Poetry Friday: September Roundup of Books and Bookstores
Tabatha Yeatts is hosting this week. Hop on over to “The Opposite of Indifference” to see the roundup.
24 Bookstores in 2024
31. Freeman Store & Museum Book Cellar, Vienna, Virginia
Visited on September 28, 2024
This little local museum, gift shop, and used book cellar is a gem. It has very limited hours, but if I’m in the area, I try to pop in and see what kinds of used books they have.
Books Read in September
This month has been BUSY. The start of the school year is always overwhelming and takes more of my bandwidth than I’m ever fully prepared for. My husband says (after being with me 23/27 of my teaching years) that it’s like this every year. So how do I forget?
I’ve read fewer books and gone to fewer bookstores than in other months. I’ve had more event-filled evenings than free evenings in the past 30 days. That cuts into my reading time. I’m also in the middle of several long books, and I just haven’t finished yet.
by Dorianne Laux
What’s Next (Audio version)
by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack
I’m a HUGE West Wing fan (actually, I’m also a very big Aaron Sorkin fan). We just finished rewatching all seven seasons of The West Wing. I find it very comforting, but I realized that I have no recall of the last season. I had just had my first child during that season, so perhaps I didn’t watch it when it originally aired.
Haiku of the Week
fairies left
their umbrellas as garden
decorations
Haiku & Photo © 2024 Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Photo Taken: August 10, 2024 at my son’s Eagle Scout project location
Haiku Written: August 23, 2024
Grow
I was MIA last week because I was busy with two book deadlines. I’m thrilled because it means that both my 2025 and 2026 books are closer to getting into the hands of readers. But I had to use most of my waking moments outside of work last week to meet the deadlines. It was a stretch for me. A friend asked how I manage to do it, with work and family. I told her—it’s temporary. I couldn’t live in a constant state like that, but I can do it for a few days. I had to move my other to-do’s on my list onto this week’s list. Sadly, I didn’t get around to posting for Poetry Friday last week or visiting anyone’s posts.
29 Comments
Linda Baie
It’s great to hear you met your deadlines, however they double-filled your days, Marcie. Congratulations! And, it’s always great to see pics of the bookstores you visit! I love your haiku and that photo! Those ‘garden umbrellas’ almost don’t look real. They are amazing! Have a nice weekend!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Don’t they look like they’re made for dollhouses?
Linda Mitchell
Hooray! more books from Marcie are on the way. Time juggling is a real art that I never knew existed until trying to adult. I’m still trying to adult. But, after being trained in “chores first, fun later,” I find myself familiar with the hampster wheel of trying to get things done. So good to see this gem of a book shop. I need to visit that place!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
I’m still trying to adult too. Sometimes (often) my house looks like I”m terrible at adulting.
Cathy Stenquist
Hey Marcie,
Hope this finds you well. Love the mushroom pic and the Haiku it inspired. I love seeing poems in words I hear or on walks I take. September is a hard month. Hope you find time to get back to those books 🙂 Have a great day! Cathy
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
So wonderful to hear from you, Cathy! I love doing walks for haiku too. So fun!
Rose Cappelli
Love those fairy umbrellas! I’m a West Wing fan, too and will look for the What’s Next? book.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
The print copy has lots of pictures, but the audio book is read by the authors, so I loved that too!
Patricia Franz
Are those mushrooms??? So incredible! And I’m very intrigued about “finger exercises for poets” — the physical and the metaphorical. We just visited the Carter Presidential Library and I forgot all that was happening in the world in 1977-81! So you are forgiven for blanking on the final season of West Wing! (I just began rewatching it all too). 🙂
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh yes, those early years of kids–did I watch any TV for myself? I’m not even sure. I remember going to a movie for the first time when my kids were little. We paid a babysitter and I fell asleep in the movie–such an expensive nap. And yes, they are mushrooms. And I marked a bunch of the finger exercises to go back and try. You’ll probably see it at some point soon! 🙂
jama
Those fairy umbrellas are amazing (as Linda said, they almost don’t look real). Enjoyed seeing another of your bookstore stops and hearing about productive days on the new books.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
I stopped what I was doing for my son’s Eagle Scout project to snap this photo, and I got a big eye roll from him. But it was WORTH it.
Laura Purdie Salas
You made it! Yay, Marcie! And those fairy umbrellas are so delicate and lovely. Like nature origami…
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes to nature origami!
Denise Krebs
Marcie, congratulations on the book deadlines being met. Exciting times! Those fairy umbrellas are so amazing. I love that these mushrooms look exactly like fairy umbrellas. Great capture!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you so much!
Irene Latham
Cutest umbrellas ever! xo
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
They are!!!
Cathy
Oh, the first month of school! This is my fourth fall since retiring from teaching. I have to say that I am continually amazed at all the “in-between” I missed. There are so many changes from late summer into early fall that were completely outside my abilities to notice in the busy back-to-school days. Mushrooms might have been one of them because, on a walk this week, I saw them everywhere, all lined up like they were headed out for the day. You can imagine that I smiled at your fairy umbrellas. I’m so impressed that you captured the moment in the busyness of the first days (and all of these other gems).
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh, I’m sure I miss so much between summer and fall. I always say–whatever happens in my garden in September happens. It’s just a mess.
Carol Varsalona
Marcie, when I opened your post and saw those sweet little mushrooms I knew you would have a wonderful haiku for us and I was right. Besides an adorable fairy tale., they look like party accessories for a fairy tea party. I can imagine how hectic life must be for you now. Take a deep breath and think of how wonderful you will feel when the tasks are over.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
I’m grateful that the deadlines are past for now.
Karen Edmisten
Congrats on hitting the book deadlines! I know exactly what you mean about being able to live that way for a short period of time. I’ve had book deadlines that came down to the wire, and my kids and husband came to know it as Crunch Time. We all knew that when Mom entered Crunch Time, things would be different for a short while. 🙂 Couldn’t live in Crunch Time forever, but for an invigorating (read: exhausting-but-worth-it) spring, it worked. 🙂
Love those fairy umbrellas!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Crunch time is the perfect way to think about it!
Tabatha
Congrats on the upcoming books! My husband and younger daughter went around taking mushroom photos one day this week. They found so many! No fairy umbrellas, though.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
What a COOL thing to do. This is the perfect time of the year to do that. I need to get out this weekend and do some more of that.
Molly Hogan
Oh, those fairy umbrellas! They are so delicate and dainty! I can just imagine moonlit fairy scenes amongst them. Congrats on reaching your deadlines. I can’t imagine that balancing act, but am so excited for you, and for your readers!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes to moonlit fairy scenes. That sounds amazing!
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