#Woodson Museum

[longlistshort]

Mary Ann Carroll (1940-2019), “Untitled (Backcountry Twilight)”, n.d., Oil on Masonite board

Harold Newton (1934-1991), “Untitled (Painting of the Indian River)”, c. 1958, Oil on Upson board; Alfred Hair (1941-1970), “Untitled (Marshland with palm), c. 1958, Oil on Upson board

James Gibson (1938-2017) “Untitled (Moonlit palms)”, n.d., Oil on Upson board

In early 2021, Tampa Museum of Art presented the work of Florida’s famous Highwaymen painters in the exhibition Living Color: The Art of the Highwaymen.

From the museum-

The Highwaymen are a group of African American artists celebrated for their distinctive paintings of Florida’s natural environment. Working in and around the Fort Pierce area beginning in the 1950s, these self-taught artists depicted the state’s scenic coastline and wild backcountry, often in dazzling combinations of color and tone. Brilliant tropical sunsets, windblown palms, towering sunlit clouds, and blooming poinciana trees are among the many subjects that have become iconic images of Florida in part because of the paintings that the Highwaymen created. In the state’s postwar boom years their paintings found an enthusiastic audience among a growing population of new residents and visitors. Unrecognized by the region’s art establishment of galleries and museums, the Highwaymen by necessity catered directly to their patrons, selling their paintings door-to-door along such thoroughfares as Route 1. It was from this practice that the name “Highwaymen” was later coined.

The popularity of Highwaymen paintings waned in the 1980s as the vision of Florida was reimagined by an ever-increasing population and once-pristine landscapes were lost to development. Then in the mid-1990s a new generation of collectors, with fresh eyes, rediscovered the paintings and began to assemble significant collections. These collectors saw the art of the Highwaymen as an important artistic legacy and together with several writers, scholars, and enthusiasts began the process of establishing the historical context and reevaluation of their work. Books and articles followed, bringing a new level of recognition for the achievements of these artists and, with that, growing popular acclaim. The contribution of the Highwaymen to the cultural life of Florida was formally recognized in 2004 when the group of 26 artists was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Living Color: The Art of the Highwaymen brings together 60 paintings by a core group of the Highwaymen including Al Black, Mary Ann Carroll, Willie Daniels, Johnny Daniels, James Gibson, Alfred Hair, Roy McLendon, Harold Newton, Sam Newton, Willie Reagan, and Livingston Roberts.

Focusing on work produced from the 1950s to the 1980s, the exhibition is an in-depth examination of the group’s initial period of success when their groundbreaking style of fast painting was being developed. Fast painting is a hallmark and essential innovation of the Highwaymen. Facing limitations imposed by the racial prejudice of their time, they had little or no access to formal training or to conventional art markets. To overcome these obstacles, they produced large numbers of works which could be sold at very affordable prices. Some estimates of the group’s overall production during their heyday exceed 200,000 paintings, with certain artists creating dozens of paintings per day. Their creative response to the racism they confronted resulted in an original artistic practice.

Opening at The Woodson African American Museum of Florida in St. Pete this Saturday, 9/9/23, is Florida Highwaymen: The Next Generation – The Legacy Continues, an exhibition of work by Ray McLendon, son of Highwayman Roy McLendon, who creates Florida landscapes in the same iconic style his father used.

[alwaysbewoke]

Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable was born in Saint-Domingue, Haiti (French colony) during the Haitian Revolution. At some point he settled in the part of North America that is now known as the city of Chicago and was described in historical documents as "a handsome negro" He married a Native American woman, Kitiwaha, and they had two children. In 1779, during the American Revolutionary War, he was arrested by the British on suspicion of being an American Patriot sympathizer. In the early 1780s he worked for the British lieutenant-governor of Michilimackinac on an estate at what is now the city of St. Clair, Michigan north of Detroit. In the late 1700's, Jean-Baptiste was the first person to establish an extensive and prosperous trading settlement in what would become the city of Chicago. Historic documents confirm that his property was right at the mouth of the Chicago River. Many people, however, believe that John Kinzie (a white trader) and his family were the first to settle in the area that is now known as Chicago, and it is true that the Kinzie family were Chicago's first "permanent" European settlers. But the truth is that the Kinzie family purchased their property from a French trader who had purchased it from Jean-Baptiste. He died in August 1818, and because he was a Black man, many people tried to white wash the story of Chicago's founding. But in 1912, after the Great Migration, a plaque commemorating Jean-Baptiste appeared in downtown Chicago on the site of his former home. Later in 1913, a white historian named Dr. Milo Milton Quaife also recognized Jean-Baptiste as the founder of Chicago. And as the years went by, more and more Black notables such as Carter G. Woodson and Langston Hughes began to include Jean-Baptiste in their writings as "the brownskin pioneer who founded the Windy City." In 2009, a bronze bust of Jean-Baptiste was designed and placed in Pioneer Square in Chicago along the Magnificent Mile. There is also a popular museum in Chicago named after him called the DuSable Museum of African American History.

x

[professional-termite]

@prisencolinensinainciusol09 the

[wausaupilot]

Woodson Art Museum residency project awarded grant

While at the museum, Pao Houa Her will photograph area residents in the created environment.

WAUSAU – The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum announced in late November Green Bay Packers Foundation support for the project “Belonging” with Minnesota-based artist Pao Houa Her. Her, whose artworks will be featured in the exhibition “Double Exposure: Community Portraits,” on view from June 7, 2025, through Aug. 24, 2025, will be at the Woodson in July 2025 to talk about her work, demonstrate…

[vestaignis]

Мир птиц в работах художника Джереми Пола.

The world of birds in the works of artist Jeremy Paul.

Джереми Пол родился в 1954 году в Ланкашире. Он сделал успешную карьеру в области морской биологии, прежде чем стал профессиональным художником. Его работа в области морской биологии привела его к жизни в отдаленные и красивые районы Британских островов. Именно когда он жил на западном побережье Шотландии, он начал серьезно рисовать. Он полностью художник-самоучка, работающий исключительно акрилом.

Сейчас художник живет со своей женой и двумя детьми на острове Мэн, а до этого много путешествовал по Индии, Африке, Северной Америке, а совсем недавно – по Антарктиде и Арктике. У Джереми было много персональных выставок. Его работы находятся в коллекции Художественного музея Вудсона в США и «Природа в искусстве», Международного центра искусства дикой природы в Глостере, Великобритания, где он является частью их программы проживания художников. Художник издает собственную серию гравюр с изображением дикой природы ограниченным и открытым тиражом. Так же его картины были воспроизведены на ряде почтовых марок, посвященных дикой природе. А в 2013 году вышла книга его картин с птицами.

Jeremy Paul was born in 1954 in Lancashire. He had a successful career in marine biology before becoming a professional artist. His work in marine biology took him to remote and beautiful areas of the British Isles. It was while he was living on the west coast of Scotland that he began painting seriously. He is a completely self-taught artist, working exclusively in acrylics.

The artist now lives with his wife and two children on the Isle of Man, and before that he traveled extensively to India, Africa, North America, and most recently Antarctica and the Arctic. Jeremy has had many solo exhibitions. His work is in the collection of the Woodson Art Museum in the USA and Nature in Art, the International Wildlife Art Center in Gloucester, UK, where he is part of their artist residency program. The artist publishes his own series of prints depicting wildlife in limited and open editions. His paintings have also been reproduced on a number of postage stamps dedicated to wildlife. And in 2013, a book of his paintings with birds was published.

Источник://www.jeremypaulwildlifeartist.co.uk/gallery/,

//creativeartworksblog.wordpress.com/2022/07/01/jeremy-paul-wildlife-artist/,

//www.icanvas.com/canvas-art-prints/artist/jeremy-paul?product=canvas&sort=popular,

//www.britishwildlifefinearts.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1438756-Jeremy-Paul.html,

//www.oscarsgallery.co.uk/Jeremy-Paul/C42-1-0.htm

[ausetkmt]

February is Black History Month, a time dedicated to honoring and celebrating the essential contributions of Black people in the story of America. National and local events and online celebrations will take place throughout the month to focus attention on Black people's achievements and history. 

Since 1976, the US has marked the contributions of Black people and celebrated the history and culture of the Black experience in America every February. Read on to learn more about Black History Month and the ways in which you can participate.

The story of Black History Month

Born as a sharecropper in 1875, Carter G. Woodson went on to become a teacher and the second African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard. He founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in 1915 and eventually became known as the "father of Black history."

On Feb. 7, 1926, Woodson announced the creation of "Negro History Week" to encourage and expand the teaching of Black history in schools. He selected February because the month marks the birthday of the two most famous abolitionists of the time -- Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Feb. 1 is also National Freedom Day, a celebration of the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the US.

By the 1940s, schools in Woodson's home state of West Virginia had begun expanding the celebration to a month, and by the 1960s, demands for proper Black history education spread across the country. Kent State's Black United Students proposed the idea of a Black History month in 1969 and celebrated the first event in February 1970. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976 during the US bicentennial. 

The excellent history site BlackPast has a full biography of Carter Woodson and the origins of Black History Month. 

Visit a Black or African American history museum

Almost every state in the US has a Black history museum or African American heritage site. The country's first and oldest is the Hampton University Museum in Hampton, Virginia. Like many other museums, it offers a virtual tour and online exhibits.

One of the most famous of these museums is the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The museum, which is located steps away from where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, allows you to sit with Rosa Parks on the bus that inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, among many other powerful exhibits.

African-American heritage sites include historic parks and other significant locations and monuments in Black history. Some of the most popular include Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, the epicenter of US school desegregation. You could also consider visiting the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta.

If there's no museum or heritage site near you, keep an eye out for the Black History Mobile Museum, which traverses the country all month and through the summer. Throughout February you can find the mobile museum in several states, starting in New Jersey on Feb. 1 and making its way through 12 other states. See the full list of 2023 tour dates here. 

Learn about Black music history by listening online

Marley Marl and Mr. Magic were superstar rap DJs for WBLS FM in the 1980s. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

From spirituals and blues to the rise of jazz, R&B and hip hop, Black music has been entwined with American culture for centuries. 

There are lots of ways to learn about and experience the power of Black American music online. One of the most extensive and free resources is the Black Music History Library, created by Jenzia Burgos. The compendium includes an array of Black music sources, with links to music samples, full recordings and interviews, as well as books and articles.

Another remarkable Black music website is the #312 Soul project. Originally launched as a month-long series on Chicago's Black music from 1955 to 1990, the site publishes original stories from Chicago residents about their personal experiences creating and enjoying Black music.

For snapshots of Black music between 1982 and 1999, check out the Hip Hop Radio Archive, a collection of radio show recordings from commercial, college and independent hip-hop stations. Of particular note are classic radio shows from New York City's WBLS, featuring Rap Attack with Marley Marl and Mr. Magic.

Online streaming music services also curate collections for Black History Month -- Spotify has an extensive collection of Black music in its Black History is Now collection. Tidal and Amazon Music also include special Black music collections on their services.

Support Black-owned businesses and restaurants

Becoming a customer of local Black businesses helps protect livelihoods and supports Black entrepreneurs.

If you aren't sure which businesses in your area are owned and operated by your Black neighbors, several resources can help. Start off by learning how to find Black-owned restaurants where you live. 

Several directories have now been created to highlight and promote Black businesses. Official Black Wall Street is one of the original services that list businesses owned by members of the Black community.

Support Black Owned uses a simple search tool to help you find Black businesses, Shop Black Owned is an open-source tool operating in eight US cities, and EatOkra specifically helps people find Black-owned restaurants. Also, We Buy Black offers an online marketplace for Black businesses.

The online boutique Etsy highlights Black-owned vendors on its website -- many of these shop owners are women selling jewelry and unique art pieces. And if you're searching for make-up or hair products, check CNET's own list of Black-owned beauty brands.

Donate to Black organizations and charities

Donating money to a charity is an important way to support a movement or group, and your monetary contribution can help fund programs and pay for legal costs and salaries that keep an organization afloat. Your employer may agree to match employee donations, which would double the size of your contribution -- ask your HR department.

Nonprofit organizations require reliable, year-round funding to do their work. Rather than a lump sum, consider a monthly donation. Even if the amount seems small, your donation combined with others can help provide a steady stream of funds that allows programs to operate.

Here are some non-profit organizations advancing Black rights and equal justice and supporting Black youth:

Black Lives Matter 

NAACP 

Thurgood Marshall College Fund 

Color of Change 

Black Girls Code 

The Black Youth Project

Attend local Black History Month events

Many cities, schools, and local organizations will host events celebrating Black History Month in February 2022. Check your local newspaper or city website to see what events are happening in your area -- for example, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Baltimore and Louisville, Kentucky, have extensive events planned this month.

If you can't find anything in your area or don't want to attend events in person, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, is offering a handful of online Black History Month events throughout February.

Watch Black history documentaries and movies

Black is King is an elaborately staged musical directed, written and produced by Beyoncé. Disney

You can find movies and documentaries exploring the Black experience right now on Netflix, Disney Plus and other streaming services. 

The CNET staff has compiled a selection of feature films and documentaries for Black History Month 2023, including the wonderful Summer of Soul and Black is King. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu all have special collections of streaming movies and shows for Black History Month.

PBS also offers several free video documentary collections, which include smaller chunks of Black history for all ages. The collections include subjects like the Freedom Riders, the 1963 March on Washington and the Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

Find Black authors and stories for yourself and your children

There are so many great books written by Black authors you should read -- not only during Black History Month but all year round. So, where do we start? Try your local library. Many will have Black History Month collections for both adults and kids.

Libraries will also often have Black History Month book recommendations by age. The San Diego Public Library, the Detroit Public Library and DC Public Library, for example, have programs and collections to browse for adults and children.

Next, try Black booksellers. The Noname Book Club, dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, has compiled a list of Black-owned bookshops across the US. The club also highlights two books a month by writers of color.

Dive deeper into Black history with online resources

The National Archives includes many primary resources from Black history in America. Rowland Sherman/National Archives

You can find remarkable Black history collections on government, educational and media sites. One of the best is the aforementioned BlackPast, which hosts a large collection of primary documents from African American history, dating back to 1724.

The National Archives also hosts a large collection of records, photos, news articles and videos documenting Black heritage in America. The expansive National Museum of African American History & Culture's Black History Month collection is likewise full of unique articles, videos and learning materials.

The New York Times' 1619 Project tracks the history of Black Americans from the first arrival of enslaved people in Virginia. The Pulitzer Center hosts the full issue of The 1619 Project as a PDF file on its 1619 Education site, which also offers reading guides, activity lessons and reporting related to the project.

You can buy The 1619 Project and the children's picture book version -- The 1619 Project: Born on the Water -- as printed books.

[reasoningdaily]

In 1922, Carter G. Woodson, known as “the father of Black history,” bought the home at 1538 Ninth Street NW for $8,000.Credit...Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

In 1922, Carter G. Woodson, known as “the father of Black history,” bought the home at 1538 Ninth Street NW for $8,000. The home served as the headquarters for the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (which is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, or A.S.A.L.H.).

It was where he ran the Associated Publishers, the publishing house focused on African American culture and history at a time when many other publishers wouldn’t accept works on the topic. It’s where The Journal of Negro History and The Negro History Bulletin were based, and it’s where he initiated the first Negro History Week — the precursor to Black History Month — in 1926.

“If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated,” Dr. Woodson famously wrote.

The site, owned by the National Park Service, is being restored and will likely be open to visitors starting this fall, a spokesperson for the Park Service said.

“If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated,” Dr. Woodson famously wrote.Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Though Dr. Woodson was the kind of neighbor who doted on children playing on the street and his stoop, even as other adults told them to behave, 1538 Ninth Street NW was more about his life’s work than serving as a traditional residence. It became known as Dr. Woodson’s “office home,” as Willie Leanna Miles, who was a managing director of the Associated Publishers, put it in her 1991 article “Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson as I Recall Him, 1943-1950.” The article was published in The Journal of Negro History, which was founded by Dr. Woodson and is still running as The Journal of African American History today.

[mybeingthere]

Michael Dickter: "My work engages the natural world ... images of birds or flowers talk to me of connection, of beauty, of freedom, and of the precarious and profoundly precious nature of our world. Making marks on a surface, choosing colours, dripping, obscuring and replacing images talk to this through the act of painting."

Michael Dickter has painted in the Northwest since the 1980's. He studied at the Art Students League and SUNY Cortland. He shows in galleries nationally and in Washington State. In 2017 he was featured in the Woodson Art Museums 42nd Annual “Birds in Art “ exhibition. His painting was bought by the Woodson for their permanent collection. He was also featured this year in Fine Art Connoisseur’s article ‘Today’s Masters - Avian Art Takes Flight!

[the-sayuri-rin]

On the street in front of The Woodson Museum in St. Petersburg, the words “Black History Matters” are painted as a mural. That message and the history on the block alone is what made The Woodson the perfect place to launch a Freedom School.

Jacqueline Hubbard with the Association of African American Life and History’s St. Pete chapter said she gave the concept a lot of thought.

“I was really active in the student nonviolent coordinating committee when I was in college," Hubbard said. "And I remember I was part of the freedom summer. I remember the Freedom Schools. And I wrote an article for the Weekly Challenger saying, 'Don’t you think it’s time we revisit the Freedom Schools? Don’t our kids need to be taught their own history?' Who can better teach it then those of us who are of the same group.” 

Hubbard also reacted to changes that were made to the new African American History teaching standards. 

"The curriculum is an abomination," she said. It makes me very angry when I read what they want to teach children."

[hilariusress]

Please touch the artwork: Woodson Art Museum introduces permanent tactile exhibit - Wausau Daily Herald

Please touch the artwork: Woodson Art Museum introduces permanent tactile exhibit  Wausau Daily Herald

[1973listener-blog]

Celebrating Juneteenth! Deb Carson on the Traci Mims Exhibit at Woodson African American Museum: Lunchtime Conversations June 11th RadioStPete https://audioboom.com/posts/8521126-celebrating-juneteenth-deb-carson-on-the-traci-mims-exhibit-at-woodson-african-american-museum

[longlistshort]

Florida artist Jane Bunker’s Mandala, is one of several of her paintings of lilies on view at Soft Water Gallery in St. Pete, Florida.

Proceeds from the sales of her work will be donated to the Woodson Warriors Scholarships Fund. Administered by The Carter G. Woodson African American Museum of Florida, the fund distributes scholarships to local African American college scholars. Bunker established the fund in 2019 while she was a volunteer at the museum.

[uniqueartisanconnoisseur]

Story of the Tennessee Agricultural Museum

I love history and learning the story behind the story! Thanks to friend and tractor collector Buddy Woodson for the invite to the Spring-Crank Up 2024, antique tractor show. During our visit to the show, and Tennessee Agricultural Museum, Buddy gave me a tour of the grounds of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Since then, I have been diving deep, and learning about the history of this…

[professional-termite]

I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY OR THE MENTAL CAPACITY TO HANDLE ANY MORE GOFUNDME ASKS RIGHT NOW. I WILL DELETE THEM FROM MY ASK BOX IF YOU SEND THEM.

drawing requests are currently closed on this blog (with a few exceptions)

BANNER BY @/corvidovis AND PFP BY @/teacup-captor TYSM SILLIES!!!!

hi, im Vanderbilt (aka Termite or Termy), formerly E.W.W. Morningstar (Eddie is now hosted solely on @e-w-w-morningstar)! i am an aspiring artist and writer who just wants to be silly goofy online. send me asks, fool around, and have fun on my blog!! i love interacting with people :3 im e_w_woodson on ao3 if you wanna check me out

yes, i am the lightning mcqueen hater (i-hate-mcqueen). please stop sending me lightning mcqueen (send him in if you want, its funny lmao)

dni (not a lot tbh)

bigots (homophobic, transphobic, aphobic, racist, TERF, mysogynist, etc)

pedophiles or zoophiles (if you support pedophilia or zoophilia i will be blocking you immediately)

if i dont like you i will block you. sometimes i do this on vibe alone

fandoms im in/shows and movies ive watched (the list is constantly growing, you can ask if ive watched/read something if you dont see it here)

night at the museum

stranger things

scream (the original movie, havent seen the others)

CHILDS PLAY/CHUCKY MY BELOVED (seen all the movies, seen most of the show, etc)

mouthwashing

life of luxury

project hail mary

arc of a scythe

the martian

star trek (tng and tos)

haunted mansion (2003 and 2023)

doctor who (just the stuff on disney+)

good omens

fnaf (the games and movies)

downton abbey

umbrella academy

beetlejuice the musical

hamilton

shows/movies im planning on watching:

bbc sherlock (watched up to s3)

psych (watched eps. 1-3)

murder she wrote (yet to start)

only murders in the building (yet to start)

ted lasso (watched eps 1 and 2)

the afterparty (watched s1 a while ago, yet to watch s2)

dead end: paranormal park (watched eps 1 and 2)

bbc ghosts (yet to watch)

red dwarf (yet to watch)

and blogs im involved with/admin for under the cut

my (platonic, gender neutral, we get divorced a lot lmao) CURRENTLY ex-EX-husband, stick, is @/stickbug32

my daughter, tailz, is @/ouppypio

my other other daughter, cherry, is @/cherrysdeadd

my son, squid, is @/five-nights-at-squids

my other son, pine tree, is @/pin3-tr33

my soulsister, lee, is @/creative-soul-22

my internet sibling, toast, is @/iceeericeee

my dad, satan, is @/morningbloodystar

one of my siblings, jay, is @/helphowdoiusethis

my other siblings are echo @/echosghoast, violet @/violet-yimlat, abby @/janeway-lover, eric @/ask-eric-the-disposable-demon and probably more but im too lazy to count

my tags for rp as eddie (before i moved him to @e-w-w-morningstar) are #e.w.w. morningstar and #eddie lore, the tags for casual-wood (derry) are #casual-wood and #d.c.c. and the tags for rping as van the void dweller (the character, not me) is #van lore or #vans void

my art stuff is under #writing adventures with van and #drawing adventures with van (when i remember to tag djgk)

star trek posting is under #trek adventures with van

life of luxury posting is under #luxury adventures with van

oc posting is under #oc adventures with van

fop posting is under #fairly odd adventures with van

most of my original posts are under #random, trying to start using #termite talks for non fandom posts

i am the admin for:

@vanderbilt-draws (fandom art blog)

@vans-ghost (van the void dweller)

@jessica-woodson-morningstar (jessica, eddie and vans daughter)

@e-w-w-morningstar (eddie himself)

@novaspacoz (my oc nova)

@tyler-the-destroyer (my oc tyler)

@i-hate-mcqueen (pixar cars sideblog)

@the-real-number-one-van (joke sideblog, was gonna be a personal blog but i havent really used it)

@backup-ominous-threats (but thats a secret if youve read this far shhhh)

@ensign-navh (star trek oc rp blog)

@cptnjeanlucpicard (picard rp blog)

@lt-cmdr-geordilaforge (geordi rp blog, i cant tag him for some reason BUT HES THERE I SWEAR)

[wausaupilot]

Historical Society readies for Holidays at the Houses

This year’s theme will be A Century of Holiday Tradition, centered around the recently discovered book entitled “Growing to be a Christmas Tree,” authored by Alice Yawkey for her grandchildren in 1927.

WAUSAU – The Marathon County Historical Society will host its annual Holidays at the Houses event in mid December, giving visitors the opportunity to celebrate the season with live entertainment, children’s activities and the ever-popular gingerbread contest. It will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at Woodson History Center, 410 McIndoe St., and Yawkey House Museum, 403 McIndoe…

[rockislandadultreads]

Read-Alike Friday: Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley

Every day Iona, a larger-than-life magazine advice columnist, travels the ten stops from Hampton Court to Waterloo Station by train, accompanied by her dog, Lulu. Every day she sees the same people, whom she knows only by nickname: Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm and Terribly-Lonely-Teenager. Of course, they never speak. Seasoned commuters never do.

Then one morning, the man she calls Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader chokes on a grape right in front of her. He’d have died were it not for the timely intervention of Sanjay, a nurse, who gives him the Heimlich maneuver. This single event starts a chain reaction, and an eclectic group of people with almost nothing in common except their commute discover that a chance encounter can blossom into much more. It turns out that talking to strangers can teach you about the world around you - and even more about yourself.

Some of It Was Real by Nan Fischer

Psychic-medium Sylvie Young starts every show with her origin story, telling the audience how she discovered her abilities. But she leaves out a lot—the plane crash that killed her parents, an estranged adoptive family who tend orchards in rainy Oregon, panic attacks, and the fact that her agent insists she research some clients to ensure success.

After a catastrophic reporting error, Thomas Holmes’s next story at the L.A. Times may be his last, but he’s got a great personal pitch. “Grief vampires” like Sylvie who prey upon the loved ones of the deceased have bankrupted his mother. He’s dead set on using his last-chance article to expose Sylvie as a conniving fraud and resurrect his career.

When Sylvie and Thomas collide, a game of cat and mouse ensues, but the secrets they’re keeping from each other are nothing compared to the mysteries and lies they unearth about Sylvie’s past. Searching for the truth might destroy them both—but it’s the only way to find out what’s real.

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson

When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, brokenhearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 that he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like hers. They made plans for a date at the National Gallery art museum, but Frank lost the bus ticket with her number on it. For the past sixty years, he’s ridden the same bus trying to find her, but with no luck.

Libby is inspired to action and, with the help of an unlikely companion, she papers the bus route with posters advertising their search. Libby begins to open her guarded heart to new friendships and a budding romance, as her tightly controlled world expands. But with Frank’s dementia progressing quickly, their chance of finding the girl on the 88 bus is slipping away.

More than anything, Libby wants Frank to see his lost love one more time. But their quest also shows Libby just how important it is to embrace her own chances for happiness—before it’s too late—in a beautifully uplifting novel about how a shared common experience among strangers can transform lives in the most marvelous ways.

The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for, and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life.

June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart, during a fateful summer at camp. They’ve all helped each other through hard things, from heartbreak and loss to substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties.

But in spite of their personal problems, nothing is more important to these songbirds than Camp Holly Springs. When the women learn their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they band together to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives.