Archives - Weekly Update

I shocked myself yesterday and told my husband that we should close the pool. Usually, I approach the pool closing with great regret and pleas for a delay on it. But I realize that a big old storm is going to be tearing through here this weekend, and with the trees dropping leaves, I would see myself doing more skimming than swimming or floating.

This was a week of bookish nights. It kicked off on Monday night when I went to Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ to see Amanda Peters, author of THE BIRTHING TREE, in conversation with Alice Elliott Dark, who was a brilliant interviewer. Amanda discussed her Mi'kmaq ancestry; she is a member of Glooscap First Nation, an indigenous community located in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. She was inspired to write the novel after hearing stories about a tree where women gave birth. She also talked about a custom where the first voices a baby hears when he or she is born should be that of the mother or father so he or she is united with them, which sounds like a lovely tradition.

It is great to be back after a week of vacation when I read and read and read. We literally had NO plans, so it was really lovely to kick it back a huge notch, spend time in the pool, and make fabulous dinners from recipes that I have been saving. 

Thanks to all of you who sent us notes about our 30th anniversary and to those of you who donated to our GoFundMe campaign, where we are raising funds to redesign our editorial websites. I am working my way through emails and donation notifications. We are so looking forward to working on a fresh new look!