Could'a, Should'a, Would'a Missed the Polar Vortex
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In my last blog, I used a whole lot of Christmas carols. And, Baby, It's Cold Outside!There is a polar vortex whirling around Ohio right now. Let me assure you, I do not belong in this kind of cold weather.
Icould'a been in the Caribbean! Ishould'abeen painting two murals in Jamaica! Iwould'abeen there most of January if it were not for the partial government shut-down.
So, instead of painting, sweating and mildly tanning in Caribbean sunshine, I've holed up in Ohio freezing, waiting and mildly muttering. But, we all know what's supposed to happen to those who wait. And, fortunately, a few good things have been going on in Ohio in addition to freezing temperatures and drifting snow.
Actually, thankfully, there hasn't been that much snow. I once drove through a blizzard from Ohio to Kansas. In Indiana, my car slid head-on, out of control, into a guard rail. I was able to back the car out - with no damage - and continue on my foolish way. In Illinois, visibility was near zero. I didn't even see the truck from behind when it rear-ended me. Of course, I felt it. And, again, I could'a damaged my car. I seriously should'a crunched something, but there was not even a scratch. And finally, in Missouri, in the middle of the night, I had fuel line freeze up. The truck driver who stopped to help me said, "I'm taking you to a hotel." I could'a frozen to death if I stayed in my car. Sometimes, you have to listen to your guardian angel (or trucker) and do what you're told. I know, I should'a known that without this guidance.
I try to avoid blizzards these days.
Anyway, it's been cold in Ohio and I've stayed indoors. But, let me tell you about a couple of the good things happening.
"Pick Me!" Cried Arilla In recent weeks, one of my friends asked me, "Why don't you write your own kid's book?" The only answer I've ever had for that question was that I didn't have an idea for one. I've often been told that I write well enough to do this. I seriously believed that illustrating a book would'a been easy for me. It's kind of been on my bucket list long before I ever even heard of bucket lists. So, when my friend urged me to consider the task, I thought about it and found the inspiration I needed. And, since I had time on my hands and no desire to go outside, I illustrated the book while I should'a been in Jamaica.
Arilla, left and right, not having a good moment.The inspiration for "Pick Me!" Cried Arillacenters around my grandmother. I kind of think she would'a been flattered that I used her name and, at the same time, horrified that she was the center of attention for the story. But, Grandma was the first artist in my family tree, and I thought I needed to honor her influence in my life. So, like it or not, Grandma, this one's for you.
The story, in my very biased mind, is rather clever. A schoolteacher reads a tale to her class about another school in heaven. In that school, the Archangel Michael teaches stars all the skills they need to know in order to fulfill their purpose. Of course, Arilla is one of those stars, but she is also one of the students in the library where the teacher is reading. Illustrations on the Earth mirror what also takes place in the classroom in heaven. I've never seen a book like that before, so I think it's unique. And, if that isn't enough, it all rhymes!
Of course, now I have to figure out how to publish the book. If I self-publish on the site where I've made coffee table books in the past, the price could be as much as a hundred dollars. I don't think even the people who already love my writing and drawings would pay that price. I wouldn't. If I try to find a publisher, they usually don't accept unsolicited manuscripts. An author needs an agent, and a literary agent doesn't usually want to represent someone who is not published. It's a difficult situation. When I get it figured out, and the book is for sale, I will let everyone know.
Once Upon West AfricaOkay, I've never actually had any children's book published, but right now I also have a second one in the works. I collected fifty folk tales from Liberia when I was in the Peace Corps, which was a long time ago. After I revisited Liberia in 2016, I was inspired to illustrate the tales. One of my connections at the U.S. Embassy thought it was a project that might qualify for a grant to get the stories into the hands of young Liberian readers. That could'a happened, should'a happened, would'a been wonderful, but it didn't. So, I've been sitting on these tales and their illustrations for quite some time. I just needed the right connection to move the project along.
And, that connection came through CORVA, a Central Ohio Returned Peace Corps Volunteer group that meets monthly in Columbus. It was through CORVA that I first heard about contacting U.S. Embassies for mural projects. And, it was also at a CORVA gathering one night that two separate people told me that I needed to meet LeRoy, a Liberian living in Columbus. I knew there were Liberians in central Ohio, but I'd never actually met one. That was about to change.
LeRoy and I met up at a local restaurant. I would'a preferred an African meal of cassava leaves, but I guess that is not to be found in Columbus. If you want that dish, you have to go to someone's home. LeRoy wasn't going to invite a complete stranger into his house for the first meeting. (However, he did for our second meet-up, and the cassava leaves were so delicious.)
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Fifty folk tales . . . long overdue
My new Liberian contact has his own N.G.O. called Village Improvement Project that does development work with rural Liberian communities. So, of course, I was interested in what he's doing. I dream of an extended stay in Liberia painting community murals across the country. Fortunately, LeRoy was just as pleased about meeting me. He couldn't believe I've had this treasure of Liberian folk tales so many years. He said that they should'a been in the hands of Liberian readers a long time ago. And, LeRoy has experience and connections that could bring this about.
Currently, plans are in the works to find a grant that could sponsor this project. And, while that is going on, the tales are getting a final editing. It is next to impossible to write something as long as a book without some mistakes. It's truly maddening. Unfortunately, I find it next to impossible to edit my own writing. My eyes gloss over errors because they "see" what should'a been on the paper all along.
We've already discussed printing with a publisher in Columbus. It won't be that long before a couple of sample copies are in our hands. It's actually going to happen! I've been contacted by the U.S. Embassy in Liberia for a return muraling experience. It, too, was put on hold by the partial government shut-down. But, now, I'm seriously hoping that when I do return to Africa, I'll have a few samples of the book to share with the people I meet along my path. And, if you remember my friend Daniel, the principal of the school in Parken, his students will be among the first young readers in Liberia to receive copies of Once Upon West Africa.
It almost makes it all worthwhile waiting through a polar vortex.
