James Baldwin on the Creative Process and the Artist’s Responsibility to Society – Brain Pickings

Pamela Ross

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.”– JAMES BALDWIN

The more you read, the less alone you think you are. The more you read, the less alone you truly are.

What have I been telling myself for years and years and years?

“A society must assume that it is stable, but the artist must know, and he must let us know, that there is nothing stable under heaven.”

Source: James Baldwin on the Creative Process and the Artist’s Responsibility to Society – Brain Pickings

What’s New at School? Free Webinar! More Posts! (+ a #Giveaway!)

Pamela Ross

A Message from your Mentors.
Read or See Me after class for a special session of detention.
😉

Nerdy Chicks Write

badge final 4x4-brighter heartYou know how it goes, every year when school starts back up students want to know what has changed, what’s the same, and who is going to be around. Same thing happens with Kidlit Summer School, right? So we thought we’d fill you in on some exiting changes! For the first time ever, we are offering a week of PRE-Kidlit Summer School posts. For this awesome week of inspiration, five members of our KLSS Faculties from our first two years have volunteered to share their winning strategies for getting into the writing groove. Look for posts NEXT WEEK from Jen Malone, John Claude Bemis, Rebecca Petruck, Kristine Asselin, and Tara Lazar! Their wisdom will pave the way for  you to get psyched and excited about writing. Then we’ll take the week of July fourth off for these great ideas to percolate, and hit the books with…

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At Home, She Feels Like a Tourist

Pamela Ross

You live in New York.
You share a debit card with your daughter.
Your daughter travels to Philadelphia for the weekend.
Your daughter tries to use the card to
buy an $8 item in Philadelphia.
Your card is declined for an $8 purchase.
You call customer service. Embarrassment is involved. Everyone thinks you don’t have $8 to your name.
You plug in a lot of information before a human voice
enters into the equation.
Your bank customer service says the card was declined
to prevent fraud.
Your bank customer service representative says “Let us know you are travelling out of state when using your card.”
You remind customer service New York and Pennsylvania are not exactly distant relatives. You know, these -United- States. One nation, under G-d, with liberty and justice for all.
You question the tagline “America’s Most Convenient Bank” in the bank’s advertisements.

Who Are You? What Do You Do? What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up? Do You Ever Stop Talking or Writing? Funny You Should Ask.

Pamela Ross

I was born and raised in Brooklyn. (That’s not the funny part. That was the good part. Everyone who is anyone must have ties to the Brooklyn scene.) I graduated from New York University with an Honors English degree. (That’s not the funny part either, except there are not many things English majors are qualified to do.) I worked for two major publishing houses before I packed my bags and headed to law school. (That’s not the funny part either. Law school was hard.) I met my husband in law school. We lived in Western Massachusetts until we ran out of things to do. We moved to Long Island to be closer to family and to dedicate a great portion of our lives to driving our cars in traffic on the Long Island Expressway. Thank goodness for talk radio.

I’ve always known I was going to be a writer. I wrote novels for my third grade friends and shelved them in our classroom library. Today, I am a children’s book author. My two non-fiction books were published by Capstone Press. If you need to do research on Native American people, do I have two books for you! (Go to the library. It’s good for you.) I also freelance as a copywriter for greeting card publishers. (Send a card. Say hello to family and friends. People love hearing from you.) In my spare time, I live a charmed, perfect, worry-free life with my wonderful husband and even more wonderful daughters. And yes, they want me to tell you even the dog is wonderful. (Are you laughing with me yet?) I love reading, writing (surprise), diners, coffee talk with friends, and making beautiful music (although I am sad I will never be the female Bruce Springsteen). My happiest moments are when I make my keyboard talk. I love the sound of uncontrollable laughter. I hope you do, too.

Please write to let me know if something I wrote made your day. It makes my day when someone tells me: Your Words Matter.

To answer those burning questions above, keep reading. The mysteries will all be revealed.
But. Be warned. I never stop writing.
I never stop talking.

My childhood nickname was Chatterbox.
I rest my case.
Some things just don’t change.