[bib-lee-on, meaning "little book" in Greek, is a little shop in the historic town of Lewes, Delaware, where guests can find a thoughtful collection of curated contemporary and antiquarian books, unique greeting cards & stationery items, literary gifts, and original art.]
Dear Reader - We're marking Veterans Day this weekend with two book signings by local authors, and we hope that you'll stop by to support them.
We've carried Vincent dePaul Gisriel's book Hearts Away, Bombs Away for some time, but this'll be our first chance to have him in for a signing. We're thrilled, since every guest who finds his books walks away delighted - it's a real treasure:
After his father's death, Vince was inspired to learn more about his dad's experience in World War II. As part of his research, Vince poured through his parents' correspondence from those years. And while he learned a lot about what the war was like on the front lines as well as the home front, the real story that emerged was the love story between his mom and dad.
Vince will be here on Veterans Day, Sunday the 11th, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Terri Clifton's book A Random Soldier is likewise about war in real-life: a young Marine's experience of the Iraq War and how his family and friends lived it with him and then lived together through his death:
Terri comes by biblion from time to time, and she never fails to move our guests. She'll be here on Saturday the 10th from Noon to 2:00 p.m.
Whatever you're doing this weekend, please be sure to take a moment to honor our veterans in a way that feels meaningful to you.
Dear Reader -Today
is All Saints’ Day. For those of us in America, it’s not a big deal unless
we’re part of a liturgical church (and, heck, even then it’s lost its luster as
a feast in some circles). But I remember back when I lived in a more
traditionally Roman Catholic country: the whole world shut down to mark the
occasion.
Since I’m sitting here in Lewes, my shop is open – and
nobody’s stopped by to wish me a good one. Not surprising. But I’m finding
myself feeling a little wistful this year.
Why?
As I told my church choir buddies a week ago at rehearsal,
my mom’s Aunt Marianne (for whom I’d written a poem that our former director,
George Bayley, set to music for us all to sing) was canonized at St. Peter’s
Basilica on October 21 (the eleventh American to be named). So this is her
first All Saints’ Day as an official saint.
Now, anybody who knew of her knew well that she didn’t need
any official designation to deserve reverence and appreciation, but it still
feels good to have her recognized.
Known as Mother Marianne of Molokai
for most of her life, the work that gained her the most attention was with the
leper colony on that remote Hawaiian island. But her work for those who were
outcasts and social pariahs began long before that, as I learned in the books that my mom shared with me about her when I was growing up.
She opened and administered some of the first general
hospitals in the United States
in upstate New York.
Her work was groundbreaking in two ways: she figured out that good hygiene was
key, implementing practices that are still in place today, and she also refused
to bend to the social barriers that kept many from medical care, including
race. In particular, her willingness to care for alcoholics scandalized
society.
As mother superior of her order in Syracuse, she answered the Hawaiian king’s
plea for help with the leper colonies after 50 other religious orders from
around the world had refused – and the sisters of her order volunteered in
droves to help as well.
The conditions that the nuns encountered on the islands were
horrific. Employing the same brand of practicality and determination, Mother
Marianne transformed the hospitals into clean, functional institutions. She and
her sisters had to exercise a lot of bravery as well, standing up to the royals
and their government as well as the unscrupulous men who ran roughshod over the
lepers, particularly in the colony on Molokai
(an island which served as a natural prison).
After Father Damien (who has since been canonized for his groundbreaking
work on Molokai) succumbed to
the disease, Marianne and her sisters took on his responsibilities. In the
course of their work, the women
transformed the colony – not only making it a clean and sanitary home, but also
adding beauty and joy to what was previously a bleak existence - planting
gardens, making beautiful clothes, teaching the children, and sharing music.
Not one of them ever contracted leprosy in the decades that they served.
Marianne’s love of music became the inspiration for the
title of my poem: God’s Opening Flower. Her favorite song was Makalapua (The Opening
Flower), which was sung at her beatification at St. Peter’s seven years ago.
And the heart of the poem, the line “What I did I did for joy,” came from an
astonishing and transformative moment that I shared with her in a meditation.
So, even though I can’t be part of any particular
celebrations on her behalf this All Saints' Day, I figure I can celebrate with you here,
dear Reader, and share my little poem. Thanks so much for indulging me!
Blessings- Jen
God’s Opening Flower:
Blessed Mother Marianne of Molokai
written in
honor of her feast day on January 23, 2006, by Jen Mason
Who are the wretched and outcast among us?
Do we see them? Do we know them? Do we hold them as they
are?
Or do we turn away, veiling our lives: setting a darkness
and distance which calms our fears?
In our darkness a voice breaks through:
What I did
I did for joy
My life
filled up to brim and over
Sharing in
pure brightness the joys of living
God has
made me an Opening Flower
Lives that knew nothing but wretchedness and isolation: cast
out and left to the wolves of lust and greed.
To these lives came our Opening Flower, revealing the beauty
and dignity that dwelt there all along.
Lives that lived in another kind of prison: locked in the
illusion of perceived superiority.
Our Flower gently lifted that veil of security, shielding
the open souls from all danger and harm.
For in our darkness a voice breaks through:
What I did
I did for joy
My life
filled up to brim and over
Sharing in
pure brightness the joys of living
God has
made me an Opening Flower
Our Opening Flower knows the wretched and the outcast among
us. She knows what is outcast within us, too.
She boldly, safely leads us through the trappings of our own
shuttered minds and souls to the beauty and dignity that dwells with us today.
“The charity of good knows no creeds and is confined to no
one place.”
We, too, must follow where joy and beauty lead.
For what we do we do for joy
Our lives filled up to brim and over
Sharing in pure brightness the joys of living
God will make of us Opening Flowers.
(And now, dear Reader, you can see what a talented fellow George Bayley is for figuring out a way to set this less-than lyrical poem to music - and how kind my fellow singers were for singing it with me!)
P.S. We gotta have music, right? I've listened along to Mr. Bruno Mars every now and then with Miss C on XM, but none of his songs have ever really stuck for me. That is, until now - I saw this new song of his performed on SNL a couple Saturdays ago. It's so darn happy (even talks about heaven [grin], and I figured it was performed pretty darn close to the same time as her canonization - so I'm thinking it's a good, if unorthodox, accompaniment to my musings about Aunt Marianne (hint: don't skip the ad, or you'll get taken to some odd place on youtube):
Dear Reader - Our regular guest and neighbor, Steve Hayes, has written an engaging and compelling adventure story called Light on Dark Water, and he's coming to sign it here at biblion this Friday, August 31, from 6-8 p.m.
Our friend Henry Evans from the Cape Gazette recently interviewed Steve and wrote one of his wonderful stories. You can read it here.
Our advance readers loved the book, calling it engaging and very well written. The story pulls from Steve's own experiences as a seasoned sailor and a Vietnam War veteran. Adventure with a little thoughtfulness woven in - very nice.
As you may remember, Terri Clifton has an ongoing presence here at the shop, as her advocacy for veterans continues. In all of her conversations with vets, she's heard from many of those from Vietnam that they regretted that others have told their stories. Terri has taught me that anytime one steps forward to give us a glimpse into the heart of that war, it's our place to pay attention to what they have to say.
Plus, Steve's book is brief and accessibly priced, so if you haven't enjoyed one of our local authors up to this point, there's nothing to lose with trying this one!
Come on by on your way to or from dinner on Friday, have a little glass of something festive with us, and wish Steve well!
Cheers! - Jen
P.S. Who among us couldn't help but be affected by the forces at play through the 60s . . .
Happily hitting the road with Miss C (who's almost fully packed: all hail the power of the list!)! - Jen
P.S. Miss C has very wisely chosen those wonderful, whacky brothers Davies for our first traveling music. So, in honor of her now-size-12 feet, which attest to the likelihood that she'll be taller than me 'n my size 10s by the time I see her next:
P.S.S. My sincere apologies to anyone who listened to the first Kinks recording that I linked to - I picked the vintage footage from Youtube when I was at the shop, but I was unable to listen to the audio (didn't wanna disturb the guests with conflicting tunage). The audio was disturbing - modulated keys like 20 times - lesson learned, dear Reader. I thought that this road trip footage seemed happy and fitting. - J
Dear Reader - You know how we often start sentences with phrases like "as many of you know"? Well, I started to do that, and then I thought - heck, other than Weather Channel junkies like me, who else is gonna know that we celebrated National Lighthouse Day this past week on August 7?
This week's book signing calls them all to mind, and it's a charmer. Jean Abplanalp, a former resident here and a dear friend of our dear friend Hazel Brittingham, has written and illustrated a delightful book: Along the Delmarva Coast.
Jean has researched the histories of all of the lighthouses, lightships, and lifesaving stations from Delaware down to Virginia on the peninsula. Each history is accompanied by a charming watercolor of the subject (many of which Jean will bring with her for sale as well). Her publisher decided to put it out as in paperback, making it accessibly priced as a gift or personal keepsake. We've had the book in the shop now for a couple of months, and feedback has been very positive - particularly on how well the histories are researched.
Please join us on Saturday, August 11, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Sounds like it could be a drippy day, so what better way to spend a rainy Saturday (after you visit the Tomato Festival!) than to take one of the lighthouse tours, catch a yummy lunch in Lewes, and then visit biblion!?
Delighted - Jenny
P.S. Here're a few lighthouse keepers (serenaded by Neptune's Car) to get you in that lighthouse state of mind:
Dear Reader - I've been in a bit of a Miss C's-away-at-her-dad's-for-a-couple-weeks-and-I-miss-her-all-the-more-'cause-it's-much-too-close-to-when-she's-gonna-be-away-for-a-long-long-time funk.
Luckily, little biblion has been hoppin', so that has kept my fully occupied (my poor home is so neglected, though, that one of the dust bunnies in the living room actually grew to such maturity that it up and asked me when I was going to attend to it!).
But, there're just too many fun things going on over on Second Street. Tomorrow night, Friday, August 3, we're welcoming one of our most popular local authors, James Schneider, for a little book signing from 5-7:
Jamie's mystery, based in Lewes and Reho of the 60s, In the Shadow of Silver Lake, was a huge hit last summer:
We had several guests come back and comment on how much they enjoyed this fun, beach read of a book. And Jamie was surprised and delighted when he received notice in the mail of the unsolicited, independent publishing awards that it'd won (hence his title of "award winning" in the flier that he produced)!
This year he's done another suspense novel with some local flavor, legal intrigue, and romance tossed in the mix:
Come and join us for a little glass of something, meet Jamie, maybe hear about his charity, and have him personalize a copy of his book(s) for you! What a happy way to start a Friday evening!
Dear Reader - Well, it's been a week - a whole darn week - since (Ann) Revere Reed's books signing, and we're still having fun watching folks find her book, On a Dime: Senseless in Lewes. I've been wanting to share some photos with you, but, of course, I forgot my own camera and phone last weekend, so I borrowed Grace's, who was minding the shop that night (I was just the resident Pourer-o'-Spanish-Cava for the evening - Grace did all the work).
The night started out quietly, with a fan who had to leave early showing up in time to get her books signed before the crowd started arriving:
She bought five copies, so it took awhile to get them all personalized. Then a few minutes before 7:00, a few more folks showed up to meet and greet the author:
I enjoyed seeing Ann connect with friends and family, as well as other locals who'd read about her work in the Gazette and Countian. By 7:15, we had a nice little crowd going:
And then by 7:30, all happy h__ broke loose, as Rehoboth and Lewes descended on Ann and little biblion. As one guest who stopped in on Saturday put it, "What was going on in here last night? We walked by, but it didn't look like one more person could fit in this shop!" It was a very gratifying and supportive reception for a local author, and we were so grateful to help facilitate.
Ann signed several more copies, which are available at the shop (Mike stopped by just today to get a copy for the Lewes Historical Society's archives - so cool).
Jamie Schneider, whose locally-set novel, In the Shadow of Silver Lake, was a huge hit last summer, has released his second book: The Highest Burden of the Law. He dropped off several copies this week, and he's planning a signing here for early August (which, as it turns out, is dependent on Miss C's schedule - we'll confirm the date/time later).
And we have two other local-author signings on the back burner, awaiting final scheduling info from their publishers.
Sigh. While I love, love, love everything about used books, I am beyond thrilled to be able to have books by local authors be our only new titles offered here - it just seems to fit with the spirit of this little town and our little shop. This instinct received the warmest of confirmations last Friday, as I watched folks who'd grown up here with Ann and her family stop by to support her. Thank you, dear Reader, for joining us in supporting these authors, too.
Dear Reader - Hope you can drop by this evening to raise a glass and say "huzzah" to Revere Reed on her new book, On a Dime: Senseless in Lewes. She'll be at the shop from 7-9 p.m. See you then! - Jen
Dear Reader - You may remember when I wrote about St. Peter's Art Show round about this time last year, as we were in the throes of the final preparations for the 45th annual event (see The Love of My Life post, if you're curious).
One of the many things that I gave up this year to spend more time with Miss C was chairing this event - after five years, it was time anyhow. Not surprisingly, a stalwart and committed group of volunteers has picked up the ball quite ably - 'cause that's what the folks at St. Peter's do.
A diverse and talented cadre of fine artists and fine crafters are due to descend on little Lewes over the next couple of days - some of them long-time participants, some of them brand-new. As you can see from this awesome photo that I picked up on the Internet (that's a whole other story, Reader - my hard drive has crashed - irretrievably - not a happy turn of events for an editor!), all 140 of them will be a stones throw from the shop, so we can't wait to stop by with Miss C and do our shopping!
It's one day only - running from 9 to 4; there's a free shuttle running constantly from Shields Elementary School to the show, so parking's not an issue; there's an huge silent auction, so bargains are to be had; there's an art project for the kids, as well as a face painter, so they won't go too insane; and the ladies of St. Peter's ECW are producing their Famous Turkey Salad lunch (available for eat-in or take-out), so it's easy to make a day of it!
Dear Reader - Having a bookshop in Lewes is kinda like being an adjunct visitors-center-information-booth-public-safety-patrol-realtors-association-restroom-locator-restaurant-reviewer-town-ambassador-yadda-yadda-yadda - in short, whoever's working is Julie on the Loveboat. And one of the phrases that I'm heard saying about little Lewes over and over again that it's the quintessential small-town-American run amok. There is some sorta festival somthin' happening just about every week for locals and visitors alike to dive into.
Now no day embodies this reality here more than July 4. As Miss C'd say: it is so adorable.
The day kicks off around 9:00 a.m. with the Old Fashioned Children's Games:
We shut down Second Street and let kids loose on it for the entire
morning to do every manner of goofy game - sack races, ice-block pushing
- there even used to be a greased pole contest, but I think that had to
be ca-bashed with the new streetscape a few years back. It's a blast and a half for everyone - the families who participate and those of us who just show up to goof on it.
(An Aside: For years, the event was run by Larry McLaughlin and Gilbert Holt - two City of Lewes employees [Larry ran the Streets Department and Gilbert was at the Board of Public Works]:
They both loved the tradition and were fantastic about making it fun for us all - giving selflessly of their time and energy to bring it to life. Tragically, Larry was killed in an accident on the evening of July 4, 2010, and we mourned the loss of Gilbert this past year. Because of their efforts, the games are a tradition that is strong enough to survive their loss, but I can't help but feel a little bittersweet at the remembrance of them today.)
The next big thing is the boat parade down at the dock at 2:00 p.m.:
It's typically a whole lotta flags and a whole lotta waitin', but it's a whole lotta fun, too!
And then, late in the afternoon - at an -ish-ish kinda time around 5:30-ish, the most un-grandish of traditions commences - the Doo-Dah Parade:
Everybody and their dog (literally) shows up to be part of this ad hoc parade, that legend has it started as an adult beverage run from the Shockley's. The parade sports everything from the most organized of organizations to the last-minute-inspired-by-the-small-town-Americana-spirit visitor. It has become one of the most beloved of traditions for it's untraditional traditionalness. We love it.
So come on down to Lewes and get your own heapin' helpin' of Americana (and a little glass of somethin' while Doo Dah-ing with us this afternoon at biblion)!
Vive la Independence!
Amok! Amok! Amok! - Jenny
P.S. And a couple perfect doses of that Americana tradition to close . . .
