On Saturday, January 24, from noon to 4 p.m. is the first annual National Readathon Day, a marathon to encourage reading across the nation and promote literacy. The National Book Foundation, Penguin Random House, Goodreads, and Mashable are partnering on the event, which will benefit the Foundation’s education programs. Just think, to participate you have… [Read More]
On Your Mark, Get Set, READ! – First Annual National Readathon Day on January 24th!
January 21, 2015 By
Bookends – Some Suggested Christmas Reading
December 1, 2014 By
I like “bookend” plots that start in one place and then circle back to the beginning of things. I like January and December because they bookend the year. And I like bookends – the real thing – because they’re useful when you have as many books as I do. Here are some books you might… [Read More]
The Big and the Small of it
November 24, 2014 By
Speaking is a part of the writing life. Initially I thought I would speak to larger and larger audiences as I became better and better known. Two events this past weekend show how wrong I was! On Friday, October 31, I joined forces with illustrator Will Hillenbrand and Richmond Symphony Orchestra flutist Evelien Woolard to… [Read More]
Edith Wharton Teaches English
November 17, 2014 By
As I mention in my biography (pp. 66-67), an early short story Edith Wharton wrote called “The Line of Least Resistance” caught the eye of Henry James, a writer she was dying to meet. It was the beginning of a long friendship between “The Master” (as James was known) and the up-and-coming Edith. That same… [Read More]
Connie is Speaking at the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Children’s Literature Conference, Saturday, Nov. 8th
November 5, 2014 By
Connie will be speaking at the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Children’s Literature Conference, Saturday, November 8, 2014. Traditional registration is now available for the 2014 Ohio Kentucky Indiana Children’s Literature Conference! Adventure Across the Ages: Exploring Literature from Pre-K to YA, featuring Stephanie Bodeen, Sneed Collard III, and Jon and Pamela Voelkel will be held November… [Read More]
A Thoroughly Dislikable Character
November 4, 2014 By
Undine Spragg was one of the most dislikable heroines Edith Wharton ever created. This social “swell,” star of the novel, The Custom of the Country, ruthlessly trampled over family, friends, and enemies alike in her quest to rise as far as possible above her humble Apex, Kansas roots. There was hardly a redeeming word to… [Read More]
When a Writer Isn’t Writing
October 29, 2014 By
Seeing young people experience live symphonic music – some for the very first time ever – is an event worth leaving my desk for. One morning a few weeks ago, I watched a line of school buses pull up at the entrance to Richmond Civic Hall and drop off hundreds of seventh graders. After they… [Read More]
Fall Crafts for Children
October 3, 2014 By
I am not a “crafty” person but I found this site with its autumn-inspired craft projects for children of all ages – so much fun, creative and simple, I had to share it with you. The Crafty Crow, A Children’s Craft Collective I love the crafts featured on the home page – all inspired by… [Read More]
Wicked Jack, a Classic Halloween Tale – Presented Live Friday, October 31st at 1:00p.m.
October 1, 2014 By
Being a native of North Carolina, I love the colorful folktales of Appalachia that have been passed on from generation to generation. “Meaner than a rattlesnake” Wicked Jack was one of my favorites. Some say this folktale explains the origin of Halloween jack-o-lanterns! I “dug around’ to find as many retellings of this folktale as… [Read More]
A Quiet Rebel
August 7, 2014 By
Edith Wharton was my kind of rebel: A quiet, well-behaved one. She tended to take practices that were rigidly defined by the Victorian society in which she grew up (entertaining, decorating, traveling, learning, gardening) and “rewrite”them according to her own specifications. In a recent issue of Slate Magazine, Kate Bolick takes a close look at… [Read More]