(Photo: the young author and his dog, Tippy, 1964, Robinson, Illinois)
I am currently at work on my memoir, Tippy's Nine Lives: A Family Memoir in Dog Years. It's been fun going so far. But a memoir, unlike fiction or a book of non-fiction, is tricky business . . . a no-man's-land of real life stories that may yet impact the living. As I write, I continue to ponder how my family and friends will respond to my memories of situations and events.
As I told my brother not long ago . . . I can't make this stuff up. Our lives were too zany to create out of whole cloth.
But memoirs are tightropes . . . a dangerous journey across mind and memory, trying to stay the narrow course of events, stepping lightly upon secrets and private conversations while maintaining enough humor and dignity to make the realities readable for others.
I've been wanting to write the memoir for years, and I'm so fortunate to be able to do so.
But I'm not sure about the outcomes. Once the book is published, I may discover that I am an orphan . . . abandoned by family and friends. I can only hope I tell the story truthfully.
So please stay tuned. Tippy's on the way.
It's been many moons since I wrote a blog post, but here at the apex of 2017 I decided to re-up my commitment to writing "Between Pages". And although I've not written a blog for six months, that's not to say that I have been lax in my commitments to the written word. I've written plenty of pages, and a few forthcoming.
Last week my latest book hit the shelves--my first children's work--a reader entitled All About Martin Luther King, Jr. I am always excited about new titles--but this one, in particular, is dedicated to the Ten Point Coalition of Indianapolis. In case you are not familiar with this work, it is a movement dedicated to keeping peace in the streets and working for the improvement of young people, offering hope and purpose to those whose lives, otherwise, might be defined by poverty, crime and violence.
It is only fitting that this book have a place in helping the Ten Point Coalition's work. In the coming weeks I'll be speaking in schools and libraries, talking on a few television and radio shows, and scheduling in a few book signings . . . all to help raise awareness and pledge support. You can help, too.
First, let's all celebrate the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday--a day not only to remember Dr. King and his words, but perhaps more importantly to remain firm in our commitment to equality, social justice, and civil rights. This is an American holiday reminding us that the work of social equality and justice is ongoing.
Secondly, we can pray for the work of Ten Point and other ministries that are addressing poverty and lifting up the needs of our young people.
Thirdly, we can be involved in peace-making and peace-building.
I especially enjoyed writing this book on Dr. King because I knew he was, first and foremost, a pastor--a preacher of the gospel, and one who believed in the power of Christ's words to transform, both personally and socially. His legacy, and the struggles of Civil Rights, must always be told to a new generation of children. If we don't tell the story, we are doomed to repeat the past.
So, thanks for reading. And thanks for helping to spread the word about the Dr. King reader and the work of Ten Point Coalition. I hope my little biography of Dr. King might touch a few young lives and make the work of social justice evident, all the while holding out the hope of a better future for all Americans. Let justice roll down like waters . . . and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream! Amen.
~Todd
