Everyone’s Books is thrilled to host “Eyes Wide Open,” their first in-person event in a year, to be held outside at the Retreat Farm on Saturday, May 22nd from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. In celebration, Eyes Wide Open offers the reading public not just one, but four local authors. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eyes-wide-open-tickets-152194611179.
This spring delivers exciting new and diverse works from four Windham County women:
An
n Braden’s The Flight of the Puffin, releasing May 4th, is about one small act of kindness that ripples out to connect four kids who feel isolated. When a message of hope takes flight and starts a chain reaction, it helps each kid summon the thing they need, whether it’s bravery, empathy, or understanding. But best of all, it makes each one realize they matter — and that they’re not flying solo anymore. www.annbradenbooks.com/
Angela
Berkfield is the lead author of Parenting 4 Social Justice: Tips, Tools and Inspiration for Conversation & Action with Kids due out in early May 2021 by Green Writers Press. Angela and her co-authors write about social justice issues through the lens of their personal experiences both growing up and as parents. Illustrated conversations, honest stories and creative ideas prepare caregivers to initiate age-appropriate and engaging conversations with kids about social justice issues. You are likely to be inspired to take action for social justice. www.parenting4socialjustice.com/
Shanta Lee Gander’s first full-length collection, GHETTOCLAUSTROPHOBIA: Dreamin of Mama While Trying to Speak Woman in Woke Tongues, debuts in June from Diode Editions. What does it mean to move away from the shadow of one’s mother, parents, or family in order to come into being within this world? As collective memory within the Black diaspora has been ruptured, Shanta Lee time travels by creating and recapturing memory from a fractured past to survive in the present and envision a future. www.Shantaleegander.com
Diana Whitney’s anthology, You Don’t Have to be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves, is an inclusive collection featuring 68 poets, from luminaries like Maya Angelou and Mary Oliver to innovators like Amanda Gorman and Natalie Diaz. These candid poems address the complex feelings of coming-of-age and offer teen girls a message of self-acceptance and strength, giving them permission to let go of shame and perfectionism. www.diana-whitney.com/
Eyes Wide Open will include readings, book signings, and a discussion moderated by local author Robin MacArthur. The event is free and open to the public. Please come ready to be socially distant, bring a lawn chair or blanket and be prepared by the weather. Masks are required. Rain date is Sunday, May 23rd at 3:30pm. The Retreat Farm is located on Route 30 in Brattleboro www.retreatfarm.org/
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
Ann Braden published her second book, The Flight of a Puffin. Her debut middle grade novel The Benefits of Being an Octopus was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2018. She founded the Local Love Brigade, which sends love postcards to those who are facing hate, and she founded GunSenseVT, a grassroots group focused on championing the common ground on the issue of guns in Vermont, which helped pass landmark gun violence prevention legislation. Her website is www.annbradenbooks.com/
Angela Berkfield is the lead author of Parenting 4 Social Justice. She says, “I have a tall task in raising kids who are advantaged because of race, class, gender, and ability. My vision is that they are able to move through the world honoring principles of equity and justice. The more caregivers I can partner with to center social justice in my parenting, the better!” Angela has taught and organized in a variety of settings over the past two decades and is a co-founder of the Root Social Justice Center, ACT for Social Justice, and Equity Solutions. She has an MA in social justice from the School for International Training. She believes that a world where everyone can thrive is possible, and coming. For more information, go to www.parenting4socialjustice.com/
Shanta Lee Gander expects her new work, GHETTOCLAUSTROPHOBIA: Dreamin of Mama While Trying to Speak Woman in Woke Tongues will be available in June 2021. Her work has been featured in many publications. She is the 2020 recipient of the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts and 2020 and named as Diode Editions full-length book contest winner for her debut poetry compilation, Shanta Lee gives lectures on the life of Lucy Terry Prince as a member of the Vermont and New Hampshire Humanities Council Speakers Bureaus. She is the 2020 gubernatorial appointee to their board of directors. To see her photography and writing, visit www.Shantaleegander.com/.
Diana Whitney writes across genres in Vermont with a focus on feminism, motherhood, and sexuality. She is the editor of You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves, published in April. Her first book, Wanting It, became an indie bestseller and won the Rubery Book Award in poetry. For years she was the poetry critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, where she featured women authors and LGBTQ voices in her column. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Glamour, the Washington Post, the Kenyon Review, and many more. A feminist activist in her hometown and beyond, Diana advocates for survivors of sexual violence and fights for the rights of women and girls. Find out more at www.diana-whitney.com/