Where I Was 30 Years Ago Part Two: A Poem in Memory
In my last post I noted that I was in the Peace Corps in Malawi 30 years ago. I was a teacher. Recently a student found me on the Internet and sent me a letter. I included excerpts from that letter. Since then I have had a few more emails from my student. He listed ten students from my class who have died of aids since I was last in Malawi.When we were there Steve would come home from the operating room covered in blood to his underwear. It ran off his body [...]
Where I Was 30 Years Ago: PC Malawi
To begin with 30 years ago I was younger...a lot younger. I was in the PC in Malawi with my doctor husband and first one child(Peter who came with us) and later two children(Christopher was born there.I was a teacher in Nasanje and taught English Literature and English as a second language. I taught about 40 students who shared desks. When it rained on the tin roof, it leaked and the pounding was so loud that the students put their heads down and I had to stop teaching.I was required to teach [...]
Signs of Spring in Chinle
Snow melts in the mountains, water runs in the canyon.Greening mesa, birdsong and nest building (even though my phone still says 10 degrees in the AM). Grass turns green. One tiny patch in our back yard has taken hours of coaxing and why grass in the desert you ask? Anything green brings joy.Winds have started with a vengeance which means dust everywhere. It piles up on window sills and this is just the beginning. This will last until nearly autumn. Gusts up to 70MPH.Steve attacks red silt on the patio with equal vegeance [...]
Mobile take 2: Galimoto Poem
A group of elementary school children wrote this poem at the Mobile Young Writers conference.Great job! I love the first line! I was inspired by these amazing wire toys kids made in Malawi to write the book. It is gratifying to see my little book inspiring children in many ways here in the US.Check out more about Galimotos at:https://www.karenlynnwilliams.com/galimoto.htmland on the teacher page on my website: https://www.karenlynnwilliams.com/files/galimoto_guide.pdf GalimotoWhen you imagine, you can create anythingShiny grey wires braided together Prickly, bending back sideways and forwardYou can make a lot of things with wirePrickly, bending [...]
Alabama: Young Authors Conference
I did not see OR feed any gators in Mobile. But these kids were voracious about reading their own work compiled in the 2013 Young Authors Anthology sponsored by the Metro Mobile Reading Council.These kids were attentive and sincere about wanting to become better writers. The made galimotos and wrote poems about them. These middle grade and high school students were selected based on their writing abilities to attend the afternoon conference. Your main character is not just defined by physical attributes. What does he or she need or want? Your main character drives [...]
Painted Dreams Finally in Haitian Creole
As it should be!Look what just came in the mail. The Haitian Creole translation of Painted Dreams.I always hoped that my books about Haiti would someday be published in Creole.Painted Dreams went out of print and I got the rights back.EducaVision Inc. made it happen.Here is a sneak preview or two.To order books or see what else Educa Vision publishers have to off go to:www.educavision.comPainted Dreams in Haitian Creole will soon be available on amazon as well.