Whew! Things are starting to get busy again with speaking and school visits.
Last weekend, I attended the Nebraska Novel Retreat where I led two session. From there, I was off to Omaha for the start of an exciting new project.
Today, I'm heading west to Rapid City for a school visit at South Canyon Elementary. Really, this is the best part about being an author. I love researching and writing, but being surrounded by kids is the icing on the cake.
Mary Pleiss is accompanying me on this trip and will be doing short presentations about the geology of Mount Rushmore. (I'm hoping to sit in on one of them!)
Speaking of Mary, she'll be here in Mitchell within the hour, and then we need to get on the road. Our goal is to take a quick side trip up to Mount Rushmore. I love being there during the off-season.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Chisels on Mount Rushmore
Yesterday around noon, I received a surprise phone call from my dad's cousin -- an 89-year-old woman from the Detroit area. She called to give me an interesting bit of information.
Her mother's father (Henry Eifert) made the chisels that were used to carve Mount Rushmore!
I hope have the details straight. In any case, here it goes . . . Eifert (who had a shop in Chicago) was known throughout the eastern part of the United States for his tool-making abilities. Gutzon Borglum (who was in charge of the carving of sculpture) contacted Eifert and asked if he would make the chisels. In fact, Borglum sent him granite from Mount Rushmore so that he could specially design the tools.
I'd like to say that this makes me a direct descendant of someone who was part of the carving. But alas. I'm related to her father's side of the family. Even so, I'm thrilled to have this piece of information.
Her mother's father (Henry Eifert) made the chisels that were used to carve Mount Rushmore!
I hope have the details straight. In any case, here it goes . . . Eifert (who had a shop in Chicago) was known throughout the eastern part of the United States for his tool-making abilities. Gutzon Borglum (who was in charge of the carving of sculpture) contacted Eifert and asked if he would make the chisels. In fact, Borglum sent him granite from Mount Rushmore so that he could specially design the tools.
I'd like to say that this makes me a direct descendant of someone who was part of the carving. But alas. I'm related to her father's side of the family. Even so, I'm thrilled to have this piece of information.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Artists in the Schools & Communities - South Dakota Arts Council
My plans for the day were to run errands early and get to the library by 10:00 for a serious day of writing. Yet with the sun streaming in the south window (the best part of winter!), I've spent the morning at home.
For the last few hours, I've been sending out emails to schools and community organizations to let them know that I'm available for the Artist-in-Residency program.
Back when the kids were little, I could never dream of being away from the house for a week or more. But now that I'm an empty-nester, I'm excited to be in the schools for extended amounts of time.
Anyway, it should have been a quick process. I mean, how hard can it be to send out a mass email? But as I went down the list of schools from the South Dakota Arts Council, I realized that I've been to many of them. As a result, I found myself writing personal notes instead.
As we speak, I'm as far as the Bison, SD, school district. I remember being there in 2005 or so. The people were incredible...and the kids were voracious readers!
In case you'd like information about the South Dakota Arts Council's "Artists in the Schools and Communities" (AISC) program, here's the link: http://www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc/index.aspx
Ideally, applications for the 2014-15 school year should be completed by March 1. (From what I hear, it's a simple, online process.) The link can be found at http://www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc/residency.aspx
If you have any questions or would like information about other options for author visits, please visit my website or send me an email. Thanks!
For the last few hours, I've been sending out emails to schools and community organizations to let them know that I'm available for the Artist-in-Residency program.
Back when the kids were little, I could never dream of being away from the house for a week or more. But now that I'm an empty-nester, I'm excited to be in the schools for extended amounts of time.
Anyway, it should have been a quick process. I mean, how hard can it be to send out a mass email? But as I went down the list of schools from the South Dakota Arts Council, I realized that I've been to many of them. As a result, I found myself writing personal notes instead.
As we speak, I'm as far as the Bison, SD, school district. I remember being there in 2005 or so. The people were incredible...and the kids were voracious readers!
In case you'd like information about the South Dakota Arts Council's "Artists in the Schools and Communities" (AISC) program, here's the link: http://www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc/index.aspx
Ideally, applications for the 2014-15 school year should be completed by March 1. (From what I hear, it's a simple, online process.) The link can be found at http://www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc/residency.aspx
If you have any questions or would like information about other options for author visits, please visit my website or send me an email. Thanks!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
And I begin . . .
This blog is going to be a work in progress. If you're reading this today (Feb. 11), you'll be seeing only the bare bones.
For years, I've only had my trusty website. But since my writing life is picking up, I need to become a more visible. Thus, the blog. (I'm probably the biggest techno-dinosaur around, so we'll soon find out how user-friendly this Blogger stuff is!)
Okay, here's the first bit of news: In January, I completed an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA).
The MFA behind my name is nice, but the real reason I went through the program was to improve and grow as a writer. Now my goal is to continue to grow and to help others with their writing.
And with that, here's more good news....
I've been added to the South Dakota Arts Council's roster of artists for the "Artists in Schools and Communities" program. Yay!! More on this tomorrow. But if you need info now, here's the link: http://www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc/
For years, I've only had my trusty website. But since my writing life is picking up, I need to become a more visible. Thus, the blog. (I'm probably the biggest techno-dinosaur around, so we'll soon find out how user-friendly this Blogger stuff is!)
Okay, here's the first bit of news: In January, I completed an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA).
The MFA behind my name is nice, but the real reason I went through the program was to improve and grow as a writer. Now my goal is to continue to grow and to help others with their writing.
And with that, here's more good news....
I've been added to the South Dakota Arts Council's roster of artists for the "Artists in Schools and Communities" program. Yay!! More on this tomorrow. But if you need info now, here's the link: http://www.artscouncil.sd.gov/aisc/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)