Book News - Martin Luther King Day Observation - Etceteras

     . . . . It's been busy around here, among the various projects, including the preparations for Saturday, and preparations for the March visit to eastern Cuba with 25 + Travelers.  With each Traveler coming with us that I meet, the more excited for this trip I get.

The weather here has been all over the place, down in the deep freeze back up to balmy, snow and rain, overcast and bright. To make it more interesting, this week our building's furnace quit and we're still without either heat or hot water.

But books and news about them keep on coming.

A few days ago this news was in the Washington Post book section.Sales for all forms of adult fiction declined in 2016 with the single exception of comics graphic "novels." Adult coloring books remain huge sellers, and adult non-fiction sales increased again for the third year in a row.  The demand for audio versions of books continues.

Dear friends' book shelf!

In the meantime, the 70th review of Slave Coast has gone up on amazilla.  We've got several repeat dates for radio and pod cast interviews about Slave Coast next month, Black History Month.  It also looks like the live performance of Slave Coast with Donald Harrison directing the music beds is going to happen this fall as part of the Veracruz annual Jazz festival.  Other venues are trying to find dates and financial support to bring this to their communities.  Other institutions have requested we / Slave Coast participate, be a part of various programs coming up such as workshops and so on.  Also the trade paperback edition of Slave Coast debuts in April!

We've started working on the presentation to PBS for Slave Coast. Argh. How in the world will we raise the money??????

For Martin Luther King's birthday we did a Skype conference with DR, the producer for the Slave Coast on tv project (IF this happens, which is a huge if -- all that money that needs to be raised!).

DR's in France, on his farm in the mountains above Nice, living in a 350 year old stone farm house.* This is how they stay snug and cozy all winter -- when winter begins they crank the heat as high as possible to make the stones of the walls and floor hot. Then they turn down the heat to 'warm.' And the house stays warm all winter. His broccoli and and other vegetables continue to produce all winter.  I wish I was there.  I've been working on the script and various other aspects of the Slave Coast project for DR to present to various people. He reminds me that it would be nicer, i.e. WARMER, working there than here.

Today's drizzle and drear keeps on keeping on. I wish the heat would come back before the end of the day.

Yes, I wish, but I'm not hoping.

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*  I remain thrilled any time we Skype, being able to see his home and him in real time, despite all this distance between the coast of France and the east coast of the US.  At the same time I can't help but think of how this isn't possible when one of us is in Cuba and the other is here -- and Cuba is only 90 miles south of Miami.