Last week I flew to KC to pick up a few momentos of my Grandma Dorothy, who died in late January. Those familiar with my short stories will remember her from "The Naked Truth," featured in In My Grandmother's House: Award-Winning Authors Tell Stories About Their Grandmothers (HarperCollins, 2003), a fine anthology, which went out of print almost instantly. See my Story Behind The Story.
I'd hoped to walk through Grandma's little house one last time, but it had sold to a minister and his wife, who'd closed on it just days before I arrived.
My grandmother was a collector of ceramic bluebirds, and I brought home a few of them, mostly those I'd given to her over the years. There were a few other items--notably including the trivet which reads "Dorothy's Kitchen"--but the bluebird symbol is the one I'll associate with her most.
I saw various family members and friends while I was in town. I also read Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper (Simon Pulse, 2006)(excerpt), which is one of the books I'll be talking about at the VC MFA summer residency, and watched "Aquamarine" (2006).
My KC dining recommendation is the barbecue catfish at Jack's Stack at Union Station.
Comic of the Week: Green Arrow #62
