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Dear Friends,
As I hope you’ve heard by now, my novel, The Usual Rules, is now out in paperback. Although the book was originally published as an adult novel (and I certainly recommend it for adult readers), it was recently chosen by the American Library Association as one of the ten best books of 2003 for young readers. With those readers in mind, I did something I never undertook with any of my previous novels: I revised the novel, slightly, for the paperback publication, with an eye towards making sure that nothing in its content would make it problematic for seventh or eighth graders (kids the age of my main character, Wendy). So I hope those of you with teenage sons and daughters (but let’s be realistic, daughters, in particular) will think of picking up a copy for them (and maybe encouraging your children’s middle school English teachers to take a look at it). The novel’s a natural for mother/daughter book groups, too. Let me know if your group decides to choose it, and I’ll try to arrange for an online chat between us, about issues that may come up, reading the novel, that you’d like to talk about.
Here in California, I’ve been busy teaching a little pie-making (with plans for a Pie in the Sky fundraiser in the months to come, to benefit the Kerry campaign), working in my garden, and writing, as always. I’ve set up a number of short writing workshops for the coming months: one-night seminars in San Francisco and New York, in May, sponsored by Salon.com, and will be appearing as a guest, in the non-fiction genre, at the Bennington Writers’ Program, in June. For those of you in New York City, I’ll be performing with The Moth, on April 16. You can also catch me in a Moth show in New Haven, Connecticut, at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, June 26. And of course, as always, I’ll be heading to northern Michigan this fall -- the last weekend in September -- to participate on the faculty of the Walloon Lake Writers’ Workshop. The Walloon workshop is a particularly special event to me. Last year, I got to sing Johnny Cash songs with Michael Moore and Billy Collins one night, in a cabin by the lake. I’d love to see you there this fall. I will also be holding a workshop at my home in Mill Valley, California -- the weekend of April 30 - May 2 -- on the personal essay and memoir writing. Meals included. Visit my workshop page for more details. While you're there, please consider signing up for my workshop newsletter, so that we can keep you up-to-date on the latest news. One more event I will mention, that is a source of particular happiness and pride: This spring, in honor -- belatedly -- of the 100th birthday of my father, Max Maynard, the Winchester Gallery in Victoria, British Columbia, will be holding a retrospective show of my dad’s work, spanning more than fifty years of his career. I’ll be traveling to Canada to attend the opening of the show, with my youngest son Will (who could be seen, a few weeks back, on the television show The O.C., playing a water polo coach). The story of my father’s life as an artist -- his passion for art, the frustration of his many years, making art in virtually total obscurity, and the triumphant way he found acknowledgement for his work, in the eighth and final decade of his life -- is one I tell in an essay posted here (originally broadcast on National Public Radio), titled “My Father Was a Painter.” If you haven’t read it before, I hope you’ll enjoy it. The story is also available, read by me, on cassette, through my catalogue.
And of course, one place I always come back to is the discussion forum on this site, where space always exists for you to share with me, and the rest of us, your stories, thoughts and experiences, or whatever else is on your mind.
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After
two months in Guatemala -- working on my new novel for young adults, The
Cloud Chamber -- I’m home in California. 
