the best thing about a bad day…

…is that it has to end eventually!  After that last post I printed out two press kits, then felt my headache coming back so lay down for a nap; woke up and knocked over the glass of water on the nightstand…almost crawled back under the covers to hide, but was determined to make it to Shadra’s award ceremony; hopped on the train and it stopped in lower Manhattan–due to a police investigation in Brooklyn.  I just took a few deep breaths and opened my book.  What else could I do?  You can’t try to fix all the things that go wrong in a day–I ran into Cozbi tonight as I exited the train, and then came home to find some sage advice from her on Facebook: just BREATHE!  I’m so glad I went to the NYPL; I arrived just in time to hear the last bit of Stian Hole‘s acceptance speech, and then Shadra was introduced and I heard her give her speech in its entirety.  She looked lovely, in one of Cozbi‘s original designs, and I got to see her mother and all her supportive friends.  I also got to meet some of the awards committee members, who graciously complimented me on my writing–and some offered to help me find an agent!  I met wonderful teachers and librarians–it’s ironic that both my parents were public school teachers, yet we never really had conversations about our experiences in the classroom; now I find I meet an educator, and can’t stop talking!  Turns out the EJK award stickers cost ten cents each, and so publishers often decide against having them applied to award-winning books.  I don’t get that, but was thrilled when Deborah Pope, Executive Director of the EJK Foundation, handed me a bundle of stickers for my own use.  Part of me wants to run around the city, applying stickers to every copy of Bird in every bookstore!  Such an award is worth celebrating, and having a little Peter on my first book is such an honor.  THANK YOU, SHADRA!

I need to pen one final haiku since today is the last day of April.  This will post as May 1, since WordPress runs on GMT time, but I still have an hour before midnight on this side of the world.

Ok, so now it’s 5:45am–of course, yesterday wouldn’t be complete without my internet service giving out just before I could add my final haiku.  Dunno why I’m up so early, but figured I might as well join the birds and get busy.

a child, brown like me,

found magic in the city;

now his world is mine