As reported in an article, “How a North Carolina Summer Camp Started Christmas in July” written by Maria Carter (7/13/17), the legend of “Christmas in July” began in 1933 at the Keystone Summer Camp for girls, located at Brevard, N. C. Two days, July 24 and 25, were dedicated to this special celebration. Original decorations […]
I scream, you scream! We all scream for ice cream! Today, I’d like to lighten the mood from my normal blog posts because during the month of July, we celebrate National Ice Cream Day. It was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Furthermore, July 8 was National Ice Cream Sundae Day. And, the 3rd […]
Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, dates back to June 19, 1865, when the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that slaves were free due to the war having ended. Remarkably, this was two and a half years after the official January 1, 1863 […]
I’d like to share a few events that may be of interest to adult readers and writers. Time is of essence in that one “Hello Literacy” event (The Invisible Boy) will be held this Thursday, May 21. While this event was shared with me by a fellow colleague, I not only saw this event through […]
All 2020 marketing plans for authors and writers, have changed as a result of COVID-19. Author events; cancelled. Writing conferences; cancelled. Marketing letters to meet with perspective buyers; cancelled. Launch parties; cancelled. All plans cancelled or postponed. We’re now looking for creative ways to market and grow interest in our books. And, I must say, […]
We are now moving into the last half of our celebration of Black History Month. How have you been celebrating, thus far? This month, I’ve applauded African American authors and musicians. What do you know about your favorite African American author(s) or musician(s)? What was their life like as a child? What experiences led them […]
In 2014, the New York Public Library proclaimed the fourth Wednesday in January as Library Shelfie Day. So let me explain, a shelfie is like a selfie, except you take your selfie in front of a shelfie! 🙂 And, a library shelfie is simply a shelfie taken in a library. So, let’s have some fun. […]
In the month of November and throughout the year, my church choir sometimes sing the song, “Every Day is a Day of Thanksgiving.” The lyrics go on to say: “God’s been so good to me, Every day He’s a blessing, Every day is a day of Thanksgiving, Take the time to […]
For Readers: Do you collect words? As a child, words fascinated me, as I imagine they do for most young people. Mostly, I collected unfamiliar words. I’d look them up in the dictionary and would practice using them in sentences. I thought all kids my age did the same thing. As an adult and as […]
For Readers: When choosing literacy activities for the kids and for yourself this summer, most times you don’t have to go any further than your local public library. Activity events range from summer reading for kids and adults to photography, to computer coding, to arts and crafts, to movies. When speaking about “literacy,” in this […]