thinking ahead…

I’ve decided to start a separate blog for A Wish After Midnight.  I hope this doesn’t become a crazy-making endeavor, but I thought it might help students if there was a site dedicated to ONE book, rather than six.  Fledgling will still be where I post my book reports and other ramblings/rants…

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Read Out Loud!

There will be FREE books for kids at this Saturday’s event in Harlem, sponsored by the Morningside Area Alliance.  Meet Gordon from Sesame Street!!!!  I’ll be doing a reading, signing books, and there will be art activities related to all the books…find out more by looking at the lovely flier I can’t seem to upload:
Flier_ROL [...]

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’tis the season

Somehow I’ve learned to write with the TV on, and of course, I’m usually watching PBS.  It’s pledge drive time (yes, I’m a member!), and so yesterday I watched a slew of Xmas specials.  In order to hear this duet with Mary J. Blige, I actually watched the Andrea Bocelli Xmas Special THREE TIMES…it’s one [...]

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“expensive curation”

A few months ago when I was first contacted by Amazon Encore, I did an online search to find out more about the venture.  This article came up; I read it with interest, and never forgot the (anonymous) author’s equation: “publishing = expensive curation.”
Publishers have controlled the direction and profits in the books market for so [...]

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perfect ending

These kind of emails make my day…this one’s from an ELA teacher in Bed-Stuy:

Zetta, the students looooove Midnight! I was slow in getting started and a few started without me, telling me how much they were enjoying it.  I wanted to say STOP, but didn’t have the heart.  THEY WERE READING ON THEIR OWN WITH NO PRESSURE!!!  [...]

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secret destination

Did you guess?  My secret birthday destination was The Conservatory Garden in Central Park, which is home to the statue commemorating Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden (one of my all-time favorite books).  I’ve had this on my list of things to do for *months* and finally made it up there today after going for [...]

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it’s my birthday!

I think I’m going to make today’s focus: self-care.  Might as well since I’ve got physical therapy this afternoon, and I need to get my eyes checked…and maybe I’ll buy some new lip gloss to apply AFTER I devour some yummy birthday cake.  Wish I could go to the garden, but it’s closed on Mondays…maybe [...]

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Rodrigo y Gabriela

I saw these Mexican artists perform on the Tavis Smiley show last week and they BLEW my mind.  Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with some incredible music…

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living color

The rose garden is ablaze with color; bumble bees drowse by the lavender, apparently unaware that summer’s over.  I saw a red-tailed hawk fly overhead, looking huge but perfectly at ease in the botanic garden.  I look huge in this picture, while my co-writers look chic and petite; I need to acquire more sleek, shimmery [...]

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Brown is the New Green

I guess Latino Heritage Month is coming up; PBS World (one of FIVE PBS channels I watch compulsively) has been running bios of singer Celia Cruz and educator/activist Antonia Pantoja, and this afternoon I watched an amazing documentary: Brown Is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream.  Dr. Arlene Davila, author of Latinos, [...]

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