What does it mean to be lost in your art? 

    Morgan Fleming, a Kansas City jeweler, inspired by Peter Carl Faberge’s work, designed his own masterpiece titled “Morgan’s Egg in Renaissance Style.”

        “I didn’t know if I ever existed before the egg. It totally changed my life,” he told me when I interviewed him in the 1990s.

        He labored for six years on this million-dollar masterpiece. Fleming fit the profile of a mad scientist obsessed with his project who rarely left his lab. His family had tremendous faith in him, though he rarely saw him. Neither did his friends. Or customers. He hired out repairs to focus on finishing the regal egg.

        Every detail he painstakingly perfected for his Imperial Easter Egg. The stunning sterling silver egg features 18-carat gold lattice work dotted with 51 clusters, each featuring four diamonds accented with a ruby center. The gold base is trimmed with intricate white, red, and green enamel designs.

        Fleming thought he’d finish the egg in a year, but he estimated he devoted 4,500 hours. Other jewelers worked with him to replicate the design details. But he reminded me that Faberge employed around 400 craftsmen. His workforce produced one jeweled egg a year for the tsar, who presented the egg as an Easter gift for the tsarina. 

        Despite the setbacks and sacrifices, Fleming told me that he never contemplated failure. He was remarkable in his determination and imagination.

    (Footnote: I’ll work on this mystery to see where this extraordinary egg resides now.)

 

Have you heard about Stop the Sexualization of Children Act HR76661? The American Library Association its opposition to this recently introduced book banning legislation stressing that “parents, not politicians should guide their children’s reading.”   

Protect the Children, or How to Ban a Book in 5 Simple Steps

If you have a child, or know a child that you desperately want to protect, read on. Are you worried that books are corrupting young minds? And by corrupt, we mean ideas and beliefs unlike yours.  

Step 1: Pick a book that you have not read. Any book, genre, or target age. Do not worry if the book is not controversial; your job is to make it more controversial with a fact-finding expedition. It’s never been easier to make any book controversial without even reading it! The goal is to prevent an innocent child from learning something. Remember: Protect the children.

Step 2: Judge the book by its cover, the title, the awards it’s received. Does the title sound suspicious? Does the cover artwork make you anxious? All signs indicate that this book should remain closed. Remember, do not read the book, because this will inject positive bias. Pro tip: The literary award name usually appears in a gold circle stamped on the front.   

Step 3: Read the front flap to understand the book’s premise, setting, and characters. No matter how interesting it sounds, do not read the book. Studies show that if you read the book you cannot argue effectively against banning the book. Trust us.

Step 4: Read the author’s bio to figure out what offends your sensibilities. Maybe you don’t like their name (too foreign sounding), where they live, or that they have an awful haircut. It’s tempting to get bogged down in the writer’s confusing pronouns, religion, or ethnicity but you don’t need to conduct research. Yes, really. Pro tip: Pick one offense and don’t back down.

Step 5: Is this book “required reading” for school? If yes, then storm the school board, picket the library, or harass the parents and teachers who have failed to think of the children’s future. Remember, act outraged that reading books promotes a student’s ability to think for themselves are available at school libraries. Fiery eyes, fist in the air, and foaming at the mouth (kidding) draws more attention to you than the cause. Pro tip: Calmly declare that the book contradicts your family values, depicts real historical events, or uses inappropriate language. Don’t use foul language when giving your opinion.   

Finally, if you are concerned that the next generation will be duly influenced by what they read, expanding their knowledge and understanding about who they are and the world around them, it’s your duty to speak up. But we advise against telling your children about your ultimate book burning, banning plans. Teenagers, in particular, will want to read the very books you are protecting them from. Then, these ungrateful children will challenge you and publicly fight for their right to read all the books.   

Dreams of Winter 

When I greet winter,
I’m in Robert Frost’s poem pausing “between woods and frozen lake.”

❅❅❅

Where I see winter,
it’s a backyard of barren trees, showing off their naked shape,
the fleeting red flash at the feeder,
animal tracks in criss-cross patterns. 

❅❅❅  

What I sense
is calm wrapped in stillness,
an excuse to hibernate, tuck in, peer out.

❅❅❅

How do I dream of winter?
It’s gentle, well-behaved snow,
without the bullies wind, sleet, and ice.

❅❅❅

 

Image: Handwritten note by author. 

What do you think about cursive writing?

As a reporter, I relied heavily on my handwritten notes. Writing someone else’s words helped me better remember what they said. I invented my shorthand to capture key concepts. I starred passages that stuck out as ideal quotes because they explained a concept, described an experience, or made me laugh or cry.

    As a writer, I find my ideas flow easier with pen and paper rather than typing. Tapping on the keyboard or using dictation works too. But first, hand me a pen and let me balance a notebook in my lap.

+++

New Jersey dropped handwriting from its curriculum after the adoption of the Common Core State Standards in 2010, which didn’t require handwriting instruction. Many states said goodbye to cursive, but New Jersey reversed its decision.  In September, New Jersey public schools will start teaching cursive writing to third-through fifth-grade students.

Cursive is back! That's why I designed and typed (you’re welcome) a special cursive writing quiz in honor of cursive writing.  

How excited are you about the return of cursive writing to New Jersey school students?

A.     Woo-hoo! Everyone should know how to write in cursive and read it too.

B.     Every student in every state should learn longhand.

C.      I didn’t know they stopped teaching cursive.

D.     What a waste of time. What about Latin?    

What are the benefits of adding cursive to the curriculum?

A.     Improves spelling, motor skills, and hand-eye coordination  

B.     Signing legal documents and writing checks  

C.      Reading my parents’ love letters

D.     Students can write their own absentee excuses

What should our elementary students be learning besides cursive?

A.     Latin

B.     United States History

C.      Leonard Cohen’s musical catalogue  

D.     Writing with artificial intelligence

What careers are open to those who can read cursive?  

A.     Digital subscriber for the Smithsonian

B.     Teachers

C.      Historians

D.     Transcribing spells for wizards, witches, and magical beings.

What was the first instrument you used to write?    

A.     Pencil

B.     Leaky fountain pen

C.      Don’t ask. I was traumatized by the whole experience.

D.     Voice dictation

Have you ever had a pen pal?

A.     I still have pen pals.

B.      Sounds like fun. Sign me up.

C.      I’ve thought about writing to inmates.

D.     I exchange notes with my neighbor. She leaves a note on my car when I park in her spot, and I put a note when her dog does his business on my lawn.

How would you describe your signature?

A.     Big and bold like me.

B.     Tidy, tiny and unassuming  

C.      A cross between printing and writing

D.     Unruly, illegible, but hey, it’s unique.  

Do people compliment you on your signature?

A.     I’ve been told my handwriting is mesmerizing.

B.     Everyone says I have a doctor’s handwriting. Does that mean it’s awful?

C.      Sometimes. People who love loopy loops.  

D.     People ask: What language is that? Are you writing in code? Can you spell that for me?  

What is the most valuable or oldest handwritten document in your possession?

A.     I’m proud to own my great-great grandmother’s molasses cake recipe written in her own hand.

B.     A Girl Scout cookie order form (circa 1973) because it proves I could sell anything to anyone.

C.      My college essay.

D.     A postcard from the window installer looks like it’s handwritten.    

What historical documents would you like to see, read, or interpret?     

A.     Declaration of Independence

B.     Gettysburg Address

C.      Correspondence between Abigail and John Adams

D.     Give me the faint and fading documents

Key: For those with an abundance of As, buy yourself a journal. If your responses were mainly Bs, you understand the business and historical value of cursive writing. Readers who chose the C answers have good outlook on life.Write me a letter, please. If you circled more Ds, may this quiz inspire you to become a more well-rounded individual. But don’t fret if you had a few Bs, some Cs, and the rest As because it’s all for fun.

Did you know George Orwell was a pseudonym?

Orwell’s real name was Eric Blair. I learned this literary fact while hopscotch-reading through an anthology of essays. (1) 

This revelation about one of my favorite authors surprised me. I called my mother, who taught English for many years, to share the news while secretly hoping she didn’t it would be news to her. Mom didn’t know but noted it’s a common practice for authors to protect their privacy.    

Why did Blair use a pen name? Well, literary scholars have plenty of theories. A prominent one suggests that Blair didn’t want to embarrass his parents by publishing Down and Out in Paris and London (1933) under his own name. His nonfiction work is a portrayal of poverty based on working menial jobs in kitchens in Paris and living on the streets in England. An experiment to experience first-hand what poverty tasted like and felt like.

It reminds me of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (2001) by Barbara Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich worked undercover as a waitress, maid, and a chain retail store, to see if she could survive on minimum wage. Her work helped readers understand that living on minimum wage is not living but struggling.   

Back to Orwell, perhaps he chose the name in honor of a racehorse that had a reputation for losing races even though the odds were in its favor. “Naming himself after a loser with a disability might well have appealed to the writer’s dark sense of humour,” says Ronald Binns, author of Orwell in Southwold.

Or another guess: He wanted an English-sounding name.  

+++

A fiercely loved paperback of Orwell’s 1984 has a permanent home on the handmade pine bookshelf closest to my bed. It’s hard for me to read because of its physical state, not mine. Tiny typeface on dog-eared yellow pages. Plus, it smells musty and old, unlike the other crisper, younger books keeping it company. I imagine this edition has been with me since my high school days.    

Rarely do I reread books. However, 1984 has been the exception. I have returned to this classic, first assigned in school. My sense is that high school teachers dissected the meaning of the author’s satirical work, rather than the author, in this case. (2)

+++

Perhaps geography plays a role too when teaching literature. As a proud Missourian, I know that Mark Twain was Samuel L. Clemens’ pen name. It’s knowledge that I suspect they teach in school, but I believe it’s buried in the soil, or that it floats down the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River, a virtual character, in Twain’s work.

How did Clemens pick his pen name? Clemens claimed that his nom de plume was inspired by river boatmen. The boatmen called out Mark Twain, shorthand for two fathoms, helping navigate their craft. My mother also confirmed this legend. However, I found another story explaining that Clemens earned the nickname from ordering his usual drink, Mark Twain, which meant two shots of whiskey.  

Pick your story. How about another one? Twain was born on the same day Hally’s Comet shone in the sky in 1835 and died, as he predicted, when the comet appeared again in 1910.  

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t,” as quoted by Twain’s own character Pudd’nhead Wilson.

As a writer, I plan to take more care to learn and remember authors’ names and their life stories beyond what’s on the page.

Footnotes:

1    I was reading Orwell’s essay “Such, Such were the Joys,” in The Art of the Personal Essay An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present.   

2   Inside this book was George Orwell’s biography, which noted it was the pen name of Englishman Eric Blair, born in Bengal in 1903. I’m a better reader now, never skipping over introductions or avoiding afterwords.

AI Image: Snow falling in pine forest. 

Secrets of the Snow Spirits 

The Nordic cross-country ski club made a winter pilgrimage to the Adirondacks, finding solace in the snow. Every year, they escaped to worship nature’s snowy beauty.     

    But the snow spirits had cast a curse upon the region. The surrounding mountains, valleys, and forests were starved of snow. Fewer trails boasted a snow base deep enough to bury the jutting roots and hide the brown patches.

    The Nordics shared memories of swishing through the hard-packed snow glistening in the sunshine. They longed to hear the crunch, crunch of the snow again. The youngest among them shivered, imagining the bracing, frigid air welcoming them.

    Despite the bleak, sporadic snow forecast, the Nordics continued their traditional journey north. As was their custom, each skier brought gifts to honor the snow spirits. Presents including a rare poem written by Jack Frost, lush green velvet cloaks, a silver flask of aged whiskey, and an ice-blue sapphire tiara. They hoped these treasures, so rich and rare, would impress the spirits.

    Still, not a single snowflake fell.   

    Disappointed, the skiers shunned the spirits and instead put their faith in superstitions to bring snow. The younger snow spirits giggled as they watched each person place a spoon under the bed pillow. 

    But the elder spirits lashed out, unamused. “It’s absurd. Humans also believe wearing their pajamas to bed inside out will make it snow … or backwards and inside out.”

    The Nordics decided they must work together to repair their relationship with the divine deities. If they failed, they feared the snow drought curse would last forever.

    How could they show the spirits how much they loved a snowy winter wonderland?

    A thank-you party!

    As the spirits watched from above, each Nordic presented their gift. The club’s ski instructor recited his poem about snowflakes. Each stanza sang with the same praise he shared with skiers under his tutelage.

    Next, the musician played a bold, bright melody on his flugelhorn. He had mastered the fast tempo and performed fearlessly with speed and grace, just as he did while skate-skiing.

    The humble llama farmer knitted fuzzy honey-colored scarves from spun wool. She wove warmth and comfort into the scarves, wrapping the spirits in her loving touch and kind words.

    In the spirit of warming the icy hearts of the spirits, others chopped a cord of wood and built a roaring fire ablaze in blue and orange. The wood crackled and popped. The ski-house sommelier gave all a generous pour of vintage homemade vino to fete the spirits. Her heartfelt toast was as lively and robust as the wine itself.

    The Nordic leader who loved to cook served up an Italian feast. He sacrificed his time on the trails to cook for his friends and the spirits. Every course included his signature ingredient of fresh, sweet garlic. Chopped garlic topped the bruschetta. Roasted bulbs drenched in olive oil spread on crusty bread. Tomato garlic sauce served over a swirl of steaming pasta. The sweet aroma of garlic lingered and wafted into the woods, making for sweet dreams. 

    All slept well after the dinner and festivities, and they dreamed of waking up to a winter wonderland. The next morning, their dreams had come true. Rejoice!

The sky blushed pink-orange, and the land beamed with six inches of snow.

     Tree branches wore a brand-new winter coat. Birdhouses donned fluffy top hats. Paw prints zig-zagged across the landscape in this wildlife walkway. The woodland welcome committee had already arrived—a drilling woodpecker, a screeching hawk, and a jeering blue jay. 

    The Nordics ventured into the endless winter beauty. Every kilometer of trail beckoned them. They traversed the hills together before heading in different directions. Curious skiers stopped to study the terrain, animal tracks, and tree bark. While some raced across the frozen pond, others circled around it. A few shed their skis and slip-slid-walked across the solid ice.

    The Nordics never worried about snow droughts, for the Snow Spirits rewarded those who shared their talents. Maybe, the snow spirits loved garlic too. 

Did you know George Orwell was a pseudonym?

Orwell’s real name was Eric Blair. I picked up this literary fact while hopscotch-reading through an anthology of essays.¹   

 Last week’s revelation about one of my favorite authors surprised me. It also piqued my curiosity. Why did Blair use a pen name?² 

I called my mother, who taught English for many years, to share the news while secretly hoping this was news to her too. Turns out she didn’t know, but nor was she surprised. I also learned she didn’t teach Orwell’s work.   

+++

A fiercely loved paperback of George Orwell’s 1984 has a permanent home in the handmade pine bookshelf closest to my bed. It’s hard for me to read because of its physical state, not mine. Tiny typeface on dog-eared yellow pages. Plus, it smells musty and old, unlike the other crisper, younger books keeping it company. I imagine this edition has been with me since my high school days.    

Rarely do I reread books. However, 1984 has been the exception. I have returned to this classic, first assigned in school. My sense is that high school teachers dissected the meaning of the author’s satirical work, rather than the author.  

+++

Perhaps geography plays a role too when teaching literature. As a proud Missourian, I know that Mark Twain was Samuel L. Clemens’ pen name. It’s knowledge that I suspect they teach in school, but I believe it’s buried in the soil, or that it floats down the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River, a virtual character, in Twain’s work.

How did Clemens pick his pen name? Clemens claimed that his nom de plume was inspired by river boatmen. The boatmen called out Mark Twain, shorthand for two fathoms, helping navigate their craft. My mother also confirmed this legend. However, I found another story explaining that Clemens earned the nickname from ordering his usual drink, Mark Twain, which meant two shots of whiskey.  

Pick your story. How about another one? Twain was born on the same day Hally’s Comet shone in the sky in 1835 and died, as he predicted, when the comet appeared again in 1910.  

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t,” as quoted by Twain’s own character Pudd’nhead Wilson.

As a writer, I plan to take more care to learn and remember authors’ names and their life stories beyond what’s on the page.

^{1            I was reading Orwell’s essay “Such, Such were the Joys,” in The Art of the Personal Essay An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present.}   

^{2            Why did Eric Blair choose the name Orwell? Curious readers, I will write another blog on writers and their pen names.}