Amazing April

March might have been busy with many talks and interviews for One Book Arizona 2011, but it was nothing compared to April! I have given presentations on Hopi Summer from one end of the state to another, from Bisbee in the south, and on up to the north: Prescott, Prescott Valley, Cottonwood, Dewey-Humbolt, Camp Verde, the Hopi Mesas, Flagstaff, Sun City, and Phoenix! Whew!

Each presentation has been unique, with opportunities to meet delightful people. At the Dewey-Humbolt Library I met a woman and her 80-something mother who told me that they had lived at Polacca on First Mesa for a year in 1952--their stories were wonderful. A woman at the Cottonwood Library told me about her grandfather who was a Mennonite missionary at Moencopi. She offered to share her grandfather's photographs and papers--another book? And one museum in northern Arizona is exploring the possibility of organizing an exhibit relating to Hopi Summer, and possibly borrowing some of the Hopi arts that Maud Melville purchased in the summer of 1927, along with Ethel Muchvo's letters, and some of the Melville photographs and journals.

And of course, the visits to the Hopi villages and with old friends there were memorable. There was an interview on KUYI Hopi Radio. Many people who I encountered up there told me that they had heard the interview. Vans brought many of the elderly people to Sipaulovi. Since the room was full half an hour before the scheduled presentation, and since the Second Mesa Sewing Group was already at the center for their usual weekly gathering, I quickly went through the Hopi Quilt presentation--showing all the pictures of the Hopi quilts and quilters. Some of those quilters are gone now, and it was so nice to be able to share their photos and their quilts with their friends and family.

Ethel's daughter, Vivian, came to the Thursday night presentation and it became very emotional when I talked about her mother and father, and all of the eleven children that they lost before they had Vivian, their twelfth child. Vivian had tears running down her cheeks through most of the talk, as did many other Hopi people who were family members or had always known Vivian. I always get a bit teary when I talk about all of Ethel's lost children, but that evening it was especially difficult to talk without completely sobbing. Still, it was such an honor to share the story and pictures with that audience.

The next morning's talk at the Health Center was just great, although not as emotional, just lots of fun sharing stories and pictures. Vivian attended the talk, along with 87 year old Mrytle, whose parents are also mentioned in the book. The two ladies so enjoyed the pictures, and as I showed images of the people and villages, they just chattered and told old stories. Everyone crowded around them to hear. I felt as though we were reviving--and sharing--even more Hopi history. What an amazing experience--for all of us.

At the Northern Arizona Book Festival in Flagstaff, many people filled the auditorium to hear about Hopi Summer. Again, I teared up when I showed Ethel's pottery vase. Karen Tootsie arrived for a day of shopping in Flagstaff and delighted many people who were able to talk with her. She also brought a box of Piki that people enjoyed sampling. Maddy and Cinco were also there to share in all the events, the book talks, paper folding, and the fun recycled art show at the Coconino Art Center. Such great times!

March Madness

No, it has nothing to do with basketball or sports. My March Madness is the One Book Arizona schedule with 3 interviews, 1 book signing, and 9 talks--so far. March has been a crazy month. But what fun it is, what a huge honor. I am the one who is so pleased, but when I walk into a library or a museum people announce that the One Book Author is here, and I realize that it is me. Wow! I get to meet delightful and interesting people, visit with some old quilting friends--and spend an hour talking about my writing--I should be the one paying them.

There was a delightful interview on Sun Sounds for NPR Radio, and Alberto Rios, a former One Book Arizona winner (Capirotada) interviewed me for KAET's Books & Company for Phoenix's public television station. I also spoke at the Tucson Festival of Books.

Every talk and every venue has been so different, and I am looking forward to April with more travel to Phoenix, Prescott, Flagstaff, and the Hopi Mesas. Exhausting, but a small price to keep sharing the wonderful story of the friendship between Ethel and Maud.

Prayer Feathers

For countless centuries, certain Hopi priests have made prayer feathers during the dark and bitter cold winters. They are an integral part of the winter ceremonies to bring back the sun. The feathers are ritually collected and certain feathers are used for each small bundle, depending on the characteristics of each species of bird. Some birds represent strength, others protect for health. The feathers are tied together with cotton string, in old times the threads were spun from cotton grown in Hopi fields. The feathers are given with blessings, some tied on a reed are to protect a home and keep all who dwell there protected from harm and sickness. A few small feathers are to be worn or kept in a pocket for personal protection. And today, there are even prayer feathers created to hang from a car mirror. These prayer feathers ensure blessings that the occupants can proceed on their journeys in safety, and will be watched over until there is a safe arrival.

It is bitter cold here on Second Mesa, winds slice right through all the layers of coats and vests and sweaters, patches of snow and ice dot the ground. Stars in the black sky are barely visible, even the crescent moon seems fainter and more distant in the heavens. The villages are silent, few people are outside, just a boy chopping wood, a woman hurrying down a lane. But in the kivas there are prayers and winter ceremonies, and soon there will be a time of renewal, the sun will come back and Hopi farmers will prepare their fields, and, with more prayers, there will be another harvest. It is an ancient cycle here.

When my friend gave me prayer feathers he said prayers in English and Hopi, and he explained that the feathers represented prayers for personal health and safety, and blessings for my house, my car--and travels. He laid his hands on my head and over my heart as he spoke. But Hopis also say these prayers for all of humanity. They are sending blessings across the country, and around the world. This is part of an ancient rite to bring harmony to the world--to the universe. In some ways, the Hopi blessings have "brought back the sun" for all living people, since time began.