International Women's Day

 This is for the women  

With 9 to 5s  

And 7 to 3s 

First shifts  

And graveyard  

With full times  

And part times  

Who have more month left  

Than money  

But still make rent  

With passports 

With no stamps  

With vision boards  

Of destinations  

They are saving to see  

With dreams they tuck away 

Pull out late at night  

Or early in the morning  

While the babies are still sleep 

Turn it over in their hands 

Then shelve it again for safe keep

This is for the women  

Without titles without pensions  

With some college  

A lot of loans  

With late night classrooms  

Online studies  

Who won’t give up  

Who run the world  

On grit and perseverance  

 

This is for the women  

Who are anything but  

Ordinary  

But the world sees as regular  

This is for the magicians 

Who weave spells of hope 

For their children  

While putting their hopes on pause 

This is for the over the counter  

Beauty Queens  

With Wet and Wild Lips  

And Walgreens legs  

And Suave smelling hair  

For the women who look in the mirror  

To see some one familiar  

Because they rarely see reflections 

Any where else 

For the hustlers  

With tired feet  

And tired backs  

With spirits whispering  

Keep moving  

We are almost there  

For the women who know  

Liberation isn’t found in the clothes they wear 

The shoes on their feet  

But the dignity in their souls  

 

This is a song for you 

Resourceful 

And resilient 

Moving mountains for your family 

I see you  

Stunning and Strong 

I see you  

Brilliant and beautiful  

I see you  

Making a life  

Out of thin air  

Today is for you  

An ordinary day  

Unmarked on the calendar  

No decorations at target  

No songs to commemorate 

Just an ordinary day  

Full of promise  

Full of possibilities  

Full of hope 

Full of magic  

Just like you  

You who pushes on  

You who doesn’t give up  

You who bends but doesn’t break  

You 

This is for you  

You with the stars in your hair  

Sun on your lips  

Moonlit cheeks  

This is for you  

You are anything but regular  

You are the 

UNIVERSE  

                 by Leslé Honoré

Louise Penny in Hickory, NC

It feels just right to be writing this today, March 8, International Women's Day.

Many years back I happened to read about a new book by a new author.

The book was "Still Life."

The author was Louise Penny.

With so many people at DorothyL whose opinions I valued, and who I knew enjoyed many of the same books and authors I did, raving about this particular book I decided to give it a try.

I was blown away.

I don't have words for how deeply this book touched me.

And I fell in love with Louise Penny's voice.  Her sly, quick wit.  Her powers of observance and grasp of human circumstances and conditions.  Her empathy for our frailties and imperfections.


And so the process of tapping my toe while waiting for the second book to appear began.

And the third . . . 

And that impatience and enthusiasm is as high today as it was back then.



In 2008 I attended my first Bouchercon in Baltimore.


And walking through the book room there was Louise Penny.  Sitting at a table signing books.


And so it began.


Suffice to say I adore this woman.


She's been gracious enough to contribute several times to my Meanderings and Muses, and has graced my life in many ways.


She's everything you might imagine by reading her books.


She is, to me, a rock star.

Bouchercon 2008 - Baltimore

Bouchercon 2009 - Indianapolis

Malice Domestic

I've only been able to catch up with her over the years at mystery conventions.

Although she's included North Carolina on her book tours a few times, something always seemed to get in the way of my attending.

When I found out she was going to be in Hickory as part of the Lenoir-Rhyne Visiting Writers Series I was ecstatic.  And called for tickets immediately,

Donald went with me and it was a perfect evening.  

The signing took place at the Hickory, NC Public Library.  I'm not going to try to make a guess at how many people were in attendance, but I can say it was easily over a hundred.  

When Louise came into the room she was smiling that big wonderful Louise Penny smile.  She greeted and hugged and shook hands and there's no one immune to the graciousness of this lovely, lovely woman.

I was tickled pink when she spotted me and wrapped me in a hug.  Then asked "where's your handsome husband?"  I assured her, he was on his way.  He wanted a hug too.

And he did get his hug.

But did I get a picture?

NO!!!!

I am so angry with myself.

So on our way out and on our way to the Lenoir Rhyne College P. E. Monroe Auditorium I got a shot of him reading over someone's shoulder.

The auditorium holds, I think, 2,000 people.  

It was full.

Dr. Rand Brandes, Director of the Visiting Writer Series, stepped on stage and was his usual delightful self.  Took a poll by asking people to stand if they had come over 1,000 miles to see tonight's speaker.  An unbelievable number of people stood.  Then he asked how many had come from over 500 miles and, again, a huge number of people stood.  

There were two ladies there who had come from New Mexico.  And they planned on being at Louise's next signing in Denver.


She walked onto the stage to applause, wowed everyone, took questions, and left about an hour and a half later to a very, very long standing ovation.

She is a kind and generous woman.  

Funny.

Approachable.

Humble.

Compassionate.

Surprisingly forthcoming.

Gracious.

Beautiful.

I adore her.

And now we had a drive back up the mountain to Boone, about an hour and a half from Lenoir-Rhyne to Meat Camp.


So it only made sense to stop for coffee and donuts for the ride.

Date night with my guy.

A book event with Louise Penny (including hugs).

Krispy Kreme.

It doesn't get any better than that.


And this is for all of you - from me.

Honoring women we admire. It has become, finally, more of a thing than it once was, and that makes me happy. Besides those women who made history, as they all deserved, with their great accomplishments, we're now honoring women for what might be seen as smaller achievements in the big picture of the world as a whole, and in history going as far back as far as the beginning of time. Their successes may not be well known outside a family, or outside a particular community and may seem small outside those parameters, but in fact, they're still huge. The women I admire are many, and I admire each of them for vastly different reasons. Mostly though, they're women who do what they do because they have beliefs they're willing to fight for, to speak out in defense of. To live. They're creative in their own special ways, not in order to become well known, but because they have talents they enjoy utilizing, be it motherhood or anthropologist - or a combination of the two. Here's to each of you.

International Women's Day - March 8

"Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less." 

     - - Susan B. Anthony