It’s Friday of what’s been a packed workweek. I have been pushing, pushing on some deadlines. Of course, the two most elusive stories aren’t nearly done. Yet, I’ve cleared through a bunch else and even those are starting to have handholds.
Some of the work I do is for publications a little ways out. Sometimes, I’m so jazzed about the subject it’s hard to wait to share my excitement.
While you won’t be able to read my interview with Angela DiTerlizzi for a couple of months (for Preview Massachusetts magazine), I can urge you to get a copy of her first picture book ASAP for some small in your life. It’s called Say What? In our house, it hit double-digits of being read aloud in very short order.
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Angela has been kind of pinching herself recently—author, who, me? I get it. In the last couple of days, two things happened that made me pinch myself.
My first piece for Babble is up. I took on this question: can you fail playground? I wanted to know what doctors should be looking for in young children’s development—but often don’t.
Dutifully, being the self-promoter I’m aspiring to become (although saddled with more than a little ambivalence throughout this process) I sent the link out to some of my writer and editor and blogging peeps.
In return, I received this link from one of my favorite editors, Jennifer Niesslein, of Brain Child Magazine, which is one of my favorite publications. If you click, you’ll know why it was a pretty awesome week for me in writerland.
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I found that email from Jennifer upon return from a meeting at Hampshire College where I’ve been working on a project that brings young parents from the Care Center in Holyoke and teens from Treehouse Community to Hampshire’s Farm Center and Lemelson Center (and also, the Care Center students went to the Eric Carle Museum to work with Enchanted Circle Theater for a couple of weeks this summer). To hear how important the experience has been for all involved made my heart swell.
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Snaking through all these great moments, I’ve happened along some other links that made me feel glad about the company I keep. So, I’m sharing.
- Jaime Rugh, whose Found While Walking blog I’ve become somewhat obsessed with sent me a link to these amazing posters she’s designed to promote positive awareness for those on the autism spectrum.
- Many people have been writing about the brilliant piece on how to talk to little girls, and this week Joanna Goddard did so for her Motherhood Mondays series on Cup of Jo. I have a whole lot to say about the original piece, mostly in the it’s-so-right-and-the-culture-makes-it-difficult-and-I-am-struggling vein. Less widely read, and yet wonderfully put was my friend Gina DeMillo Wagner’s response on her blog, The Daily B.
- My real-life pal Avi Nathman just keeps putting more into her Mamafesto blog and as a result there’s more to get out of it. She’s launched a series: This is What a Feminist Looks Like. Love. She also does a lot of smart reflection about little boys and little girls.
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Apropos of swelling heart, I watched the series finale of Friday Night Lights last night. I’m going to write about why I love it so. I spent part of my morning walk thinking about it—and crying. Clear eyes. Full heart. Can’t lose. Those six words are seared into me forevermore of this I am certain.
