I will be performing and/or presenting programs as a visiting author or storyteller in these communities in spring 2007 :

Providence, RI • Arlington, MA • Royalston, MA • Fort Devens, MA • Abington, MA • New Salem, MA • Natick, MA • Weymouth, MA • Charlton, MA • Stoneham, MA • NorthPembroke, MA and in Boston MA

http://www.readboston.org/

http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com/

Please Email me if you wish to preview my performances

N.B. willing to sign on as Mary Read, retired pirate, at your events - historical, piratical or otherwise. Email for dates and rates. Click on Mary Read or image below to learn more.. See me perform as Mary Read the retired pirate:

Redefined, Boston's early American image

By Ellen Steinbaum, Globe Correspondent | May 28, 2006, Boston Globe - City Type

Who writes Boston's story now?
Reading about yourself is like looking in a mirror....

...the indisputable evidence now says that Boston is different. The 2000 Census found more than half of Boston's population was African-American, Asian-American, or Latino. And, slowly but surely, that diversity is beginning to give us a fresh look at ourselves in print. Srikanth points to how Boston looks in the work of writers like Jhumpa Lahiri , Martin Espada , and Gish Jen . I think also of Allegra Goodman's novels and children's books by Irene Smalls and Norah Dooley .

The picture is getting more colorful, the vision wider. While we treasure our history, we can see we're not on the cramped Mayflower anymore. There's room for everyone here, and you can read all about it.

Storyteller visits Florence Sawyer School

By Ellie Vinacco/ Correspondent

Friday, November 25, 2005

On Nov. 15 author Norah Dooley addressed the third through sixth grade classes from Florence Sawyer and Emerson Schools on the subject of writing stories. Dooley's presentation, titled "From an Idea to a Published Book," consisted of a slide show and talk explaining the author's own experiences in writing and publishing, and ended with a storytelling segment and book-signing.

     Dooley captured the student's attention right away when she told them that there was no television in the house when her children were growing up. She went on to explain that she and her children read books all day to entertain themselves. However, because they read books all day, the last thing they wanted to do at bedtime was read more books! Dooley said she had no choice but to make up stories to tell them which she then wrote down after they were asleep.

      "I started writing by telling stories to my children and by telling stories I realized that I could write," she said.

     Dooley recalls the one night in particular when her daughters posed the often repeated request, "One more story, please," and she thought back to the block party they had that day for inspiration. She realized that even though the people there were from cultures all over the world, everybody brought a dish that contained rice. Dooley said this is what led her to write her first published book, "Everybody Eats Rice."

     Besides being an author, Dooley is also a visual artist who earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts. She worked as an artist for 10 years doing watercolors and Japanese Sumi-e, a type of ink painting. Even though Dooley is an artist, she chose not to illustrate her own books: "I didn't have that talent. It's a lot of hard work that I am not interested in and not very good at."

     To be successful in writing Dooley encouraged the students to notice things and have questions. She advised them to ask the questions of when, where, what and who and to use their imagination and memory to answer these questions with what they see, hear, smell, taste and feel. Dooley made the point that people should write because they enjoy the process, not as a means to be published: "Writing is not about getting published. It is only a small part of why I write. I write because it helps me to notice things in the world, and noticing things helps me to appreciate things, and appreciating things helps me to enjoy life more and also to understand it better."

     Dooley gave the students tips on writing stories. She told them to start by keeping a journal in which they can free write, brainstorm, draw or do whatever else works for them in order to generate ideas. She advised them to tell their story orally many times to different people and then to write five to 15 drafts and read each one out loud to themselves.

     Dooley warned the students that if they submit their work to a publisher, then they should be sure to expect rejection. As an example she relayed the story of the first "Harry Potter" book being rejected nine times before it was published, and explained that publishers receive approximately 10,000 submissions of children's books each year. She then explained the long process of publishing a book.

     Dooley ended with telling a story about storytelling. She involved the audience by teaching them sound effects to use while she told the story. She explained that she became interested in storytelling while taking a class on it at Lesley College where she earned a master's degree in Creative Arts in Learning: "I think there is a power in storytelling. There is the human interaction. It is an effective means of talking to people and putting messages in to what the listeners think is pure fun."

     After the presentation the author signed copies of her books "Everybody Cooks Rice," "Everybody Bakes Bread," "Everybody Serves Soup" and "Everybody Brings Noodles." Dooley says the series is finished but she is working on approximately 40 nonfiction projects, and she also has three compact discs available of her storytelling. After school Dooley held a workshop with students, where she helped them to create their own story. Dooley says of visiting schools like Florence Sawyer, "It's one of my favorite things to do. I am lucky to have a job that is this much fun. I love teaching. I love hearing that I've inspired students to write their own stories."

Special storytelling performance offer for Day Care Centers and Pre Schools-block booking discounts!

Over 50% savings. Click on image or here to see if your schools will qualify.