Happy July! I trust that everyone is managing to keep cool and safe as summer heat is upon us. I am saddened to hear that there have been some deaths attributed to the high temperatures.
I am thrilled to share that my West Coast Book Launch Party for "In the Grip of Grace" was a big success thanks to the generosity of the Lake Forest Park branch of the King County Library who offered to let me hold the reading in their wonderful meeting room, and to everyone who attended. The room was filled to capacity! The youngest in attendance was 24 (well actually there was a 3- month- old four legged guest - a very special puppy named Zora who is in training to be a Guide Dog for the Blind!), and the oldest audience member was 91! You can see photos of the reading at the end of this blog. After the half hour reading, I signed books and we enjoyed refreshments at a local taproom. It was an extra special blessing to have some veterans at the reading since several poems in my book are about members of my family who served in the military and the ways in which wars have impacted many generations of my family. One veteran shared that he was moved by the poems especially since many people who have experienced combat find it difficult to talk about and to share their stories. I've included a few photos from the reading at the end of this blog.
I'm also very grateful to those who have written and shared reviews of the book. Many thanks to my fellow authors, Isabelle B.L. who writes and teaches in France, and local author, Monica McDowell, for the wonderful reviews they posted on Goodreads. You can read the reviews here. And, I was pleased to receive this very kind review from Anne Marie Spratt who is a visual artist and illustrator from New York:
I welcome any additional reviews or comments about the book. Another poet friend shared that he is currently working on a review, and I look forward to sharing it and any others on here when I receive them. Also, if you'd like to send me a photo of yourself reading the book in a special location (could be as special as your living room!), I would love to share these on social media with your consent. Here is an awesome photo sent to me by Marcia Winston Terry who is the photographer who took the photo that graces the cover of my book. The photo was taken in Lee County, Virginia in the heart of beautiful Appalachia which is the setting for the poems. As I've shared in previous posts, Marcia's photo won an award for Best of the Year in a contest. You can see more of her beautiful work on her website: Be Still and Know Photography.
If you live at a distance and want me to sign your book, I can mail you a special bookplate sticker to place in the front inside cover if you send me your mailing address. Here is an example of one that I mailed recently:
I would like to thank the editors of my little hometown newspaper, The Powell Valley News, for publishing the article below about the book. My parents were long-time subscribers to the paper and it is a real joy to know that it remains in publication during a time when many small town papers have folded. It was my brother in Virginia who alerted me when the article was published. I called him to chat and he told me that he'd picked up a copy of the paper at the store and was thumbing through it and saw my photo. He told me he thought, "wait a minute, I know her - that's sis!"
Here is a list of my upcoming scheduled readings:
SoulFood Cafe Poetry Night Open Mic, Thursday, July 18, 2024, 6:00 PM, Redmond, WA
And down the road:
In the Grip of Grace Southern Launch: The Clapboard House, Wise, VA, Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 11:00 AM
Everett Poetry Night, Featured Reader, National Poetry Month, April 7, 2025
In the midst of the celebration of my book publication and many blessings in my personal life,I remain deeply troubled by the political landscape in the U.S., the recent Supreme Court rulings that further erode the foundations of our democracy, the rise of Christian Nationalism and the extremely frightening Pr0ject 2025 Agenda for the Republican Party. I've read the policy manual for the project and am sharing it widely. It is an outline to turn our democracy into a theocracy and do away with the separation of church and state which has long been the defense against religious tyranny and our guarantee of freedom of and from religion. We are truly facing a constitutional crisis and the outcome of the election in November will decide the fate of our democracy. I personally will be voting AGAINST the party aligned with Pr0ject 2025 and with Christian Nationalism and especially with the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the restriction of women's rights and the adoption of dangerous abortion bans which are absolutely not "pro-life." I'll be "voting blue no matter who." I highly recommend the documentary, "Bad Faith" which delves into the history of Christian Nationalism and what has gotten us to this scary point in history. People who have suffered trauma from involvement in fundamentalist religious cults may find it particularly hard to watch, but it clearly illustrates what we are up against as a nation. I especially appreciate the comments of Rev. William Barber and Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove in the video as they denounce the takeover of the Republican party by the Christian Nationalists. Some ways to fight back: educate yourself, DONATE, volunteer, resist, rally, protest, boycott, march, speak up, and VOTE.
And now to end on a more pleasant note, below are some photos from my Book Launch Reading and Party. I am wishing everyone GRACE and PEACE in these troubled times. May all beings be free of suffering.
~Marianne (aka Wild Honey)
My beautiful audience! So blessed by everyone's presence!!
Loved signing books for folks who had pre-ordered and brought their books to the reading!!
Always a treat to have some Gen Z's in the house....LOVE these readers! Aedan just got a new library card and was super excited to show it off in the library!
This guest of honor and book lover stole the hearts of everyone! She is a puppy in training to be a Guide Dog for the Blind and was extremely well behaved!
Bees were buzzing about the reading (but of course!) I read two bee poems and shared some old fashioned "Bit O Honey" candies as party favors. For those of you who couldn't be there, I missed you and hope to see you at a future reading or via zoom.
So sad that I had to miss your LFP book launch! I will (finally!) get to my review of your book in the next few days, promise. I didn't even think of taking selfies in different places reading your book! I'll do that. Reminds me of when I took pictures of myself reading your book "Timbrel" all around Paris so many years ago! The Grip of Grace is a must read for all people. I both laughed and cried while reading it. So beautiful and authentic. Your poetry is so comforting.