On The Road, Spring 2012: Oh, The Places I’ve Been!
I didn't drive across the country, but I sure did fly across it - several times! Here I am at a car show in Santa Barbara, where I did a talk in May..
As readers of this blog know, my publisher sent me on a book tour this winter when The Story of Beautiful Girl came out in paperback. Between Feb. 10 and March 3, I spoke in bookstores in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Connecticut, Delaware, and Virginia. After a few days to catch my breath, my speaking engagements for The Story of Beautiful Girl began for the spring and I was back on the road. At that point, I traveled to Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Toronto, California, and Minnesota. I returned from the last talk for the season on May 25.
Or, to be more concise, between early February and late May, I did 40 events in 21 states – plus Canada.
Words Bookstore, in Maplewood, NJ, had a reception for book clubs before my actual talk. I'm the fuzzy head in the middle. This was in May.
Of course, I always try to work in extra visits with my many far-flung friends – some of whom drive great distances to meet me. I also always try to make new friends. And I usually take long walks so I can learn about my surroundings, burn off calories, and stay energetic. So whenever I travel, my days are packed.
I know, I know, I’m describing a very demanding schedule. The friends who’ve been following on Facebook and Twitter have been admonishing me to slow down, take a break. And I’m happy to say that I’ve heard you. This summer I’m taking some down time at long last.
On the drive from the Kansas City Airport for a talk in Columbia, MO, Brent and Laura Jackson took me to Kleinschmidt's, a famous western wear store with stuffed animals. This was in March.
But before I sign off, I want to share some of the highlights of this spring. Not every highlight; I wasn’t able to take photos at every program, and I would overwhelm you if I showed you all of the pictures I have. (Though I wish I could! Sorry not to have you here, Tom and Rita O’Neill, Betsy Kachmar, the Arc of Stark County, Loui Lord Nelson, Carol and Derrick Dufresne, Laura and Brent Jackson, Kate O’Neill, Gary Blumenthal, Susan Ashworth, Betsy Small, Harriet Redman, Gretchen Raab, Anne Strainchamps, Teri Derry, Mark Davis, Joseph MacBeth, John Raffaele, Ann Hardiman, Ann Genaro, Ellen Morosoff Pemrick, Genie Cohen, Lee Sherman, Charles LaRussa, Yona Lunsky, Karen Calzonetti, Richard Oldfield, Lori Jasper, Sue Hayes, Nancy Peterson – and so many others.)
So look at these photos as just a small glimpse of my many adventures this spring. May they give you a sense of how exciting and fulfilling the last few months were for me – and why I now need the solitude and silence of this summer.
Enjoy these warm months, and I’ll see you back here in the fall!
Events and Sights – In No Particular Order
Doing the keynote at the ADDP Conference in Worcester, MA, March. 750 people were in the audience.
I was the dinner speaker for 150 people at the Sunset Soiree for Hillside House in Santa Barbara. It was held in in a beautiful outdoor garden in May.
Me in Boston in March. I did a house party there, as well as talks in Worcester, MA and Peterborough, NH.
The fantastic Renaissance Bookstore - used books! - in the Milwaukee airport. I was here in April, between talks in Wisconsin and Ohio.
Keynoting for a crowd of 350 at the INARF Conference in Indianapolis, March.
Signing books at the INARF Conference in Indianapolis, after doing the keynote, March 2012.
The view from the gorgeous Sagamore Hotel in Lake George, NY, where I spoke for 300 people at the NYSACRA Conference in April.
While I was in Neenah, WI for the Fox Cities Book Festival, in April, I went to see the house where my friend Donna Hanchett once lived.
Speaking for 100 people in Toronto for Itanu, the inclusion initiative for the Jewish Federation, in May..
Jonah, owner of Words Bookstore in Maplewood, NJ, introduces me, in May.
I flew to Toronto in May by on Porter Airline, which brought me to an island in the city. This photo is from the ferry.
One of many magnificent views outside Santa Barbara, where I spoke in May.
Keynoting for 500 at OPRA in Columbus, OH. This was the second time I keynoted for them. Great people! April 2012.
Signing books in Columbus. OPRA purchased books for all 550 attendees.
Life-sized model in the Fort Wayne, IN airport, which also had an aviation museum. The Midwest has a few of them.
The view of the Mississippi from my hotel room in St. Paul in May. I had the same view last June, 13 stories lower.
At some point (when? who knows?) I flew through my beloved Detroit Airport. A stranger snapped this picture.
While in Columbus in April, I visited this replica of the Santa Maria. It was tiny - and they crossed the ocean in it!
The book signing line at EuroNest, in St. Paul, MN, where I spoke for Opportunity Partners in May 2012.
Finishing my dinner talk for Hillside House, in Santa Barbara, May 2012.
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Friends, Old and New
I met Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, among many others, at Brighter Futures in Philadelphia.
I met aspiring writer Ashley Caveda when I spoke in Fort Wayne, IN.
Rebecca Dowling and her staff welcomed me to the Hockessin Bookshelf in DE. April 2012.
When I spoke at Crotched Mountain, NH, I went to a dinner party thrown by the head of the facility.
The night before I spoke in Toronto for Our Jewish Community Reads, Itanu Toronto invited me to a dinner party.
My old friend and former student, InSuk, drove 4 hours to meet me in Indianapolis.
My old friend Dale, who works in transit, came to see me in Columbus in April.
Judy Kresloff, my host at Brighter Futures in Philadelphia. We became fast friends.
John, Bridget, and her daughter at EuroNest in St. Paul, in May.
In Columbus, in April, I visited with Al Maag, a family friend from long ago. I had not seen him since I was 9.
At Brighter Futures in Philadelphia, I got to visit with old friends Jim Conroy, Greg Pirmann, and Jean Searle.
In May, I spent the night at the house of my new friend Shelly Christensen in the St. Paul area. She and I co-wrote the book discussion guide for Jewish Disability Awareness Month.
Sue Barbella, who studied writing with me in the late 1990s, went to great lengths to see me speak for the AAUW in Lower Gwynedd, PA in April.
In Boston, I visited with my college friend Sue Navarre and her husband Tim Olevsky.
The lovely Rosi Amador, who went to college with me and who lives in Cambridge, MA, hosted a house party for readers of my books.
Roz Cummins was also a co-host of Rosi's party, along with Sue Navarre.
My old friend Dan Szczesny came to see me when I spoke at Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough, NH in March.
My cousins, Simone Tumarkin and Andrea Iskowitz, came to see me at Words Bookstore in Maplewood, NJ in May.
The wonderful sib and writer, Mary McHugh, came to see me in Maplewood, NJ in May.
Kami Simpson, my best friend from nursery school and then boarding school, came to see me in Maplewood, NJ in May.
The great, great Marc Goldman, who handles my speaking arrangements, and who helped make all of this possible. He came to see me in Santa Barbara and showed me the town.
Tags: books, friendship, public speaking, The Story of Beautiful Girl, writing life
It was so good to see you in Maplewood, Rachel. And what a great adventure you’ve had with Beautiful Girl. Have a lovely summer off from emails and blog about what it was like at the end of the summer.
Thank you, Rachel, for once again taking time from your busy schedule to not only DO all these signings and speeches, but also to blog about them (with photos!) so that we can feel almost like we were there with you! And how wonderful that would be… To see the faces of these strangers-to-me (but not to you) and to know that they cared enough about the characters in The Story of Beautiful Girl, or the people with disabilities they care for, or their loved ones who have special needs, or the role of institutions in our country’s history…or just because they love a good story and wanted to meet the creative force behind that story… to see those faces and to know that there is interest wide and far in this subject (and in you as a writer), well it is really wonderful.
Here’s to books, to writers, to people who own bookstores or book speakers… to those who read at home and those who listen to books on tape. To those who cannot read, but only live a story we need whispered gently to us. Thank you, Rachel, for sharing so openly through your books and your blog. Have a relaxing summer and return refreshed to us in the autumn months!
Hopw to see you again soon. Enjoy the summer!
Hi, Rachel, just taking a break from my (yes – still!) continuing job search efforts and realized I hadn’t seen any news of you lately. You’ll probably be happy to hear that pretty much every fiction-reading friend/acquaintance I’ve mentioned your name to actually HAS heard of you, at least when I qualify you as the author of the Beautiful Girl and Riding the Bus books. Truly, I don’t think it’s me and the type of people I know – you can take full credit for this widespread name recognition all by yourself! Anyway – keep up the good work – and will provide further updates about me in another more appropriate venue! Best always, your former United Engineering temp-mate and forever-after friend Judy