November 3, 2015
A polite dismissal
Most often, the pieces of handwritten ephemera I collect have to do with serious topics: war, legal contracts, pleas for emergency assistance.
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November 1, 2015
Thank you to the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society
Last Thursday evening, I had the honor of sharing Marcel’s story to 90 people at the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society annual meeting. READ MORE
October 24, 2015
I.O.U. Eye Candy
Before credit cards, merchants would obtain “assurance” slips noting the client agreed to pay in 30 or 60 days, or some other agreed-upon schedule.
October 12, 2015
Vince Parker
Last week, I attended one of a long-running series of World War II lectures at Fort Snelling. Each gathering, an author or expert gives a presentation, followed by a panel of WWII vets who provide first-person testimony related to the evening’s topic.
October 6, 2015
Flâneuse / Flâneur
Book development editor Jill Swenson brought this word to my attention this morning, and throughout the day it has proved to be an enchanting distraction.
Flâneuse (female) / Flâneur (male): A passionate wanderer.
October 2, 2015
Hermann Zapf
Yesterday, a small cardboard box arrived, and as I walked up the driveway, I tried to puzzle out who it was from. When I opened it, I was delighted to see a hard-cover book from a Kickstarter campaign I backed months earlier, and had nearly forgotten about.
September 30, 2015
Gleam and Glow
September has been a month of polishing: polishing the proposal, polishing the first chapters of the manuscript. I’m even enrolled in a class called “Punch & Polish” at the Loft Literary Center.
September 9, 2015
Book Review: Alex’s Wake by Martin Goldsmith
Over the weekend I finished reading the book ‘Alex’s Wake.’ It was one of those books that started with a slow drip, but ended with a wave of sadness so enormous it was impossible to hold back tears.
September 1, 2015
Cherished Moments: On Sale for a Quarter
Next time you’re in an antique store, look for the box of old photos. Trust me, there is almost always a shoebox of photos sitting in some forgotten corner, filled with miniature black-and-white glossy prints stripped from the pages of a photo album.
August 25, 2015
Seventy-First Anniversary of the Liberation of Paris
One of the amazing people I’ve met along this journey is Louise Dillery. Readers of the book will get to know how amazing she is, too. She translated some of Marcel’s letters, and has turned into a dear friend. Louise is nearly 90 years old, but you would never know it — she’s sharp as a tack, and loves to talk about thoroughly modern things like eyebrow tattoos, Beyoncé and the allure of ‘bad boys.’
August 8, 2015
Treasure Trove of WWI Letters
Something wonderful happened today: a thick stack of letters written by my grandfather, John Emery Porter (he went by Emery), were given to my dad. My dad had never seen these letters before; he didn’t even know they existed. The letters had been written between 1917 and 1919, and were written by Emery to his sister, Lois. Lois’ grandson gave them to my dad.
August 2, 2015
Just Ask
Last week, a historian from the National World War II Museum flew to Minnesota to record the testimony of my uncle, Allen Porter. He was part of the 303rd Engineering Battalion of the 78th Infantry Division and fought across France and Germany in 1944-1945.