cuppa

I need a cup of tea. My head’s reeling, and I’m trying to do ten things at once. This morning I had a lovely brunch with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Lyn Miller-Lachmann…I brought my new Flip camera, of course, but am still having trouble with the upload process! Plus I didn’t take lighting into account, and so I’m not sure you’ll even be able to SEE them if I can ever get the video up on YouTube. But I’m learning…and in the meantime, did you know there’s a new book coming out with the collected speeches, essays, and interviews with the late Virginia Hamilton? Her husband, poet Arnold Adoff, sent me a copy and as I read it in conjunction with The House of Dies Drear, I found myself wondering if Virginia Hamilton would get published today…her writing is so fine, yet her characters are unusual—not the “types” we so often see in black children’s literature today. Lyn, as you know, is the editor of Multicultural Review and you can look for Hamilton’s collection of essays to be reviewed there in the future.

Ok, here’s the warm-up video we made (Gbemi’s filming) and now I’ll spend a few hours trying to upload the interviews I did with Lyn and Gbemi.

LASTLY, we’re starting to get new reviews through the Amazon Vine Program—here’s the first:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only read one book on race relations
January 1, 2010
By Karl Bielefeldt (Huntsville, AL USA)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
There are many ways to respond to racism, and A Wish After Midnight explores just about every one imaginable. In an astounding feat of nuance, the author manages to present a deeply divisive subject in a deeply unifying way. She doesn’t shy away from showing the worst in people, nor does she fail to recognize the best in those same people. While the book seems primarily intended to encourage young people to rise above the hand they’re dealt, it is instructive for young and old, black and white alike.

In addition to the excellent theme and premise, the writing itself is solid. Each character is important to the story, and has a unique voice and outlook on life. It is a serious subject, and the plot is frightening at times. I definitely recommend an adult be there to discuss it, but it is thought-provoking enough that I will encourage my children to read it when they are old enough. I look forward to the sequel with anticipation.