October 8, 2013
A happy week, except when Congress socks it to the little guys
A bitter-sweet week. The sweet: Spent yesterday in the company of EE Charlton Trujillo (FAT ANGIE, Candlewick Press), and Kathy Erskine (MOCKINGBIRD; SEEING RED). EE is filming a documentary of her book tour, which has featured rental cars, buzzards, near tornadoes, and a chance to meet with authors and kids across the country. A blast, but I don't want to say more because she'll be chatting with me on this blog next week. More soon. All I can say, is buckle in. I love beautiful libraries... I'll be at the Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library this Thursday night as part of their anti-bullying event and also as a tie in to their celebration of Hispanic Heritage month. Teens and social workers in the know will be on hand, and then we'll talk about how an abusóna became the inspiration for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. (And, yes, I will be allowed to say "ass," amigos.) Really looking forward to visiting this cool library and also checking out their exhibit called Héroes of the LGBTQ Community. Why, Congress, why? But here is the bitter: It boils down to two words: government shutdown. I was so excited to visit with K - 2nd grade students from four DC area public schools at the beautiful Young Readers Center. Unfortunately, the shutdown closed the Library of Congress. It's definitely not as important as the many families who are now struggling financially or the Head Start programs now scrambling or the WIC programs being zapped or any number…
