A New Blog and Some Books
Welcome to the remodeled and improved Meaningful Connections blog! I am so excited about my new hunk of real estate on the ole WWW. The message here remains the same, though. I’m still all about connections and finding the middle ground in a divided world. The only differences you might notice are the additional family, arts, and crafts connections you’ll see. Connecting to our creativity leads to the deeper understandings necessary to bring us all together. Family also plays a key role in our future; after all, as my dear friend and folk artist Kacey Carneal says, “Home is the beginning.”
Additionally, you will see affiliate links for products I use and love. While I may earn commissions from products you purchase through links on this blog, I’ll only feature products that I like. This helps support this writing habit of mine.
In the spirit of celebration, I thought it would be cool to honor some writers who have inspired me. If I could throw a party right now, these are the people I’d invite to kick the whole thing off. I’d have to feed them though. Since my cooking ability stinks more than my old blog theme, I’ll have to fire up the peanut oil and get Mr. Jenn cooking. I tell you, that man is the Charlie Daniels of the deep fryer. I’m going to give the following folks a call and let them slide right on in here for some sweet tea and artery clogging.
Rita Mae Brown would be my first guest as her writing has inspired me since I was sixteen. Rubyfruit Jungle and Southern Discomfort changed my entire outlook. Starting from Scratch underscored my disdain for the passive tense. I’d make Miss Rita Mae a big ol’ pan of biscuits to go with whatever greasy concoction we come up with. She’s a fox hunting Virginian, so she’ll get it.
I’d fix a Twinkie Pie for Jill Connor Browne, the head Sweet Potato Queen in charge. She is another inspiration. Go download all her Sweet Potato Queen books and prepare your family for the howling that’s sure to ensue. Fat Is the New 30 is my jam. Not only is she butt-jiggling funny, she’s also a fellow lard lover. She includes recipes for delicious dishes like “Pig Candy” and “Fatten You Right Up Rolls” in all her books.
Later on, Judy Blume and I would belly up to some pasta. I doubt she’s the type to nosh on fried food, but one never knows. She’s a guest of honor because once I read her book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing when I was in elementary school, I knew I had to write funny. I’ve been obsessed with making stories from the moment Fudge ate Peter’s turtle. Margaret, from Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, and I did our chest enhancing exercises together. I learned all about the proverbial birds and bees when I snuck Forever in the house at age 11. Sorry, Mom, I didn’t wait until I was fourteen to read this book like you thought. That time you let me check it out from the library was a reread—probably my fifth one.
So, y’all come up to the house and eat sometime. I’ll warm the grease and roll out the biscuits. In the meantime, I wrote a Readers’ Theater Play to honor some other inspirational women in our history. In the spirit of keeping the party going through Black History Month and Women’s History Month in March, you’ll definitely want to check this script out at Meaningful Connections in the Classroom on Teachers Pay Teachers.