Not all the titles listed here are available for sale in the US just yet, but most are and the rest are coming soon!
The 2010 shortlist will be announced on Tuesday September 7th and the winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2010 will be revealed on Tuesday October 12th and we’ll keep you posted!
On our LA stop Monica Holloway, author of DRIVING WITH DEAD PEOPLE, hung out with us to meet fans and sign copies of her latest book COWBOY AND WILLS. She sat down with me and our trusty camera to chat about the book, Lilith and her affiliation with The National Center for Family Literacy,
Lilith is about giving back and Lilith is about women, but most of all Lilith is about music, so I thought I’d share some of the music I’m getting to experience along with the awesome fans I’m sharing it with!
It often seems the most interesting things in life happen to us when we’re not looking for them. And so it is with “book treasures”; those rare things that when found while flipping through a seemingly worthless book suddenly make it precious. For the reader, this could be any number of things: a date, an inscription, a photo, cash- the possibilities are endless.
In Indianapolis, a lovely woman by the name of Trish visited our booth at Lilith Fair. Pema (AlterEco) was sitting by our bookshelf, thoughtfully contemplating her surroundings as she so often is. The woman approached her, and held out a dollar bill. She told Pema that she wanted her to have it. “I want to give you this dollar. I received my concert ticket for free and this is all I have with me, but I want you to have it.” Books were so important to her, and she explained that reading as a child had such a positive impact on her life. She left the tent, and Pema immediately came over to share the story with me.
We started talking about ways to share the story and possibly even the dollar; to stretch it into something more with a broader message. Everyone who came into contact with the dollar would read the story and experience finding something magical in an ordinary book. Of course we’ve yet to put this into play and thought we’d sit on the idea for awhile. I placed the dollar in one of my boxes and put it away in a crate for the night.
The Lilith Tour hit Chicago last weekend — just a stone’s throw away from our Mishawaka, IN warehouse. (Okay, admittedly you’d have to have a pretty good arm to throw a stone that far, but you get the idea.) So a couple of our employees jumped in to help Abbey at the i4c tent! Nate Heffner from IT grabbed the camera and talked to some Lilith fans about what else? Books… and a better world!
We finished up our last round of school visits in Capetown yesterday. We were very fortunate to visit so many schools in various stages of improvement.
I hopped on one foot with children at an orphanage, and read books in a brand new library donated in part by us and Books for Africa (BFA)!
After our last stop, we sat in at a panel discussion at the University of the Western Cape. The topic was “Universities, Schools and Business Collaborations To Improve Literacy In Africa”. The panel included Patrick Plonski from Books From Africa, Gary Zelko from Merck, Prof Genevieve Hart from the university, and our own Paco Miller!
Before the discussion started, there was a short presentation by Professor Hart regarding libraries in South Africa, their importance, companies that help build libraries, library use, access and the book famine in South Africa.
You know how you and your sister talk to each other in a way that is completely different from the way you talk to anyone else? Well guess what… that would still be true if you were both famous, successful authors! Meet sisters and authors Lauren Myracle and Susan Rebecca White.
Lauren, the just slightly older sister is known for her hugely popular YA books TTYL and TTFN and her new series for younger readers that starts with LUV YA BUNCHES. And Susan, whose second book A SOFT PLACE TO LAND was recently released, is well on her way to being a favorite among book clubs and critics alike. You may remember my earlier interview with Susan about her first book, BOUND SOUTH.
A while back, I had a chance to sit down with the sisters in their first ever joint interview and they were not shy! We talked about what it was like growing up together and how their relationship has shaped their writing.
This was actually one of my favorite interviews to record. It was like Read more…
Greetings from Capetown South Africa. Capetown is definitely the biggest city we have visited on this trip. There are big business buildings, traffic jams, and lots of sites to see. The new 65,000 seat stadium where some of the world cup games were played as well as the new mall erected for the visitors of the games are all in view of our hotel.
This is a city like any other in that there are traffic lights and congestion. However it is on the Atlantic and the beach here is beautiful. We were lucky enough to have dinner at a place right on the ocean. A beautiful sunset for our last night in Africa was ordered up especially for us.
We were guided around yesterday by Paul who took us to 5 different schools. All were primary schools and at various stages of development. However, most of the schools visited were ones that are strongly supported by the parents of the children who attend so there is money (while not much) being used to assist in the education of the children. All schools had received books from BFA (Books for Africa) and many had wonderful areas in the classrooms set up for the books or even full fledged libraries with card catalogs.
We also had a chance to visit the Shine Program at one primary school. A great group that is working with children to bridge their learning curves. You see here many of the local people speak the local language in their homes, however, when children get to school they are taught in English. Many schools ease the children into the language but for those that need additional assistance the Shine program steps in to give additional teaching and support. They have been dealing with around 250 students the last few years in their program and meet with the parents once every 3 months to further that support and nurture the environment of learning.
Today is our last day in Africa and I know I have gone on and on in other postings about the experiences. We have met some awesome people during our stay here. Almost too many to list. However some of them I will take away in my heart. Folks like Titus at the Sacred Heart School for girls in Gulu who worked long and hard hours to get all the books on the shelf in their library and keeps the library meticulously clean. When asked what else can we do his response was he needed a barcode scanner to make catatloging go quicker. Or, Gertrude who was also from the Gulu area of Uganda who had a daughter that received a Scholarship from Invisible Children in the Legacy Program. She worries her daughter will want for too much and live outside of her means. She works hard to try to teach her how to want less and love and learn more. Our hosts in Eschowe South Africa, Janie and Johno were also terrific people. They run a sugar cane farm and a guest house as well as other things, but still have time to give to the community through their work building classrooms. Terrific people with an energy level that can’t be comprehended. And Paul in Capetown, a retired music teacher who spends his days working with 33 schools in the area. He tries to support all of them keeping them in supplies and books. Amazing people that give their time and energy to help the Learners of South Africa and Uganda succeed.
I will always keep these folks in mind when I have something I feel is too much to overcome or a new challenge. Their will and capacity to give will be something I can fall back on to get me through any harder days to come.
There are still so many in need here though and we can’t stop doing what we do. Our support of Invisible Children, BFA and Room to Read as well as our newer partners in the UK like READ International and National Literacy Trust has to continue and grow. And if there is anyway to clone the folks I’ve met along the way here, I would do it. Imagine what could be done with 1000 Titus’ or 2000 Pauls? I’m sure there are many others and I know I met more over the last 2 weeks but it is so important that these folks continue to do what they do and we continue to send them the books they need for their communities.
Hopefully we will be able to load up some pictures upon our return so you can see the faces of the children we have met and the places we have visited.
– Maura Varian, Managing Director of UK Operations
Hello Again! Our trip to South Africa is nearing an end, and we are all a little sad to see it go. As Maura described, South Africa is a beautiful and welcoming nation. As we finish up with a three night stay in bustling Capetown, we’re all thankful we arrived after the World Cup games were over. Not only are soccer jerseys on sale (they make great gifts!) but it’s generally just easier to get around and see the town, which we have taken some time to do before our 20+ hour journey back to the States.
On Sunday we took a guided tour into the rolling countryside where we shopped, dined, and tasted the wine of the French and Dutch communities surrounding Capetown. The colonial history was fascinating for me, and really makes one aware of the micro melting-pot that South Africa is. English communities mingle with Dutch and French communities, in addition to the native African communities that have been here even longer. The views of the setting sun behind the sandstone mountains and over the ocean were breathtaking.
On Monday, we returned to school visits in the city. Just like the rural schools, some schools are well-supplied and have lots of room to keep the books and for students to use them. Others have little room for books because the classrooms are already overfilled; but still need books to encourage a reading culture among their students of all ages.
We spent the afternoon at the University of the Western Cape where our own Paco Miller spoke with Pat Plonski of Books for Africa and Gary Zelko of Merck Publishing on literacy forum. The panel centered around the access that South African students do and don’t have to books, and how our respective companies work together to provide more books and funds for schools all over the continent.
As a group, I feel that we’ve really connected in the last two weeks: We share dedication to our work and have all been touched by the students and teachers we’ve met here. While sad to leave, we are eager to return with our photos and stories to our friends and colleagues; hopefully we can inspire their continued support as well.
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Peter Carey: PARROT AND OLIVIER IN AMERICA
We finished up our last round of school visits in Capetown yesterday. We were very fortunate to visit so many schools in various stages of improvement.
Greetings from Capetown South Africa. Capetown is definitely the biggest city we have visited on this trip. There are big business buildings, traffic jams, and lots of sites to see. The new 65,000 seat stadium where some of the world cup games were played as well as the new mall erected for the visitors of the games are all in view of our hotel.
Hello Again! Our trip to South Africa is nearing an end, and we are all a little sad to see it go. As Maura described, South Africa is a beautiful and welcoming nation. As we finish up with a three night stay in bustling Capetown, we’re all thankful we arrived after the World Cup games were over. Not only are soccer jerseys on sale (they make great gifts!) but it’s generally just easier to get around and see the town, which we have taken some time to do before our 20+ hour journey back to the States.
