Basta Pasta!!

In publishing there are four major trade shows for the bulk of American publishers. These include the Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, Book Expo America and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. It is the latter which is renowned for being a fantastic experience. A lot of that positive experience comes down to the locale and its amazing food and medieval character. This past week I attended my first Bologna and was lucky enough to take along a notable photographer and fellow reveller.

The schedule was for Jim and I to head out last Friday. We would have the weekend for travel, recovery and play. Sunday night the week kicked off with the annual Random House Cocktail Party. My colleague and co-conspirator, Wayne, would join us Sunday night for the first of many dinners. Monday morning the fair began. We had a packed schedule with appointments running through the day from 9 to 5 most of the three days we would be there.

Bologna is a smallish city with many very old buildings, cobblestone streets. Landing at the airport it was easy to see that Spring was more advanced there than at home. The grass and trees were greening. The air was still quite chilly and the weather would prove to be uniformly grey and rainy throughout the week. Walking the streets of Bologna in the rain, the cobblestones gleamed with moisture and the streetlights and store signs glittered in the wet air. It made for an even more romantic picture of this very old city. The rain was never a downpour so it was perfectly easy to walk around and see the sights. Umbrellas were necessary equipment and because the city was so small, the best way to get anywhere was to walk. All that walking was just as well as the food was unbelievable and it would have been criminal to abstain from the Primi Piatti–and I promise you neither Jim nor I abstained.

Saturday we were pretty wiped. The flight overnight was fairly comfortable but that first day is always rough. We had a three hour layover in Paris.

Fatigued knitter at Charles De Gaulle Airport

Post-knitting nap

An amazing view through the window as we flew over the Pyrenees.

Armed with restaurant recommendations from an experienced colleague, the eating festival began Saturday night with dinner in a unabashedly charming and fabulous restaurant called Da Cesari.

Da Cesare

Stepping into the restaurant from the dark and rainy streets was both a little intimidating and a transformative experience. At this point in the week we had not yet put our feedbags on and we did not try to pace the couples on either side of us. They were both working their way through the five-course meal with paired wines like indomitable pros. We limped through the appetizer and primi piatti and felt that was the worst we could do. It was all delicious and we shared tastes and took our time. The local Sangiovese wine was amazing.

A Day In the Life of a Sub

The life of a substitute teacher can be surprising. Calls may come through for upcoming dates allowing for orderly planning and a clear expectation of responsibility. Calls can also come through at the last moment and they can carry surprises.

Substitute teachers may well be accredited for a particular subject area, but that doesn’t always mean that’s what they end up teaching. Just last week Jim had been hired well in advance to cover for the high school science teacher. Since Jim is a bit of a Renaissance man, he was quite happy to be teaching his pet subject. For the first time ever, he was free to expound on all things scientific and get paid for it. He had a lot of fun and I just bet those kids were pretty surprised that they had a substitute who was knowledgable, engaged, eloquent and quite interesting. Did I also mention loquacious?

It can, however, go the other way as well. Take Monday for instance. The phone rang around 6:30 a.m. and suddenly Mr. Chips was The White Shadow. Our favorite English teacher was called to take over for the girls high school phys ed teacher! Okay, so that isn’t quite the plot of the tv series, but I can take liberties.

He dashed around the house assembling his wardrobe and in the end he looked just like a gym teacher! He even found his whistle!

Of course, just because you look the part, it doesn’t mean you get the role. No sooner did Jim arrive at school looking the very image of the puissant phys ed instructor, he was reassigned. Reassigned to teach Italian! All he could really say was, “Do I get to keep the whistle?”

Frankfurter Buch Messe

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the granddaddy of all book fairs. It is held annually in Frankfurt in their outrageously enormous conference center, the Messe Frankfurt. Easily five times the size of the Javits Center in New York, each of the ten halls are devoted to geographic regions representing publishing around the world. The U.S. publishers are in Halle 8 along with other English-speaking countries including the U.K, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, etc.

Frankfurt takes place in October and the weather is notoriously awful. It is usually in the fifties, grey and rainy. The fair is mobbed with people. For the Germans, the fair is both for the trade and on the weekend for consumers as well. Taxis are notoriously tough to come by and anyone attending should expect to walk and walk and walk both to get to and from hotels and the halls of the fair and to find a cab or reach a restaurant.

My colleague, Wayne, and I decided to attend the fair at the last-minute. This would normally be impossible, but two of our colleagues in the Book Fair business offered us the opportunity to sit in on some of their meetings. Scholastic still had two hotel rooms and, once our flights were booked, we were set. I had not attended Frankfurt since 2004 out of a deep-seated dislike, but this was a different set of circumstances. We made our plans and got ready.

Having decided at the last-minute to attend, we flew coach overnight. The arrival in Frankfurt was only eventful in that the day dawned sunny and bright. Were we really in the correct city? This was a delightful welcome.

We were staying at the Hotel Maritim which abuts the Messe property. This is extremely useful when the weather in Frankfurt is its usual drab and dreary rain. After checking in at the Maritim, we got cleaned up and headed for the fair. This would have been much easier if I hadn’t left my Exhibitor’s Pass on my desk in New York. Happily, my German skills stood me in good stead. We navigated the bureaucracy of replacing this important document and ended up with 50 Euros in our pocket to boot.

Right off the bat our meetings went well. Our app, Storia, is fantastic and there is nothing like it. We had loaded all of our screen shots onto our iPads and launched into the Wayne and Jenny Show at each booth. We shared many meetings with our friends from the Book Fairs and by the end of the fair, we could give each others’ presentations. It was pretty good fun.  The response to Storia was extremely positive. This, along with the amazingly tasty fare at the Exhibitor’s Restaurant, made our two and a half days at the fair great fun.

Thursday night was the Scholastic Family Dinner–an annual event. All attendees at the fair have dinner together and Dick Robinson, CEO, gives a speech. The crowd is mostly the international division and it was a chance to meet some new people. Dinner was fantastic. We ate at a true German restaurant,Zum Gruenen Baum, with traditional decor and wooden tables and chairs. It was echt Deutsch. I was in heaven. Schnitzel, Leberkase, kartoffel salad, weiss wein…they fed us so much and so well that I was almost in pain.

Of course, the flight home was to be anticipated. Since it was the return and during the day, it would be an extravaganza of knitting. There are few better places to knit than an airplane. Complete and total attention to knitting is possible. The movies on Lufthansa were awful, but who cares, I had pink socks with cables to knit.  The pattern was Errant Socks from Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner’s outstanding book, MASON DIXON KNITTING, and the yarn was Spud and Chloe Fine.

The trip was successful for business purposes. We had some very good meetings which will lead to long-lasting relationships. It was so wonderful to be in Germany again and to remember how much I delight in the German language, in the food, the people and just being there. I feel like I had a three-day vacation with a lot of business meetings. Vielen Dank.

A Cool Place to Work

One of my new colleagues shared a video link with me this week. It is a video tour of Scholastic. There are many remarkable things about Scholastic. Probably the most important is that it is very much a mission-driven organization. Unlike any other publishing company I can think of, the culture and the business of Scholastic are deeply steeped in the mission of engendering a love of reading in kids.

The mission expresses itself in many ways. The walls are lined with art form the programs Scholastic sponsors which identify and support arts activities for children. The business itself is completely involved with getting books into kids’ hands and also helping children to read. Scholastic takes very seriously its role and has unparalleled connections to teachers and the classroom.

Scholastic Book Clubs were one of my favorite things when I was a kid. I loved getting the flyer each month and I ordered more books than anyone else. I actually still have a copy of BRIGHTY OF THE GRAND CANYON which has a Scholastic Book Clubs logo on it–and very yellow paper. I was always a huge Marguerite Henry fan.

Of course, working with children requires a sense of fun. That sense of fun expresses itself throughout the offices. The offices are filled with light and color and decorated with the many characters and brands which Scholastic has published over the years. It is a very cool environment.

Every morning I get my coffee in the Red Bar Cafe. I love using the internal staircase to go up and down to meetings. I always see people on the stairs and it is great fun as well as good exercise. I also really love meeting people for lunch by Clifford in the lobby. My office is in the old building. The two buildings really are seamlessly joined. It is a very unique working environment.

Would You Buy A Burger From This Guy?

Despite the sun squint on his face, this week marked a big step in Peter’s life. This week Peter joined the working world!

After weeks of trying to crack getting that first job, Peter was hired at a newly opening franchise for the burger chain, Smashburger. I have to admit I felt good about his chances at getting hired when Peter reported that he had engaged the hiring manager in conversation. When Peter chats, he is devastatingly charming. When the call came, Peter got the barest details, but he knew when to report for training.

Monday was his first day. Jim and I waited anxiously for Peter to return home after his first day. He arrived home after 10 p.m., but he was upbeat and happy. He reported that only 6% of the beef used in burgers in the U.S. is Angus, but all burgers at Smashburger are 100% Angus. We had to admire his enthusiasm.

Subsequent days have supported this positive situation. Peter reports that he is doing well at work. The restaurant is set to open this coming Wednesday so they are still in training mode, but the set up seems ideal for Peter. Orders are placed at the front register and then diners take a number and sit down at the table. Orders are then assembled and brought to the appropriate table. Peter is working the front of the restaurant so I guess he’ll be taking orders. This is a great situation for him.

Working is a major milestone in everyone’s life. Having a job makes one feel useful, builds confidence and, despite the loss of freedom, gives one a sense of purpose. This is all happening for Peter and it is very exciting. The next big development is getting that first pay check. We can’t wait to see how Peter reacts to having truly earned the first money in his life. That money represents accomplishment and self-sufficiency. We are loving watching Peter reach this stage in his life.

Two-Berry Kinda Girl

This is perhaps an indiscreet post. There are some things one shouldn’t really expose about oneself or write about. I’ve thought long and hard about this, but we’re all friends here so I am going to share something a bit embarrassing and, well, indiscreet.

For years I have suffered from an addiction. It isn’t pretty to have to talk about this, but I have been totally and completely addicted to my Blackberry. It just fits right into my palm. I can carry it anywhere or I can put it in my purse. I am never without it. There have been a few times when I have failed to re-charge in a timely fashion and I have to tell you the result is not good. Once or twice I have failed to replace it in my purse and left the house without it. I kid you not, my hands were shaking. I was out of touch. Untethered. Who knows what could be happening–I certainly wouldn’t.  As I said, this is rough stuff, but I knew you could handle this level of honesty and not let it affect our relationship.

Of course, the need to have my Berry with me is one thing. What I do with it is quite another. It doesn’t matter the day of week, the time of day, my location; I check my email, texts and messages compulsively. My family will tell you. Even on vacation, I can slip that little puppy out of my purse and just have a quick peek. Just in case. There could be a major development. Some key transmission of information and data and I would need to know it.

My Beautiful Berries

Keeping all of this tawdry drama in mind, you can probably imagine how I feel now that I am employed and have not one, but two Berries!! Look at these babies. My Purple Berry is my work Berry. It is a Blackberry Bold 9930. This puppy is hot. She is sleek and her keys have great click-like movement. Twitter feeds are gorgeous on her and so is Facebook. She is one hot Momma. My Red Berry is for personal use. She is a Blackberry Curve 9330–a compact little minx and she has everything I need to stay in touch with my family and friends. She may not be quite as big as Purple Berry, but she brings messages of love and what’s needed from the grocery store, so she’s got a special place in my heart.

So, there you have it. My subway rides are orgiastic moments of Blackberry checking. First one, then the other. I get it all done. My train rides follow suit. Purple Berry first? Red Berry waits her turn. They’re patient and they know they each have their place in my heart. After all…

I am a Two-Berry Kinda Girl.

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

J.R.R. Tolkien is the source of the title of this blog post. The past two and 1/3 years have been a period of transition, of finding new aspects of my self. These years were a time of learning, of networking, meeting new people and making new friends. This time was often marked by feelings of grief, of feeling a loss of self, a loss of accomplishment. There were many days when I just couldn’t see what the future could possibly be and could only focus on all that I felt I had lost.

But this transition time was also an opportunity for connecting to my family and being a presence to my family in a way that had never happened before. Being home for Ellie’s last year of high school, for Peter’s return home from Chamberlain, for Jim’s own journey through his Masters program was important and satisfying. My own life seemed to be drifting, but theirs weren’t and I was there to help, to support and to simply be a presence. Cooking dinner each day an sharing that evening meal was a new and often welcome time to bond and be a family. I was quite fond of that part of my daily schedule.

As time went by, I became more used to being home during the day. I had a routine to follow. Up early at 5:30 to exercise, read the paper, eat some breakfast and then check email, shower and head to my office by 8:30. It wasn’t my former routine of heading to the city, but it was a comforting routine nonetheless.

While sometimes I couldn’t quite see what to do next, I was never without activity. I would read about both publishing and later nonprofits when my interests turned in that direction. I had tweeting to do and, of course, job boards to check. I had clients to work for and then projects around the house to further. Since we didn’t know if we would be staying in our house, I did lots of purging and streamlining of over ten years’ accumulation. I kept a daily log of all my outreach and contacts which gave me the satisfaction of seeing what I had accomplished and a roadmap.

Having worked in an industry which was undergoing tremendous change and upheaval and having been lucky enough to have been pretty successful in that industry, a big part of my “wandering” involved trying to understand what my next steps should be. I worked hard trying to re-imagine myself. I tried many paths to finding that next stage. Often it felt like I was heading down a path only to find that it failed to lead anywhere or perhaps it led somewhere, but the destination wasn’t what I needed.

Early in the process I spent a week with my former author, Dick Bolles. He described the transtion phase as being in a blue light. It was a time of limbo, a passage which was undefined in form and duration but through which one must travel. It was an apt characterization in many ways.

The end to this period came out of the blue and, as so many had predicted, from one of many contacts which came to fruition many months later. My wandering was done and the feelings of frustration, of worry about the future, of feeling of no value, came to a quick end as joy and excitement over a tremendous new opportunity took over.

Suddenly I was getting ready for my first day of work. Jim was there to memorialize the process. Putting on work clothes had a whole different feeling when I was doing it to head to a job rather than another meeting or interview. I anticipated that first day with great excitement and happiness. I wasn’t really nervous, but incredibly thankful.

 Two weeks into my new professional life, I remain as excited, grateful and happy as ever. I get up to go to work with eagerness. My new colleagues are all extremely nice and have been most welcoming. I adore being part of the organization and relish the prospect of making a contribution. With Jim substitute teaching, mornings are busy as we both prepare to head off to work.

I may have wandered, but I am no longer lost. As time goes by, I know the journey will take on a different meaning and I hope that it will come to represent a time of discovery, not loss, of re-definition, not loss of self-definition. A kind of re-boot which will have given me a new orientation and a refinement of my values.

Taking the Pig for a Walk

Alex has been in the field lately. While it is undoubtedly hard work with long days and lots of physical exertion, I know he loves driving the “Pig.” The pig is his platoon‘s Light Armored Vehicle. I think I have written about this before. It isn’t really all that light. It weighs 16 tons. It is hardly a high performance vehicle. I think its top cruising speed is 35 miles. But you can’t tell me a bunch of Marines out in the middle of the desert driving around in this big pig can’t have a good time. The only downside is that when you get back to the depot, you have to clean the “Pig” not to mention yourselves.

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To be quite honest, I had never seen the video before. As a mom, I will confess I am a bit more nervous about Alex’s obsession with the driving the pig. No wonder they got so dirty…

Mrs. Frost Goes to NYU

Well, I guess going to school was good enough for Jim, it should be good enough for me. I won’t say I am embarking upon a master’s degree, but I have signed up for some continuing education courses at New York University to give me an academic background in fundraising.

As I work to move into the nonprofit world, a recurring concern voiced by prospective employers is my lack of significant fundraising experience. I can’t say I agree with them that this is an issue and I can’t solve this perceived lack immediately, but I can at least give myself a basic understanding of the principles and look for more opportunities to apply them.

I get asked a lot if I have any trouble making the “ask.” That doesn’t bother me at all. In publishing we made the “ask” all the time. Yes, there was usually a check going in the other direction (to the author), but a lot of the process was parallel. Understanding what the other person was looking for or needing and communicating the reasons that you were the person to fulfill those needs are a good portion of the ask. Recognizing what the actual dollar figure for what the ask should be is not that different from calculating a potential advance.

So, beginning February 27th at the Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, I will be taking Fundraising Concepts and Practices: Develop a Fundraising Plan. That course lasts through May 7th and meets each Monday night. I am also signed up for a one day seminar in late April called How to Be a Successful Fundraiser.

Guess all those times I made jokes about Jim going back to school are going to come home to roost. You can be one thing: I asked him immediately if he would look over my papers before I have to turn them in. I may be an old student, but I am not dumb. Oh, dear, I hope there isn’t a final exam. I am not sure I could take the stress.

Making It Matter

As I continue to make contacts in the nonprofit world, I am the recipient of much new information and advice. One of my recent connections suggested that I consider working with the Taproot Foundation. Taproot provides pro bono consultants for nonprofit organizations. That is a simplistic statement of what they do because there is actually a lot of process and procedure involved.

Over the course of the ten years of their existence, Taproot has developed extensive experience in insuring that both the nonprofit and the consultants have a positive experience. Making sure the end product is what was needed in the first place and is of high quality is important both because everyone spends a significant amount of time and resources on the projects and to insure that Taproot itself can gain funding to continue to be the key provider of services.

I have been extremely lucky with my Taproot experience so far. I seem to have contacted them at the perfect moment. They staff projects three times each year and I hooked up with them just as they began the staffing for the first wave of the year. They had accepted proposals for service grants from nonprofits until December 1st. Then they evaluated the grant requests over the holidays and January. This evaluation process includes interviewing the requesting nonprofit and making sure that they understand what they need and want and that they are prepared to do the necessary work on their end. A similar process of training and vetting occurs with regards to the consultants. Most consultants are actually engaged in the for-profit world and simply want to use their skills to help an organization. Of course, I want to move into the nonprofit world so I hope to help an organization and gain some very useful hands on experience.

I am tremendously excited to be starting a Visual Branding project with a family services organization. This week I will meet the team at the Family Center with whom I will be working. After this initial meeting, we will begin pulling the team of pro bono consultants together and shortly thereafter, we’ll have our Kickoff Meeting.

I am extremely fortunate to have gotten a project so quickly and I look forward to meeting new people, working as part of the team and making a positive difference for a worthy organization.