Tag

Family

Children's Fiction, Fiction

Sep 06: Arletis, Abuelo, & the Message in a Bottle with Author Lea Aschkenas

The True Story Behind the Children’s Story – Cuba, Family, Love, & Connection

Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle with author Lea Aschkenas

On an alligator-shaped island in the middle of a wide sea, there lived a little girl who loved maps and dreamed of far away places. In another part of the world, at the mouth of a wide bay, there lived an old man who’d once dreamed of sailing the world and making friends in foreign lands.

When these two strangers connect through a message in a bottle, it sparks a friendship that expands both of their worlds.

Based on a true story, Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is an illustrated children’s book of life in rural Cuba. We discuss the story book, the inspiring true story behind it, and writing for children’s books.

About Lea Aschkenas

Lea Aschkenas has written reviews for Washington Post Book World, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Salon. She’s the author of a travel memoir Es Cuba: Life and Love on an Illegal Island. She fell in love with Cuba and its people on her first trip to the island in 2000, and has returned almost every year since.  Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is her first children’s book. Lea lives in Northern California where she works as a librarian and teaches with the California Poets in the Schools program. Visit www.pencilmoonstudio.com to lean about the award-winning husband and wife children’s book illustrator team – Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu.

Continue reading
Memoir, Non Fiction

Sep 14: Missing – A Memoir by Cornelia Maude Spelman

Discovering the truth behind her mother’s story helped heal this author

When Cornelia Maude Spelman ventured on a quest to understand her deceased mother’s early life, little did Cornelia know how much she’d learn about her own life.

We discuss how Cornelia put the puzzle of her mother’s past together through letters and interviews and journals. Some of the mysteries and emotional legacies that her family — like many families — never discussed. And how her journey to discover what made her mom tick, helped Corenlia grow and heal.

About Cornelia Maude Spelman

Cornelia Maude Spelman, MSW,  was a family therapist before turning fulltime to writing and art. She’s the author of 10 books for children including The Way It Feels series, which helps children recognize and manage emotions. Cornelia has awards from the Illinois Arts Council, was a finalist for the Penelope Niven Creative Nonfiction, and earned the Bernard De Voto Fellowship for Nonfiction at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.

Continue reading
Fiction, Humor

May 11: Unlikely Animals with Annie Hartnett

Spirits narrate. Animals talk. Humor, heartache,  love, & a missing girl … a magical tragicom filled with the messiness of family life and death.

Author Annie Hartnett‘s second novel wasn’t going too well. She wasn’t enjoying authoring it and wondered if all second novels were this difficult to write. But as she took a drive through New Hampshire, Annie spotted something that changed the direction of her story and brought Unlikely Animals to life … or raised it from the dead … because the folks in the cemetery narrate the story.

About Annie Hartnett

Annie Hartnett‘s first book, Rabbit Cake, was listed as one of Kirkus Review’s Best Books of 2017 and was a New England Book Award finalist. Annie was awarded fellowships and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. She holds degrees from the MFA program at the University of Alabama. Information for Book Clubs.

Continue reading
Health & Wellness, Non Fiction, Self-help

NOV 26: Ronald J. Frey’s Feeling Better & Melanie Salvatore-August’s Fierce Kindness

Ronald J. Frey, PhD., believes the answer to easing stress or depression doesn’t have to come from a bottle of pills.  Along with co-author Cindy Goodman Stulberg, Ronald empowers you to get through periods of depression without relying on pharmaceuticals in Feeling Better: Beat Depression and Improve Your Relationships with Interpersonal Psychotherapy.

Ronald is a former acting chief psychologist for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a registered forensic and clinical psychologist, and is codirector of the Institute for Interpersonal Psychotherapy.

Later, the holidays are a time for food, fun, and of course, family.  But for many of us, a little bit of family can go a long ways.  Yogi and Fierce Kindness author Melanie Salvatore-August returns to Conversations Live to share tips on how to remain grounded and sane during family get-togethers.

Melanie is a YogaWork Senior Teacher Trainer and creator of the Fierce Kindness movement, teaching many students and educating hundreds of teachers to be a positive force for change in their own lives and the world.

Continue reading
Fiction, Travel & Adventure, Writers on Writing

APR 23: Georgeanne Brennan’s Windows on Provence & Robert Dugoni’s The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

Bonjour!  Whether you’re a dreamer, have a trip planned, or just love all things France, Georgeanne Brennan brings you along on her journey in Windows on Provence: Musings on the Food, Wine, and Culture of the South of France.  You’ll get an insider’s look at the unique markets, landscapes, and even literature of the region.

Georgeanne  is the winner of a James Beard award and an International
Association of Culinary Professionals award. An accomplished author of 30 cookbooks, she is also a  culinary journalist and entrepreneur.

New York Times and Wall Street Journal #1 bestseller Robert Dugoni joins us next to discuss his latest book, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, a deeply personal story about family, friendship, and finding your place in the world.

A longtime Seattle resident, Robert is the critically acclaimed author of The Tracy Crosswhite series and the David Sloane series. His works have sold millions of copies around the world and garnered multiple awards.  He will be appearing in person at a book launch event on April 25th in Burien.

Continue reading