Signing Books in Cincinnati

I love book fairs. That's because I love talking books with other writers and readers. The only bad thing about book fairs is that I want to carry a heavy load of books home with me when I go. Of course it's fun seeing readers adding my books to their armloads as they walk around looking at the offerings too. Usually readers have so many choices that they have no trouble finding something that sounds like just the book for them. Sometimes that's my book. 

I went to the Books by the Banks last year and it was fun, but the crowd seemed to be lacking. Saturday that wasn't the case. People were still coming in to look at the books an hour before the event was scheduled to end. That's when a reader has to find the best books fast. A lot of kids were being introduced to the wonderful world of stories. This fair has events for young readers all day long. They got stories read to them. They danced. They had their faces painted and had balloon hats. The best part they had fun with books and authors. 
The fair had some famous names. Dennis Lehane was there with his mysteries or suspense novels. His books Shutter Island and Mystic River were both made into movies. A long line waited to have Judy Collins sign her memoir, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music. Another interesting writer I met was Mary Ann Winkowski who was the inspiration for the t.v. show The Ghost Whisperer. She had a cookbook, Beyond Delicious: The Ghost Whisperer's Cookbook: More than 100 Recipes from the Dearly Departed. Now that's a title that almost demands you pick the book up and give it a look. 

Of course there were over a hundred authors there, so I could go on and on with the names. Robin Yocum shared a table with me and that's him in the photo above. He was a former crime reporter at a daily newspaper and had written true crime books. He was at Books by the Banks Saturday with his first novel, Favorite Sons. It was a mystery/suspense and sounded like a great story. I always enjoy getting to know the writers around me at book festivals. And as at every fair, I met some aspiring writers who hoped to someday be sitting on the other side of a stack of books at a book fair.

Next up is the Kentucky Book Fair on November 12. That's always a great event as people are beginning to think Christmas and an autographed book makes a fun gift whether you're gifting yourself or a family member or friend. I've signed books and talked to readers at the Book Fair for a lot of years, but it's always fun. Monday I recorded a promo show for the upcoming book fair that aired on the Frankfort, KY cable channel last night. I did a program last year too. That time I got a copy of the show on DVD, but I never had the nerve to watch it. I really didn't want to see how I looked and sounded, but I guess it wasn't too bad or they wouldn't have asked me back this time. 


So have you ever gone to a book fair? As a writer or a reader? What do you like about book fairs? Do you like to talk to the writers about their books? 


Thanks for reading. And if you're in the Frankfort area on Saturday, November 12, I hope you'll hunt up my table and tell me hello. You'll be able to meet lots of writers there. Almost 200 of them. But won't any of them enjoy talking to you more than me. 

Simple Gifts

My editor e-mailed me with some questions about the Shaker song, "Simple Gifts" this week and that got me to thinking about the song. "Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free" is probably the best known line of a Shaker hymn. Many people sing it incorrectly as "Tis a gift to be simple," but that little change of the to a makes a world of difference in the meaning of the song. The lyrics and music were written in 1948 by Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett of the Sabbathday Lake Village during what the Shakers called an "Era of Manifestations" or "Mother's Work." During this time many Shakers received what they considered "gift" songs from the spiritual realm.

I'm not sure if this elder felt that divine inspiration, but his song has certainly come to represent Shaker music. But it's gone farther than that. It began its rise to popularity in the "world" in 1944 when it was used by Aaron Copland in the ballet Appalachian Spring. Many who hear the song think it has a Celtic background. It does have a very lyrical sound and you can almost imagine someone playing the song on a flute as they dance across green fields. Of course the Shakers didn't have musical instruments until very late in their history. Their voices were their musical instruments.

"Simple Gifts" has been adapted and arranged many times over the years. You sometimes see the song with two additional verses that were not of part of the Shaker song. Perhaps the best known adaptation of the tune is Sydney Carter's "Lord of the Dance" in 1966. But it's been on t.v. (Little House on the Praire) and in the political realm too. John Williams incorporated the tune into "Air and Simple Gifts" that was performed at President Obama's inauguration in 2009. It's gone off to school and been a popular piece for various schools' drum corps and marching bands including the WV Mountaineer Marching Band.

The Shakers might have liked the idea of people marching to their song since many of their dances were marches. In this one they bowed and turned as they danced and sang. It is one of the songs the historical interpreters use when they demonstrate the Shaker worship at Pleasant Hill, the Shaker Village near where I live. Popular songs were shared between villages and this is one sung by all the villages.

So now you know more than you probably ever wanted to know about a Shaker song, but for fun you can click on the video above and listen to a beautiful rendition of the original words and tune by Judy Collins. Enjoy. I may post a different video of the song on my Facebook page. Come on over and join my page. I post something at least once a day. You can just search for Ann H Gabhart and look for my author page or click on it from the Facebook symbol on this blog or my website.

Talk to you again on Sunday. Oh yeah, and to the winners of the birthday celebration giveaway, your books are in the mail. Except Amy's. She still hasn't gotten into touch with me.