I looked up from my desk this evening--at 6:30--and still saw some glimmers of light in the sky. What a welcome sight--just one of those spring promises we are grateful for every year. 

Spring is always a fabulous time of year for the WNBA. We begin to plan our annual meeting, this year to be hosted by the Nashville chapter. We also move closer to awarding the annual WNBA Pannell Award to two deserving bookstores that excel in connecting kids with books--the nominations are in, the nominees are preparing their presentations, and the jurors will soon review the material they will submit. As the past chair of the Pannell Committee, I saw firsthand how alive independent bookselling is across the country.

And this spring marks two special milestones. The first annual WNBA Writing Contest has drawn to a close and the announcement of the winners is in this issue. The contest, instituted and organized by past president Joan Gelfand, attracted submissions from across the country, from members and nonmembers alike, and the winning work will be included in a special April issue of The Bookwoman. Also this season, as part of the WNBA's role as an NGO affiliated with the United Nations' Department of Public Information (DPI), our first Youth Representatives--Diana Cavallo and Jenna Vaccaro--were made official. Jill Tardiff, our main UN DPI/NGO representative, announced the appointments in the winter issue of The Bookwoman and I got to see Diana and Jenna in action at the DPI's annual Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN) Conference in January. (Read their report in this issue's UN Corner.) Through our NGO/DPI status, we aim to disseminate information about, and support the mission of the United Nations. Our efforts to do that can only gain from their enthusiasm and intelligence.

Indeed, as spring draws closer and I review the year in preparation for the national meeting, I am thinking about the vibrancy of our organization and the many ways we support the community of the book. I've spent the past few months hearing about the great work everyone is doing in our chapters across the country. In hour-long phone conferences with chapter presidents, we discuss the innovative programs you produce, the wonderful literacy efforts you engage in, and the meaningful ways you share your passion for the written word and books with each other and your communities. It's been gratifying to see the WNBA in action across the country.

On a closing note, I'd like to quote a noted WNBA-Nashville member--singer, songwriter, and author Janis Ian who won the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for her recording of Society's Child: My Autobiography. In her acceptance speech Janis said: "We do not sell music, we sell dreams." Isn't that true . . . for books as well as music? Congratulations to Janis and to all of you for applauding, supporting, and celebrating the world of books!

Best wishes,

Valerie Tomaselli

President, WNBA

Viruses, Malware, Fraud and Scam Emails
By Linda Lee (SF)

Winners of WNBA's First Annual Writing Contest!

Fiction

 

Winning Entry: Jessica Wallin Mace for "A Prize in Every Box"  

Second Place: Anne Pound for "Beauty" 

Third Place: Deborah Batterman for "All Mine"

Honorable Mention: Christine Eskilson for "Dorrie"

 

Poetry

 

Winning Entry: Ellaraine Lockie for "Abandoned Garden"

Second Place: Harriet Shenkman for "Mirror, Mirror"

Third Place: Ruth Hill for "Light Bends around Shadows"

Honorable Mention: Amy Wright "Airport Proposal"
 

A downloadable pdf of the writers' biographies is available here.

 

A special (online) edition of The Bookwoman with the winning entries will be published in April.

***

 

Joan Gelfand

It takes a village to run a Writing Contest!

A huge THANK YOU to our Judges: Julie Kane (Poetry) and Valerie Martin (Fiction.)

I would also like to thank our READERS: Ana Elsner of San Francisco (Poetry) and Julie Smith of New Orleans (Fiction). Thanks also goes to Lee Grue of New Orleans. Lee helped with the formation of the Writing Committee. And THANK YOU to the WNBA National Board and to Chapter Presidents who got the word out and helped make the contest a huge success.  

 

Gratitude also goes to Bebe Brechner for her invaluable help with the contest webpage and setting up Submittable--our online submission service. 

 

Thank you to all of our members who participated in the contest as well. All proceeds go to WNBA programs and scholarships.

Watch for details about WNBA's 2013-2014 Writing Contest. 

Joan Gelfand

WNBA Annual National Writing Contest

Committee Chair 
www.joangelfand.com  

Annette Marie Haley

Annette Marie Haley (Detroit) Interviews New Orleans Chapter President, Susan Larson

Susan was born in Salina, Kansas, grew up in Texas City, Texas, where the best thing
to be was a bookworm! That led her to Rice University (where her student job was
in the library), then to some graduate work at the University of Houston. Finally,
she found a calling in the book world. Susan was a bookseller at various indies--The Bookstore and Books Inc. in Houston, Publishers Bookshop in Little Rock, and the

Susan Larson

My friend, Mary Grey James, then national WNBA president, came to New Orleans for the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival in 2011. I was contemplating my departure from The Times-Picayune and looking around for a new direction, and I asked her what was most meaningful to her in her life after bookselling and agenting. She told me about her love for the WNBA and all of that enthusiasm was contagious! We had our first meeting at Latter Library here in June of 2011, and then we were on our way. After I attended my first WNBA National Board meeting in 2012, I was even more hooked by the organization's long history and the energy of women from across the country.

What other positions in WNBA have you held, if any? I know you were an instigator in the New Orleans Chapter becoming established. How did you and why did you do that? What did you enjoy about the process?

After Mary Grey and I spoke about the WNBA for the first time, I thought, "New Orleans needs this!" And I sat down and made a list of 100 literary women in town, which only took about 15 minutes. We are legion! We began meeting at libraries and bookstores, at the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, and growing as a group. I love having a formal means for getting old and new friends together and building on our shared strength. I love the way we support the authors and booksellers in our group.  

Why did you take on this leadership role? What have you gained from it?

Group activities are not necessarily my strength, I'm sorry to say, and running meetings makes me incredibly nervous. So I'm gaining confidence every month. As we look ahead to see what we might accomplish as a group, I am incredibly excited. We have all kinds of members - established and up and coming writers, booksellers, academics, women in publishing, librarians and archivists, Friends of the Library, and booklovers. It's a fascinating cross-section of our literary community, and I think we all get good ideas and support from each other.

What is your best life short story?

Thanks to the generosity of a friend who was too sick to make the trip, I once got to take Angelica Garnett, Virginia Woolf's niece, to spend an afternoon with Georgia O'Keeffe at her home in Abiquiu, New Mexico. I don't think I've ever quite gotten over that lovely experience. Georgia was 90, and she was reviewing her life, thinking about what she still wanted to do; Angelica was 60, writing her memoir, and looking for a new direction, coming to terms with her family's rich history; and I was 30, just starting out in the world, really. So many possibilities for women's lives arose for me that day!

Nice, catalytic point in life! What/who would you hate to be without?

My kids often threaten to turn me in to American Hoarders for my book addiction, so I'd have to echo Thomas Jefferson: "I cannot live without my books." And they are EVERYWHERE, the bathrooms, the car, in stacks on the floor.  

You are happiest in what situation?

Maybe three situations: I love having my kids home for Thanksgiving, always such a wonderful holiday for us, as we all love food and cooking with our extended family of friends. I am deeply happy reading any good book on the old purple sofa in my living room with my dog Charlie's head in my lap. And during Carnival season, I am happiest making glittered and decorated shoes to throw from our float in the Muses parade.  

Do you have any hobbies or sports, free time pursuits?  

Reading, reading, reading. Cooking. Walking Charlie. Ping pong! And because I live in New Orleans, eating and listening to music. During Carnival season, I hear marching band music from the school down the street every afternoon. All I have to do is open my back door. Mardi Gras! Riding on a float in a parade is a thrill like no other!

If you care to, mention career goals (past, present, future) and perhaps personal goals, too.

I've had my dream job, I have to say. Being the book editor of The Times-Picayune was such a joy. To write about books in this book-loving town during the years when we had such great authors achieving success was a pleasure and a privilege. Now I'm doing something similar but different with The Reading Life, and I'm working on improving my radio skills. I have a new book underway, What We Read on Our Summer Vacation, about the phases we go through in our reading lives, as families, as individuals, as well as a novel about the legendary bookseller Sylvia Beach, one of my great heroines. I'm fascinated by book arts--binding and papermaking--and I hope to explore those further. Reading has made every good thing possible in my life. My (now late) husband and I met when he was a grad student and I was an undergrad at Rice University. Julian was a medievalist and loved teaching above all; he spent his spare time tutoring kids in New Orleans public schools, reading with them in preparation for standardized tests. My kids are booklovers as well--my daughter Casey Wasserman teaches English at Wake Forest University, and my son Dash Wasserman is home for a year after college graduation, working as a bookseller and applying to grad school. Talking with them about books has been one of the joys of my life.

Thank you so much, Susan. WNBA New Orleans is very lucky to have such an intelligent, fun, and passionate leader; and we look forward to your new books and your WNBA leadership for years to come.

Annette Marie Haley is the president of WNBA Detroit and WNBA National Secretary. A retired librarian, Annette Marie serves on foundation boards, library boards, and in many fundraising capacities in her community in Michigan.  

You may contact her at: newsletter@wnba-books.org. 

UN Corner  

By Diana Cavallo (NYC) and Jenna Vaccaro (NYC) 

Please go the UN website to continue reading the Secretary-General's full message.

***

Elimination and Prevention of All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls

  

The fifty-seventh session of the  Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York City from 4 to 15 March 2013. Theme: Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.

   

Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS)

Based in New York, GEMS was founded in 1998 to assist young women who have been harmed through domestic human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The organization helps women by raising awareness about the problem, provides emotional support for girls, and identifies healthy opportunities for women to leave the sex work industry. Rachel Lloyd, founder of the organization and a survivor of the lifestyle, began her mission by working from her kitchen table. A true hero, she provides inspiration for women by showing them that another life is possible. Ms. Lloyd was originally from England and came to the States through a missionary service. Continue reading here.  

The United Nations on iTunes!

Surprised? Don't be. You can now hold the United Nations in the palm of your hand with these apps for topics including Basic Facts about the United Nations, United Nations Charter, and Millennium Development Goals. Most are free, while others charge a nominal fee. Podcasts from UN Radio and United Nations University are also available.

Recommendations: Charter of the United Nations; Millennium Development Goals; Model UN; Rio+20 Agenda; UN Chronicle; UNESCO World Heritage; Universal Declaration of Human Rights; UN Calendar of Observances; UNICEF Photography; Women's Rights.     

*** 

Advancing Social Justice: The Role of Educators -A Focus on Economic Inequality and the United Nations' Campaign Against Human Trafficking

 

The Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (http://www.ctaun.org) also known as CTAUN, held its fourteenth-annual Advancing Social Justice Conference on Friday, January 18th. This session emphasized the role of educators and focused on economic inequality and the United Nation's campaign against human trafficking. It brought educators and social justice advocates together for presentations designed to teach others about inequality and model a framework to help others on both a local and global scale. Held at United Nation's headquarters in New York City, the conference had over 400 attendees, many speakers, an Information Fair with exhibits displaying various NGOs, and an award ceremony for CTAUN's Best Practices. The morning's panels were devoted to economic disparities and the afternoon was devoted to the travesty of human trafficking. WNBA's newly appointed UN DPI/NGO Youth Representatives Diana Cavallo and Jenna Vaccaro, and WNBA National President, Valerie Tomaselli attended the proceedings. Continue reading here.

 

Jill Tardiff (NYC) WNBA's UN DPI/NGO Main Representative
is reading Interventions: A Life in War and Peace, by Kofi Annan with Nadar Mousavizadeh (The Penguin Press/Penguin Group USA, 2012).

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