New Book…GEEK PARENTING!

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Photo by Kyle Cassidy.

Many of you know I spent much of the spring and summer writing, and it’s finally time to announce why! A new book!!! And it’s coming next Spring!

A few years ago, my writer friend and editor extraordinaire Stephen Segal edited GEEK WISDOM: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture. I loved the book of thoughtful essays reflecting upon well-known quotations, and when Stephen asked me if I would be interested in co-writing with him a follow-up that explored the parenting tips gleaned from geek-culture kids and their families, I was thrilled to be able to bring together some of the most important aspects of my life: being a mom, being a writer, and being a geek.

That book, GEEK PARENTING: What Joffrey, Jor-El, Maleficent, and the McFlys Teach Us about Raising a Family  will officially be out on April 5, 2016, by Quirk Books, but ARCS are ready now and being given away free at Book Riot Live 2015 in New York this weekend!

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Stephen and I will be sharing more information as the date gets closer, and there will definitely be Chicago events around the release date, as well as elsewhere. (I believe that the book can already be pre-ordered online.)

I’m proud of GEEK PARENTING. The lessons Stephen and I write about are important truths I try to keep in mind every day as I strive to raise thoughtful, kind, passionate, creative kids. There’s a lot of wisdom in those fantastic books and movies, TV shows and comics that we grew up with and continue to enjoy. Whether you have kids or are a kid at heart, I hope you enjoy it half as much as we loved writing it.

(Behind the scenes, Photo by Kyle Cassidy)
(Behind the scenes, Photo by Kyle Cassidy)

October

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Growing up, everyone I knew and loved lived in such close proximity. I knew that Baba and Dido’s families were in Ukraine, but my people were never far away. Now it’s so very different. The world is smaller in many ways, and our circles are larger to include beloved friends and family across the country and over the ocean.

12182601_10206251093530217_4899569065728051142_oI wish I could see them more often, but I am grateful for online glimpses and treasured times when we do reconnect. Ultimately my world is richer for those connections.

My friend Alison and I met in Germany 13 years ago when we were each pregnant with our first child, and she was family from the start. We’ve stayed in touch through ups and downs and moves back and forth across oceans. Our kids have grown up together, sharing the occasional holiday. Some of my favorite Thanksgivings have been spent with them.

Alison came for a too-short visit that was mostly coffee and chats squeezed in around kid schedules and teaching, but we did have one night where I was able to give her a taste of Chicago’s stand-up and burlesque, Gypsy jazz at the Green Mill, and some of the best Ethiopian food (mmmmm). And just like that, she’s back across the ocean and life goes one. The wheel turns.

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Am thinking of you, so many people I love who are too far away and those who are gone from us too soon. I suppose it’s one of the gifts of October and Autumn and Halloween/Samhain–missing loved ones, sitting with nostalgia and longing as we prepare for the season to change.

Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler

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Mrs. Elvsted: You’ve got some reason for all this, Hedda!
Hedda: Yes, I have. For once in my life I want to feel that I control a human destiny.
Mrs. Elvsted: But surely you do already?
Hedda: I don’t, and I never have done.

In 1891, Henrik Ibsen’s play “Hedda Gabler” debuted in Munich, and the titular character has come to be regarded as one of the greatest dramatic roles of all time. I’ve heard of the play, but never seen it in the theatre, and it’s now being produced and performed by an incredible ensemble in Philadelphia that includes the amazing Trillian Stars in the role of Hedda Gabler and Kyle Cassidy as the videographer….because there will be a movie for those of us who may not be able to make it out to Philadelphia!

Kyle and Trillian have put together a kickstarter campaign to fund the live production and video shoot for “Hedda Gabler.” Rewards include pre-sale tickets, dvds, a cravat from the show, leaving a prepaid ticket at the door for someone, and other goodies.

As soon as I heard Trillian was going to play Hedda, I was struck by just how perfect a role for her it would be. Trillian has the kind of self-possession and graceful beauty of silent film stars. She’s unforgettable, and it would be a delight to see her as Hedda.

Kyle Cassidy is a brilliant photographer, but the thing I really adore about him is the way that he brings artists together to make beautiful, provocative things. I’m such a proponent of creative collaboration–there’s magic when you bring the right people together to “make good art.” Kyle’s vision, generosity, and dedication have birthed so many unforgettable works of art and creative experiences, from his own War Paint to Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman’s The Bed Song Book, from music videos to to theatre posters to librarian portraiture.

Together, Kyle and Trillian make magic. If you’re in Philadelphia, you can see the play performed in the parlor of Philadelphia’s historic Physick House, a mansion built in 1785 and decorated in the tastes of the late Victorian era  If you’re elsewhere in the world, they will have dvd and digital downloads available.

Here’s the direct link to kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/612451148/hedda-gabler-a-play-and-film

A lot of talented people are working together on “Hedda Gabler,” and I’m honored to be able to support it in some small fashion. Here’s Kyle talking about the project: