Thursday, October 07, 2010
New Website
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Flat Stanley Tours Jamestown and Williamsburg
Many of you may know the sad tale of Stanley, from a book by Jeff Brown called Flat Stanley. Stanley was a boy who is flattened but not injured by a falling bulletin board. Now that he is very thin he can travel all over through the mail.
Alaina in Pennsylvania asked that Flat Stanley visit me, and of course, I was happy to show him the sights. Here is Stanley at Jamestown where the first permanent English settlement was established in 1607.
Stanley visited James Fort and 
the Native American village.Stanley had fun in Williamsburg.
Colonial people welcomed him warmly.
And he met two lovely girls and their dolls.
Stanley visited the Colonial Capitol
and the Governor's Palace.
Stanley even got o sit with Mr. Thomas Jefferson who was writing the Declaration of Independence.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Meeting Media Specialists
Today I gave the Keynote Address at a meeting of the Virginia Educational Media Assoication (school librarians). I was honored to be asked to address this great group! Here I am shown with Sabrina Carnesi who arranged this terrific conference.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Great Families!
Saturday, April 03, 2010
This blog has moved
This blog is now located at http://phyllistheauthor1.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.
For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://phyllistheauthor1.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Williamsburg in Bloom
Sunday, March 28, 2010
A Lovely Family Visits Williamsburg
There are six kids in this family and they all will get the chance to read Divided Loyalties. That's very special.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Florida Pilgrim Gathering
At the Gathering of the American Pilgrims on the Camino I co-chaired a question and answer session. This bear wanted to learn about trekking too.
I also walked the labyrinth at the retreat center. It was a fun conference!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
A Great Fit!
My visit to Eaton Middle School turned out to be a "great fit." Here I am in my new Eaton sweatshirt. Yeah Eaton!
I loved my visit. The students were attentive and asked great questions. I look forward to hearing from kids who read my books!
Saturday, March 06, 2010
My Riches Amaze Me!
I love going to Langley Elementary School in Hampton to talk with students about reading and writing. Kids at Langley are avid readers and excited about learning. The students in Mrs. Stohler's class and Mr. Humble's class had all read Lottie's Courage. They were an attentive audience and had wonderful questions.
I met lots of great readers, signed lots of books, and came away with two great, huge thank you cards, wonderful drawings, and a gift bag containing an adorable Easter dish, a scented candle, and a sweet picture of Mrs. Stohler and her family.
Sometimes my riches amaze me!
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Flowers in Winter
We are having yet another snowy day in Williamsburg. Usually we see only one or two flakes all winter, but this year we have gotten one snowstorm after another. My amaryllis plant hasn't minded the snow, producing four huge, gorgeous bunches of blossom. I'm not much of a horticulturist, but I gather that usually you can expect only one blossom from the plant. I hope this splash of red cheers you on a dark day.Wednesday, February 10, 2010
More Snow in Williamsburg
We have missed the heavy snows north of Williamsburg. But we still had blizzard conditions this morning.Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Winter Comes to Williamsburg
How is this for an icicle? Last weekend brought eight inches of snow and cold weather to Williamsburg.
Friday, January 22, 2010
St. Francis and the Squirrel
In summer this little statute of St. Francis in my garden is usually almost covered with flowers. In the bleak days of January, however, he must be pleased to be a convenient dining table for squirrel munching on an acorn.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Kids Choose Beacon of Freedom Award Winner
Children from Williamsburg/James City County elementary and middle schools met January 13, 2010 at the Williamsburg Regional Library where they chose the winner of the eighth annual Beacon of Freedom award.
The 2010 Beacon of Freedom Award winner is Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin. Students read five books relating to American history from 1607 to 1865, choose representatives from their schools who met to decide the winner.
Shown in the picture are Rawls Byrd media specialist Viky Pedigo and Abubakar Alawy, the student chosen to represent Rawls Byrd Elementary School.
The Beacon of Freedom Award is supported by a generous grant from the Disabled American Veterans.
Monday, December 28, 2009
A Holiday Treat
One of my readers, Mary from Harrisburg, PA, sent me a picture for Christmas. How very special! I am blessed!Sunday, December 06, 2009
Revolutionary War Books for Young Adults
Author Suzanne Adair and her family visited Colonial Williamsburg this weekend. Check out her books at: www.suzanneadair.comTuesday, December 01, 2009
Another Successful National Novel Writing Month
Each year the challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. This year I chose to work on completing the first draft of an adult novel that I started last year. That project is completed at over 113,000 words. Now I'll begin much needed revisions. The above picture shows me with Laurin Wittig and Nicole Green, two other published authors. It is the last day of the month and we are working faithfully to the end. We met at the Coffee Beanery in Williamsburg where we have been warmly welcomed.
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Norton Simon
The Impressionist Collection at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena wowed me. I had never seen the Van Gogh painting above.
The museum has many, many fine paintings from Medieval and renaissance Europe. What a treat to be able to spend an afternoon there!Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Nor-Ida
Last week we had a convergence of Hurricane Ida and a Northeaster(a severe storm that usually brings lots of rain, wind, and high tides) in Virginia. It is being called Nor-Ida. 
I snapped the above photo of a house in Newport News during the storm. Notice how the rain on my car windshield has distorted the vertical supports of the porch railing. What an interesting world we live in!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Crittenden Journals, Part 3
Here are more student responses to the slides of the Camino de Santiago that I showed at Crittenden as part of a journaling workshop this week.Well done, students!
Christina
"The sky that was running away from the dark, scary clouds reminds me of Hurricane Isabel. I was playing outside when I noticed the clouds and ran home. My mother, brother, and I went to my abuelos' house and watched the monstrous wind knock down trees."
Brian
"The green mountains I saw reminded me of my road trip to VA Tech. We drove on a mountain and it was very difficult. The view was great though, trees, flowers, streams, and animals. Nature should be appreciated. The air was fresh and the forest smelled like pine."
Kerry
Kerry
"They showed some dogs just running, but I could not let my 2 dogs do that because they would run away, bite someone or get hurt. On the buildings the detailing was really nice and you really don't [have]that kind of detail here. You only see it in a historical and very significant place like Washington, D.C. "
Eric
"I've been on a 5 minute journey to Spain and I saw an old castle that reminded me of a really big black castle in church class and I had to put it away when I was done with it and it made me realize that nothing lasts forever and things eventually go no matter what it is."
Christopher
"I've been on a 5 minute journey through Spain and I saw a very muddy trail. The trail reminded me of my vacation to Feirystone Park. When we took my brother back to Blacksburg, VA, we decided to drive to Feirystone Park, a where the rocks form differently. We had so much fun on the way there listening to the voice on the GPS, but when we got there it was wet and muddy. That did not stop us though and we got some very cool rocks."
Daryl
"The feast is like my Thanksgiving when I was at my grandma's house. Everyone was going there. Friends, family, kids, babies, adults, everyone! My grandma had to make two turkeys, two pots of mash potatoes, dozens of biscuits, three cans of cranberries and three pots of green beans."
Troy
"I've been on a 5 minute journey and out of all the things I saw, the dirt road was my favorite because that long, wide and bumpy road reminded me of good memories. Memories of being in the country, riding my motorcycle down the endless dirt roads. Then coming home to a good family and a good meal. It was very peaceful there , and that place will always be with me."
Ria
"The dirt road in the slide reminds me of when I ride my bike to Lake Murray. They have the most amazing natural dirt lanes to ride on. I love it when you go down the steep one, get a shot of adrenaline, then it is the hill in the middle and for a spit second you feel like you are flying."
Liam
"The eerie fog reminded me of the when I was outside and the fog was so thick that I couldn't see anything."
Greg
"When I saw all the shoes on the shelf, it reminded me of my many pair of shoes that I had in the 6th grade."
Allison
"I liked the picture of the boot on the rock near the water. The was brown and looked worn. It was alone and beautiful, just like most things in this world. It reminded me of when when I went to the beach. We hiked the giant sand dues. I made it to the top first and stood looking out at the ocean. The sand hit my legs in individual grains as the wind blew."
Gabby
"I like sheep. The little sheep guys were walking across a road cautiously. They were being careful not to get run over by the drivers."
Rapawnda
"I liked the view of the water. It reminded me of my trips to VA beach."
Alexis P
"I think the castle is so pretty. It reminds me of my brand new house. It's big but, not that big. I just see space when I see that castle."
Kathleen
"The picture of the mountains reminded me of bliss and like how life can have all sorts of turns in it, but you can always make it through."
Adina
"The castle reminds me of the castle our family owns in Scotland. Our family goes way back to the Vikings. The medieval castle with the pretty stones makes me think about my family's history."
Jennie
"There was a picture of a man with a tool and I thought it was a monkey. I can relate to it because last summer I took a trip to Africa and saw lots of monkeys.
Vandan
"The family reminded me about vacationing with my family in Louisiana."
Tobias
"The ship reminds me of my first fishing trip with my dad. I really enjoyed that day. I remember when I saw a fish jump out of the water."
Nicholas
"The shoes reminded me of military boots lined up."
Thursday, November 12, 2009
More Great Things from Crittenden
Yesterday when I arrived at Crittenden Middle School, I saw something VERY interesting going on. I had to explore.
I learned that these young women have been learning to knit since school began this fall. They are making scarves for themselves and for charity. They'll next learn how to make hats.
I learned all about their project from Sabrina Carnesi, Media Specialist, who is teaching them this life skill. What beautiful yarns! What a great project!
I learned that these young women have been learning to knit since school began this fall. They are making scarves for themselves and for charity. They'll next learn how to make hats.
I learned all about their project from Sabrina Carnesi, Media Specialist, who is teaching them this life skill. What beautiful yarns! What a great project!I am posting more student responses to the slides of the Camino de Santiago from the journaling workshop yesterday.
Good work, students!
Taryana
"One thing that reminded me of my life is when I saw the lion on a piece of fabric. It reminded me of what I am doing in my IE class. I cross stitch and I am making a cross with two squares in the middle and I am highlighting it in orange and white."
Ian
"I liked the picture of the cabin because it reminded me of when I went to Lake Gaston for the first time, and it reminded me of when I went camping with my family. "
Tatiana
"One thing that relates to my life is the cross. The cross reminds me of my life because I believe in Jehovah. But other people believe that He doesn't have a personal name but I do and it is Jehovah."
Corinzio
"The muddy road reminds me of the time I rode my go-cart right after it had rained, and it was muddy and dirty. A long time ago when I used to live with my grandma when they washed clothes to dry them they used clothes lines. When I was little my granddad owned a lot of land. I remember running with my friend in the grass."
Khai
"The pictures of France reminded me of French toast."
Tarin
"The cow crossing the road reminded me of when we took my cousin to college at Penn State and when we drove up and down the hills. The house party reminds me of the Christmas party last year in Suffolk. It was a dark night and we had all sorts of good food."
Shakira
"The dirt road reminds me of when my family and I go to North Carolina to our family and we go down a dirt road."
Krischel
"The cross reminded me when I first went to church at Morning Star and I was little. It was my first time seeing a cross and knowing what it represented and [it reminded me] when I got baptized in front of a cross so that nothing bad would happen to me like to drown or choke."
J'Mal
"I have seen a lot of animals walking across the street and lots of working people picking crops in the field."
Nicholas
"This reminds me of when I went to Boston, MA. Traveling can help you by giving you ideas for writing and an open mind."
Gabbie
"I think that the fireplace reminded me of my family. The last time my family was together was almost three years ago and when we sat together we had Smores, peanut butter, and pancakes and that was the happiest time of my life."
Courtney
"I liked the picture of the children playing on the sidewalk. They were having fun and that reminds me of me and my friends. I can smell the stinky sewage water and smell the fresh air."
Alex M
"The mountains remind me of West Virginia."
Robert
"All the cars parked remind me when my grandmother died and her funeral. Everybody came to my house and there were lots of cars parked outside my house. I was very sad when I got into the cars with my brother."
Alexis
"When I went on a journey this morning to Spain the rocky and muddy land reminded me of when my mom cooks crumb cake. It always breaks apart and she adds carmel to it. So it looks like a muddy road with rocks in it, just like in the slide show."
Tauae
"When I saw the dog on the ground, it reminded me of when I was walking with my dog up a hill in Ponce, Puerto Rico and we were very tired but we never gave up because if we did the steep hill would make us fall down again."
Arianda
"The one that shows the big ship reminds me of my dad because he took me there [to the ocean] and it was really fun. I cold see the fishes and the waves. "
Justin
"One of the slides was like my trip to North Carolina. It was a beautiful trip. I remember smelling plant food in the ground [and] driving by the houses hearing the dogs barking at us."
Isaiah
"When I saw the contorted tree, I thought of a tree I always used to climb on in the Noland Trail. The way it was contorted some limbs laid low to the ground and those were the limbs I would climb on to get to the top. It would always feel rough and bumpy. The tree was about 15 feet high and I would get scared sometimes to go to the top. But I always felt good when I got to the top."
Saleem
"For all the world, I'd like to go to the field because it reminds me of those dark orange dirt paths at the Bonx Track. When you touched it, it felt like the sand you'd find at the beach."
Dylan
"The bus reminded me that I'm always on the move because I move to different places a lot. "
Endia
[I liked]the family sitting together at the dinner table. I sit at the table along with my family and the people were sitting at the table eating really good food."
Xernona
"The picture of the town that had the Molana sign on the town restaurant I liked because it reminded me of my grandma's home town, Frankfort, Germany."
Morgan
"The picture of the thunderstorm clouds remind me of dark times when it is rainy outside. I love it. This may sound weird, but I love the days when it's raining because that means you have an opportunity to do nothing, you can just sit there and relax and watch movies."
Kyle
"[I liked]the big, huge blue and black bus with soft leather seats and the smell or morning and stinky and smelly window. [It] reminded me when I used to rise the bus with my grandma to work and when we used to go out to eat."
Saron
"The lady with the flowers reminds me of my grandma."
Mario
"If I went to Spain and hiked up all those mountains, it would remind me of hiking up the mountains in Australia. It kept getting colder and colder as you went up. It had a lot of dirt, but some trees and we did a scavenger hunt on the mountain."
Brian
"Out of the things that I saw in the slides the one that looked like a storm coming reminded me of how when I went to North Carolina and there was a big storm coming in. I can remember during the storm the rush of the wind was blowing in my face and leaves [were] slapping me back and forth."
Nora
"The bus that is at the beginning of the show reminds me of how I like to go places. I like to go everywhere."
John
"How wonderful lots of animals crossing the road just like when my little sister was crossing the road."
Stanley
"The statue reminds me of a picture I saw in a book in the library."
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Journaling Workshop at Crittenden Middle School
Journaling requires careful observation of the world. I challenged students at Crittenden to watch five minutes of slides from the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route in Spain, and describe what they saw. 
Students were eager to share what they saw.
This was the easy part. I next asked students to relate what they saw to something in their lives, promising to publish the "gems" I found on my website. As I look over what the students have written I'm impressed. 
Remember students had only minutes to write these thoughts. They are not finished prose, but reactions to the slides. Also keep in mind, the students were sixth graders, seventh graders, and eighth graders.
Alex
"The bunk beds in the cabin reminded me of the yearly trip to North Carolina beachfront. The cabin was almost identical to the slide. There was a bunk bed and single bed and swing outside. Conner and Ho were sleeping the bunk bed. I was sleeping in the single. Will slept on the swing. I stayed up all night watching Batman movies. Conner was playing my video game."
Ariel
"The brown dog reminded me of my pet dog Lollipop because he is always laying around."
Chelsea
"The beaches and great views reminded me of when I go to Old Orchard Beach every summer since I was two. When I go there, my family and I would check in at a motel right on the beach with an amusement park 5 minutes away. We always go the park every night unless it is bad weather."
Jermine
"The bus going to New York was stinky. I hope I do not go on that bus again."
Tyler
"The woman holding the red and white quilt reminded me of my warm, soft comfortable cowboy blanket. It was my favorite quilt to sleep and bundle up with. Whenever I go over to my dad's house, I love to sleep on the couch with my blanket."
Jordan
"The dark clouds reminded me of Hurricane Isabel (2005)."
Dymon
"The nice restaurant reminds me about my life because I love to go to fancy and non-fancy restaurants. I love their good food and I love having a good time. When I go to a restaurant I love to eat dessert. My favorite restaurant is Cheese Cake Factory."
Keara
"The religious statue in the slide reminded me of the many statutes my grandmother has in her home. Her friends' mother makes most of them by hand. they are really beautiful."
Ashley H.
"The mountains were evergreen. There was fog slightly around it. I closed my eyes and imagined Arizona mountains. They were so different. Arizona with the craggy rocks, cactus, and snakes versus the evergreen mountains. I missed Arizona and I couldn't wait to go back. So I sat there and admired the mountain. It was green about 1000 mixes. It had flowers of colors I thought I had never seen. But in my head it reminded me of home. I think I could smell the cooking of my aunt and hear the laughs of my cousins playing."
Terrinae
Terrinae
"As the photos were being shown on the projector one really caught my eye, it was the picture with the beautiful green tree. I apply this to my personal life because it mostly reminds me of the way my family sticks together. The way the roots sprout out of the tree represents the way my family was brought up to always stick together whatever the circumstances."
Malcolm
"The slide with the boot reminded me of the song by Genesis "Home by the Sea." That particular slide also reminded me of Hampton University."
Ashley W.
"The blue sea reminds me of when I am sitting on the beach with my family, watching colorful fireworks beating down on the ocean after sunset on the Fourth of July. I feel comfortable and the fireworks are just beautiful."
Ricky
"It reminded me of my large beautiful dog. One morning I found him lying in the kitchen on the concrete floor lying next to his food bowl with a foul smell of dog food. I wondered why he was lying there so I looked around the dirty floor an found the bag of dog food all over the floor. Then I heard a noise. He was still awake, eating his dog food."
Lonnie
"The bunk beds reminded me of my room because I own a bunk bed. The dirty path reminded me of my backyard because it is useless thing and dirty things are everywhere. "
Kahil
"The mountains looked like a picture I drew in my notebook. I felt like I was climbing a really steep mountain. It was a huge blizzard and I was about to break a record for the quickest time for climbing a huge mountain. The snow tasted like vanilla ice cream."
Candace
"A dead dog reminded me of my grandmother's dog because I grew up with him and he meant a lot to me. His name was Bubbles. The dog in the picture was brown, black and big. So was Bubbles."
Felonna
"This is a picture I can relate to. It is a statute on a building and it is silver. In New York there is one building that looks like it."
Kalika
"When I saw grass covered mountains that reminded me of my view of my room in Colorado. When I was depressed I would look at the mountains which made me feel better."
Austin
"The bus looked like [one from] the Martin Luther King boycott."
Cantrell
"I have a beautiful golden retriever that is very lazy, so she sleeps a lot in and outside."
Jarred
"The rugged hard road with many bumps and cracks, with many big rocks also with lots of dirt reminds me of my aunt's rugged road going up to her house."
Naya
"In one of the photos, I saw some kids playing with one another and it immediately brought back memories when I was about that age playing with my friends."
Autumn
"There was a big blue bus, and it relates to my life [in that] my grandma rides the bus to her job at 4:00 am in the morning before the bus even starts running and she works at the shipyard on a boat cleaning the inside."
Simone
"One of the pictures that related to me was the one with the two people hiking and that reminded me of the time me and my grandma hiked last year in Wisconsin."
DeMonte
"I used to watch my little cousins play outside in red jogging suits. When I jumped in, they all ganged up on me."
Raegaon
"The storm reminded [of] my life because I 'd seen a cloud similar to that and I thought a bad or horrible storm would come soon. It was dark gray and large! I was scared."
Jaleel
Jaleel
"I ride a bus to school."
Malik
"I have a bunk bed in my house."
Kalek
"My great granddad has two boats."
LaJavne
"The bus reminded me of the bus trip when I went to Florida where I stayed for 5 years."
Nickierra
The lady up on the stage dancing reminds me of me dancing when I [had] a concert in Mississippi and I had a lot of people looking at me and screaming."
Urique
"The field I saw reminded me about football. I used to play football [and] ran the ball all the way to a touchdown."
Macuayla
"Flowers make me think of my porch."
Kiana
Kiana
"German shepherds remind me of cops because of K-9 dogs. I like K-9 dogs because they are nice and help people."
Sedesia
"When me and my mom went to Kings Dominion, we rode the city bus."
Tatiyana
"When I get bored, I go out and go hiking in North Carolina. When I go out in deep fields, it feels weird."
Shaine
"The big gray statue of the man attackin a fierce dangerous animal reminds me of the stories my fun, cool cousin told me about when he was in the war."
STAY TUNED, MORE TO COME SOON
