A Time To Honor a Saint, A Time To Donate To Her Cause

Dolly Parton was more than just a singer or entertainer. Dolly was also an entrepreneur, an activist, a charitable and giving human being.

She started decades ago an Imagination Library program dedicated to gifting books to needy children to encourage reading and literacy across America, doing more for our nation with 330 million gifts than some of our greediest, spiteful elected officials (sorry, shouldn't be bringing politics into this, but Dolly was the 80-year-old we should have elected President).

Millions are reading because of Dolly's kindness

In lieu of flowers, Dolly's family is asking us to donate to her Imagination Library, to ensure future generations of Americans learn - and love - to read. A proper legacy to the nation and the world.

A Century of Beverly Cleary

Author Beverly Cleary turns 100 years young today.

I grew up reading the Henry Huggins books, and because of that also the Ramona books. I still don't get the idea that books at a certain age are "gender-specific": the Ramona books were still about growing up as kids, regardless of being a boy or a girl.

I didn't learn until years later that Beverly Cleary worked as a librarian in Yakima, Washington. Which for me as a librarian is a cool thing.

There's still a story in my head I have the title for - "Maybe Auburndale, Maybe Yakima" - that I have the urge to write. I have a reason for choosing Auburndale, FL (it'll be part of the story's theme) and when I found out where Beverly Cleary worked I added Yakima to finish off the title (and fits into the theme) so now you know where the title will come from.

I just want to say that it would be a bright and wonderful and perfectly appropriate thing if Beverly Cleary wins the Nobel Prize for Literature for her contributions to the children's literature and readership. If there's anyone on the committee I can talk to about this, please pass along their e-mail. Thank ye.