Writing from the Heart, Reading for the Road

Thank You, New York, Washington, and Mystic, Connecticut!

Photos, left to right: 1. With Bob Attardi, Director of Programs at Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington DC; 2. Colleagues, friends, and former students met me for a wonderful mini book event in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on a beautiful day in September; 3. Greenlight Books kindly invited me to come in and sign copies of A Long Way From Iowa. Stop by this wonderful Brooklyn bookstore and pick one up! 4. Breakfast with my friend Kevin Sisson, at Kitchen Little on Mason’s Island, near Mystic, CT.

I’ve been on the East Coast for a little more than a month now, and what a whirl it has been! In addition to visiting friends in New York, Connecticut, and the Washington DC area, and having book events, with the help of my son Sam I managed to (finally!) pack up the contents of the storage locker in Silver Spring, where my piano and many boxes and trunks full of family treasures–photographs, letters, journals and other documents, and of course a few books–have been trapped for far too long. They are now on their way to our home in France, hooray!

While I was in Brooklyn, I was really lucky to be able to stay in the home of my previous upstairs neighbors–and lifelong friends–in the very same building where I last lived in Brooklyn. It felt so good to be back! I have much more to say about Brooklyn, but most of it will have to wait until I’m working on my next book. For now I will just quote Francie Nolan, the protagonist of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.

“At the end of their street, the great Bridge threw itself like a sigh across the East River and was lost… lost…on the other shore. The dark East River beneath the Bridge and far away the misty-grey skyline of New York, looking like a city cut from cardboard. ‘There’s no other place like it,’ Francie said…”

My trip to Mystic, CT was also a pleasure. I took the Amtrak train from the Moynihan Train Hall in Manhattan, a very comfortable, well-designed, and gleaming new station; and am happy to report that the train was comfortable, the staff was extremely helpful, and the train was on time. The first night I was in Mystic my friend drove us to the elegant Ocean House hotel in Waverly, Rhode Island, where we attended a very bookish event, an enjoyable evening with the authors Ann Hood and Michael Ruhlman. The following night I was given the chance to meet with some aspiring writers–and admiring readers–of memoirs at the Mystic/Noank Library to talk about writing an intergenerational memoir. I owe a big debt of gratitude to my friend Kevin, and to Ery Caswell, for giving me this opportunity.

Next it was on to Washington DC, where last Saturday night I had a very exciting moment in my career as a writer; a celebration of A Long Way From Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France at Politics and Prose, one of the best bookstores in the country–and my favorite, and “home,” bookstore. Despite threatened severe weather that night, the house was packed with a wonderful mix of friends, former neighbors, current and former students, and some members of the P&P community that I knew not at all. Bob Attardi, the store’s Director of Programs led me in conversation about the book, and I read a few excerpts from it. The store sold a lot of books, I signed some more, and they are now there, and available for purchase, in person or online. I’m deeply grateful to this wonderful bookstore, and the community of writers and readers it has built and nourished through the years, for all they have done for me, and for other readers and writers in the Washington DC area–and actually, across the country and around the world–through their excellent programs, trips, and classes.

All along my way there have been wonderful people who have helped me through what could have been a very bumpy landing in my home country after several years away–since I arrived here having broken my glasses, wrenched my back, hurt my foot, and come down with Covid all in the space of a week or so. (Really, you’d think just one of those things would have been enough, wouldn’t you?) These friends have given me beds to sleep in; guided me through the learning curve of using my very first Iphone; picked me up from various bus stops and train stations; fed me delicious and healthy food; encouraged me when it seemed like things were really not going so well; and in one case literally (but gently) half lifted/half pried me out of bed when my back was saying “Uh-uh, no I don’t think she’s going anywhere…”

They have made me think of that Beatles song…you know the one I mean, right?

Strangers have helped too, helping me up or down stairs with my bags when they could see I was struggling, in general just being kind. I am grateful!!! Thanks, Americans! 🙂

I know there will be many other helping hands along the way as I make my way across this country, and I am grateful in advance for it. My first Minnesota event will be in St. Paul; my birthplace, and truly “home country” for me, since this event will be at the Westside Farmer’s Market, which is held in the parking lot of Icy Cup, my sister and brother-in-law’s wonderful little ice cream-and-taco business. There will also be events in West Central Minnesota (in Sunburg); and in indie bookstores in two lovely Mississippi River towns–Red Wing, and Winona. I am so excited about this, after five long years away! Here’s the link for the scheduled events, hope to see some of you along the way!

After that I will be heading to the Pacific Northwest, to two towns I’ve never been to, and have always wanted to go: Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. Stay tuned!

Janet Hulstrand is an American writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher of writing and of literature who lives in France. She is the author of Demystifying the French: How to Love Them, and Make Them Love You, and A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France, and coauthor of Moving On: A Practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home.

September 25, 2023 at 10:53 pm Leave a comment