Awards

This week, I met with my "Young Writers-in-Progress" class, a group of talented teenagers who hope to become writers. I wrote on the board this counter-intuitive statement: Motivation Productivity Productivity Motivation Exactly what does this mean? Motivation does not result in productivity. Productivity results in motivation. Once you start writing, you will keep writing. Do not wait for inspiration!

Whether set in Elizabethan England or the middle of the twentieth century, historical fiction shows today’s readers the differences and similarities of growing up in another era. This year’s top 10 list of historical fiction titles features books reviewed in the last 12 months in Booklist. Alchemy and Meggy Swann. By Karen Cushman. Clarion, Gr. 4–8. Ashes. By Kathryn Lasky. Viking, Gr. 8–12 Blessing’s Bead. By Debby Dahl Edwardson. Farrar/Melanie ...

Hardcover Fiction 1. The Last time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg 2. Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott 3. Solar by Ian McEwan 4. The Three Weissmans of Westport by Cathleen Schine 5. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes Hardcover Nonfiction 1. The Big Short by Michael Lewis 2. The Bridge by David Remnick 3. This Is Not the Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson 4. Women Food and God ...

Edith Westerfeld Schumer My mother, Edith, who is now 84 years old, still types with two fingers and thinks that only birds "tweet," posted her first Facebook message on my wall yesterday: "Dear Fern, Congratulations--Thank You for bringing my story to the world. Love Mom" Note: She still capitalizes the pronoun "you," which is correct German grammar.

My barren trellis Three years ago, I spent way too much money on a large climbing rosebush which I hoped would weave an ornate blanket of apricot flowers through the trellis on the front of my house. The first year, the bush did not disappoint. In fact, it produced 47 roses. Believe me, I counted…every day. I patted myself on the back; my money was well spent. I looked forward ...

"Can I have your electronic autograph?" On Thursday evening, a reader approached me after my speech at Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville, Illinois and asked, "Can you sign my Kindle?" Ahhh, the limitations of technology.

“Edith's story will make you ache for her and realize how important a hug can be to a child. Please read it, it will change you forever.” Whale of a Tale Bookstore Blog “The writing is powerful… It will force you to re-assess your judgments, your values, your acts of kindness or lack thereof. Based on the life story of the mother of the author, this book is a must-read.” ...

Author Tim O'Brien "War is not strictly the province of those fighting it," Tim O'Brien, the author of The Things They Carried once said. "The lives of all of us are changed forever. The aftershocks go on and on and on." For that matter, any significant event can have the same effect; the aftershocks rattle and shatter families. Once, when I was explaining to a friend that one of the ...

My cousin sent me these pictures which tell the story of a relative's successful German business and its demise. For more than 100 years, the Kahn family owned a shop selling sundries at the corner of Darmstädter Straße/Ecke Sandböhlin in Groß-Gerau. The first picture was taken in 1851. See blog below (Part II) for more recent pictures. c. 1920s - Business owners Frieda and Julius Kahn in car c. 1930s ...

c. 1940s - Kahns flee Germany. Rubble of Kahn's corner store and home present - "Patrick's Corner" New owners rebuilt corner store.