If you can, try to catch my book talk at Orinda Books next Wednesday at 10 am. Talk, Signing, Q & A should be great fun. Orinda Books276 Village Square, Orinda CA. 94563 (925) 254-7606Ample free parking just outside the store Sponsored by the Junior League. One of their book clubs meets at the store. Directions/Map. … [Read more...]
Oscar Pistorius——not mentally disabled, but a psychopath?
No mental disability when fired shots. It's been a month since various media shouted the news that Oscar Pistorius didn't have a mental disability when he killed his girlfriend. So technically, he has only one disability, his amputated legs. However, it's been over a year (Feb 2013) when I speculated that Pistorius might be a psychopath along the lines of fallen and disgraced sports heroes like Lance Armstrong and OJ. Simpson. I'd have to say the "jury is still out" regarding whether … [Read more...]
Heart to heart about memoir, Cleft Heart.
As part of the International Authors' Day blog hop hosted by b00kR3vi3ws, I'm going to tackle some of the questions that're asked of me as I do various book events on Cleft Heart book tours. Debdatta, who reviews books at his site, b00kR3vi3ws, claims he's addicted to books. I hope he never goes into rehab. 1. Why now? What made you decide to write Cleft Heart? I finally got some time off from being a professor and decided to have another go at aspects of being a cleft afflicted … [Read more...]
Celebs with cleft lip & other birth defects—II.
Here are six celebs born with less impactful birth defects than those noted in my prior blog (which included Joaquin Phoenix). Again, thanks to Listverse.com and Madamenoire.com for doing the legwork. FOREST WHITAKER, LAZY EYE When asked about his famous lazy left eye, Forest admits that he inherited the condition from his father. He has considered having it fixed but only because it affects his vision. Some birth defects are mild, even intriguing. Here's another eye "deformity," … [Read more...]
Channeling Malcolm X and Jonathan Trumbull on Book tour
An update on Cleft Heart, the first-ever memoir written about the cleft experience by a cleft. East Coast --North-- book tour. I’m excited that my first East Coast tour for Cleft Heart is about to start. A serious family illness delayed it after my successful West Coast tour last fall. If you live in the northern part of the East Coast, especially in New York or Connecticut, here's a chance to ask me anything about the book face to face. I'll be at the Audubon Med Center Bookstore in … [Read more...]
Date a person with a Harelip?
Before dealing with a topic I encountered throughout my adolescence and young adulthood, a few words about Jack Dupree and the lyrics to the song he sang in the You Tube video posted in my last blog. Singing the "Harelip Blues." So here's what I found out about the song, but not becasue of Snopes (see prior blog). I dug a bit and found--according to a Wiki article--that Jack Dupree sometimes used the equivalent of poetic license for singers—an artistic conceit—by singing as if he had a cleft … [Read more...]
Duck Dynasty’s cleft lip saga…on A&E Sunday
Stand by Mia The Robertson family puts together a family reunion to give Mia, an 8-ish granddaughter, a big send-off before one of her cleft palate surgeries. The episode is titled "Stand by Mia," and it shows how a family can rally around and support a child with a facial difference. Even if you don't run with a Duck Dynasty crowd and take issue with Phil's comments about gays, this episode is worth checking out. The show airs on A&E Sunday, March 30 at 9 pm Eastern, 8 pm Central, 7 … [Read more...]