Providence, Rhode Island for New Years!

I took a lovely train ride from NYC to Providence, Rhode Island to spend New Years with my dear friend, author/illustrator/professor Mary Jane Begin and her beau Andy Seal. More hugs!
     MJ lives within walking distance to a bay on the Atlantic - a very different vibe from NYC!There, we took several lovely walks along the beach.Andy made cozy fires every night.We ate and read and got excited about the house just up the street that MJ decided to buy. (I'll let her tell that story!)
     Meanwhile, MJ and I visited RISD, where she teaches and where I almost went to school long ago. How different my life might have been if I had!I loved seeing her photo among the faculty. One of the shining stars of RISD is their taxidermy collection that they keep housed in their Nature Lab. I've long wished we could do something similar at Winthrop, since we also have an amazing taxidermy collection. No matter how you feel about taxidermy, they make wonderful drawing resources for students learning proper anatomy.      In Providence, we had lunch at a wonderful old restaurant originally built in the late 1700s as a brothel (I think). It had plaster walls, black trim, enormous fireplaces - I loved it! I love old places with history like that - it's part of why I love Scotland so much. They're chocked full of stories, you can practically feel them in the air. (Sorry I didn't get a photo of it!)
     MJ and Andy were fabulous hosts. We spent a lovely outting in Newport, where we ate right on the water and wandered the old winding streets. The decorations reminded me of Williamsburg; although I suppose the style arrived in Providence first! Afterwards, we took a walk on "Cliffwalk," a spot overlooking the sea and Martha's Vineyard. I found a spot to sit and think while MJ and Andy walked on. They make such a handsome couple.      It was a truly beautiful spot, and I decided to throw out Stan's first parting stone there. I'll talk about that more in another post.
     Before we left, we collected a dozen or so quahog shells (pronounced CO-hog) to stuff with clams for New Year's Eve. (They turned out amazing.) What an amazing thing to collect one's food from the wilds - it's not something humans do much of anymore. But it makes you feel so connected.
     Back to their own little beach, we saw horseshoe crabs... and talked about life and death and, well, everything. I was fascinated by the enormous number of "lady slippers" - a type of shell that was a hard to find treasure when I visited beaches on the Gulf Coast as a child. There were spots on their beach where ALL the shells were lady slippers!A planned New Year's Eve party was sidelined by Covid, so MJ and Andy threw an impromptu gathering instead. We visited a Portuguese grocery store to load up on snacks and munchies. I'd never been to one, so it was wonderfully entertaining. Turns out I LOVE dried fava beans! Friends Chris and Anika Denise (who we also teach with at Hollins U) came over that evening along with another couple, which was a lovely way to spend the evening, even if I didn't make it to midnight.
     I had planned to throw out another of Stan's parting stones on New Year's Day, which turned out to be more than I bargained for. Again, next post. But leading up to that moment, we came across several families takng the New Year's plunge in the icy Atlantic. There was a true sense of hope and joy for 2023, written in the sand, built with stones, collected carefully and shared with the world. Truly, what more could one wish for the New Year than this?I'm so grateful to friends who have taken me in and shown me love at such a difficult time in my life. I don't think I've been easy company, yet I am so incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so much love. And I still have love to give... May your new year be filled with peace and love.

Carrowinds Demo

A fun summer job for many of our illustrators is to do face painting, henna painting, and caricatures at amusement parks like Carrowinds, which is just up the highway from Rock Hill. The company that manages all of this is Kamans Art Shoppes. The local manager, Jacob Reeves, typically visits once a year to talk to the students about these opportunities... and demonstrate the methods behind successful caricatures.He leaves information for students who might be interested.Several of our students have ended up working for Kamans at Carrowinds, so this is always a beneficial visit for everyone!

Christmas in New York City

With Stan gone, I decided to get the heck out of dodge for the holidays. When Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman invited me to New York City for "Goosemas" (rather than Christmas), I thought it sounded just right - so off I went! (I'm very late in sharing this, but at least I got to it!) Ellen and Delia have a beautiful home, an apartment in a building similar to this one (I took this photo for the sculpture when I walked through Riverside Park my first morning there). The Polar Vortex hit after I arrived, thank goodness; so my journey there was smooth. But I didn't want to go out in the cold! I was actually quite happy just reading, going to the grocery store with Delia, or drawing. We did go to one play together that was really good.After the play, we stopped for hot chocolate and pastries. I love these photos of Delia and Ellen. We were talking about life's BIG questions while New York twinkled in the background.The next day, Delia and I went grocery shopping, bodega style (Delia bought sword fish from a street-side fishmonger - quite the normal thing in NYC). Then we split up and I got a real bagel.Ellen and Delia's home is filled with love and BOOKS! (Silly me brought a book to read - they're home IS a library! I ended up reading The Last Unicorn.) The building itself was built in 1909 and rambles on and on. I had a gorgeous Victorian bathroom all to myself and took several long soaks. (Delia remodeled it - the most beautiful bathroom I've ever seen!) But best of all was the original Brian Frouds, a painting and sketches, that hung over my bed. Brian is one of the reasons I wanted to be an illustrator in the first place. Do you remember the book "Faeries"? That was Brian and Alan Lee. It blew my mind when I was a budding illustrator. Heck, it still does. The Frouds are friends of several friends of mine. (Also, Brian and his wife Wendy invented Yoda!) I hope I get to meet them one day.
     I was able to have lunch, noodles, with my friend Mikki Knudsen, author of The Library Lion and so many other wonderful books. I can't believe I didn't get a photo of us, but it just wasn't that sort of date. It was just so good to reconnect and fill each other in on our changing worlds.
     I was honored that they let me light the Menorah candles several nights as Ellen and Delia sang. What a lovely ritual.Delia made home-made latkes that were amazing too. Of course, the big celebration was GOOSEMAS. (Not Christmas, but more an acknowledgement of the confluence of traditions that come together at the same time.) I had the honor of setting the dinner table for the guests that evening in their magical dining room.
The carving of the Goose was no small task. This was quite the undertaking! Here, Shawn Cowls is helping while Delia carves...The meal was divine of course, with Ellen and Delia's famous smoosh (sweet potatoes and apples, yum!)Ellen and Delia love folklore, rituals, and tradition and lean on many established ones, while inventing some of their own. One I loved was the reading of Dylan Thomas' A Christmas in Wales in the round after dinner. Being NYC, everyone read with a true actor's flair, heck several people at the tale were actors in some sense or another (Doug Shapiro and Ellen, of course).Ellen and Delia's nephews, Stuart and AJ were there too (here are Karen and AJ). One of their dear friends is Karen Green, the comics librarian at Columbia University - so you can imagine how well we hit it off! Could not stop talking!She asked me to add a "sketch" of Alice to her ongoing Alice in Wonderland Sketchbook Project. She attends so many Comicons and such where great talent hangs out, she gets some of the world's best illustrators to add to her sketchbooks. She's on Book #4 now. I was so flattered, but it was a bit intimidating, so I spent one of my New York City days reminding myself that I can indeed draw. This was with ballpoint pen. It was a healing thing to do, but Delia had to rub my cramping hand when I was done! For more photos and an eloquent presentation, Ellen did a lovely write up of the holiday on her FB page, as she does, CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE WONDERFUL PHOTOS AND READ!!!
     All said, I can't imagine a better way to spend my first Christmas without Stan. My friends offered so many hugs, but mostly a beautiful refuge. I am so grateful and love them dearly.
     From their warm home I took a wonderful train ride to visit my friend Mary Jane Begin in Providence, RI... coming up next!

I'm a Pearson Award Finalist!

I am honored to share that I am a a finalist for the Pearson Excellence in Higher Education Awards: Outstanding Teaching Through the Pandemic! This is the kind note from the Committee. Wow!

"You have demonstrated remarkable skill in your approaches to teaching and student support in the face of the pandemic. You were able to adapt exceptionally well to the multiple modalities of remote learning while also supporting students through an emotionally turbulent time to still have the best learning experience possible. Out of a robust pool of over 200 talented nominees, your remarkable commitment as an educator is evident! We have included a digital badge to recognize you and say thank you for your dedication to higher education!

Winners will be announced January 16th, 2023. If chosen as the category winner, we plan to highlight your success on our network. Finalists also receive $2,000 to attend their conference of choice, plaque to commemorate the award, and optional inclusion in a blog or webinar to share your story!

Congratulations again on your advancement to the final stages! On behalf of learners everywhere, we appreciate your commitment to student success."

So nice! I'll let you know how it turns out, but for now, I'm simply honored to be a finalist!

Rock Hill Symphony - Holiday Concert

My friend Elisa Koehler conducted the Rock Hill Symphony Holiday Concert on December 17th. This was my first social engagement by myself, but one I wouldn't miss. Elisa is an incredibly dynamic conductor who brings energy and stories to her concerts. She oversaw the solos, including trumpeters (which had to have been hard since she is, herself, a trumpeter).Of course, being the holiday symphony, there were lots of children in the audience. They loved when The Grinch showed up half way through!I actually ended up sitting near his wife. She said he loves to play the role - indeed, he really got into it. Elisa and The Grinch were stars!The musicians were wonderful, and Elisa received a well-earned standing ovation and flowers.

Winthrop U Winter Graduation 2022

I am way behind on blog posts (for obvious reasons), but want to make sure to record some of the joys that life has continued to offer. (And I think I can set this to go live on the date it actually happened - HA!) For instance, graduation!
     I never miss graduation ceremonies - I call them "Joy Soup." The students and their families are so happy and so proud. And while shouting and whistling may be discouraged at some universities, it's so fun to hear a family burst into cheers. Oftentimes they are celebrating a child who is the first college graduate in their family. So, they aren't just cheering for themselves, they are cheering for all their family members, alive and passed, who helped enable opportunities for the students. It's a humbling and awe inspiring event to be a part of.
     This was our new President's first graduation ceremony and he obviously enjoyed it. It was also our Dean Karen Oremus' opportunity to show off her awesome robes. She looked great! I also enjoy putting on my robes. I've slowly been making them mine. Next step, add pockets!
     Here I am with Elisa Koehler (dear friend and Music Chair).
     And with Stephanie Sutton (video/performance art) and Mark Hamilton (photography/Fine Arts Chair). I didn't have any students graduating this winter, but it didn't stop me from going. I always walk out of graduations with a smile on my face!

Stan's Celebration of Life

"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world." - Brandi Snyder

      I can't believe it's already been a week since Stan's Celebration of Life. While I'd rather not have needed to have it at all, the turn-out was heart-warming.
     Many people were there in person, some driving from far away and getting hotel rooms; while dozens attended online from as far away as Scotland and Taiwan. We have friends all over the world and it was truly a global event. I'm sorry I didn't get a screen shot from Zoom (if anyone did, please let me know!), but lots of people left wonderful comments in the chat. Zoom is such a strange way to host a final good-bye, but the silver lining is being able to include friends from afar, and now I have an actual recording of the event. I've been slowly going back through the photos, the tributes, the comments, and putting together a compilation video for friends who missed it (link below), and for myself of course. It's not been an easy thing to do. Everyone has been so generous with their love, and I miss Stan so much - it's hard to see your computer screen when your eyes are filled with tears.
     But a few wonderful photos were taken that I want to share... Here I am with some of my students, Kaelen, Maggie, and Sarah...
with Tina Hanlon and students and friends in the background...

Winthrop Professors and Chairs Elisa, Eva, and Jason...

flowers from the Black family...

me with my parents Bob and Betsy...

more flowers from my Hollins family...

and my favorite, me with so many of my wonderful students (I'm a very lucky teacher indeed).
     I asked several guests to share some thoughts and they contributed moving words in tribute. Stan's oldest friend Professor Emeritus Charlotte Headrick knew Stan when he was a student at Young Harris College. Stuart Brown worked for and with Stan at Deloitte and Touche during his early adulthood - they had a lot of fun together. Johnny Martin was Stan's bestie at the end - even though they ended up on different continents, they kept in close touch. Connie Bailey was our dear friend and center of our hub in Edinburgh. And Jane Yolen wrote a precious poem for Stan that I included on his tribute page (link below). Indeed, I was so pleased by all the poetry people envoked for Stan. Charlotte shared a quote from Romeo and Juliette and Johnny recited a poem from Robert "Rabbie" Burns. I wasn't planning on saying anything myself, but Ellen Kushner asked me to share some stories. I'd had practice recounting them to Stan when he was in the hospital, so I was able to share them with everyone. It helped put context to many of the photos in Stan's slideshow. We had so many good stories, so many adventures. I may start sharing them here, on my blog, as part of my healing. We'll see.
     I want to thank those who helped pull this event together and see me through this rough time. Professor Elisa Koehler graciously offered her home to host the event, and it was simply perfect. We had food and drinks in the dining room, screens sharing a slideshow of Stan in several locations, the main Zoom location on the big television on her bookshelves, and a firepit on the back patio to relax by afterwards. Vicky Alvear Shecter has been with me through the roughest parts. She was at the hospital with me in the final days, notified everyone who needed to know as I stayed by Stan's bedside, and drove up once again to help hold me up at the Celebration. I am so lucky to have Vicky in my life - a truer friend could never be found. Professor Jason Tselentis, Chair of Design, arrived early to help with the tech and run Zoom during the Celebration. Everyone should be as fortunate to have such a generous colleague. My students Kaelen, Ethan, and James were my liaisons at the university and arrived early to help with tech, food, and photos throughout. (Truly, all my students have been amazing.) Flipside Catering made a stressful time less so and did a beautiful job. So many friends donated to Stan's GoFundMe, it covered final medical expenses, the expenses for the Celebration, and the expense of having Stan's ashes turned into Parting Stones. (I'll share more on that when they arrive.) Being spared a financial hit on top of losing Stan has been a balm. Colleagues and friends have sent so many cards, flowers, and gifts, I've kept them all and treasure them. Everyone's kindness and ongoing support has meant the world to me.

     I'm not sure how to navigate this next part of my life. There's no way around grief, only through it. But as I said at Stan's Celebration, he'd want me to continue to Live Out Loud just as we did when he was well. So, I look forward to blossoming back into the world and having more adventures... eventually. For now, I sit with my memories and I'm grateful I am not alone. I am surrounded by love.

Stan's Tribute
Stan's Celebration of Life

Yap Ye Iswa Swamp Festival

Since moving to South Carolina, I've been working with members of the Catawba Nation to try to set up workshops to help the Catawba share their myths and stories in picture book manuscripts appropriate for publication through new imprints like Heartdrum at HarperCollins - specializing in books featuring First Nations people and communities. Several fellow faculty have joined me on this endeavor and after many meetings (and Covid), we're getting closer to making this a reality. Because the Catawba people have lots of stories to tell and very few have been shared in books. In the meantime, I didn't want to miss the Yap Ye Iswa Swamp Festival at the Catawba Nation on a recent, gorgeous fall day.I met up with Casey Cothran (former English Chair at Winthrop University), Casey's friend and New York Times bestselling author Alethea Kontis, and Laura Gardner (Professor Emeritus of Book Making). Here they are with a totem pole featuring local Yehasuri - mysterious creatures of the forest.We ate fry bread, bought jewelry and books, and ate roasted corn. But the main reason for attending was to watch the dances. Alongside the resonating sound of drumming and singing, the women did a Bird Dance.A man did a Warrior Dance. But my fave was the Ribbon Dancers (?). Their job was to flatten the grass to create a good performance area. Their costumes rippled with their stomping. We had a marvelous time.And I made a new friend. I'm trying not to say 'no' to much right now. I don't know what life will look like going forward without Stan, but I know I have more adventures ahead, partly to honor all the fun he and I had together.