Mermaid of the Moment: Neverland's Sea Sirens

Still from Peter Pan, 1924, directed by Herbert Brenon.

 “Peter was not with them for the moment, and they felt rather lonely up there by themselves. He could go so much faster than they that he would suddenly shoot out of sight, to have some adventure in which they had no share.

He would come down laughing over something fearfully funny he had been saying to a star, but he had already forgotten what it was, or he would come up with mermaid scales still sticking to him, and yet not be able to to say for certain what had been happening.

It was really rather irritating to children who had never seen a mermaid.”

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

My First SCBWI Conference

A couple of weekends ago I took a big plunge into the children's literature world. I went to my first New England SCBWI conference in Springfield, MA.

If you're not aware, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators or SCBWI is the largest networking organization of children's writers, illustrators and publishing professionals in the world. They offer critique groups to members, conferences, a member's magazine and newsletter, and many other perks that I'm still learning about.

I truly had a wonderful experience. I met many positive and friendly people who were also excited to talk about their work and love for children's writing.

I did feel a little overwhelmed on the first day of the conference on Friday. I knew that as soon as I said goodbye to my husband George in the hotel lobby that I would have to put my introverted self on a shelf for the weekend, and embrace the reality of meeting dozens of new people, in a new place, and learn lots of new things. Which I gratefully did.

I went to several workshops which were helpful and informative on many levels, and I had a picture book manuscript critique with an editor from local publisher, Islandport Press. The critique was helpful, and I'll be looking back to the notes I received closely in coming revisions.

I even worked up the nerve to introduce myself to an agent. She didn't seem bowled over by my somewhat nervous picture book pitch, but she kindly wished me luck with it. I do feel proud of myself for taking that first awkward step.

I knew before coming to the conference that one of the major goals of the event is to create a place where networking relationships can happen, and to demystify the work of editors and agents so that authors and industry professionals can communicate more freely. They are, of course, people with goals and deadlines to meet too.

Looking back on the conference experience, and my experience with my SCBWI critique group so far, I really only have good things to say. I'm thankful for the help, support and keen advice of fellow authors on the road of writing children's literature. 

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

In The Classic Treasury of Hans Christian Andersen from Courage Books, Copyright 2002, there is a version of The Little Mermaid. All the stories in this collection have been retold by Margaret Clark.
 

The classic tales are accompanied by the artwork of Christian Birmingham, rendered in chalk pastel and pencil.

The illustrations are so delicate, soft and dreamy it seems as though the littlest mermaid will float right off the page. The views from under water help you see the world from her perspective.You begin to feel her longing, seeing a new and strange world, but being unable to touch it.

Margaret Clark's retelling gracefully recreates the story. I especially like how she sets the reader up to anticipate the little mermaid's first glimpse of the world above. She leads us through her five older sister's encounters with the human realm, but each of them conclude that while the human world was intriguing, their home is under the water. But this is not the case for the youngest princess. She sees a beautiful boy celebrating his 16th birthday aboard a glowing ship, festooned with fireworks, and is immediately captivated.

When a storm suddenly overtakes the ship, she decides to save him, and in this way she sets her heart on someone she cannot have.  Although her unrequited desire becomes her downfall, the littlest mermaid learns to love selflessly and she's given a second chance and a soul.

The Classic Treasury of Hans Christian Andersen from Courage Books is readily available from many booksellers for about $10.

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

There is another stand alone version of The Little Mermaid illustrated by Christian Birmingham, and translated by Naomi Lewis, from Walker Books, copyright 2009.

This version is a bit more difficult to find in hardcover. Well, you can find it, but the price goes up. A lot.

The most affordable hardcover version I could find in North America was $128 on Amazon. The paperback is more accessible for about $30 from Amazon, if you have to have it in your picture book collection and you're on a budget.

We do have The Classic Treasury in our picture book collection already, but I think I would like to purchase the stand-alone from Walker Books as well. However, it will probably be the paperback version for this household.

The Top 5 Mermaid Gifts to Give for Valentine's Day

Gentlemen, I'm sure you're looking for that special something to give your lady on Valentine's Day. Why not give her a mermaid themed gift that she can actually use? Here are my top 5 picks.

1. Reasons to Be a Mermaid T-Shirt ( It's fun and not a budget-buster at $29.99.)

2. Jewelry for a Mermaid (I thought that if a mermaid were going to pick some jewelry she'd go for something made of lapis, pearl, or coral, like these. These sets from Thailand run about $50 to $70.)

 

3. Dolphin Encounter (You do need to go to where the dolphins are, say Florida or the Bahamas... $100 to $250 depending on the program)

4. Shell Bra (These range in price, from $45 to $150, depending on make and quality, and whether you can wear them in the water. This one, from The Mertailor is a bit pricier, but gorgeous.)

5. Mermaid Tail - The ultimate Mermaid gift ( These vary in price as well. Custom made tails range from about $600 to $2700. Again, these are from The Mertailor in Florida.)

Howard Pyle's Mermaid

 

The Mermaid by Howard Pyle is probably one of the famous illustrator’s most mysterious works, as the painting remained unfinished when he left the United States in November 1910 to travel in Europe. Pyle never returned to the U.S. He passed away just a year later on November 9, 1911 in Florence, Italy.

I had the opportunity to see this painting in person at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. They were featuring a collection of Pyle’s work titled Howard Pyle: American Master Rediscovered.

The painting is quite large at 57 7/8 x 40 1/8 inches, painted in oil. Looking at it you feel as though you’re looking through a window, rather than a flat piece of canvas. The moonlight he’s used to light the painting casts a bluish hue on the skin of the sailor and mermaid. I especially love the bits of coral, seaweed, and pearls in the mermaid’s hair. She seems to be wearing a gold necklace and bracelet as well.

The painting was finished by Pyle’s student Frank Schoonover, who added fish and a crab to the scene. It’s hard not to wonder how Pyle would have finished the painting had he returned from Europe, but all the same it is a remarkable work. 

The mystery of this piece lies in the relationship between the mermaid and the sailor. What sort of embrace are they sharing? Is this an affectionate goodbye after she saved him from the wreck? Or, is he barely conscious, possibly drowned, his body heavy and limp, as she’s trying to place him on the rock with the upswell of the wave behind her?

I also wonder if there was any connection between this painting and Pyle’s personal life. Did he know that his health was deteriorating, as he died a short year later, and this painting reveals his feelings for his wife Anne, with whom he shared his life and bore seven children?

The painting was donated to the Delaware Art Museum by Pyle’s children in memory of their mother Anne Poole. I’m a romantic and like to think that he painted it for her, knowing his time was short.

This is the only photo I could find of Anne Poole Pyle, showing her with four of their children by the shore at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The photo was taken by Pyle in 1890.

To see more of Howard Pyle's pictures from Rehoboth Beach in 1910, take a look at Howard Pyle's Seaside Holiday Photos, 1910.

Parisiennes at the PEM

Last night I was a 19th century Parisienne.
A friend, Erik Rodenhiser, owner of the Griffen Theatre in Salem, asked me if I would be available to portray a woman who looked like she may have stepped out of a Renoir painting. Of course, I said yes. Or rather bien sur.

Myself, Erik, and one other lady, the raven-haired, beguiling Shari Caplan, were commissioned to engage and entertain at a special members preview for a new exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum, Impressionists on the Water. The exhibit opens to the public on November 9th and features 60 paintings by artists such as Renoir, Monet, Sisley and others, exploring their love and fascination with water and the activities surrounding it.

At the reception, the PEM's soaring Atrium was decorated to look like a Parisian garden party. The tables were dressed with black and white striped tablecloths, flowers arranged in bright, colorful bundles, and especially for us actors, a bit of grass lawn flanked by two boxwood shrubberies. We were to play petanque (the French version of bocce) with the guests.

Petanque is a fairly simple game. There are 7 balls or boules total. The first step to play is to toss the cochonnet (meaning little pig) onto the grass. The cochonnet is a small, plain wooden ball about an inch and a half in diameter. Next, the remaining 6 boules (2 red, 2 yellow, 2 blue) are tossed towards the cochonnet. The goal is to land as close to the cochonnet as possible. Several guests joined us for a round or two. The more competitive ones played to the best 2 out of 3 games.

Even pretending I was a 19^th century Parisienne was magical for more than a moment. Listening to the accordionist playing French waltzes and dancing on the grass, I imagined that I was on the riverbank of the Seine, enjoying an afternoon picnic in Renoir’s Paris.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the exhibit itself last night. Our petanque playing duties kept us at the garden party in the Atrium, but I will be heading back to the museum very soon to see the art and imagine, once again, that I’m in the most beautiful city in the world.

Ah, Paris...

For more information about Impressionists on the Water, visit this link:

http://www.pem.org/exhibitions/159-impressionists_on_the_water

The Force of Gravity

Sandra Bullock is my new favorite actress.

Two of her recent films, The Heat and Gravity, moved me deeply. One to raucous laughter, the other to tears of self-recognition.

These films show the scope of her range. She can be the uptight, straight man, the perfect foil for Melissa McCarthy’s in-your-face, share-every-single-thing-that’s-on-your-mind bravado, as she was in The Heat. And she was hilarious. She can also be the earnest scientist, a fish out of water, who just wants to finish her job and get back home to earth when tragedy strikes, as in Gravity.

My expectations for Gravity were different than my actual experience of the film, and I mean that in the best possible way. I was expecting a colder, more detached film, (It’s in space, of course you’ll feel cold and detached) a film more like 2001: A Space Odyssey, which I found epic and engrossing, but emotionally distant. Based on the trailer I also thought it would be a more straightforward drama/thriller/disaster film. We know right away that Sandra Bullock gets separated from the space station. We feel the claustrophobia and anxiety as she hurtles away from the only other humans nearby for thousands of miles.

What I didn’t expect from the film was the beauty, and the emotional journey of Sandra’s Ryan Stone.

There is beauty because of the newness and wonder of feeling like I too, was floating above the earth, gazing at its placid, blue and white swirled surface along with the astronauts. I’ve read that often when astronauts first journey into space, they are overcome with emotion, seeing the earth this way. This blue ball, so fragile and far away takes on new meaning. Seeing the world, our world, from the “God’s eye view” can be life-changing and overwhelming. Even seeing it on film in 3D was awesome and disorienting.

I have no intention of ever going to space. I wasn’t cut out for the physical challenges the training would require. I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn’t want to try, much to my husband’s disappointment, who would, I believe, go to space if he had the chance.

No, thank you. I like the earth; ground beneath my feet, trees above me, where they should be.

Sandra’s Stone has passed these tests, and made it to the space station, yet you don’t get the sense that she feels completely comfortable with this whole space thing. For George Clooney’s Matt Kowalski however, space-walking is old hat. Kowalski is calm, deadpan, and cracking jokes, as he blasts around with his jet-pack. He putters around the space station as if he’s in his den, in his robe and slippers, with a cocktail in hand.

When the dreaded space shrapnel arrives, flying faster than a bullet, upending the astronauts delicate balance of technology and luck, Kowalski is still calm and cool as a cucumber. He guides Stone through her first space disaster and then some, finally letting go of his own life to save hers. And that’s only the first 25 minutes.

The rest of the film tells Stone’s story of survival. Not only must she defy countless odds and physical dangers, she must face her own doubts and misgivings. We discover that Stone once had a daughter who died in a freak accident at a young age. Her sadness and regret from this tragedy threaten her will to live. Stone must find the strength to overcome her fears for the sake of the story she’ll tell if she makes it. Her choice is the choice to continue or not, to be or not to be, as Shakespeare put it over 400 years ago.

Bullock’s performance in these emotional moments is void of pretense, which is remarkable considering all the special effects and big budget techniques being employed to tell her story. It’s all a device, a sham, a show. We know this, but the truth of the moment wins out over the make believe, and we believe Sandra is Stone. We’re with her in the capsule making the choice with her.

I won't spoil the end of the film for those who haven't seen it yet, but I will say that it's quite the ride to the end.