Photo © Pimthida
More Love Letters, like Astrid, is on a mission to send more love into the world through writing. The idea is simple, write a letter of love and encouragement and leave it some where to be found by a stranger. Hopefully, by someone who needs some loving words of kindness at that moment.
Know someone who needs some love? On the website, you can nominate someone to be the recipient of a love letter bundle. Check it out, send some love.
Astrid Jones is a teenage girl in a small town struggling to accept her sexuality AND navigate the intricacies of high school at the same time. It’s a fictional book featuring a fictional character- but that doesn’t mean that it’s a fictional story. How do I know?
Because it’s my story.
No, AS King did not write her book about me- although it sure felt like it while I read it.
I am a girl who grew up in a small town and struggled with her sexuality while struggling through high school. It was rough- feeling like I didn’t belong, like there was no one I could trust. Feeling like there was no one who really KNEW me- not all of me. It is exhausting trying to be someone you are not- constantly worrying that I would slip up and tell everyone that I had a crush on the new girl in school instead of the new boy. Trying to remember which N Sync member I thought was the cutest when all I wanted to do was marry Fiona Apple.
(note to those who are reading this. If you don’t know who Fiona Apple is- look her up!!)
It was even harder listening to the gay jokes my classmates mad. “Hey Fag!” “Ugh, that girl is such a dyke!” And laughing, even though it hurt so much.
It can be scary feeling so alone. I felt lost and hopeless. I was worried about what my neighbors would think. Remember, it was (and still is) a small town. Everyone knows everyone. Seriously. I kept thinking about COLLEGE- I always thought of it in those big letters in my head. College was when I would be free- when I could really be myself- reinvent myself.
So what got me through? Other than the idea that college was three years away- and let me tell you, three years can feel like a lifetime. My best friend. I finally took a chance and told her. And she was wonderful. It became OUR secret, not just mine. It helped to have someone share it with me. To have a safe space to go to.
You are not as alone as you may think. Take a chance, open up- some people will listen, some people will help. I promise you. It will be hard, but remember you are you- you cannot change who you are any more than you can change who you love. I wish I had been more honest with myself back then- maybe if I had owned it I wouldn’t have felt so lost. I wish I had opened up to my family- there was so much I went through that I felt I couldn’t share with them. My first love, my first relationship, my first heart break- I went through those without my family’s love and support. I didn’t have to. And no, not everyone will be supportive and loving- but you will never know unless you try. And the pain and the toll of hiding who you are is no fun. I know.
So this pride be proud! Own who you are, sing it from the rooftops. Happy pride everyone.
If you follow social media at all (and I am sure you do or you wouldn’t be here at this blog) then you are probably aware of the It Gets Better Movement. Now, the SF Giants are awesome. We all know that. But what could make them more awesomer? If they teamed up with It Gets Better and gave hope to thousands of struggling gay teens.
Oh wait? They did? I knew they were awesome.
Happy Pride!
This month’s awesome author is AS King, who wrote our book club pick Ask the Passengers.
Amy Sarig King has written three other books and a short story collection before Ask the Passengers. She’s also been a contractor, a pizza delivery driver, a photographer, a poultry breeder, etc. Her previous books have won Printz Honors, Cybil award finalist, Edgar Award Nominee and more. Ever since Ask the Passengers came out, it has won a LA Times Book Prize, was an Indie Next Pick and been given lots of accolades. Her newest boy, Reality Boy, is due out this fall.
Books by A.S. King
Monica Never Shuts Up
Dust of 100 Dogs
Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Everybody Sees the Ants
Ask the Passengers
Reality Boy – coming out this fall
For more on this wonderful lady. check out her webpage
“Traveling’s not something you’re good at. It’s something you do. Like breathing.” – Willem in Just One Day
Like Allyson, I went on a whirlwind tour of Europe only I went after I graduated college. However, I traveled with a group of friends on an itinerary that we mapped out ourselves. But however you choose to travel – solo, group, with a tour, make your own route, etc. – the important thing is to just TRAVEL. Because traveling is not a talent that you have to be good at, anyone can travel. You just have to put yourself out there.
Europe was not my first trip abroad. It was my third, but it was my first trip without parental members or a supervised group. Also, Europe was my longest trip ever – 5 weeks and it was my first where me and my friends had to map out everything from where we wanted to go and where were we going to stay. It was daunting and scary. But also exhilarating. Europe was a trip for us, designed by us. And it was fantastic.
It was meeting random strangers and having dinner or lunch with them. It was playing a board game at a hostel with people you just met into the wee hours of the morning. Or losing badly at trivia night at another hostel. It was going out dancing and kissing strangers you’ll never see again. It was exploring cities and falling in love with their history, culture and people.
As Williem says of travelling,”You just have to surrender yourself to the chaos. To the accidents.”
Colin M is a 17-year-old aspiring actor who has acted in multiple productions- many of them Shakespearean. Given that Shakespeare plays such a large role in Gayle Forman’s Just One Day, I thought it would be fun to sit down with Colin and ask him a little about his experiences acting in Shakespearean production.
Q: How many productions of Shakespeare’s work have you been in, what were they and whom did you play?
A: 8- 12th Night as Andrew Aguecheek; A Midsummer Night’s Dream twice- both times as Bottom; Macbeth as Banquo; As You Like It as Touchstone; Hamlet twice- once as Hamlet and again as Horatio; Othello as Iago; Romeo and Juliet as Mercutio; and Julius Ceasear twice as both Julius Ceaser and Brutus.
Q: Wow, that’s a lot of roles. Any favorites?
A: Yeah. Mercutio is my favorite role, followed by Brutus.
Q: Any particular reasons why?
A: Mercutio is a true friend, much like Horatio in Hamlet. He is a good honest friend who tries to keep Romeo out of trouble. He is a perfect combination of anger and pain. As for Brutus, he is a true patriot. I like being strong supporting roles.
Q: Do you have a favorite play?
A: Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet for tragedies and Midsummer Night’s Dream for comedies.
Q: In terms of acting, do you prefer tragedies or comedies?
A: Comedies are easier for me because I am a comedic person- that’s who I am. But I prefer acting in the tragedies. I like tragedies because you have to convey more emotion to really capture the audience. You are a better actor if you can get the audience to feel pain. Having the audience’s attention, looking into their eyes and seeing clearly that they are feeling what you are feeling- that is a good moment. The best. To get congratulations for making people laugh, that’s ok. But getting congratulations for making people feel pain- that’s harder, more rewarding. Tragedy is harder and more rewarding.
Q: You’ve been in other productions that weren’t Shakespeare. Do you prefer acting in Shakespeare productions? What’s different about being in a work of Shakespeare than in other plays?
A: I’m more comfortable acting in Shakespearean plays. It comes more natural because I’ve been doing Shakespeare plays longer. Acting in Shakespeare’s plays- I can’t really explain it. There’s just some emotion that’s there that isn’t with other productions. With Shakespeare plays the audience most likely doesn’t understand what you are saying- you have to overact to communicate. That makes it more challenging.
Q: What’s you Dream Role? Whom would you like to play in a large scale production?
A: Mercutio.
Q:How do you prepare for a role?
A: First I have to understand the text. What is it I’m saying? I read through my lines. Then I need to understand the character’s drive- what motivates them. Once I know that I can work around that- work toward what the character wants.
Q: Do you ever feel the moment you loose yourself in a character?
A: Yeah. That’s the greatest compliment an actor can receive. That I wasn’t Colin playing Banquo. I was Banquo. There was a moment on stage where my character was angry and Ifelt that. I was so angry at Macbeth, I felt cheated.
Q: Where do you see yourself going with Shakespeare?
A: My dream would be to act in a modern big screen remake, like Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet.
Q: Any play in particular?
A: It’d have to be a tragedy- probably Macbeth. A modern take on Macbeth- that’d be cool.
Thanks so much for your time.
No problem.
Colin is currently playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Inspired by Just one Day to go out and see some theater? Maybe some Shakespeare performed for the masses?
Then look no further than San Francisco Theater Pub. I had the pleasure of seeing their production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure last year and it was fantastic. Actors performing their scenes right next to you as you sit at your table- theater truly brought right to you.
For a list of their upcoming shows or how to get involved with their troupe (and maybe meet your own Willem or Lulu) check out their website.
Gayle Forman is this month’s Awesome author as well as the author of Just One Day, our May’s book club book. Gayle started out writing as a journalist on social issues and young people. She’s written pieces that appeared in Seventeen, Glamour, The Nation, Elle, Budget Travel, Cosmopolitan. Besides being a journalist, Gayle Forman is also an experienced traveler. In 2002, she went on a year long trip around the world with her husband Nick which resulted in her first book, You Can’t Get There From Here. In 2007, she published her first book for young adults, Sisters in Sanity and she hasn’t stopped writing them since.
Books by Gayle Forman:
You Can’t Get There From Here – a travel memoir from her travel ’round the world
Sisters in Sanity – Britt put into a treatment center for rebellious girls, one that’s doing more harm than good, fights to keep her sanity and friendships alive.
If I Stay – Mia, who had everything to live for, has to make a decision whether to live or die after being caught in a chance accident.
Where She Went – A companion to If I Stay, follows Adam as he runs into Mia again in NYC after she’s walked out of his life three years before.
Just One Day – Allyson sheds her old self and becomes “Lulu” for a magical day and night in Paris with Willem, a guy that she just met until he disappears the next morning.
Just One Year – forthcoming this fall, a companion novel to Just One Day featuring Willem’s point of view.
To find out more, check out her website.
International Spy Shop @ 555 Beach St.
While The Spy Museum in DC can be pretty far, this fun spy shop is in our backyard. The International Spy Shop in Fisherman’s Wharf is full of all the tools and equipment a good spy needs. Like hidden cameras, wire-tapping gear, etc. They also have an airsoft shooting range. Or check out their online website and they have cool articles on how to check if you are being bugged and more importantly, the laws on lock picking and owning a stun gun.
But seriously, check out the store. See if you can spot all the hidden cameras watching you….
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