Celebrate Reading!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Next year, 2006, will be my 10th year anniversary as a professional storyteller. So I wanted to celebrate and do something big. It became clear to me that I want to inspire kids to read. The more you read, the more you grow. So a few days ago, I decided I wanted to start a "Celebrate Reading!" campaign.

Then tonight, my brother asked to come over to fax a document. Being the nosy sister, I asked what he was faxing. It was a loan document for $8,550. "What's it for?" I asked my brother. It turned out that it was so that my brother could finance reading tutoring for my 7 year old nephew. If my nephew doesn't improve his reading, he faces failing second grade. $8,550 for reading tutoring!!!?

Needless to say, I was stunned. It hurts me so much that my brother has to take out a loan so that his son can learn to read. I've tried to help out when I can but my nephew needs intensive one on one tutoring, more than I can offer as his aunt. This tutoring will be an investment in his future. Reading success is crucial for academic success.

It further strengthened my resolve to make literacy my platform. But it's not just inspiring kids to read. It's about giving parents information and tools to encourage them to read to and with their children. Families reading together. That's what we need. I want to begin a national campaign or join a national campaign to build literacy in our children and families.

A parent shouldn't have to pay $8,550 for a six week course to improve his child's reading. We have to do something. I will be brainstorming ideas on how to implement my "Celebrate Reading" campaign. If you have ideas or contacts, let me know. Thank you!

Together, we can celebrate reading.

Until next time...
Dianne

A Dream Coming True
Saturday, November 26, 2005

Friends:

When I was in the third grade, I wrote a story called, "Pedro Runs Away." It was the story of a boy who runs away in New York City. He is mad at his mom and decides to leave home. As he wanders through the streets, he get slost. He feels so alone and afraid. He wants to return home but he cannot find his way. Finally, he finds a kind police man who takes him home. When he arrives, he sees his mama's face and he is worried that she is mad. But his mama throws her arms around him and tells him how much she misses him and loves him. She fixes him and the police man a big bowl of his favorite food - hot chili. Pedro realizes that home is the best place to be.

It wasn't a literary masterpiece but I remember being "in" the story. I was Pedro. Though I had never visited New York, I could see it, hear it, smell it, and taste it. I pictured Pedro's mom - plump with cinnamon skin, licorice hair, and a stained apron around her waste. Pedro had dimples when he smiled. The police man was tall and had the air of authority. After writing the story, I remember thinking, "This is what I want to do." I want to write. I want to live stories.

I was a voracious reader and read every day. My favorite books were ones that had a magical or supernatural element - Dorie the Witch, Raggedy Ann and Andy, folk and fairy tales. I fell in love with James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When I was in junior high, I was reading Judy Blume and Stephen King. Usually, as you grow older, your taste becomes more mature or sophisticated. In my case, I stayed in love with children's books. And I still am.

Since the third grade, I have always wanted to be an author, specifically, a children's author. When other girls were dreaming of their Oscar acceptance speech, I was dreaming of my Newberry Award acceptance speech. I pictured myself accepting the award and seeing my mom smiling with tears in her eyes. I have always wanted to make my mother proud.

It was so fitting that on Saturday, my mom handed me a package saying, "Here's the mail from Charlie's house." (Where we lived before we found permanent housing here in Houston.) I looked at the package and saw "Greenwood Press." My heart began galloping in my chest. "It's here!" I yelled.

My mom, stepdad and husband were getting ready to return to New Orleans and they were loading the car. "What?" asked Mom.

"My author's copies!" Mom looked at me blankly and watched as I ripped open the package, like a child on Christmas morning. I pulled out the books. Five identical copies. The cover is multi-colored, like cupcake sprinkles. It looks like there is a party on the front cover.

"What is that?" Mom asked.

"It's my book, Story Fest!" I answered, nearly breathless. I quickly leafed through the pages. Yes, the copyright was registered in my name. Yes, my name was on the front cover. Yes, it was a book published by a major publisher.

My husband and kids crowded around. "Wow! It looks so good. Sweetie, I'm so proud of you." My husband smiled and gave me a big hug.

Eliana, my five year old, said, "Mommy has a book all by herself!" I laughed.

Mom asked me to hand her a copy. She browsed through it and then asked, "Where can I buy one?"

I knew I wasn't going to make my mom buy my book but I told her, "Everywhere."

She looked at it and then looked at me, "I'm so proud of you, Dianne. I knew you could do it."

My mom was proud! My Filipina immigrant mother - who had left behind her entire family and country to build a life in the United States, and made her dreams come true - was proud -- of me. I felt like a little girl again, showing my mom my artwork and watching her hang it on the refrigerator.

Now, I can say that I am an author. I have two other book projects under contract. I am still waiting for a major publisher to say yes to my children's books but I know it will happen. I believe in my dreams. They are coming true.

Until next time...
Dianne

National Children's Book Week
November 18, 2005

Friends:

It's been a while since my last blog. So much has happened. I toured in Louisiana, performing in St. Martin Parish and at Freshwater Elementary during the week of November 14, 2005. It was amazing. I toured the libraries in St. Martin Parish and had an incredible time with my audiences. I shared "Fairytale Fever" with a family audience and Jump, Jiggle & Jam" with 150 Headstart students. Wow! My last audience at the Parks Branch library kept chanting "More stories! More stories!" when I was finished so of course, I had to oblige them with an encore. It was so much fun. Thank you, Laura Horn!

I have been performing at Freshwater Elementary School in Denham Springs, Louisiana every year for the past eight years. The school, the teachers, and the students hold a special place in my heart. Sharon Loyd, the art teacher who does a zillion other things besides art, coordinates the performances. She sent me an email saying, "Our grant funding was cut and we will not be able to afford you this year; however, the school has decided to do their own fundraising to bring you to Freshwater." As soon as I walked the halls of the school, students began cheering and clapping, "She's here! She's here!" I received hugs galore. The school raffled gas cards and raised enough money to bring me to the school as well as another of their favorite artists, Johnette Downing (who happens to be my best friend). I was so moved, it was hard not to cry. Afterwards, I went to dinner with some of the teachers and had the best time. Sharon Loyd, you are such a special person - I can't tell you how much you mean to me!

I was honored to be asked to participate in Tellabration! with the Houston Storytellers' Guild. They were so kind and I was delighted to perform "Anansi Shares Wisdom with the World," an audience participatory story with music and movement.

I can hardly believe that storytelling and writing is my career! It's absolutely incredible to be able to call your passion your profession. I am so fortunate. Thank you, God!

Until next time...
Dianne

George West Story Fest
Saturday, November 5, 2005

On Friday, I left for George West, Texas, which is about an hour north of Corpus Christi. Mapquest said it was a 4 hour drive but I made it in 3 hours and 15 minutes. I was a featured storyteller at the George West Story Fest, along with Tim Tingle and Tom McDermott, both fine storytellers and friends of mine.

Friday night, I went to a Chuck Wagon dinner. It was my first! I didn't know that the dinner was being held at the fairgrounds in the area where they show animals. There was a dirt floor. I was dressed like a city girl with a skirt and open toe sandals. Everyone else was wearing cowboy boots and closed-toe shoes. I kept having to shake the dirt and gravel from my sandals. It was pretty comical.

The beef was cooked in kettles over hot coals. It was authentic chuck wagon food. There was a silent auction and a live auction. It was fascinating to listen to the auctioneer. He rattled off so fast I could barely keep up with him. After meeting and greeting and seeing many of my fellow storyteller friends (DeeCee Cornish, Mel Davenport, Mary Grace Ketner, and Donna Ingham), I decided to get back to my hotel for rehearsal and rest.

On Saturday morning, I checked in at the festival. There was a hospitality room set up for us with drinks and food. My first set at 11:00 a.m. was at the First National Bank tent. I did a set called "Teacher's Gifts" and told how "How Anansi Shared Wisdom with the World" and my story called "The Teacher's Gift," a personal story of my relationship with my 7th grade English teacher and how much she impacted my life. It was a touching story and many members of the audience were wiping tears away.

I then had a lunch break and decided to eat festival food: roasted corn and barbecued beef on a bun. After lunch, I had a 1:00 p.m. set at the storytelling theater (the chapel of a funeral home). Since I was in a chapel, I decided to do my set called "Matrimonial Bliss." I told the true story of my wedding, which was a hilarious disaster. Then I told "The Magic Pot," a tale from China about how a pot changes a married couple.

Right after, I was scheduled to tell at the TCA tent at 2:00 p.m. and there, I shared my "Jambalaya" set. I told "The Cajun Cornbread Boy," "Brer Rabbit and the Peanut Patch," and "The Fifolet," a spooky story about a ghostly spirit that haunts the bayou.

During the course of the day, I found out that I made many new fans. It was wonderful to hear how the stories I told impacted my audience. There were several people that began following me from stage to stage to listen to me tell. It felt wonderful. Kids were following me around and asking for my autograph. It was so sweet. One woman told me, "We were going to leave at 6:00 o'clock tonight but after hearing you, we decided to stay another night so we could hear you tell ghost stories."

I had a big break in the afternoon and decided to go shopping (using all my travel money!). I bought Eliana and Soleil some new purses and jewelry. I also bought my mom and I bath and body products from a company called "You." Their scents and products were so fantastic that I bought their entire line and made friends with the ladies who started the company. The products are all homemade with natural ingredients. I sent many people to their booth.

At 6:30 p.m., I was in an olio (where storytellers perform back-to-back and are given an allotted amount of time) with Tom McDermott and Tim Tingle. I told "Mrs. Poule and Mr. Roach" with a lot of audience participation. There were tons of kids in the audience. The crowd loved the story and we had a lot of fun together.

At 8:30 p.m., it was time for ghost stories. I was number 3 in the line-up (Tom McDermott, Tim Tingle, me, Dee Cee Cornish, Mark Babineau, and Donna Ingham - Doc Moore was the emcee). I had kids who wanted to sit next to me - they were all around me. I made lots of little friends. When it was my turn to tell, I told "The Heebeegeebee Man," a jump tale with fun audience participation. It was great to hear the other tellers and I feel humbled that I am such good company.

It was a wonderful festival and I am so glad I was invited to tell there (Thank You and Big Hugs to Myra Davis and Becky Allen). George West is called "The Storytelling Capital of Texas." The festival is wonderfully organized and fully supported by the community. It seemed that everyone in the town and surrounding towns was at the George West Story Fest.

My night ended with dinner at Dairy Queen with Dee Cee who regaled me with the story of how he met George W. Bush as a child (his aunt was a maid at GWB's parents' house).

I loved being a George West and hope to be invited back one day.

Until next time...

Warmly,
Dianne

Happy Halloween!
Monday, October 31, 2005

Eliana was so excited about Halloween but the weather threatened to rain on our parade. She wore a cute shirt to school that says, "You go ghoul" and has a witch flying on a broomstick in front of a yellow moon. She couldn't wait to go trick-or-treating with her cousins. Since we are not from this area, the idea of trick-or-treating in a new area wasn't appealing to me. Besides, it looked like the weather was not going to cooperate. So I began researching for Halloween kids events in the Houston area. Antonio and I finally decided that the Children's Museum of Houston would be the best bet - it was open until 8:00 p.m. and we knew it would be a safe environment for the kids.

Sure enough, it began raining that evening. The Children's Museum was a great choice. My nieces, Camrynn, Ashlynn and Jasmynn all dressed up as princesses. Eliana was a fairy princess. My nephew, Jourdan, dressed up as a menacing ninja. The kids were so adorable.

At the Children's Museum, one woman commented, "Look! It's a parade of princesses." The Children's Museum was decked out and had trick-or-treat stations. It was like a scavenger hunt trying to find the stations. The kids had a ball. We made shadow pictures and danced with Beetlejuice, the awesome DJ. Antonio, Soleil, and I won DVDs for the kids. Soleil's win was, by far, the best. The DJ asked for the quadratic formula. Soleil ran up to the DJ booth and he handed her the microphone. She answered, "X equals negative B plus or minus the square root of B squared minus 4AC over 2A." The crowd went wild and I beamed with pride that I had such a wonderfully nerdy child. :) Who said that math doesn't matter? It wins you cool stuff!

Later on, Eliana sang "One Two Step" by Ciara on the microphone with her cousins as backup dancers. I wish I would have taken video! They were so adorable and the four girls won over the crowd.

It was an awesome night. The kids had a blast. It was great for them to have so much fun. They didn't get a lot of candy but it didn't matter. Memories last a lot longer than candy and don't require dental visits. We need to take them back to the Children's Museum soon.

Until next time...

Warmly,
Dianne

My Florida Trip
Sunday, October 30, 2005

My trip to Florida was wonderful. On the way to Florida, I sat next to a fun couple, Jan Tally and Richard Bryars. Jan and I had fun all the way to Florida, cracking up. I laughed so much that my stomach hurt when we landed. She and Richard had "Billy Bob" teeth and were playing around with the flight attendants. It was hilarious. Jan and Richard live in the Houston area and now I am having dinner with them soon.

When I arrived in Tampa on Wednesday, October 26, I checked into my hotel, La Quinta, which is right next to the University of South Florida campus. A friend of mine, Dee Blackwelder, called and invited me to dinner. So I quickly took a shower and had dinner and drinks with Dee. Dee is retired and lives in a gorgeous retirement community just outside of Tampa. It was great to catch up with Dee (whom I met at a booking conference a couple years ago).

The next day, Thursday, October 27, my friends, Gene and Laurie Toncray, drove up to Tampa to see my show. They live in Fort Myers. Hurricane Wilma pushed a tree on top of their roof and they didn't have any electricity so they decided to stay a night at the hotel. They accompanied me to my gig at USF, where I was telling ghost stories (a gig referred to me by America's Ghost Storyteller, Diane Ladley).

The event was fabulous. It was a little chilly and the Campus Activities Board had the whole evening well organized. There was a fire pit where students roasted marshmallows and made S'mores. They had caramel apples and apple cider. It was so cozy. I told the true ghost story of King's Tavern in Natchez, Mississippi, the Monkey's Paw, and one for fun, The Viper. I had a blast with the students. It was a wonderful event.

The next day, Friday, October 28, Gene, Laurie and I decided to visit Clearwater Beach, which is right across the bay from Tampa. When we arrived at the beach, it was warm and sunny. We decided to eat lunch at a beachside cafe' (the food was delicious!) and when we were finished, we were surprised with an overcast sky and chilly winds. The weather had changed that quickly! Still, because of my love for beaches, I was determined to have some time at the beach. We walked to the shore and I dipped my toes in the water. It was pretty cold. I was amazed to see that there were a lot of people swimming. We met and spoke to some wonderful and interesting people like the "Connecticut Cabana Girls." These four women had been friends for over 30 years and were vacationing sans husbands. They were playing cards under a blue and white cabana. Then we met a family whose young sons were scanning the sand for hidden treasures with their metal detector. This metal detector was so fancy that it could distinguish between foil, pennies, nickles, and other coins.

Gene, Laurie and I walked to the pier and met a family at the end of the pier, fishing. They were from England and were in Florida on holiday. As we were leaving a pier, I met a street artist. He made objects out of palmetto leaves. He had grasshoppers and roses. The huge grasshoppers were sitting on the ground and they looked so real that I jumped back as we were walking by. Since I would looking for an "unusual" souvenir for my girls, I bought a rose and a grasshopper from him.

We got stuck in some major traffic on the way back to the hotel. We played mind games in the car and Gene and Laurie taught me a new one. "I like poodles but I don't like dogs." "I like noodles but I don't like pasta." "I like kittens but I don't like cats." "I like Hubba Bubba but I don't like Juicy Fruit." Can you guess the puzzle? I was unable to guess the puzzle but when I shared it with Soleil, my 15 year old genius, she figured it out right away. The answer will be at the end of this blog...

I convinced Gene and Laurie to stay with me in my hotel room since they were still without electricity. Here I was,"an evacuee housing evacuees." It was funny. I was glad that I could help out a little.

Another friend of mine, Pat Fenda, who is in the entertainment business called me and we met for dinner. Gene, Laurie, Pat and I ate at TGI Friday's. I hadn't been there in a long time and the food was delicious. We had a marvelous time visiting.

On Saturday morning (October 29), Gene and Laurie left to return home. I was on my own. That morning, I had a radio interview with WMNF 88.5 FM community radio. I appeared on The Women's Show. It was so much fun. The interview flew by. We talked about my storytelling and my hurricane experience. Then I was given a tour of the facilities. It is by far the most gorgeous community radio station I have ever seen.

Afterwards, I decided to visit the beach in St. Petersburg. I had lunch at Flipper's, a seaside beach cafe'. Then I rented cabana and just watched the ocean. Finally, I decided to take a walk along the water's edge. The weather was perfect. It was in the 70s and not too hot. A million diamonds sparkled on top of the turquoise water as the sea reflected the sun's rays. I picked up a few cool sea shells to bring home to the girls. I met a nice family from Oklahoma, who had two girls, ages 5 and 9. We played in the water and the little one kept bringing me sea shells to put in my bag.

Upon returning to my car, I found a little gift from the City of St. Pete - a $20 parking ticket! I thought I had parked in a free public lot but I was wrong. The parking was only $5 and now I have to pay $20. I already sent in my check and learned my lesson. Read all the signs carefully!

When I got back to the hotel, I planned to go into the city and go dancing or see "Guavaween," Tampa's annual Halloween celebration with festivities and floats much like Mardi Gras. It is called "Guavaween" because Tampa's official fruit is the guava. After talking to my family on the phone, my body began to whine about how tired it was. So I decided to stay in and watch a movie on demand (War of the Worlds) and order pizza. So much for kicking up my heels.

Tampa is a wonderful city to visit and there is so much to do. I really want to take my family there for a visit. It was great to have some fun after all the stress of the storm.

The answer to the puzzle: My cousin, Heidi, told me the name of the game is Fanny Doodle. Fanny Doodle likes double letters as in "oo" in poodles and noodles or the "tt" in kittens. Did you get it right?!

Until next time...

Warmly,
Dianne