|
|
|
|
|
|
| Story Sparks
"Stories are the sparks that light our ancestor's lives, the embers we blow on to illuminate our own"
|
|
|
|
|
| | |
Greetings!
Quilting is like love. Enter it with abandon or not at all.
I love this quote! It suggests that our passions require the commitment to leap and not look down. As part of my life promoting Aurora: An American Experience in Quilt, Community and Craft, I've had the pleasure of meeting men and women who entered into quilting with abandon and you can see the result in the complexity of their designs, the rainbow-richness of their fabrics, the diligence of fine stitches, the wide variety of textures from feathers made of thread to tiny stones stitched as layers of lava. For me, trips across the country to quilt shows have been like visiting art galleries...I inhale the inspiration.
Last evening Jerry and I had the privilege of meeting with the Undercover Quilters Book Group in Bend, Oregon. Each year they choose one book where members design quilts based on inspiration within the chosen book. Three quilt groups have now chosen one of my titles and I am always humbled and honored when I see the fabulous creations that result.
 The Undercover Quilters chose Love to Water My Soul. It's a story based on Jerry's great-great grandmother who was lost from a wagon train and found by Indians and raised by them until she was 13. It's also a story of incredible perseverance and faith. When the book came out I was working on the reservation in Warm Springs and a colleague working there read the book and said, "This is about you!" I protested, no, it's about Jerry's relative. But then I realized that it was about me in the way that all of the books we read are in some ways about us or we wouldn't keep reading. I didn't see myself as "a white woman lost in an Indian world" but I did see myself as trying to find my place, hoping to make sense of my journey, praying I'd find my way home.
I wish I could show you all of the quilts and include the
 | | Labyrinth |
passages each quilter read that led to their quilt theme. The concept of coming full circle in our journeys inspired Lani to make a labyrinth quilt. To Gaze North as Asiam (the main character) sought the military trail where her parents might have traveled was the theme of Cindy's quilt with the creation of landscapes that reflect the colorful hills of southeastern Oregon. Erin made a pieced quilt meant to comfort a lost child. It wasn't tied so we each got to participate making twenty-two ties to be exact as that was the number of memory knots Asiam carried with her to help her remember the life events that defined her. Even Jerry stitched a couple.
Each of the quilts reflected the passion of its maker. I could see love within them all. They'll be available for the public to see during the month of September at Quiltworks in Bend, Oregon. But I have photographs to remind me of the power of story and how our stories help inspire the lives and passions of others. Whatever your passion, whether gardening or restoring old cars or reading or homesteading, take the leap and give to it fully. As a writer who inspired quilts, I can guarantee that the joys you share will actually pale in comparison to the joys you'll receive.
|
|
 |
|
 Jane's Words of Encouragement
Bo's Blog
 Jane's Facebook Page
 Connect on LinkedIn
 Follow Jane on Twitter
 Follow Jane on Pinterest
|
|
|
|
|
Home Town Hall of Fame
|
 | | Mondovi, WI |
Next month I have the honor of being inducted into my high school Alumni Hall of Fame. The announcement of this honor came after I'd already set my latest novella in the collection Midwife's Legacy in my home town of Mondovi, Wisconsin. Some of you may have seen the Facebook pictures of rolling green hills dotted by red barns, corn fields and clusters of hardwoods that are the visuals of my early life. On September 28th I'll be speaking to a high school assembly just before the kids head to a pep rally as it's homecoming weekend. Suggestions for what will hold the attention of a couple of hundred teenagers waiting for the "big game hype" are welcome! I'm experiencing much more stress than when I gave the honor student address at my graduation in 1964!
I don't feel particularly famous to be included in a Hall of Fame. There are still many people in that select group of millions who have never read a single thing I've written. I'm not sure how to return the honor. I received a first rate education in that small class of 85. An English teacher encouraged my parents to send me on to college and with the help of a state scholarship, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin where the freshman class of 7000 was three times the size of the entire town of Mondovi. Because of my early education and high school teachers, I acquired the tools needed to make it through a University program, find a job and three years later continue with a graduate program. The encouragement, discipline and commitment of my teachers and the community that supported them is a gift I can never repay. To be honored for my writing life and years as a professional social worker is frosting on a very lovely chocolate cake. I hope to see a number of old friends and will also gather on Saturday with book lovers at the Public Library, the place where I got my first library card at the age of five. I wonder if they still have the list of the books I checked out. Laurel Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie and The Boxcar Children are surely on that list!
|
|
Jane's Schedule
| |
Take a look and see where our paths might cross during upcoming events.
WHEN: Saturday, August 18, 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Warm Springs Library, 1144 Warm Springs St. (across from the Presbyterian Church), Warm Springs, Oregon.
WHAT: Jane's coming "home" to Warm Springs to support the library and tell stories of writing, reading and living. It's air-conditioned and there'll be refreshments. Jane will have books to sell and sign as well.
SEPTEMBER
WHEN: Friday, September 28, afternoon and evening
WHERE: Mondovi High School, Mondovi, Wisconsin
WHAT: Induction into Mondovi High School Alumni Hall of Fame. Jane is a graduate of this small town in western Wisconsin and will join a number of graduates who have been so honored. The ceremony will take place at a school assembly in the afternoon and recognition will also occur at the Homecoming football game in the evening.
WHEN: Saturday, September 29, 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Mondovi Public Library, 146 W. Hudson St., Mondovi, Wisconsin (715) 926-4403
WHAT: The Friends of the Mondovi Public Library will welcome Jane for a presentation. Join her as she tells stories and remembers the goodness of small towns and public libraries and their contribution to the writing life. She'll also talk about The Midwife's Legacy. Jane's novella called "A Mother's Cry" opens the collection and is set in Mondovi!
Sunday, September 30: The Packer Game at Lambeau Field! Jane's first ever. Go Pack!
OCTOBER
WHEN: Thursday, October 4, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Broadway Books, 1714 N.E. Broadway, Portland, Oregon
WHAT: Jane will be joined by seven other authors including Phillip Margolin and April Henry as part of the Crazy 8's Author Tour where a group of Oregon writers will celebrate the written word throughout the state. For the full list of authors and more information visit http://crazy8sauthortour.com. (Jane will also be at Graham's Books & Stationery in Lake Oswego on November 15 as part of the same tour!)
WHEN: Thursday, October 11, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Olympia Timberland Library, 313 8th Ave. SE, Olympia, Washington
WHAT: Join Jane as she shares stories of remarkable Northwest women and men, and what it is that makes novels based on real people so intriguing, encouraging each of us to write our own family stories. The event is open to the public; for more information visit www.trl.org.
WHEN: Sunday, October 28, 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
WHERE: St. Paul Fire District, St. Paul, Oregon
WHAT: St. Paul Mission Historical Society Annual Meeting. This little historical society set in the heart of French Prairie was instrumental in Jane's research for the Tender Ties series about Marie Dorion, the only woman who was part of the Astor expedition in 1811. The society published eleven volumes of the Catholic Church records that had been translated from French to English by Harriet Munnick in the 1970's. That effort and commitment to history has opened many doors for researchers and genealogists. Jane will speak at the annual meeting about Marie Dorion and about the importance of history to our contemporary lives. She'll also sign your books!
For all event information and updates, please visit Jane's website and click on News and Events. Thanks!
|
Word Whisperings |
  
Women Writing the West, a national literary organization, just announced the winners and finalists for the WILLA Literary Award. No, I wasn't a finalist or winner this year but two of my favorite authors were: Sandra Dallas won in historical fiction for her book The Brides House and Carole Estby Dagg won the Children and Young Adult award for The Year we were Famous. I'm happy for both these writers as Sandra has been a finalist many times but never won (and every one of her books is terrific!) and Carole's book is her first and we've shared the stage a number of times because she is a great niece of Clara Estby. Her book and my book The Daughter's Walk are both about this fascinating woman and the journey she made with her mother walking from Spokane to New York in 1896. Congratulations to all the winners.
If you're an aspiring writer you might look into www.womenwritingthewest.org. You don't have to be a woman to join, just someone interested in telling women's stories both contemporary and historical. The group has been a mainstay of encouragement in my own writing life and every year the WILLA Literary Award list of winners and finalists becomes my reading list for the year. This month, I hope you'll look for Sandra Dallas' The Bride's House and Carole Estby Dagg's The Year We Were Famous. You won't go wrong!
|
|
|
|
 | | Bo and Pals |
Hope, always
I hate losing things. I lost a bra for over a year that I found this summer stuffed in the back of drawer. A camera we thought we'd lost showed up in a box marked "fishing reel." We were so happy to have these items found. About three weeks ago our yellow tabby cat named PB disappeared. I visited the humane societies providing photographs, posted photos in the neighborhood, talked with neighbors and listed him as missing on Craig's list. When we moved from the ranch I told Jerry it wouldn't really be "home" here until PB climbed on Bo's back and took a nap which is what he always did. He'd been an outdoor cat but when we moved to the suburbs, we had him neutered and let him come inside where he always wanted to be. But he also had an outdoor house, insulated and roofed. Every morning since he disappeared Bo has gone out and sniffed that little cat house hoping PB had spent the night. I haven't put away his bowl yet nor moved his house. Facebook friends told of stories of their cats returning after five months or more! Imagine that. Today I got a response to my Craig's list ad and I called, ever so hopeful. The woman thought she had my cat but the tabby she said wandered into her house about two weeks ago had clipped ears. PB still has his own little ears. I'm not giving up on my lost pal. An old Italian Proverb says "Hope is the last thing ever lost."
I hope whatever you're looking for you find and sustain hope in the meantime.
|
|
|
|
|
|
