For the Love of Harvey…Unspeakable Joy!
Ghandi/October 2
Martin Luther King Jr./January 15
Cesar Chavez/March 31
Harvey Milk/May 22
These are special days. They are dedicated first to honor these individuals, their lives and their contribution to our world and our lives. Second, these days represent a call to learn and align ourselves with the spirit and intent of their work. We are each challenged to come forward and live it in our own way.
Ever since I was a child and well into adulthood, through stories my father told about Cesar, through the unforgettable words of Martin, and films about Ghandi and Harvey, I learned that while we may be disenfranchised within the dominant paradigm, we can be a peaceful, powerful and an undeniable presence for change. We are here. We belong. And yes! We, absolutely all of us, are powerful, beautiful, wise and worthy.
I have come to know this for myself in part because of the mere existence of these four people and the impact of their thought and work in the world. But how do I know about them? It is because of the specific attention given to them, the honor, the respect. I have learned their words and come to recognize their images in schools and libraries, public spaces and media. Through example they have taught me some of my most valuable lessons for being committed to my own true nature while living on this planet. They have honored me first. They have valued and reflected me in my worth. In my own much simpler way, I try to thank them and continue the flow of their beautiful intentions through my work, my life, my thoughts and words. They stand as my models.
This weekend, Matthew and I attended some of the events in our neighborhood for the first ever Harvey Milk Day. I say all the time how much Continue reading »
Filed under LGBTQI Families, Power of Reflection | Tags: celebration, courage, family, festive, fun, lgbt, reflection | Comment (0)Want a Free Copy of CLAIMING FACE,
The Educator’s Guide?
We are currently looking for individuals to review our latest new release:
CLAIMING FACE:
Self-Empowerment through Self-Portraiture
How it works:
We send you a shiny new advanced copy of the book. You excitedly open the package addressed from Reflection Press, you marvel at the book’s pretty cover, crack it open, digest all the wonderful information, then proceed to write a review (of course we want your honest opinion). Finally, you publish it on your blog/column/or other media, and then keep the book. It’s that simple. If this sounds exactly like something you’d like to do, read below for criteria and how to participate. Continue reading »
Dancing in Half Moon Bay – Celebrating Día de los Niños
Oh the traveling about…we have been everywhere! And truly it has felt like a party everywhere we go. But everywhere there is a treat, a special prize to be had…and the Half Moon Library on April 29th, was no exception.
Beforehand, Matthew shared with me that he thought Armando Ramirez, the Librarian who invited me to the event, and I were old friends because of the way he worded his email to us. I laughed. “Nah, we’re just Mexican.” I joked, “I don’t think we’ve ever met, he just needed a favor.” I was joking, but the truth is that at times, cultural differences are clear and do bond us. It’s not that Mexicans are friends right off the bat. Of course not, life is not that simple. But there is a sentiment, a cultural aura that has been handed down to us through???eating tamales only our grandmother could have made, the bond of menudo, nature, sangre?, genes, or just culture??? Truly, it is impossible to pinpoint the heart of a Mexican. But as each race knows, there is something that is inherent to each of us. It may be tagged as a stereotype or a profile by outsiders, but there is a heart within us that remains uniquely our own, a shared navigational tool to face the reality of “westernization” through centuries of familial colonization… or possibly just this moment.
As I suspected, when I met Armando, he felt like family, a familiar fellow.
We set up for the event. We played with fantastically awesome kids who looked just like me or the kids in my books. It was good. Together, we read I Know the River Loves Me (see video below) and later Continue reading »
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Teacher Appreciation Week
This is one festive week! Not only is it Cinco de Mayo today but also, this entire week allows us to appreciate all the hard work and dedication of our teachers! Of course we appreciate and applaud our teachers every day but it’s nice to have a dedicated week to celebrate them. And of course coming up on Sunday, May 9th is Mother’s Day. So there’s lots of reasons to celebrate and be proud!
With all the wonderful festivities in store it seemed like the perfect time for a SALE. From now until May 15th, all of our 9×11 Archival Art Prints from Maya’s numerous children’s books are on sale for $25. That’s a savings of $10! Plus 5% of our sales continue to be contributed to Children’s Book Press in support of their continuing commitment to providing first voice, multicultural, multilingual children’s books. We’ve even added some new prints to the mix just for the occasion. View our Etsy shop for available prints and to purchase.
Our art prints are printed on High Quality Archival Paper using Claria Archival Inks. Prints are individually signed by Maya and come with an insert which indicates what book the illustration was created for and includes information about the artist. Continue reading »
Filed under General | Tags: celebration, cinco de mayo, Etsy, illustrations, promotions, sale | Comment (0)Watching the Master at Work
I went along with Maya this last Thursday, April 29th, as she visited an elementary school in Pacifica, CA. I’ve gone along on Maya’s presentations in the past, usually for a library or classroom visit where there’s maybe 30-40 kids, but never an assembly-style one where she speaks to over 300 children at once. I have to say, I couldn’t do it. Not yet anyway. It’s funny though, I can’t help but get nervous for her. I always ask her, “aren’t you nervous? You don’t really know what they want you to do or how many kids you’ll be speaking to!?” She laughs and shrugs and says, “It’s exciting, I love to play!” with a huge smile.
On this day, we arrived nice and early to check in and they almost seemed surprised to see us. We didn’t know much of the details beforehand or whether the children had been reading any of her books in the classroom in preparation for her visit. I just kept thinking that I couldn’t do what she does. I like to know what I’m getting myself into, what the general plan is. I like plans. Maya, she likes surprises. She asked Continue reading »
Filed under Maya in the Classroom | Tags: children, children's books, creative process, presentations, school visit | Comment (0)
