The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars….

I hear voices inside my head, which could be a scary thing, but it’s not.  The voices I hear are the characters in books so well written that no doubt I could look up and find the book’s characters in the room with me and not bat an eye.  Sheepishly, I must admit, this is the first John Green book I have read.  He has tons of fans in Sandwich so it is not without embarressment that I say this. The Fault in Our Stars is filled with dialogue – the inner dialogue of Hazel Grace often – and the dialogue between Hazel, her parents, her friends and, mostly and unforgettably, with Augustus Waters.  Hazel Grace and Augustus are part of a ‘Support Group,’  cancer support group.  They are 17 and dangle around each other early on in the book without any recognition of what will eventually become their story, something the living will remember and the dead will carry onto the next stop.  All I can say is ‘Wow’.  Clarity in writing is not so easy to manufacture.  The language and scene descriptions are definitely clarity nailed solid. Reading the story is like picking through the shells of cracked pecans to get those sweet little nuts and being sad that we had to crack those perfect shells in the first place.  People have been cracked in this story:  Isaac, who is blind because of cancer in the eye; Hazel Grace, who surviving in Stage 4 cancer longer than anyone thought she could; Augustus, handsome and charming and still dreaming of a life uncancerous, when – like star-crossed lovers – he and Hazel Grace are brought together in the Cancer Universe.  It’s their story, mostly. Inside this book is the relationship of doomed lovers; a trip to Amsterdam to meet with an iconic, isolated author of a book that is featured prominently in the lives of these two; description of lives invaded by cancer, mentally and physically; humor; realism….a lot.  John Green does not bang you over the head with the monstrousness of young people brought down by disease.  We all kind of know that, I think.  It’s these voices you can hear of being forced, nudged and bludgeoned to be present in each painful, glorious, humiliating, loving moment that’s left to you.  I love a book that takes honesty for what it is – all encompassing, the good, the bad and the ugly. If I had a criticism, it would be again the dialogue.  Just that there is always an answer to the question posed, but not floridly, just dialogue so good that I think, can we always be this lucid when we are dying?  I’ll find out some day.

The part of getting older – yes, I am going to refer to being older – that is amazing and frustrating, is the part that makes you the sum total of all your experiences, but not totally.  Like you are still that 5 year old in grandma’s house or the twenty something making a huge mistake, and those experiences linger and still color thoughts.  What if, what if, even while you are in your teens, you pull upon your adult self to deal with life.  You haven’t even been an adult yet but there you are pulling something out of you ‘way beyond your years.’ So maybe the collective human experience is accessed when needed as in Hazel’s and Augustus’ experience, ‘way beyond their years’ because they don’t have years and never will.  John Green is an exceptional author and I hope you read this book.  Shut it when you need to, but finish it.

Steal Like an Artist……this is not a crime memorandum.

A book with pictures? A book that shoots out great ideas for EVERYTHING? A book by someone who is not OLD and still knows ALOT about how to get through the trials and tribulations of relationships, jobs, friendships, reading, creating and numerous other issues of life? Yup, all this and more and so READABLE. HAVE AN UPCOMING GRADUATE in your life?  Try instead of the Dr. Suess’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go this one:  Austin Kleon’s Steal Like An Artist, an inspiring guide to creativity in the digital age.  Well, I am not so digital, still pretty much ‘hands on’ but still recommend this great little read/visual that would fit in anyone’s larger back pocket or essentials recyclable bag.  The author is a well-known poet and artist at a tender age.  Quote from inside cover:

…Nothing is original, so embrace influence, school yourself throught the work of others, remix and reimagine to discover your own path.  follow interest wherever they take you – what feels like a hobby may turn into your life’s work.  Forget the old cliche’ about writing what you know:  Instead, write the book you want to read, make the movie you want to watch.”

Not bad advice. Try it out on one of those 2012 graduates and make sure you stay in contact with them for the next few decades.  Change is inevitable.

Writing Workshops for Teens & TWT

Heads up, Young Writers!  The Cape Cod Writers Center is focusing on YOU in May and this coming August.  What’s really neat is the level of inspiration and professional guidance you as a young writer will be exposed to through these opportunities.  But how do you do this, you say…firstly, go to writers@capecodwriterscenter.org to find out about registration/times/fees.  The ‘Tomorrow’s Writers Today’ workshop on May 19th is FREE but you must apply ahead of the date, of course.  The 2012 YOUNG WRITERS WORKSHOP on August 6-10 is tagged with a $35 fee but no one will be turned away for an inability to pay (That’s how much encouraging emerging writers is important to that group.).  I know there are a lot of fantastic teachers during the school year who support all kinds of writing by their students…but that’s school.  Get out there and log into the ‘real world’ outside of the school comfort zone, too.  The Writers’ Center’s programs are a GREAT way to do that. And, in the meantime, may the odds be ever in your favor.

Last of the Red Hot PoetSpeaks…..

“Why is Poetry like Twinkies?”  Answer:  “Because they both have an extremely long shelf life.” Obviously, I made that one up myself.  The PS2012 competition was held last night at the East Sandwich Grange.  As always, a great group of poets, judges, audience, fans and poetical atmosphere.  This year two SHS students were part of the judges’ panel – Sam Bavelock and Cory Warren.  Sam presented a poem to start, and Cory presented a poem at half time.  Wow for the poems.  I am so curious why SHS is not fielding more poets for activities like the teen poet slams.  It’s a loss, I think. At any rate, one poet from Sandwich (private school) and three from Barnstable High brought music to words.  Power, humor, sarcasm, strong words, tender words, questioning words, performance…we are blessed in small numbers this year.  Thank you to the Friends of the Sandwich Public Library, Michael & Alice Baker, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod for their support of this event.  And to our judges: Sam, Cory, Christine Rathbun (you go, FACB!), Mark Wiklund, and Nancy Rubin Stuart.  Lauren Robinson, famous in her own right as supporter of literary arts, was our scorekeeper.

Is it time to discontinue the PoetSpeak? I think so. My mission was to entice teens to take on poetry as a power tool or rather empower tool.  With the help of the likes of Adam Stone, Kirsten Knowles, Greg Hischak, Christine Rathbun, teacher Meg Gayton, former SHS Librarian Deb O’Brien….bits of poetry happened, not in a big way but still in an amazing way.  I think with the amount of monetary support that has been provided for the past few PSs, perhaps the monies should support more in entirety getting Poets in front of teens so the Poets can draw out that Inner Poet that lurks in all of us (Yes, all of us….).  In slams the points are not the point but the poem is the point.  So, while I would love to have a HUGE turnout for events like PoetSpeak, I am more inclined at this point to put efforts towards culturing, nurturing, exciting, promoting the Teen Poet in any way possible.  You are not a teen forever, duh, and, like the Twinkie, poetry has an extremely long shelf life, so if you start now….you’ll have that TwinkiePoet attitude forever.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

A Hunger for the Hunger Games….

Hype being what it is, I (as a pretty good judge of books) support the Hunger Games trilogy as good storytelling and writing. I met the author, Suzanne Collins, in 2010 at a small gathering at the New England Independent Booksellers offices, Boston, when Mockingjay was released.  Fascinated by her description of the coversations her armed services career Dad and she would have about greek mythology, ancient battles and just the idea of in depth family discussions between parent and child, my sense of the author behind the stories was heightened.  I viewed the movie inpretation of The Hunger Games twice just to make sure I got  my sense of screen adaptation in proper perspective.  I’m calm with the screenplay, missing some of the details or ‘changes’ to the story, but generally OK with the result.  So, back to the hype….just like Harry Potter, the Twilight series and ???, readers as young as 8 years old say, “I want to read this book!” My little librarian’s heart sighs when this happens.  Why?  Why NOT instant gratification?  Well, my personal reaction to the triology is this:  THESE ARE POLITICAL BOOKS, PEOPLE! filled with a unique storyline, fully realized characters and truly, TRULY HUGE ETHICAL situations.  An 8 year old getting carried away because kids get to play real survivor games?  What fun? I think not.  I have a good friend – the grandmother – who bought Mockingjay for her 8 year old granddaughter because she wanted it (and books are good, right?). No, I would not chastise anyone for buying a book, but, just like wine (That’s an ancient reference only some of us will get.) to paraphrase – ‘Read no book before its time.’ The beauty of those conversations that Suzanne and her father had were that they set an informed stage and  opportunity for the young person to test reaction and thought to historical or literary situations. Reading books can do that, too, but it is subsequent query and dialogue that really create a fully realized reaction to the book/story.  So, the FACT, that parents are also reading this trilogy gives families opportunities to gather together for their own ‘training’ of young minds when it comes to discussing why a book is read and what is its impact on us.  I am attaching a portion of an interview with Suzanne Collins and Scholastic where she is asked, “What age do you think these books are suited to…?” You will appreciate her response, I think.  In the meantime, read AND talk with someone about what you’ve read.  If nothing else, reading the Hunger Games trilogy will sharpen your senses towards perspective and hidden agendas. May the odds be ever in your favor, of course.

PS:  I do not take myself THAT seriously.

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http://youtu.be/XEmJJIl7rp0

http://youtu.be/ZrK3qYNcgq4

The odds are in our favor….

I made a mistake.  There should have been cake seconds all around.  We did have a lot of cake…delicious, ‘Hunger Games’ cake. And, we also had 26 enthusiastic HG fans (adults!,too) that went along with the ‘Games’: crossbow competition; rock throwing; Style competition; knot-tying and the Cornucopia Dash.  The group was divided into two sets of Tributes, Careers and District 12.  Yes, we did have two sets of Prim and Katniss and one Effie Trinket herself.  Although the guys were not out to imitate any of the characters, I believe we had a Peeta or two among us.  It was great fun.  Three pairs of tickets to the Friday night showing at Heritage Theatres were given away as well as our marshmallow crossbows, HG swag and even the bag of beef jerky and, of course, the posters of the Katniss, Peeta and Gale. Having conversed with many people about this book, I must mention that this is title enjoyed by boys/men as well as girls/women.  Scholastic’s interview with Suzanne Collins is a great source of how the author came to compose and write this trilogy.  Look for it on YouTube or at the Scholastic website. Here are a few more photos from the event and a catchy YouTube “100 Things to Do..”.  As we all hope, may the odds be ever in your favor.

 

 

 

 

100 Things

Pay attention forward….

Random acts of paying it forward.  Kudos to this young woman….

6&7/8ths Book Group takes on a classic….

The group had a great discussion revolving around Roland Smith’s ‘The Cryptid Hunters.’  One of our readers has even met a real life cryptid hunter!  It’s the kind of subject that once your stumble across it, the allure of the topic can draw you into it very easily.  Generally, the book was acknowledged as a well-written adventure – not deep – but certainly with enough imagery and storyline to keep the reader interested.

Next time?  It’s ‘White Fang’ written by Jack London, one of our premier American writers.  I am really looking forward to this read.  Jack London had such an incredible life, and his stories reflect his experiences.  It’s the first ‘classic’ that we will read as a group.

Next meeting:  Thursday, April 5, 5:15 pm in the Teen Reads area.

New magazine in the Teen Read Area…

New on the magazine shelves at the library are two thing items:

The Marble Collection: Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts is a quarterly publication whose mission is to develop the artistic and academic aptitude of Massachusetts secondary students.  IT IS INCREDIBLE! You don’t even have to be an aspiring writer to appreciate these poems, short stories, photographs and art by High School students from all over the Commonwealth.  BUT, if you are a writer, you need to read this mag.  I’ve only tackled the poetry so far, next the prose.  Exceptional.  Recently we received copies of a self-published teen write magazine called “The Owl”.  It, too, will soon be in the magazine collection.  That one is a homegrown publication, and you can appreciate the energy that went into production to publication to delivery to the public.  Support these Writers/Poets/Photographers/Artists of all Media!

And finally, on a sad note.  Our friend, Alfred P. Newman, has been sequestered at the Adult Desk due to numerous ‘pinchings’ of his publication, aka Mad Magazine.  Alfred loves the notoriety but I hate loosing him so often, staring at an empty current copy magazine holder.  Sigh.  Just ask sheepishly at the Adult Desk for your friend, Alfred, until further zombie sightings or other cataclysmic events.

Year of the Dragon…..2.11.2012

Oh, you think this is just an event that has nothing to do with the teenage genre…so wrong.  The Chinese Folk Art Workshop, Inc. is totally made up of teens.  Check out the Sandwich Community TVs link to the event.  Thank you!

Go to the following page, and to performing arts.  The program is a little over an hour-long.