What to Pack for the Women's March on Washington: Part Two/ the roller bag

My Equal Writes t-shirt from Shebooks seems like a no-brainer. Wooly stuff may not be necessary given the weather predictions, but I'm taking one sweater and some wool leggings, just in case. But honestly, it's gray and 59 degrees here in paradise right now; it's only supposed to be a few degrees cooler in D.C. on Saturday. Snow boots? probably unnecessarily heavy. A polar fleece hat with an attached balaclava?! Nah. It's weird though...that warm-ish weather. But lucky. Very lucky.

A few years ago, I barely made it make to CA between Snowmageddon and Snowpocalypse.

BWI airport in 2010 when the snowplow had to drive up to the roof of the parking structure in order to dump its load of snow on top of the pile.

View from my brother's front door in suburban Baltimore.

It's National Adoption Month

Have you read this?

If you know someone who relinquished a child (whether she talks about it or not) you might observe that November, with its focus on happy adoption stories, is a difficult time for her. 

As Concerned United Birthparents says "Adoption begins in tragedy, not joy."

A party!!! And all of Internet-land is invited!!!

I wrote a book.

I've gone on about it a bit here. I hope not too tiresomely.

Other people wrote books, too. Those people are:

Mona Gable
Elizabeth Aquino
Zöe Rosenfeld
Laura Fraser

We're all going to be reading from our books at the party that Shebooks, the publisher, is throwing on Thursday night.

There'll be drinks, snacks, cookies, music, literary chit-chat, fabulous company, music, and readings.

It's at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts in Los Angeles. It starts at 7:30.

Oh, and all of our books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. You can click the links below for "Birth Mother," my book.

Reproductive Rights: Now and Then

Age 17, 1970: Seven months pregnant at the senior prom and keeping my secret.

I have a blog post over here today.

Reading, Grief, Authors I Love, and Shebooks' Equal Writes Campaign

I confess. I'm lying in bed. I slept for 9 hours last night, but after washing and putting away all of the linens that were used for guest beds during Dan's final days, I'm horizontal again.

Lying in bed is a good place to keep up with the condolence notes. (Thank your from the bottom of my heart for each and every word.) Email. Facebook. I read and write back. Or just read, making a mental note to write back later.

Reading anything longer than these note from my friends and Dan's friends has been pretty much impossible. My eyes seem to be unable to focus right or something. Today, however, my friend Elizabeth Aquino's book has come out on Shebooks.  I've had the privilege of watching this book take shape while we wrote together at UCLA and in Elizabeth's living room, as well as in the homes of others in our small writers' group. I am positive I can read this book because I love what I know of it so much, and it will be positively thrilling to see it whole. I hope you will read this courageous and beautiful story too.

And while you are traveling around on the Interwebs, check out The Equal Writes Campaign. 

Oh, and yeah, I have a contract with Shebooks too. More about that when my book is released.

New website/blog!

I've been a blogaholic for years now. Until recently, there were three Blogger blogs in my blog universe. Now my blog, Birthmother, has moved to Word Press and, in anticipation of my memoir's release with Shebooks, is currently set up as two-headed beast--blog plus author's website. Writer friends, other friends, mentors, teachers: let me know what you think.

Thanks!

A Publishing Contract!

Shebooks, the fabulous new e-book publisher, will be publishing an excerpt of my memoir. The date is not nailed down yet, so you'll be hearing more from me about that soon. I'm thrilled to be in the company of some very fine writers.

You can read more about Shebooks HERE. I've been devouring them.