful way to end the season.<br /><br /><br />Then I did a book festival in Paramus, their first one. The day threatened rain, but it held out, miraculous<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/delaune-1%5B1%5D-724572.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/delaune-1%5B1%5D-724163.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>ly, since that is all we've had lately. It feels like home.<br /> Anyway, this has been just a hello, I'm still around, blog, but now that I'm back, I'll be here again more soon.<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-73029660047929665872009-04-04T14:30:00.000-07:002009-04-04T14:58:11.363-07:00Spoken Interludes NextI'm in bed getting better from having a tummy bug :( watching the wind move the pine trees in the back yard, and waiting for soup that Dan is bringing home, the hero. Wednesday was a wonderful, albeit nonstop day. It started with the graduation reading of the students of <a href="http://www.spokeninterludes.com/Pages/donors.html">Spoken Interludes Next</a>, our outreach writing program that is at <a href="www.mpbschools.org">Mt Pleasant Blythedale UFSD</a>, at Blythedale Children's Hospital, the only New York State public school located within a hospital. What an amazing hour that was. I am including a letter that I received from Ellen Bergman, the superintendent of the school about the morning.<br /><br />Dear DeLauné,<br />Your description of the Spoken Interludes Next writing project at the Special Act Coalition superintendent's meeting last year sparked my interest. The opportunity to have published authors teaching my students was very exciting. However, I had no inkling of the profound impact the program would have on the very special seventh and eighth grade students at Mt. Pleasant Blythedale School. <br /><br />Today we celebrated the achievements of the Spoken Interludes’ writing students and their teachers, Marek Fuchs and Susan Ades Stone. I’m sure you recognized the pride expressed in the voices and on the faces of the students. As patients at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, these adolescents have little control over their physical conditions. They have few opportunities to celebrate their individual creativity, and bask in the admiration of their peers. <br /> • S. who has Cerebral Palsy is reluctant to speak in public. Yet with great pride he read his narrative describing his feelings about attending a recent concert featuring his favorite musicians.<br /> • L. who has Osteogenesis Imperfecta has strong feeling of nostalgia for her native country, the Dominican Republic. Spoken interludes allowed her to give voice to those feelings and to share them with her peers.<br /> • D. has Hemophilia and resisted coming to school, preferring to stay in his hospital bed playing video games. Reluctantly, he attended one Spoken Interludes class and then another and now school attendance is no longer an issue.<br /> • J. has Guillan Barre and fatigues easily. He was angry about his illness and the resulting lengthy hospital stay. Spoken Interludes gave him the opportunity to imagine a world of strength and adventure, and regain some hope for his own future.<br /><br />Thank you for giving all of the students at MPB experiences they will treasure long after their bodies heal. Your teachers have nourished their souls and taught them life affirming skills.<br />I hope that you will consider the students at Mt. Pleasant Blythedale UFSD as you plan for future Spoken Interludes programs.<br />Sincerely,<br />Ellen Bergman<br />Superintendent of Schools<br />EB/aa<br /><br />It was truly amazing to see these children read their stories. I was hoping to take the program to them twice a year, but after being with them, I want them to have it at least three times a year to reach as many as those children as we can. I told Ellen that we'd be there this summer, and then thought, "With what money?!" But where there is a will, there is a way; I have never doubted that. And yesterday, I got a surprise donation for 500. and that will cover a third of the cost of the program there, so I feel sure we will be able to be there after all. What courage those children have. One more time, I felt like I was getting the gift by being with them. And the writers who taught the program, Marek and Susan, were amazing. I feel blessed that they are part of this program.<br />Then I drove to Norwalk Community College to be part of a panel on Youth Activism. One of the other panelists, David Burstein, was so inspiring. He started a nonprofit last year called <a href="http://www.18in08.com/">18 in 08</a> and registered over 25,000 voters between the ages of 18 and 25 before the elections. Don't miss his website. He's only 22 and is doing great things. I could have listened to him for hours.<br />Then I went to <a href="http://www.abbotthouse.net/">Abbott House</a> back here in Westchester to sit in on a Spoken Interludes Next class that we are doing there, and to meet with Colleen Michelle Jones from the Rivertowns Enterprise, who is doing an article about the program. Colleen is a doll, and a lovely writer, and her support of the program means so much to me. The class I sat in on was on Setting - the program is an 8 week program that takes the students through the process of writing a short story and each class focuses on a different element of the story. I listened while Marek - who is also teaching that group - did a wonderful job of working with the boys, but had to bite my tongue not to jump in. I wanted to work with them so badly. I miss teaching in the program so much, and am thrilled that is starting without me, but look forward to being able to when both of my sons are in school, but at least I can be connected this way. I did have a chance to work with them a bit, and felt such a connection with them. One of the boys is a natural writer, his work was so gorgeous and engrossing, and another wants to be a therapist. I gave them all hugs at the end, and can't wait to hear them read at their graduation. I should have pictures soon, and will put them up here. I love working with those kids, and am so glad I am able to vicariously until I really can.<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-76131754303431612802009-03-30T10:11:00.000-07:002009-03-30T10:43:22.826-07:00Monday, MondayIt's a wonderful blustery Monday, and there is some blue sky peeking through the clouds, and I think the winter weather might finally be ending. Please God. Frankly, I'd like to drive a stake through the heart of this past winter. It was ferocious and lasted forever. For this entire past month, my two sons and I have had some form of cold or virus or cough, and it was hard not to feel that it was the winter's way of saying, "I may have to end, but I won't let you forget who's boss." Okay, Uncle! You win. Now, please go away!! Sorry for the rant. You can tell that I am out of denial about my feelings about the cold. Anyway. I did have another Spoken Interludes last Thursday night - didn't take pictures :( - and I loved every writer who was there. So many people said to me, as they were leaving, that it was the best show they'd been to. The shows are like my children, I don't have a favorite, but I can say that it was like one of those glorious afternoons when the boys and I are having a great time playing, and everything is perfect and pure fun. That's how the evening was. <a href="http://www.marekfuchs.com/">Marek Fuchs</a>, <a href="http://www.joshuahenkin.com/">Joshua Henkin</a>, <a href="http://www.the19thwife.com/">David Ebershoff,</a> and <a href="http://www.johnburnhamschwartz.com/">John Burnham Schwartz</a> all read. And can we just take a moment to acknowledge that group?? We all could have listened to each of them the entire evening. It was an embarrassment of riches in terms of their talent, and generosity of spirit, and showmanship. I feel so blessed that I get to show up and be with the audience members that I adore, and either meet, or see again, writers that I love and respect, and hear their work and their thoughts on their work. When I was doing the shows in LA every month, one thing that made me really happy was that it was one of the few places in that town that when someone was introduced to someone there, they didn't ask what they did for a living, they asked how they found out about Spoken Interludes. It was a like an underground literary club, and I loved that, everyone coming together on the basis of loving the written word and the desire to hear stories. I felt that so strongly the other night. If you haven't read the newest books by Marek, Joshua, David, or John, run don't walk to your nearest bookstore. They are all divine. And at the show, a very interesting theme emerged from the readings, as one always seems to, of people being trapped or encapsulated in a community or institution, and it was great getting to hear the different ways that was developed.<br />I did a panel at the Irvington Library yesterday for the <a href="http://www.riverarts.org/">Rivertowns Arts Council</a>. It was on Creativity and Motherhood led by Carrie Barron, and it was wonderful to hear the other artist talk about juggling these things, and connect with the audience on it. My sister-in-law, Judy Siegel, came which meant so much to me. Her husband, Jon, just became mayor of Irvington, a more fair man I have never met, so we will all be in very capable hands once he gets sworn in next week. And speaking of creativity, off to work on my novel. Happy Monday!<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-3469833234156630202009-03-24T19:00:00.001-07:002009-03-24T19:19:33.381-07:00New York State of MindSo, I'm in Utica to speak at Utica College tomorrow as part of their visiting writers series, and figured I'd write before I fall asleep. I'm away from the boys again, though just for the night, and only a 3 and a half hour drive away, but still. Some very fun people from the college - pictures will be up when I get home and have my camera cable to download - took me out to a very yummy dinner, and when I got back to the hotel, I called to say goodnight, and I told my oldest son that I missed him. He said, I don't miss you. I said, that's okay. Then he said, I just want to hug you. I told him that I always want to hug him. The two year old got on the phone, and told me of a big accomplishment he had, then put down the phone to dance in celebration of it. Very sweet. I miss them. And want to hug them<br />This past Friday night, I drove to Central Valley, NY, about 40 minutes away from me, not too far over the Tappan Zee bridge, to have dinner with The BookWalkers, a book club that had read both of my books. I loved these women.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/Literary-Weekend-006-746460.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/Literary-Weekend-006-746305.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>They were so warm and open and fun. I felt like I had known them forever. We all talked nonstop. A bunch of them even live on the same street, and I could feel how connected they are to each other. They have created an amazing community for themselves with this group, and they also raise money for charities and do walks and runs. They all brought books to donate to the Pediatrics Clinic in Yonkers that I am doing the bookdrive for - they are goddesses. I got there about 7:30 and didn't leave until after 11 and couldn't believe it was that late. It was one of those great evenings where I felt so lucky and happy to be a woman who gets to be able to walk into a room of women that I don't know, but within the space of half an hour, am able to share and connect and get so much from them. They gave me the best gift. They let me be part of their magic circle. I drove home feeling so bouyed up by it. And now I'm up here inUtica - two hours north on the 87 to Albany, then west on the 90 for an hour and half. It is such a beautiful drive; it is all farms, and Victorian houses, and light straight out of an Edward Hopper - getting to be with people here, and hear their stories, and be part of this. And I got to have all that wonderful driving/writing time. Virginia Woolf used to walk her novels; I love to drive them. So it was great having 3 plus hours of silent, novel-thinking/processing/flow time. And I get more tomorrow on the drive home. Heaven!<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-1224471923982455942009-03-17T09:02:00.000-07:002009-03-19T19:23:24.696-07:00My sister Elizabeth showed me how to use my camera!!!So, my wonderful sister, Elizabeth, showed me how to download the pictures off my new camera, and find them on my computer, so I can put them up here. Hooray!! Here are a few that I've wanted to put up:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0039-732160.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0039-731827.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This was at BookMania in Stuart, Florida before our panel. From Left to right is: Lily Koppel, Diane McKinney-Whetstone, me, Garth Stein and Diane Hammond. They were great fun.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0036-741427.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0036-741156.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />If you have a layover in the Atlanta airport - eat here!! I love Paschal's. They have amazing grits and biscuits, and my flight got me there just in time to have some before they stopped serving them at 11. Yum!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0145-752542.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0145-752280.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here's the building at SUNY Albany where I spoke in February as part of the Sexuality Week on Campus. Afterwards, I had dinner with Dan's first cousin, and that was nice having a chance to have a real visit that wasn't in the midst of a large family gathering.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0169-714047.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0169-713437.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>This is the King's Cake that the boys and I made a couple of Saturday's ago on that beautiful, spring-like day we had when it was in the 60's. We were playing in the sandbox, and went in for lunch, and somehow the idea of making a cake came up, and even though King's day and Mardi Gras were past, King's cake is always yummy, and it was great fun making our own. The boys especially loved watching it rise twice, and then painting it with the colored sugar once it was baked. My 5 year old took that picture.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0174-761973.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0174-760603.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>I ran into Michael Gates Gill at the Tucson Festival of Books last Sunday. Mike read at Spoken Interludes last fall, and I really adore him. It was great getting to see him again. And here I am with Bonnie Marson, my fellow panelist. She was good fun.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0176-734681.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0176-734438.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>And last, but definitely not least, here with my sister Pamela, in front of the cacti. She was such a dear to fly in from Albuquerque to meet me there. Made all the difference in the world to me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0180-743892.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.delaunemichel.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0180-743585.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>DeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-50587685984423481402009-03-16T08:09:00.000-07:002009-03-16T08:58:50.982-07:00An Airport Kind of DayI'm in the Tucson airport waiting for a plane. I got here at 6 am, hoping to fly stand-by. Rather, fulling believing that I would fly stand-by because when I spoke to my travel agent on Friday, she said there were six seats left on the plane, so surely (don't call me Shirley - sorry!) I'd be fine. I wasn't fine. It's spring break, so the 7:10 am plane was over sold. As was the 8:20, and the 9:30, and the 10:40, and that leaves me going out on the flight that was originally booked, 11 something, I'll check my boarding pass, God knows, I have time. I won't get back to NY until 8:30 tonight which is the unpleasant part because I was really hoping/wanting/needing to get back to my sons this afternoon. They have done fine. They held up well. Dan said they fell asleep in the van on the way home from the zoo (they went out to breakfast and then to the zoo to see the camels and sea lions and zebras - their faves!), and when they woke up, they were both crying and wanting me. :( Okay, so I'm a lightweight. 3 days and 2 nights is too long for me without my sons, and my husband, but mostly my sons. We talked on the phone and Dan emailed me pictures of them. If I could have figured out where the damn pictures were on my computer that I downloaded from the new camera that Dan got me when my <span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Link" class="gl_link" border="0" /></span></span>old camera (that I was able to work) broke, then I would have been able to email pictures to them, and even post some here, but I will figure it out, though it's been tres annoying. Almost as annoying as people throwing in a lame French word in a thoroughly lame way. Anyway, I miss my sons. I am keeping my older son home from preschool tomorrow, and we will go to the <a href="http://www.maritimeaquarium.org/">Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk</a> to see the penguins that they just got there, so that will be great fun. My older son called me on my cell phone this morning when I was in the cab on the way to the airport. It was 5:30 am Tucson time, so 8:30 Irvington time. He told me that his father was telling him what to do too much. I asked him if that had anything to do with going to school. He said it did. I told him that I understood not wanting to go, but it would make the time go faster until I got home. He said maybe for you, but not for me. I reminded him that he didn't go to school on Friday. He said that was then, this is today. Can we just apply to law school now??? I told him that Momma and Daddy's job is to work and his job is to go to school, then quickly changed the subject and asked what he had for breakfast, knowing full well that he hadn't eaten yet. I could hear the low-blood sugar in his voice. He said that Dan had made oatmeal. Okay, is he a hero or what?? Cooking, for God's sake. Though Dan could have made ice cream floats (remember Coke Floats when you were a kid?? My sisters and I LOVED those), and my son wouldn't have been happy. I suggested he ask Daddy to make him a waffle (a frozen one from Whole Foods that my older sister, Elizabeth saved the day by picking up for us when she went there last week), and that did the trick. Hooray! But I wish I were already home. Though I did have a great weekend. The <a href="http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/">festival</a> was wonderful. It was the first one they ever had, but you wouldn't have known it. Every detail was thought out and perfect; the crowds were huge; the weather stunning. It was a glorious weekend. Not least of which was seeing <a href="http://www.garthstein.com/calendar/events.php">Garth Stein</a> again. We did a panel together at a festival in Florida in January, so it was great fun to see him again yesterday. He came to my panel and I went to his. If he is in your area, don't miss him!!! I assume you've already read his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Racing-Rain-Garth-Stein/dp/0061537934/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237217604&sr=8-1">The Art of Racing in the Rain,</a> which is incredible; be prepared to laugh and cry. I also ran into Michael Gates Gill in the author's lounge at the festival. Mike is amazing. Get his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Starbucks-Saved-Life-Privilege/dp/1592404049/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237217657&sr=1-1">How Starbucks Saved My Life</a>. It is a beautiful story of transformation and redemption, two subjects close to my heart. And Mike is a joy, so it was a treat to see him again. My panel was with <a href="http://www.bonniemarson.com/">Bonnie Marson</a> whose book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Schubert-Novel-Bonnie-Marson/dp/0812968395/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237217826&sr=1-1">Sleeping with Shubert</a> is a wonderful read. I really enjoyed doing the panel with her. Our topic was writing without fear or an MFA, and the audience had so many questions that the moderator, <a href="http://www.laurafitzgerald.com/">Laura Fitzgerald</a>, barely had to speak, but she was lovely. It was interesting to hear Bonnie's process. We had some interesting overlap, but a lot of differences in how we work that I think it gave a nice full view. But the nicest part of the weekend was that my sister Pamela who lives in Albuquerque flew in and was with me from Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. I don't think we've had alone time together since I visited her in Albuquerque ages and ages ago. It was really heavenly. I felt like we were able to reconnect in our relationship from who we are now. There was finally the time and space to do that. I feel so blessed to have her, and my other sisters. All that shared history and shorthands. We had so many laughs - Pam is hysterical - and got to realize some similarities in our lives that we hadn't before, and isn't that a gift? So, other than missing the boys so much that it made me ache, it was a glorious, heavenly weekend - and with sun!! I feel very fortunate to have been able to go. Thank you, wonderful, supportive husband!! Earlier this morning, I was at a kiosk getting a cup of coffee, and telling Dan on my cell phone that it didn't look like I'd get back earlier, and he was so relaxed about it, and so happy that I had come here, and I said to him, "I have the best husband." And the woman next to me said, "No, I do." Love her!!!<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-31445031171776931942009-03-13T13:03:00.002-07:002009-03-13T18:13:18.996-07:0077I am flying to Tucson tomorrow to be part of the first annual <a href="http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/">Tucson Festival of Books.</a> I am thrilled to be going, not least because the weather is going to be 77 there on Sunday. 77! Spring is definitely trying to start arrive here, but it's not 77. Though last weekend, it was wonderfully warm here, and the boys and I were able to be home all day. That is my favorite day in the world: all of home with no place we have to be at a certain time, and just able to play and eat and laugh and hang out and be home. So, the 2 year old and I were in the kitchen getting water, and my 5 year old was digging in the dirt at his construction site next to the driveway, when he came running in and said, "Momma, some thing's happened; come see." I figured a truck had broken from the ice, or some mishap, but then he said, "Come, some thing wonderful happened." And he led us outside, and there in the bed under the front window was the first flower of spring. That made my heart sing. To see it, and that he had found it, and showed it to me in that way. So, this long, cold winter is of the past, but it is still trying to hang on. I, for one, will not be sad to see it go. I kept my 5 year old home from pre-school this morning, since I'll be gone this weekend, so we played Tigers and Zoo keeper this morning, always a favorite.<br />My sister who lives in Albuquerque is going to meet me in Tucson and spend Saturday night with me. I'm looking forward to a sisters weekend. I told her that I feel like such a grown-up getting to have a girls' weekend, and she said that she feels like a kid going to a slumber party, so there's perspective for you! I'm going to miss the boys, especially, and I know this sounds crazy, at the airports - I'm changing planes in Dallas - because, one) airports are my sons favorite places in the world, and two) flying brings up terrible existential angst for me. I don't have a fear of dying on a plane, rather it is that going to an airport makes me think of what it must be life to leave this life and be in that transition before the next thing, and being a (trying, at least) practicing Buddhist, I think it is another life. I probably never should have watched that Albert Brooks movie, "Defending Your Life" since it is all about that in-between time and its setting looks suspiciously like an airport. But anyway. I have no doubt the festival will be great fun, and my sons and husband won't eat any of the food I am making and leaving for them, and will subsist on pizza and I'll be thrilled to see them upon arriving home. I'm feeling nervous/sad about being gone from them. At dinner tonight, my two year old said, “Momma bye bye tomorrow plane." Then he crawled into my lap. "Me hum. (for 'me come') Me hum.” Totally broke my heart. :(<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-48123757346875541582009-03-10T19:14:00.001-07:002009-03-13T13:03:02.165-07:00The Sky is CryingTuesday night. We just came home from paying a Shiva call to our Rabbi whose 19 year old son died in a tragic accident this past Friday night. We went to the funeral yesterday morning. It rained during the funeral, and it is raining now. The sanctuary was filled when we arrived, so we sat in the huge, crowded tent they had erected outside and watch the tv monitors of the funeral. The eulogy was the most beautiful and eloquent I've ever heard. I don't know how Rabbi Billy and his wife and two children were able to sit there and not just break down wailing on the floor. God bless them. It is horrendously, unbearably sad. When the service was over, and they got up to leave with the coffin, I remembered burying my father, and how I felt that I was trapped inside a machine that was made up of the most benevolent and loving people, but people who were setting into motion the burying of my father, and how I wanted to stand up and yell and stop it somehow, and how I couldn't, and how I was forced to do the absolutely completely very last thing on earth I had ever wanted to do. And yesterday, I saw Rabbi Billy get up from his chair at the end of the service, and I knew he was at that point where the rituals are moving forward, and you have no choice but to move forward with them, but all you want to do is yell and scream that this can't be happening, this can't be happening. And mine was my father, a death I had assumed would happen before my own. Not my son. Not a child. No one should have to walk through this. He was so kind to us when we got married. We had a hard time finding a Rabbi to perform the ceremony since I haven't converted to Judaism, but Rabbi Dreskin was so loving and embracing, and has made Dan and I and our children feel so welcome and part of the community. For him, it is all about the spirit, and I love that. I am so deeply despondent about what has happened to his son. If you have any extra prayers, please use them for Rabbi Dreskin and his family.<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-16153084979925571672009-03-02T18:26:00.000-08:002009-03-02T18:45:03.055-08:00Monday night. Dan and I just finished the crossword puzzle. Monday's always goes fast; a nice consolation for the hell of Friday and Sunday. My youngest called me in twice for more milk after I put him to bed. As I was carrying him to the kitchen to get it, his wispy hair was kind of being blown back off his forehead, and he was looking ahead with a smile on his face, and it was as if he were on the brow of a ship, he looked so happily expectant of his near future. We went into the kitchen where Dan was reading the paper, and my son said, "Last time," and grinned, because he knows that's what I say when he has these little requests. We have school tomorrow, he and I do a Mommy and Me class at the preschool that my 5 year goes to, and my youngest is very excited about that. "Scool?" he kept saying, when I told that we have school tomorrow and he needs a good night sleep. We had a snow day today, and that was great fun. We've had a big work site in their bedroom, with all the trucks moving blocks and going through tunnels and car washes and all kinds of things, so that work continued this morning. Then the babysitter came and I got to have some writing time, and then when I finished, we played a spinning game called Nana Blanana, so named because my sons were eating... you guessed it, while they named the game. Lately when my youngest son picks up something to play with, he says, "My favorite" because he has seen the magical powers that phrase concurs on his brother's toys, all sharing rules can possibly cease. This is a totally meandering entry that seems to have no point at all. Sorry!<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-18751093757693895982009-02-25T19:10:00.000-08:002009-03-02T18:08:40.772-08:00Let the Games BeginIt's 10ish Wednesday night. Dan and I are doing the NY Times crossword puzzle (I just got polaris and gator, if you did today's), so I figured I'd finally catch up here, in between figuring out 5 letters for "like a towelette" (moist). We have also become big Ken Ken players which now appears above the crosswords every day. Our friends, <a href="http://www.nextoy.com/aboutus.html">Robert Fuhrer</a> and Lisa Shamus, developed the game. We gave out a bunch of the <a href="http://www.kenken.com/">Ken Ken</a> books for the holidays, and if you haven't played it, check it out. Great fun.<br />So winter break was last week, and the boys and I did lots of fun stuff. We went to the <a href="http://www.madmuseum.org/">Museum of Art and Design</a> in the city to see the <a href="http://collections.madmuseum.org/code/emuseum.asp?style=browse&currentrecord=1&page=search&profile=exhibitions&searchdesc=Current%20Exhibitions&searchstring=Current/,/greater%20than/,/0/,/false/,/true&action=advsearch&style=single&currentrecord=4">second lives: remixing the ordinary</a> exhibit. Wonderful works. We especially loved the chandelier made out of eye glasses. (Just realized that "gator" was wrong). As my sons and I were getting our tickets, I saw a woman that I recognized from Phil Gushee's Meisner acting class that I took forever ago. It was fun to say hello. Brought back tons of memories of repetition and independent activities - Meisner's two touchstone exercises. There was one guy in the class - very talented - who used to play that song "Higher Love" all the time on his walkman - yes, this is very pre-iPod. We went to see the big Van Gogh retrospective at the Met together that year, and we splurged on the Phillipe de Montebello audio tour of it, passing the headphones back and forth to each other as we walked through the galleries. We were broke. I was waitressing, and I can't remember what he did. I can't even remember his name. We were just friends, acting class friends. But what a great time that was. I remember one morning waking up after working late at the restaurant, and I think I was going to do my voice work (not singing, the acting kind) and then go for a run, and I remember lying in my bed, in the small bedroom that I had in the large pre-war apartment on West End Avenue that I shared with a NY politician's daughter and a producer on 60 Minutes (Richard is still on that show, I saw his credit on a segment recently. He was such a sweet man), and realizing that I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing. I didn't have a lot of money, but I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing. That was a wonderful moment. And I knew I was lucky. Not that it was easy, though what is? But I still got to be doing, pursuing what I wanted. (Dan just figured out that the correct answer for the "gator" clue is otter). Anyway.<br />So the museum was great fun, and then we fought the masses at Whole Foods in Columbus Circle for lunch. We went with friends, but it was so crowded that we sat at adjacent tables, and I would have killed for a cup of their good coffee, but wasn't up to the line for it.<br />The next day, the boys and I went ice skating. Okay, all I can say is that if you read that sentence and it didn't give you pause (considering that I wrote it) then, like the refrain to that terrible song, "You don't know me." Okay, seriously, I am so not the ice skater person. But my eldest son has been wanting to go, so I made plans for a lesson for him, and then a friend suggested we go for our play date, and I thought how perfect that my son can go with friends on the day before his lesson, assuming the whole time that I would just watch from the sidelines, waving with gusto every time they passed, secretly thrilled that I wasn't on the ice. Oh, how that was smashed. Though if it had to be with anyone, then this was the perfect time because our friend is great on the ice, but I still was scared of wiping out at every moment. Though, okay, on Friday, I did get a pass because my 2 year old couldn't go on the ice, so he and I stayed on the side (hooray!) and my eldest went the whole way around the rink with my friend and his daughter. I was so proud of him; he was a total natural. All I could think was it was the Yankee in him coming out. So I figured even more surely that during the lesson I'd be able to just hang on the sides. What was I thinking?? My son is not a go-off-with-a-person-he's-never-met kind of kid, so I put on the rental skates, and dutifully trudged out there to the middle of the <a href="http://westchester.pucksystems.com/">rink</a>. I asked Heather, the very sweet teacher, how much of ice skating is psychological. She said 50% which shocked me. I think it has to be more like 75. At least for me. Because the thing is is that I could do it. I did it. We had the lesson - march, march, march, gliiiiiiide. march, march, march, gliiiiiiiiiide. Shoulders back! Chest up! Arms out for balance! "I don't need them out for balance," my 5 year old son said. And actually, he didn't, God bless him. And then after the lesson, he and I went around the rink all by ourselves. Okay, this may sound small to you, but this is huge for me. But here's the thing. I was skating; we did skate, but I realized later that the whole time I was skating, I never really could picture myself skating. And I still kind of can't. Then a few days later I realized that a part of me doesn't want to be able to picture myself skating. That I have some attachment (hello, Zen and the Samsara of attachment) to a definition of myself as not being able to skate. When I called my sole friend here in Westchester who I was friends in Baton Rouge, as I figured she would appreciate this more than anyone, she said, "Well, there's a metaphor for balance." Which I took more in relation to my son than to me since I still can't even picture myself doing what I already did. Though I'd better be able to soon since we have another lesson this Sunday. March, march, march, gliiiiiiiiide. March, march, march, gliiiiiiiiide...............<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809517842789440201.post-48525432885732776882009-02-16T18:41:00.000-08:002009-02-17T11:43:48.914-08:00The Big 1So, tomorrow is my one year blog anniversary. My husband just walked into the kitchen where I'm writing this, and his response to this information was, "Mazel tov." He always knows just what to say. ;) If I remember correctly, the traditional gift for the first anniversary is paper, which really is rather odd. Paper what? Maché?? Or maybe note cards for the bride to finally write her thank you notes? Maybe that's what it's for. So you have a polite way of reminding the delinquent Mrs. that she never sent a note. Which actually has happened to me in the not too distant past with a bride that I don't know terribly well, but was invited to the wedding, and even though we couldn't go, I still wanted to help celebrate her big day. At the odd moments when I do remember that we never heard from her about our gift, I wonder if I should ask one of her family members to check because if the gift didn't ever get there, I want the store to send another. Frankly, that is all I really care about in a thank you note. It could even just be a stamped message saying, "Got it - thanks!!" Anyway, I hope she is using the stuff in good health, as my mother-in-law would say.<br />I had no intention of writing about thank you note etiquette. Though that is a subject that I have probably been traumatized by more than most considering that I grew up having to write thank you notes to my sisters. And I have four of them. It has only been in this past year, and with the excuse of two young sons, that I have declared a personal revolution to this and decided that with a close family member, if I tell them in person or on the phone how much I love/use the gift, then that will just have to do. And the terrible truth is that even as I write that, I am sure that the ceiling of social correctness is going to come crashing down on my head. Oh, to be momentarily not Southern.<br />Anyway. I did write my thank you notes - happily and sincerely - for three events I did recently. The class I led at <a href="http://www.simons-rock.edu/">Bard College at Simon's Rock </a>in Great Barrington was a wonderful experience. What a bright group of young women. They were very passionate and verbal. The class was "Violence and Gender" and I led a discussion on sexual abuse and recovery based on my second book - not to give the plot away! ;) I also did a similar lecture at <a href="http://www.albany.edu/">SUNY Albany </a>last week as part of their Sexuality Week. They started this event 16 years ago, and were the first college to devote a week to these issues. The students were a great group. And it was co-ed, so that was interesting. I thought the boys were very brave to stay through it. Not that it was anti-male at all, but still, talking about some of that stuff can be tricky. One male student was sitting right next to me, (it was originally set up as a lecture, but I pulled out a chair, and got everyone to sit in a circle with me) and at certain points, his right leg was jumping 20 miles a minute. But he joined in the discussion and was very enthusiastic at the end. It was great to connect with them. And I got to see family on both of these trips. My sons and I stayed with my sister and her son in Great Barrington for the Simon's Rock class, so that became a big trucks-and-planes-and-anything-with-wheels kind of weekend. And then after the SUNY Albany lecture, I got to have dinner with my husband's first cousin before I drove back home, and that was fun to have real visit time. Last week, I also did an interview with Ben Cheever on his cable tv show where he interviews writers. The show is on in Westchester, and when I have more info about it, I will put it on my website, if you care to watch it. If you do, watch it for him, as he is thoroughly charming and funny. He read at Spoken Interludes a year or so ago, (happily, he will come back next fall), and I adored him reading there, so wasn't surprised that this side of him was fun, too.<br />And his team there was also great. Shane, the station manager, had lived in Russia for a good while, so he and I were able to talk about the <a href="http://art.theatre.ru/english/">Moscow Art Theatre</a> and how often does that happen?? Made me remember my acting student days where MAT was the holy grail, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Strasberg">Strasberg</a> our humble vehicle to get there. Or not - like "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_%28play%29">The Three Sisters</a>", but isn't that point??<br />Anyway. I talked with Ben about Chekhov, as I look up to him more than any other writer, and Ben told me how fashionable Chekhov has gotten lately and that was a shock. But I guess now that everyone has finally discovered <a href="http://www.richardyates.org/">Richard Yates</a> - hooray for that long overdue event - Chekhov is next. And speaking of Yates, Blake Bailey who wrote a beautiful memoir of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tragic-Honesty-Life-Richard-Yates/dp/0312423756/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234842333&sr=8-1">Yates,</a> is coming out with one of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheever-Life-Blake-Bailey/dp/1400043948/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234842333&sr=8-2">John Cheever </a>that I am very much looking forward to reading. Ben told me that he feels that Blake very much caught the spirit of his father, and I can't think of a better compliment for a biographer than that. Blake will be on Ben's show soon, too, so try to catch that if you're in the 914 area code.<br />Time to toddle to bed.<br />xoDeLauné Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03561893295760586255noreply@blogger.com0