Buy X, get Y FREE!

I learned recently that there are still some free copies left to give away as part of Richard C. Owen's "buy X, get Y free" deal at RCOwen.com. Buy a copy of my Meet the Author book Before It Wriggles Away, and you'll get a free copy of Declaration of Interdependence sent to you with your order. Take a look here!

Thank you, Fellow Bloggers!

The poetry universe is rich in talented bloggers. I am thrilled that three of the best--Elaine Magliaro (Wild Rose Reader), Julie Larios (The Drift Record), and Sylvia Vardell (Poetry for Children) have embraced Declaration of Interdependence and written wonderful reviews of it. 

Please take a look--and spread these links far and wide! 

http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2012/02/declaration-of-interdependence-poems.html

http://julielarios.blogspot.com/2012/03/poetry-friday-for-new-generation-of.html

http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/2012/03/patriotic-poetry.html 

Discussion Question #5: Possible Promises

Write a list of 10 possible things that you would want to do if you were president . . . and share one of those wonderful ideas here. Sometimes the line between possible and impossible is blurred--a millimeter (or a minute or a vote) can separate a silly dream from a very real accomplishment. If you're not sure whether your promise would be "possible" or "impossible," list it here--why not dream big?

Update [Oct 2012]: If you think "No Homework" is an impossible presidential promise, think again. French President Francois Hollande just proposed this very thing as part of his redesign of the French education system. If our leaders did this in the U.S., I think a lot of kids (and parents and teachers) would say: "Merci!"

Discussion Question #4: Impossible Promises

Write a list of 10 impossible things that you would want to do if you were president . . . and share one of those crazy ideas here!

Discussion Question #3: How to Get Out the Vote?

What would you say to someone to convince him that his vote counts?

I wrote "The 2012 Iowa Caucus" (see my January 22 post) to show that every vote counts. The day after the caucus, Romney was found to have won by only 8 votes. I wondered how rotten the Santorum supporters must've felt--those who planned to go but didn't make it to the caucus because they were rushing or not feeling well or busy with dinner. I made up names and towns for these 8 voters so that they would seem more real. As it turned out, there was a miscount and Santorum won by a few dozen votes, but still: only a few dozen. I think this is a great example of "every vote counts"!

My new friend Leonard says we need to remind voters: a vote for the president is a vote for a Supreme Court judge who will make decisions affecting us for a very long time.

What could you say to someone to get them to vote?

Discussion Question #2: Ask A Voter

Here is Question #2 from the back of DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE (the Voter's Journal and Discussion Guide section). Ask around and please post what you find!

#2: Ask A Voter

Ask your grandparents, parents, another family member, or a neighbor about an election that was important to them . . . and post your notes here! 




One of my strongest memories of an election and a family member happened a few days after the Bush-Gore post-election chaos in 2000. My grandfather was in the hospital. The nurse was filling me in on his condition, saying he was clearly disoriented and "not entirely there"--saying this right in front of him. The example she gave of his confusion was, "He's watching the TV all day and he doesn't even know who the president is." She then shouted at him, "Mr. Wong, who is the president?" My grandfather stared blankly at me and mumbled, "Bush? Gore? Who IS it?" The nurse (oblivious to the hanging-chads controversy in Florida and the uncertain election results) said, triumphantly: "SEE!"

Your First Election

At the back of DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE there are a dozen questions to inspire readers to talk, argue, be silly, and write. I'll invite you to answer questions from that section by posting a comment here, OK? (These questions weren't in the "collector's edition e-book" but they're now in the revised e-book and will be in the paperback version that is coming out on Presidents' Day. But don't worry...I'll post all the discussion questions here.)

#1:

What is the first election you remember?

And WHAT do you remember about it?

Was it an election where you were a volunteer? An election you heard a lot about from your parents? A school election for student government or an election of a team captain?

Please tell!