April Showers

April 2012 has proven to be quite the interesting month. April is of special annual significance to me because my daughter was born in it. It's also the month that World Book Night is celebrated each year. As you already know if not a first time visitor to this blog, I LOVE BOOKS especially the ink printed on paper variety and with an extra dose of respect for the hustle of INDIE AUTHORS. As a reader I am discriminating without being overly sensitive. Near and dear to my heart as a WRITER are my very own titles PATCHES OF GREY and MATTERS OF CONVENIENCE. And there will be more to come from me for both the adult and children's market. World Book Night comes shortly after the prestigious Pulitzer Prizes are awarded, but this year the star category of Fiction was noteworthy for a lack of selection. Book people have had and will continue to have plenty to say about this snub. There may not be a 2012 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, but that does not mean plenty of great fiction isn’t coming out, from a greater diversity of voices and on more different platforms than ever before. April is National Poetry Month.  I'm not a poet and I know it, but I love reading and/or listening to those who have mastered the art form.  Speaking of which, last but not least, to many hip hop heads April 2012 is a technologically magical one for bringing forth the birth of the Tupac hologram. Perhaps you're at a stage in your life where the verses of Tupac are more appealing than those of Langston Hughes.  That's okay.  Give it time.  Perhaps you will eventually leave space in your realm of appreciation for both. We've certainly been showered with diverse blessings this April. Next up, those beautiful May flowers.


UPDATE: Eight years have passed since I wrote the words above. April of 2020 finds us in a far different world than that of 2012 for a variety of reasons. The two biggest are the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe and keeping us quarantined in our homes for the time being, and the fact that four years ago the USA elected the worst possible person to be in charge during this period of crisis. COVID-19 and POTUS # 45 present us with considerably more dire situations to deal with than we were given back in 2012. The attacks on civil liberties and our states of health brought about by Donald Trump and a lethal virus are not mere holograms. They are serious issues that need to be managed. I trust that now that we have fully acknowledged what we're dealing with, we will get the spread of Coronavirus under control and eventually find ways to combat it more quickly and pleasantly than is being accomplished by social distancing. As for the mess taking place in the White House, Americans can clean that up at the ballot box in November of 2020. Until then stay safe, be cautiously wise, and as always - happy reading.

RIP Dick Clark - May Heaven be your next bandstand