Going to See Attle!

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? This philosophical riddle raises questions regarding observation and reality (Thank you, Wikipedia). Can something exist without being perceived? I think about this as I write my posts. I am sure that I am not the only one who blogs and wonders how many people are interested in what I have to say or even look at my blog.








Speaking of forests, this serene scene reminded me of Forks, Washington, logging capital of the world and the setting for the Twilight Saga. It's only three hours and thirteen minutes away from Seattle, where the 45th Annual Association of Jewish Libraries Convention will be taking place July 4th through July 7th, 2010. After viewing the trailer for Eclipse, which comes out June 30th, I think I will be bringing my garlic necklace with me! I think I will be very happy staying at the beautiful Fairmont Olympic Hotel and drinking my coffee.



Besides my addiction to coffee, I'm also addicted to Amazon.com. Heidi Estrin has become my co-dependent by offering $10 gift certificates for a "convention mention." So here it is: go to http://jewishlibraries.org/blog/?p=273 and read about Wendy Marcus, the music director at Temple Beth Am. This multi-talented lady will serve as emcee for a musical program on Sunday, and give a presentation on Tuesday about Drash, the literary journal of which she is editor. (I was going to say "give a presentation about Drash, the literary jouranl of which she is editor on Tuesday, but she's editor all the time!).



One more interesting tidbit in relation to my upcoming trip to Seattle: Yahoo recently did a bizarre thing with their weather application for the iPod. They split Jerusalem, so you had to choose whether you wanted the weather from West Jerusalem or East Jerusalem. I don't see that the weather would be that much different, so it was obviously a political decision. So many people complained, that they restored the listing to one Jerusalem - the undivided eternal capital of the Jewish State of Israel. Anyway, the weather in Jerusalem is.....sunny and hot for the rest of the week. The weather in Seattle alternates from partly cloudy to mostly cloudy to few showers to showers with temperatures in the high 60's to low 70's. This will pose a challenge with the sheitl, but I think I am up to it. I will wear my raincoat to get my coffee!

Two Jacks and a Margarita

Just 40 days until the Association of Jewish Libraries Convention in Seattle. I’m looking forward to it for many reasons. I’ve never been to Seattle, so I’m anxious to see the city and its beautiful library. I’ll be drinking lots of coffee to compensate for the time difference, and, of course, I will get to spend time with my wonderful colleagues.

This year’s program has a lot to offer, including some of my favorite authors: Jacqueline Jules, Jacqueline Dembar Greene, and Margarita Engle. Jacqueline Jules wrote Once Upon a Shabbos, Unite or Die, The Hardest Word (my favorites from her), as well as many other children’s books. She will be talking about “Biblical Characters” at the AJL Convention. This popular series, published by Kar-Ben and illustrated by Natascia Ungliano, has made the patriarch Abraham (Abraham’s Search for God) and his wife Sarah (Sarah Laughs) accessible to young readers. Benjamin and the Silver Goblet stands out as both author and illustrator capture the anxiousness and excitement of Benjamin’s venture out into the world. All of these were recognized by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee – Abraham as a Notable Book, and Sarah and Benjamin as Honor Books. Miriam in the Desert will be coming out in September, and I can hardly wait!

Jacqueline Dembar Greene’s books have also been recognized by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. One Foot Ashore and Out of Many Waters, both Honor Books, are historical fiction about the Sephardic experience. The American Girl series about Rebecca were notable books this year. Jacqueline’s topic will be “Beyond Rebecca: Ashkenazi and Sephardic History in Juvenile Fiction.” I’m hoping this discussion will also include The Secret Shofar of Barcelona, a 2010 Notable Book, where conversos include a shofar in a concert of “New World instruments” on Rosh Hashana, giving the other hidden Jews strength and encouragement.

Margarita Engle uses free verse to bring attention to lesser known aspects of Cuban history. This year’s Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers, Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, uses three voices to give different perspectives of the Jews fleeing Germany hoping to make a new home in the Americas. Daniel’s parents have sent him to Cuba, and he is lonely and worried about his family in Germany. He is befriended by David, a Jewish ice cream seller who had escaped the pogroms of Russia by going to Cuba. Paloma, a Cuban girl whose politician father is using the situation to his advantage, also befriends Daniel. As with Engle’s Newbery Honor Book, The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom, I learned a lot about history, and I was amazed how her free verse could evoke so many emotions with so few words. In Surrender Tree, it was “Peace is not the paradise I imagined, but it is a chance to dream…” In Tropical Secrets, it was these lines about Kristallnacht: “How can hatred have such a beautiful name? Crystal should be clear, but on that dark night the glass of broken windows did not glitter.” In an interview in Booklist (January 2010), Margarita Engle was asked about putting together history and poetry. She replied, “I love the dreamlike quality of historical novels in verse. I know there are modern critics who dislike the combination of storytelling with poetry, but to me, it seems so natural and ancient, a form that has been rediscovered, not reinvented.” I could not agree more. (Margarita Engle's photograph was taken by Marshall W Johnson.)

Now I must get to work on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee Panel Presentation. While many veterans of past conventions look forward to the “Hot/Not” portion of the program, we’ve found it more useful to talk about the Jewish aspects of books submitted for consideration, as well as offering some age appropriate Holocaust book suggestions. This year we added a new round, “Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Jewish Book.” The committee members will be discussing books, not necessarily recognized by the committee or that have Jewish content, that made an impact during the year of reading (over 120 books!)

See you in Seattle!