Back at Home

It's Mother's Day and my Mother's Day resolution is to write on the blog at least once a week. Afternoon delight--maybe Sundays, it will be! Today I would like to send a shout out to all Mom's, and anyone who has ever had a Mom--that should include everyone! I want the blog to be useful to others, writers especially, and everyone who reads as well. Writers are like motehrs in that they give birth--usually with a longer than nine-month gestation period.

Six Weeks

What have you done in the past six weeks? A lot of that time was probably devoted to daily chores. For me, those daily activities were suspended as I babysat my daughter's kitchen renovation in Northern Virginia, went to Pittsburgh for a weekend to see my Aunt and help my cousin with various financial issues for our Aunt. My husband is here to pick me up. Tomorrow I head for home. Besides simply missing my husband --a lot, I found that I missed the daily routine of life in my own house. I was able to work from here on my laptop--editing my book for Desrt Breeze, completing two articles, doing the reserach for another and the interviews! But it was not the same. I am slower now at writing since I am older but being away means, for me, work a turtle pace. Technology is great, but the comforts of home are even better. Countdown to the new book release will begin on June 1--I need to do yet another edit on it today before I leave the DC area.

April 28 Poem a Day for Crime Poem a Day

April 28 Joey's 30th April 28, 2012 would have been our son's thirtieth birthday. Unfortunately, his life on this earth came to an end on March 30, 2002. We still miss him terribly but are comforted by knowing that we will be united with him again in heaven. He loved Shakespeare, so my contribution to the crime poem-a-day blog effort is from Hamlet. Joe's favorite play, if one can have such a thing, was King Lear. Joseph Gabriel Leotta never got to act the role of Lear, but he did get to see it at the Globe (recreated) in London with his sister, just a few months before the accident that took his life. Here, dear friends, is a part of the poetry that is one of the soliloquies of Hamlet. It deals with the crime of murder--as you probably guessed! "

For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ. I'll have these players Play something like the murder of my father Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks I'll tent him to the quick; if he but blench I know my course. The spirit I have seen May be the devil; and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape; yea and perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me; I'll have grounds More relative than this: the play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.

" The following is a poem I wrote to celebrate Joey's life. I apologize that this is coming out in paragraph form instead of poem form. I will post it in poem form on my FB page. Kitty Hawk Hang Glider School By Joan Leotta The glider school brochure promised an adventure--- Da Vinci design joined to Icarus’ spirit. Such was the only recompense we could offer our teenage son when he traded time with friends for time with parents during that senior year spring break. Beach time, but with parents. Out on Kitty Hawk’s dunes at last, as his instructor watched, Joe lay flat, strapped into harness. At her signal, he began plodding, then running down that dune building up to flight speed. Finally, glider’s ungainly array of metal, canvas and Joe caught a stray air current whipping through the dunes. Snatched up, he was off of the sand! As I watched, he hovered between the earth and its shadow skimming along a small, low bit of sky. Airborne, tho not yet soaring, he was indeed, flying, even for just a moment, and all alone. Not Wilbur. Not Orville. Just Joe. A solo flight. The first of many yet to come.

April 28 Joey's 30th

Today would have been our son's thirtieth birthday. Unfortunately, his life on this earth came to an end on March 30, 2002. We still miss him terribly but are comforted by knowing that we will be united with him again in heaven.
He loved Shakespeare so my contribution to the crime poem a day is from Hamlet.
Joe's favorite play if one can have such a thing, was King Lear. Joseph Gabriel Leotta never got to act the role of Lear but he did get to see it at the Glove in London with his sister, just a few months before the accident that took his life.
Here dear friends is a part of the poetry that is one of the soliloquies of Hamlet:

"For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak
with most miraculous organ.
I'll have these players
Play something like the murder of my father
Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks
I'll tent him to the quick; if he but blench
I know my course. The spirit I have seen
May be the devil; and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me; I'll have grounds
More relative than this: the play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

Southport

Blog from the Week at Southport Elementary
Day 1 and Day 2

Arrived early on the first day (February 8) and met the students and staff. Kathy Smith was there to tape the story session. The students were great listeners and loved the stories. They were not so interested in doing a craft—any craft. Their objects came before they even heard what it was.
Some of them did enjoy making the puppets. They all told me that they liked the stories!
During the craft time I did ask them questions about bullying—a survey from one of the anti bullying resources. They were honest. But I do not think we learned anything new.
There are no follow up activities or questions for the teachers to use afterwards with the students for this set of stories.

Day two’s story time went very well. They loved the rattlesnake story and were excited participants in the Bear’s Breakfast. Most were happy to make the puppets for Bear’s Breakfast since we told them that they would perform it for the parents.

After talking with Kathy we changed the format a bit for the parent day.
The students will do stone soup with me without any craft. Then I will tell them another story, putting off the time that they do the story of Hungry Bear for the parents until alter so that more of the parents can get there in time to see it!

I am selecting the story of the Emperor and the Nightingale or perhaps the story of the Li Po and the dragon or an adapted version of Ming Lo Moves the Mountain to add to the stories for them. The Ming Lo story teaches alternative ways of looking to resolve a problem.

Kathy mentioned to me that after talking with the staff at Virginia Williamson, she did not think it advisable to do crafts because they do not do craft projects together at that site. Adding to that factor is the cheer numbers—70 students at Virginia Williamson. We decided that for them the puppet shapes will be take homes. I will have them ready for the students to take away and they can use them to retell the stories at home!

I will add an additional story to each day’s repertoire for Virginia Williamson to fill the time slot. Because of the size of the group, most of the story participation will be call and response format.
Some of the stories I am considering for additions at Virginia Williamson:
Hambone (bullying of dog by cat)
The above two stories—Nightingale and Li Po and Dragon –one ---the Emperor does not value the little nightingale, in the second, the dragon is a bully and the boy makes friends with him.
Shark! The story that tells the origin of the first shark—a bullying mother in law becomes the first shark! This is my own version of a Japanese folk tale and always a lot of fun. This story shows the consequences of bullying and how it affects others(the daughter and son in law--who treat the bullying old woman with kindness and love throughout the story)--a subtle message but an important one.

check out photos of me storytelling

http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/02/05/1964897/chinese-new-year.html#http://media.thesunnews.com/smedia/2011/02/05/20/chineseNYr-1372.standalone.prod_affiliate.78.jpg

Chinese New Year celebration at Chapin Museum in Myrtle Beach--scroll through and you will find me storytelling.

Anti-Bullying Blog

If you are preparing story performance programs to use to help deal with the problem of bullying in schools, take a look at my posts on www.penandperformance.blogspot.com