Nov. 7th is National Bookstore Day

Hundreds, if not thousands, of bookstores will be celebrating the first National Bookstore Day on Nov. 7, 2009. This is a day devoted to celebrating bookselling and the vibrant culture of bookstores. You have a bookstore in your community, and Saturday, Nov. 7, is your day to stop in and say Hello.

At The Book Stall of Chestnut Court web site, you can read an essay written by Alan Cheuse, author of To Catch the Lightning, and a favorite book of mine: A Trance After Breakfast, which I reviewed online here.

I'm fortunate to have a speaking opportunity in Manzanita, Oregon that day, and will be selling books at my sister's shop, Ekhani Books after the workshop. Wherever you are that day, please stop in a local book shop, celebrate them, and make a purchase.

Illinois Arts & Humanties Month

It's AH! month again in Illinois and the State has made a big splash for Arts & Humanities month with presence on Facebook, Twitter, and oh look... even on Release Your Writing.


Join in the fun, and celebrate the arts together. Note we are in good company with Gov. Quinn and Pres. Obama speaking in favor our our dedication and passion for the arts:

Gov. Quinn: (after several "WHEREAS" paragraphs):

THEREFORE, I, Pat Quinn, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby proclaim October 2009 as ILLINOIS ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH and call upon our citizens to celebrate and promote the arts and culture in our state and to specifically encourage the greater participation by those said citizens in taking action for the arts and humanities in their towns and cities.

read the rest here

Pres. Obama:
(Too articulate to excerpt: read Proclamation here)

We really should write every day, even for a few minutes.

If you don't believe me, here's research from the Univ. Missouri that says its true: Writing is good for you:

Twenty years ago, University of Texas psychologist James Pennebaker concluded that students who wrote about their most meaningful personal experiences for 15 minutes a day several days in a row felt better, had healthier blood work, and got higher grades in school. But a new study from the University of Missouri shows that a few minutes of writing will also suffice.

Researchers asked 49 college students to take two minutes on two consecutive days and write about something they found to be emotionally significant. The participants registered immediate improvements in mood and performed better on standardized measures of physiological well-being. An extended inward look isn’t necessary, the study concludes; merely “broaching the topic on one day and briefly exploring it the next” is enough to put things in perspective.

Source: Utne & veryshortlist.com