The Aloha Mish Mash

Aloha! I’m in Hawaii right now on a long overdue vacation during which I’m trying to remember what it feels like to relax. We’re on the Big Island of Hawaii and the terrain is so smothered with black lava that it kind of feels like we touched down on the moon. A moon, that is, with idyllic beaches and warm, clear water.

So, one would think it would be no problem for me to chill out and just relax for a few days. I mean, we are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with nothing but water around us for thousands of miles. I have no pressing deadlines to speak of. But, still, I do have this toddler son, Asher, who acts like he’s on a continuous Red Bull high, and so serious naps and relaxation are a little hard to come by.

I am doing some reading for fun, which is like a vacation in and of itself. I managed to score an advance copy of Deb Caletti’s newest YA novel, (coming out Feb 27) which is quite excellent. I’m also reading the latest issue of one of my most favorite magazines of late, GOOD.

Now that I think of it, the lack of TIVO has actually been a nice break, too. Hey, it can be stressful when your recording space is almost maxed out and you’ve got two Grey’s Anatomy‘s, an Amazing Race, two ER‘s, and a slew of Oprah‘s and Law & Order‘s to catch up on. Talk about pressure.

Anyway…even though I’m taking a week off of work, I just stumbled across two interesting programs for teen girls that I wanted to share with you.

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A new online book club for girls, ReaderGirlz, has just been launched by four YA authors, Dia Calhoun (Avielle of Rhia and The Phoenix Dance), Janet Lee Carey (The Beast of Noor and Dragon’s Keep), Lorie Ann Grover (On Pointe and Loose Threads) and Justina Chen Headley (Nothing but the Truth).

ReaderGirlz was created to celebrate “gutsy girls in life and in literature.” From their website:

“Every month, we’ll showcase a YA novel featuring a strong female character (or two!). We want to connect you with stories that will change the way you and your friends see yourselves, and inspire you to have the guts to make history of your own. So you’ll see lots of great community service ideas that tie in with our featured books.”

Visit their page or their website to join in the conversation!

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Also – I read an interesting article about a women’s theatre group in New York City called Women’s Expressive Theater, Inc. (WET). The group, started three years ago to empower teen girls, runs the program Risk Takers Film Series. Girls in the program meet once a month to screen a Hollywood movie, and then participate in a discussion about how the film portrays women and racial issues.

According to an article in the New York Daily News, co-founder Victoria Pettibone explained why she and partner Sasha Eden started the program. “We were frustrated by how women were seen in the media. We wanted to teach girls how to look at ‘airbrushed’ women with a critical eye and know they don’t have to be all the images they see.”

Visit the Risk Takers website for more info, or if you live in the New York City area, fill out an online application to be a part of the dialogue.