General Interest – Page 3 – Ann S. Epstein Writer

Literacy in Afghanistan: A Bridge to Hope

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope . . . especially for girls and women” (Kofi Annan, former U.N. Secretary General). In the decades when the Taliban was NOT in power, literacy rates for females rose from 5% to 30%. Before turning to full-time fiction writing, I worked for over forty years at a nonprofit that promoted early education worldwide. I am heartsick contemplating what will happen to girls and women in Afghanistan now. Many organizations continue efforts on their behalf, including Women for Women International (rated “good/give with confidence” by Charity Navigator), which set up an emergency fund. Please consider making a contribution to them or another NGO of your choice so Afghan girls and women can still cross the bridge to hope.

Without the Taliban in power, Afghan girls attended school

Without the Taliban in power, Afghan women attended the schools they were barred from as children

Learn History Through Fiction and Folklore: Paul(ine) Bunyan Investigates Legend

After my “Pauline Bunyan act,” sawing tree limbs felled by the storms rampaging through Michigan last week, I was curious about the cultural and literary origins of the Paul Bunyan legend. The character of the giant lumberjack, accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox, first appeared in the mid-19th century in the oral storytelling tradition of North American loggers. The name may derive from the French-Canadian “bon yenne!” expressing surprise or astonishment. Bunyan was popularized in print in 1916, when William B. Laughead wrote advertising pamphlets for Minnesota’s Red River Lumber Company using the character and naming his ox. Laughead embellished the folk tales, increasing Bunyan’s height so he towered over trees, and attributing to him many natural wonders: he created thousands of lakes with his footprints, made the Grand Canyon by pulling his ax behind him, and built Mount Hood by putting stones on his campfire. Scholars have not been able to determine whether Paul Bunyan was based on an actual character or is wholly mythical, but his story continues to delight both adults and children and his likeness appears in several enormous statues. Learn more interesting trivia in BEHIND THE STORY.

18-foot Paul Bunyan statue with Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, Minnesota

Pauline Bunyan, a.k.a. Ann S. Epstein Writer, clears fallen tree limbs in her Michigan backyard

Stretch a Rubber Band Enough Times and It Won’t Bounce Back

“It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature” (Bram Stoker, Dracula). Developmental psychologists (I’m one) tout the importance of nurturing resilience in children. COVID-19 has tested everyone’s resilience. I adapted to the restrictions; as Robert Jordan wrote in The Fires of Heaven, “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” I didn’t snap, although I occasionally felt snappish. But just as I was easing back toward normal, reimposed restrictions in response to the virus’s resurgence have strained my elasticity. Stretch a rubber band enough times and it will no longer bounce back. More thoughts at REFLECTIONS.

Why writers write: “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” – Ray Bradbury

Whimsy and Wonderment Not Optional

“There’s nothing wrong with treating children or yourself to a bit of whimsy and wonderment and unimportant foolishness in a world that’s all too full of tears” (“Eric Carle’s Tiny Seeds” by Jonathan Kozol, The New York Times Book Review, August 1, 2021). In his tribute to children’s book author and illustrator Eric Carle, educator Jonathan Kozol captures why Carle, who died in May at age 91, delights us. Generations of readers will forever savor each page of The Very Hungry Caterpillar as they grow from being “hangry” to sympathizing over a tummy ache from overindulgence to being awed by the sight of a resplendent creature. Carle continued making collages until his death, leaving what he called an unfinished “nonsense book.” It’s up to us to carry on his playful spirit by reading his work and inventing new foolishness. I’m doing my part. Although I primarily write “serious” fiction, I always include humor and now and then I simply have to create off-the-wall pieces: “The Epigenetics of Barbie,” “Exploding Pyrex,” and “www.metroperpetual.com” (see SHORT STORIES). “It is a happy talent to know how to play.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Children’s author & illustrator Eric Carle reads “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”

Why writers read: “Don’t sleep with people who don’t read!” – John Waters

The Marriage of Knowledge and Wonder

“Indifference to the sublime wonder of living is the root of sin” (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism). Heschel define wonder as “radical amazement.” Amazement leads us to ask “How can this be?” which in turn spurs us to seek knowledge, an explanation. This seeking is the practice of science. Contrary to the belief that science and religion are incompatible, however, is the observation that scientific discoveries do not end our sense of wonder, but instead increase our radical amazement that such phenomena exist. The best scientific writing conveys and inspires this sense of wonder. I write fiction, which is spurred by our sense of wonder about human nature. Fiction writers turn to imagination, not science, for explanations, but the motivation is the same. And whatever the answer — a story’s end — radical amazement remains. Nothing is fully explained, which is why the tales I like best, whether I’m writing or reading, are those with open endings. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, leading 20th century theologian and philosopher

Why writers write: “Writing is the answer to everything. It’s the streaming reason for living … to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.” – Enid Bagnold

International Women’s Day: Three Novels With Strong Female Characters

Today, March 08, 2021, is International Women’s Day. Here are quotes from three novels with independent and courageous female characters:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve.: “Years of farm work had made her limbs and torso as sturdy as a tree trunk. He started at the bottom and climbed to the top. ” The novel is a fictional biography of Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Meinhardt wants the respect given normal people. The women he meets, including Rosie the Riveter, want to be treated with the same respect as men. The book cries out for justice in the face of discrimination. Order at Amazon.

From On the Shore: “I was sorry I’d told Mama about my dream to be a scientist, and hoped she hadn’t spilled the beans to Papa.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI, including their young daughter who rejects a traditional woman’s role. Order at Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma: “Most of the women are paid six dollars a week, men up to two dollars more.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of two courageous women. An unwed Italian immigrant survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire in NYC and flees westward in search of freedom. Her daughter seeks her father fifty years later and instead discovers her mother’s brave fight for justice. Order at Amazon.

For more information about each book, see NOVELS.

Announcing Ann S. Epstein Writer Newsletter

I have just launched Ann S. Epstein Writer Newsletter, a free monthly newsletter emailed directly to each subscribers’ Inbox. Although I also maintain this website, and social media accounts, the Newsletter is a more personal way to “chat” with those interested in my work. The email will be short, one to two pages, and each issue will include a selection of features chosen from the following:

WEBSITE RECAP – Titles of my top recent website (blog) posts, including the Category and Date posted if you’d like to check them out (also posted on Facebook and Twitter)
PUBLISHING NEWS – Information on upcoming publications, readings and other events, and work-in-progress, including behind-the-scenes commentary
REFLECTIONS – My thoughts about the writing process
LEARN HISTORY THROUGH FICTION – Historical tidbits gleaned in my research
LITERARY QUOTES – Provocative quotes from the world of writing, reading, and criticism
LITERARY LINKS – A nod to articles by others that prompt a reaction, both pro and con
OTHER – Additional topics generated by me or requested by you

The first issue was emailed on January 27, 2021. If you did not receive a Newsletter and would like to subscribe, please write me at CONTACT US https://www.asewovenwords.com/contact-us/ and be sure to include the email address where you want me to send the Newsletter. Thanks and welcome!

Why writers write: “I can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss—you can’t do it alone.” – John Cheever

Hit Reset: Read!

Start the new year with a refreshed reading list. Add these books and refresh the smile on the faces of the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Meinhardt’s own doctor had submitted his name for sterilization under the Nazis’ racial hygiene program.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Today is for talking to God, not to relatives and friends.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Her parents were so proud when she was promoted from hems to sleeves, how can she disappoint them?” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Inaugurate a New Book

Ready to start the new year with a slate of new books? Add these novels to your reading list and swear to support the independent presses that publish them:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Ayal’s absence today means she will be spared his urging to take care of the problem growing inside her.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Producers are the real wizards. They make the magic of movies happen.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Joining the Navy was a way to trade the petty squabbles at home for the real war overseas.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

2021 TO DO List: Read, Read, Read!

If you’ve resolved to read more books this year, put these novels on your TO READ list. You’ll also be doing the independent presses that publish them a favor.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “They stop counting at the sixth floor. The ladder does not reach higher.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Farm work made her torso as sturdy as a tree trunk. He started at the bottom and climbed to the top.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “An hour ago, he’d have welcomed the hot soup. Now, the argument with Avram inflamed his desire to leave.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.