I posted on International Christian Fiction Writers about my recent trip to Kenya to train African writers for young adults.
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Kisumu, Kenya, looks like a peaceful city. It hugs the shore of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa. Sometimes called “the eye of the rhino,” the lake sits on a plateau in a split of the Great Rift Valley between Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. When I visited in August, I saw no signs of the violence that swept the city following the December 2007 elections when the Luo candidate for president lost under questionable conditions to the Kikuyu candidate from Nairobi. But the pain has left deep scars. Ethnic violence wasn’t confined to the city. I came to the village of Awasi, an hour east, to teach a workshop on writing for children affected by the violence. Every morning empty trucks rattle over the dirt road out of town. They return each afternoon, loaded with cane from local farmers. Children chase the trucks, hoping <!--more-->for something to fall off. It usually does. Life goes on despite the horrors of the past. Lin Johnson of Christian Communicator and Write-to-Publish used her skills to build up Christian writers and publishers in the developing world through Media Associates International. Read my interview with her at International Christian Fiction Writers.
“Don’t look down,” my coach told me. “Focus on the goal”—not the hot coals under your feet. (Rich didn’t say that last part. Mentioning hot coals would turn my mind in a direction it wasn’t supposed to go.) “Cool moss, cool moss—chant it as you walk”—on the hot coals that you aren’t thinking about. The Southern and East Africa leadership of our organization, SIM, was meeting at Carmel Christian Accomodation and Convention Center outside George, South Africa. The view of Victoria Bay was spectacular. Mountain mists watered colorful gardens each morning. We even saw whales frolicking in the surf when we hiked down to the beach. Despite the temptation of the beach on a summer day, I’ve been revising teaching notes and handouts for a writing workshop I will give in Kisumu, Kenya, in August. Kisumu is a port city of 400,000 on a bay of Lake Victoria, which lies between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It was the center of violence following the disputed December 2007 elections. The city’s center was burned, the economy devastated. Nearly 1000 people died and 600,000 were displaced across the country. The international community brokered a power-sharing deal in March 2008, but there are rumors of arms entering the country in preparation for the planned elections in 2012. The suitcases are unpacked; the blisters turned to callus and my body is back on Central Daylight time, but Wales is not forgotten. I told you about hiking the hills with my friend Liz and the time we spent in Pembrokeshire with the Langham leadership team, but I skipped one very important afternoon. I have actually typed the last scene of The Empty Cup, working title for the sequel to Glastonbury Tor. I was elated. I could hardly feel the ground beneath my feet as I floated from my cozy office over the garage into the house to share the news with my husband. “Let’s go for a walk!” I said, and fairly skipped down the street. He was hard pressed to keep up with me. I’m still struggling to meet my deadline. This week I was reading the March/April issue of Horn Book Magazine. (Bedtime reading, not computer time, and yes, I know I’m behind. BTW, Horn Book is the classic magazine of children’s literature—highly recommended to anyone thinking of writing for children or young adults.) This issue honors Katherine Paterson , a missionary kid from China who has written more than 25 books (many of them award winners.) She is also the newly appointed National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. In a short essay (p.36) Linda Sue Park (herself a Newbery Medal winner) talks about the impact that Katherine Paterson has had on her life. Park was only thinking she might like to try writing when she found Paterson’s book of essays The Spying Heart. In the essay “Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?” she came upon the author’s technique of writing two pages a day. I have been going through my shelf of books on writing and children’s literature, wanting to post them with reviews on Shelfari.com and Goodreads.com so when people ask, “What’s a good book on writing?” I know which ones I like best and why. I have re-read a couple that I remember liking a lot. The first was a disappointment. Although I recognize the chapter on fantasy as the source of many of our family favorites, the rest of the book spends too much time analyzing works that haven’t stood the test of time. Turn Not Pale, Beloved Snail; a Book About Writing Among Other Things has NOT been a disappointment. It is a delight even after thirty years. I thought I would review it for you, but alas! It is out of print, and the only used copy available on Amazon costs $50! So check your public library for this book that inspires young people to look at life in new ways and get their vision down in words. Long ago in Mozambique during the civil war of the 1980s, I used to break out in a rash at times of special stress. I remember once when we returned from grocery-shopping and R & R in neighboring Swaziland to some particularly stressful news. I woke the next morning with my chest, neck and face covered with rash and my eyes swollen nearly shut. |
AuthorLeAnne Hardy has lived in six countries on four continents. Her books come out of her cross-cultural experiences and her passion to use story to convey spiritual truths in a form that will permeate lives. Add http://www.leannehardy.net/1/feed to your RSS feed.
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