Recent & Current Reads  And this review of mine from January 2020 seems particularly relevant.  Legacy of Empire by Gardner Thompson Britain, Zionism and the Creation of Israel political history Saqi, February 2020 (U.S.) With meticulously researched and annotated details worthy of the most strenuously vetted academic text deconstructed from the Ottoman Empire forward, Legacy of Empire satisfies the intellectual cravings of serious sociopolitical historians and curious everyday citizens. Maps, illustrations, photographs, a timeline, nine chapters, a bibliography, an index, and acknowledgements provide factual structure for a compelling narrative that fills in layers of overlapping and competing personal beliefs, religious ideology, shifting political interests and military objectives. The introduction examines the differences between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. These distinctions substantially impacted the reasoning and motivations of the men who mandated changes to th...

  Thank you!  The Write Women Book Fest team thanks the long list of people who made this year's success possible: EC Poetry & Prose, each participating author & vendor (especially those who travelled long distances by train, plane or automobile), the featured panelists, panelists* & moderators, each day 2 workshop presenter, everyone who attended one or both days, our Chief Voluntolder, our day-of operations manager, all of the volunteers, supportive family and friends...  Extra Special Thanks to  Author Leslye Penelope, featured panelist on day 1 & day 2 keynote speaker   Marietta House Museum, our partner in bookish endeavors since year one EC Poetry & Prose  TWWBF Poet Laureate Aressa V. Williams  Prince George's County Memorial Library System  Barnes & Noble Booksellers at the Bowie Town Center Curmudgeon Books at Marley Station Mall in Glen Burnie, Maryland  Draft2Digital  Michelle Fewer!!!  Digital Cre...

  Thank you!  EC Poetry & Prose, authors (& their assistants), poets, featured guests, panelists, moderators, attendees, day-of volunteers, voluntolders (family members drafted into book fest service), the Bowie Comfort Inn team, the Marietta House Museum team, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Bowie B & N, Curmudgeon Books, Mark Leslie Lefebvre with Draft2Digital, all of the Sunday workshop leaders and students...  Apologies to anyone omitted during this brief first gratitude post. My sleep-deprived brain is operating at maybe 2% coherent thoughts capacity. Next weekend I'll post a more detailed recap of what turned out to be an outstanding event because so many people showed up for us in a variety of substantial ways.  Happy creating! 

  One week until the 5th annual The Write Women Book Fest!  thewritewomenbookfest.org   Swag bags for influencers, volunteers, 100+ authors/poets/creatives and the first 50 visitors? Check.  Escalating nerves as day one approaches? Check.  Excitement for two days of bookish fun? Check.  Stress reduction reading options 

  A Chat with Children’s Author Keka Novales  I won an author chat with Keka Novales through her Instagram feed, and just like her “Hola, Lola!” series, she delivered thoughtful observations, encouragement, and humor.  Since pressing “record” is evidently beyond my technical abilities, here’s a summary of our engaging exchange:  After introductions, we discussed Keka’s original idea of a picture book. It was her agent who recognized Hola, Lola! as suitable for a chapbook series. As a first-generation U.S. citizen of Guatamalan heritage, Keka’s desire to preserve and share her cultural connections and family legacy with her children inspired her to create this series.  During Keka’s travels and in response to her socials posts, readers of all ages have shared that Hola, Lola! has encouraged them, helped them feel connected to their heritage, and expanded their horizons. For one young reader, reading and rereading Lola and the New School whenever the challenges o...

  Flashback Friday to 2 weeks ago when my fandom for romance authors was rewarded while sitting in a Yale University auditorium in a How to Write a Romance Novel workshop taught by publishing phenoms Adriana Herrera & Sarah MacLean! With my sitting in the front row seated next to brilliant Dr. Margo Henderson (Elysabeth Grace*) and Legendary Shirley Hailstock on one side; TWWBF2023 participating author Briana Ellis on the other, who recognized me even with my face half-hidden by my mask! I THINK Nalini Singh was in the audience along with Ms. Bev and so many other super talented, successful authors and book industry professionals. 5th annual The Write Women Book Fest featured panelist Leslye Penelope and I crossed paths in a hallway while searching for the ladies room. WordLink literary agent Macey Howell and I had a lovely chat after a different session. The sister to the documentarian for "Love Between the Covers" was quite engaging as she snapped pics per her sibling...

  It's the last day to use discount code MYFANS2023* to get $19 off tickets for Saturday, October 14 day 1 of The Write Women Book Fest with more than 100 authors of fiction, non-fiction, poetry & kids books!  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-write-women-book-fest-author-expo-reader-event-tickets-572092844097?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete   In between my co-organizer duties, I'm prepping to moderate the featured panel, "Fantasy & Romance: Myth, Magic, Love, and Steamy Stories as Told by Women Authors" with Golden Angel, Mariah Ankenman, H.L. Brooks, Mary E. Jung, Leslye Penelope, and Maria Vale.  Golden's, Mariah's, and Mary's works are my TBR priorities this week.  A Cat & Bones fan? Jeaniene Frost will be a panelist on the "Women Authors & Storytelling: FIction" and "Been There, Done That: Making Romance Stories New and Relatable" panels. Start thinking about your questions now. (Hey, we would've invited her as a fe...