THURBER HOUSE -- The Good, The Bad and The Giveaway

There is a fun giveaway at the end of this blog post.

Waking up Friday the 13th in a slightly haunted third floor apartment at the Thurber House should have given me a case of the shivers.

How could I be scared, though, when I woke up to THIS?  (Thank you John Schu and Deb Tyo for being two amazing, generous human beings, who do everything and anything to get good books into kids' hands!)

I can't believe I have only one more week at the Thurber House!

Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio

When I first read about the Thurber House on Lisa Yee's blog, I thought it would be perfect, except . . . how could I live without my family and friends for a whole month?

I looked to author Cynthia Lord for inspiration.  She travels in and out of the country for book-related visits and events.  She recently visited Russia for a week!  She's nervous, of course, but said the worry lasts only a week or so, but the memories last a lifetime.

Last week, when I told Cynthia that a photo op with Frog and Toad reminded me of her beautiful book, Rules, and that I was being brave in Columbus, she replied:  "As Frog says, 'I'm glad to know a brave friend like you, Toad.'"

Frog and Toad and me at the Northwest Worthington Library

Believe me, the day I arrived, when I was finally alone, I cried buckets, missing my family and friends and these guys . . .

Teddy and the apparently offensive pink sheep

Benji -- aka, Butthead

 

Jaz, our twenty-year-old cat

My friend, former Children's-Writer-in-Residence, Alan Silberberg, offered lots of great advice, including this gem:  "Enjoy the campers - they seldom ever bite!"

He was right!

Some of my best times here were working with the kids (and their counselors).  What great writers!

Can you see the camper who made a writing cave under the table, behind a chair?

How could I feel lonely when the lovely people here have done everything possible to make me feel welcomed and comfortable and happy?

Pat Shannon, who originally interviewed me for the residency, doesn't work at the Thurber House anymore, but she's been my buddy for the literary picnics, has taken me to the Columbus Zoo and tomorrow, we're heading to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and out to lunch.

Pat Shannon

Meg Brown has been an absolute gem from the moment she picked me up at the airport.  She's been a friend from ice cream runs (Jenis and Graeter's) to being a sport and joining me for a boot camp at a the Columbus Commons.

Meg Brown

All the people who work at the Thurber House, are on the board here and who volunteer here have been INCREDIBLY NICE.

And I got to explore cool places, like the Ohio Theater, where the organ rises up onto the stage and Clark Wilson, who has been playing organ for the CAPA Summer Movie Series for 21 years, plays great tunes before the movie starts and during intermission.  (I saw "Breakfast at Tiffany's.")

Clark Wilson, playing the Mighty Morton pipe organ

Where else would I have seen an Okapi?  The Columbus Zoo was awesome.

Okapi

When my hubby and son visited, we took in a zany July 4th tradition -- the Doo Dah Parade!  (Thanks to Thurber House Executive Director, Susanne Jaffe, for suggesting it.)

Standing on High Street, along with hundreds of others, we saw a dancing chicken . . .

And these people . . .

 pulling this pink jeep . . .

 With metal clamps hooked directly into the flesh of their backs . . .

While nothing could compare to the interesting sights and sounds at the Doo Dah Parade, Grandpa's Cheese Barn, on the way to Cleveland, was a close second . . .

Hubby and son, after consuming artery-clogging amounts of delicious cheese.

Had a blast at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . . .

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Son and I had to extract Hubby from there with the Jaws of Life.  He loved it!)

Hubby and guitar.

Son and same guitar.

Back in Columbus, I enjoyed the Columbus Museum of Art (free on Sundays), the German Village and Schiller Park, the Columbus Park of Roses, bike riding on the Olentangy Trail, visiting the Columbus Metropolitan Library . . .

Columbus Metropolitan Library

Visiting the massive Ohio State University campus and saw their newly renovated library . . .

A glass wall showcases floors and floors of bookshelves.

And I had the great pleasure of speaking at the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington last night, where Jack Gantos will be speaking next month.  (Thanks, Director John Cook, and especially to Clay for a fabulous dinner before the event.) 

Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington

Am I happy that I was brave enough to leave my family and friends and come to Columbus to the Thurber House to be their Children's Writer-in-Residence?  YES!  I made new friends and had amazing experiences, like my 26-mile bike ride (because a board member was kind enough to lend me a bike).

If you're a children's book author of middle grade fiction and think the Thurber House Children's Writer-in-Residence program is for you, you can explore the opportunity for 2013 HERE.

My favorite parts of being here (outside of the wonderful campers and incredibly nice people I've met), are the Thurber House Literary Picnics, where at least 100 of your closest friends gather on the lawn for a great boxed dinner and a talk and reading by an author.

The last literary picnic starred the hilarious Mark Titus of Club Trillion fame. 

Mark Titus, reading from his new book DON'T PUT ME IN, COACH

Mark had the large audience in hysterics as he read from his R-rated, pee-in-your-pants funny new book, DON'T PUT ME IN, COACH:  MY INCREDIBLE NCAA JOURNEY FROM THE END OF THE BENCH TO THE END OF THE BENCH.

Afterward, I met Mark.  He's a sweetheart (and a major prankster) . . .

Mark Titus #34, with Donna #12-3/4

I had Mark sign two books . . .

Autographed copies of DON'T PUT ME IN, COACH

One is for my son because he LOVES basketball . . .

A crazy shot from our driveway that landed in the basket.  Swoosh!

The other autographed copy is for YOU, dear reader.  I mean, you deserve something for reading the longest post I've ever written in my five years of blogging!

Click the follow button to the right and leave a comment below.  Then check back in a week to see if your comment was randomly selected to win a copy of Mark's autographed new book.  (Addendum:  This giveaway has expired and the winner has been chosen.)

THANK YOU!

Extraordinary Libraries . . .

I LOVED my childhood library in Philadelphia.  It fed my writer's soul.  It provided friends between the pages of its books.  It was my google, my educator, my travel agent, my inspiration and, sometimes, my social life.

Northeast Regional Library on Cottman Avenue

But it was nothing like the libraries I was in today.

Welcome to Bookingham Forest at Old Worthington Library in Worthington, Ohio . . .

My fantastic host, Meg Brown, at the entrance to the children's section

Come into the storytime room . . .

One of the places to sit in the storytime room in Bookingham Forest

I taught a couple fun writing workshops today.

You can almost hear the scratching of pencils across paper.

The young writers who shared their writing wore a medal while they read about an imagined award they were winning.

Sydney with Hammy the Hamster

Hammy's new friend, Abby

Then it was off to the Northwest Worthington branch.  Welcome to Story Garden . . .

Entrance to the children's department

Check out the outside wall of their storytime room in Story Garden . . .

And the inside . . .

You can always hang out with Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad . . .

My host, Amy Brown

My new friends, Frog and Toad

Then it was off to the Worthington Park Branch, where Amy Brown is the the manager.  It's set among a grocery store and dollar store in a shopping center . . .

Worthington Park Branch

There's a lot of magic in that smaller space.  Welcome to Story Park . . .

Have a seat . . .

I can only imagine growing up with libraries like these to light my imagination on fire.  Lucky kids.  Lucky me for getting to work with them today.

What do you remember about YOUR childhood library?

Out to Lunch in Columbus . . .

Back to blogging after a fun week celebrating July 4th and 5th (my birthday) with hubby and son, who flew in so we could spend a few wonderful days together. 

Today, I had a fantastic lunch at Mitchell's Steakhouse.  (Yeah, I know.  I'm a vegetarian.)  But this place was amazing.  Excellent decor, service and FOOD!  I had the most delicious asparagus, creamed spinach and mac & cheese.  You can read about the owner, Cameron Mitchell and his many restaurants here.

Mitchell's Steakhouse in Columbus

Meg Brown and I enjoyed the company of Jeff Lyttle from Chase -- the sponsor of the Children's Writer-in-Residence Program at the Thurber House.

Jeff Lyttle

We had a great time chatting about his son Jack, who just graduated from college, and his sweet black lab and the recent, crazy storms the area has experienced. 

And I had the opportunity to thank him for the unique experiences his company has supported.

Then Meg, being a good sport, joined me for an evening boot camp class at Columbus Commons.  We had to work off those calories from lunch!

Meg Brown in the lower right corner; my thumb in the upper left.

Crazy Bike Adventure in Columbus!

I accidentally rode a bike 26 miles today.

After writing all morning, I was ready for an adventure.  A board member here at Thurber House kindly lent me a bike.

I hopped on it and pedaled up busy High Street toward Cover to Cover Bookstore.

Traffic lights were out.  Most stores were closed.  Trees were down.  Last night's storms hit this area hard.

It was possible that after six miles, the indie children's bookstore would be closed.

But it wasn't.

 Couldn't have been happier to walk into that dark store and meet Salli, the owner.  She was a gem.  We sat back in the corner where authors and illustrators have signed the walls and we talked books a good long time.

Salli, Cover to Cover Bookstore

Then Salli allowed me to refill my water bottle, choose a book from her pile of ARCs and gave me directions to return to the Thurber House via a bike trail along the river.  (Much prettier and safer than city streets.)

Before leaving, I bought several new books and threw them into my backpack.

No trouble finding the bike trail or maneuvering around downed trees.  Was awed by the beauty of the trees and river along the trail.

While the scenery was gorgeous, I wondered why I hadn't passed the university, as Salli had said I would.  I wondered why the trail marker said Downtown Columbus was ten miles away.  It should have been fewer than six.

Finally, I asked someone how far to Downtown Columbus.  He pointed in the opposite direction.  "This is Worthington.  Downtown is about ten miles that way."

I'd gone the wrong way on the trail.  Four miles the wrong way!  The scenery didn't look quite as sparkly on the way back.  Maybe I should have paid less attention to the views and more attention to this . . .

I felt grateful I was able to refill my water bottle again at the one water fountain I saw along the trail.  I felt grateful the weather was lovely.  I felt grateful I packed snacks in my backpack.  In fact, I stopped on this bridge to eat an apple . . .

The trail heading toward the city was not nearly as lush as the suburban section.  I enjoyed riding along a detour that took me through the Ohio State University campus.  When the trail veered off, I had to ask directions a few times.  Such friendly people!  And I had to maneuver around some of these along the way . . .

Once I made it to Downtown Columbus, it was still a couple miles to get back to the Thurber House.  Those were the hardest miles!

Safe and sound now.  Astounded at how far I was able to ride . . . and how many calories I consumed when I got back.

Tomorrow's adventure will be at the Columbus Zoo with Pat Shannon and her hubby.