BookCourt & Bees

The photo says it all. Except this: after reading the book, we'll be making bee and flower origami to hang in the window of BookCourt. Come discover how truly rotten I am at this ancient Japanese craft!

And in case you missed it, here's the latest nice write-up of The Honeybee Man. 

Two Books In My News

Did you miss the launch reading of The Honeybee Man? Never fear - I'll be reading it again next Sunday, April 10 at BookCourt (163 Court Street in Cobble Hill),  from 11:00-12:00. I'll also be doing a bee-related craft with the kiddies, so please come on down!

Long before she discovered the delights of bees and honey, my daughter, Ada, was crazy about clothes. And here I mean crazy in a frenetic, difficult and daily challenging way. It took me a long time to understand that it was her extreme sensitivity to the things she was wearing – socks, shoes, shirt sleeves under sweaters, the label stitched at the back of her dress – that caused every morning to culminate in a boneless, shrieking meltdown as we tried to get out the door. To other parents who find themselves desperately attempting to cope with Tactile Defensiveness, here's a book that's certain to help: I'll Tell You Why...I Can't Wear Those Clothes, by my oldest friend on the planet, Noreen O'Sullivan. Its interactive format offers the opportunity not only to talk to your children about what plagues them, but for them to explain themselves as well. Noreen's currently working out US distribution, but the book is available to order on Amazon UK right this minute (just follow the link). I wish I'd had this in my motherly arsenal way-back-when!

Meet Renée

That's right, Renée is a tiger pelt. A knitted tiger pelt, to be precise.

This gorgeous and exacting wool specimen was created, on three sets of circular needles over the course of about three months, by artist Ruth Marshall, who I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing yesterday at the Museum of Arts and Design. Not in time to grace the pages of ASTOUNDING KNITS, alas, but in plenty of time to appear in the Fall 2011 of Twist Collective. While I'm busily writing her profile, visit Ruth and her ever-growing tribe of tigers, ocelots and snakes.

Ruth and a nameless - though nevertheless technically excellent - ocelot.

THANK YOU!!

To all my old friends and new who attended the launch of THE HONEYBEE MAN, a humongous THANK YOU for making the event such a great success. powerHouse Arena was sold out of books by the time I left the building. Wow!

I hope you all enjoyed learning a little about honeybees – and here I need to proffer another giant thank you to apiarist John Howe for sharing his knowledge, not to mention those excellent sparkly bee antennae. NYC Beekeeping, which John founded a decade ago, is an excellent source for learning even more about these vital, pollinating members of our community, especially if you think you might be interested in becoming an apiarist yourself.

Finally, I share here two more terrific reviews. It's such a thrill to know that the book is out there in the world, being read and appreciated.

She Is Too Fond of Books
The Record

ARE YOU READY FOR SUNDAY?

Dear friends:

I can't wait to see you all at the powerHouse Arena in DUMBO for the launch of THE HONEYBEE MAN, this Sunday from 4:00 to 5:00 PM! Here's a fascinating bee fact to get you in the mood: honeybees actually prefer to forage for nectar and pollen in trees, such as Brooklyn's own myriad lindens. Why? Simple - more flowers per square inch than in your average flower garden. Apiarist John Howe will have lots more facts to share on Sunday – come with your questions!

Meanwhile, here's a fabulous review of the book by a librarian in Wisconsin.