The Rotary Club of Wellington Announce the 4th School Bus Poster Contest
The Rotary Club of Wellington is proud to announce the 4th School Bus Poster Contest is underway and will culminate with an awards ceremony on February 17,2014. Tom Carreras, member of Wellington Rotary and the lead volunteer on the project stated, “The contest is open to all Palm Beach County residents in grades K-12 and is designed to promote a positive, alcohol-free lifestyle for youth.” This is one of the many community service projects that the Rotary Club conducts during the course of the year.
“This educational campaign is truly unique’” Carreras shared, “as it brings the community together to help young people make healthy choices and avoid walking down the path of addiction.” Co-sponsored by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Adobe Corporation, The South Florida Fair, Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition, and the School District of Palm Beach County. Last year there were 1333 entries from 55 schools. The Top 350 entries are displayed during the South Florida Fair. Over 100 volunteers place the winning artwork on the Palm Beach County School District buses for 60,000 students to view daily. Prizes including software donated by Adobe Corporation and cash prizes will be awarded to the top six winners- two elementary, two middle school, and two high school students. The deadline to submit entries is Friday, December 6, 2013. For more information about the contest, or to learn about volunteering for the project, contact Alexa Lee at (561) 844-59552 or alexalee@pbcsac.org. For more information about the Rotary Club of Wellington, contact Bob Salerno at (561) 512-8247 or bobultracleaners@comcast.net. Annual Underage Drinking Prevention
SUNRISE Adult Day Care A New Place For Seniors To Socialize, Stay Active and Have Fun
If you have an elderly loved one or family member who needs some daytime care, attention, fun and activities while you are out working or managing your day – SUNRISE Adult Day Care is a place you may want to check out. They accept seniors who are experiencing a decrease in their social, physical and mental functioning; this includes patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Their programs include all sorts of interesting mind and physical activities in a protective environment. This includes table games, music, bingo, laughing yoga, exercising, beauty days, learning to use the computer and Skype, field trips, and more. In addition, they provide meals specific to restricted diets, assistance with medication, personalized care and the best part is that they handle all the transportation arrangements for your loved one if needed.
The center is located at 6623 Forest Hill Boulevard in West Palm Beach, Florida. Sam Zutshi is the Founder, Honorary President and Sandy Mistry is the Vice President of the center. The website states, “Your Sunrise Center, where you will enjoy a great family ambiance for your loved ones…” The site also notes that “SUNRISE Adult Day Care is fully committed to helping you stay healthy during your golden years. At the center you are able to maintain a social life during the day and go home to your families at night.”
Sandy Mistry has 25 years experience in the medical field here in South Florida. As a medical technologist she has worked with Jupiter Internal Medicine Group for 17 years, Palm Beach Institute of Hematology & Oncology for four and a half years and currently works at JFK Medical Center. She unfortunately lost both her parents in 2011. Her father was a physician and her mother a talented artist who also designed floral arrangements. As their health was failing, Mistry noticed her parents’ quality of life was declining as they basically sat in their house and watched television all day. Padmaja, Mistry’s mother, was a creative and active woman who now had no outlet to express herself, socialize or participate in activities.
Mistry wants the community to know that SUNRISE Adult Day Care is dedicated to her mother and was created for seniors such as her mom so that they may have the opportunity to enjoy a good quality of life in their golden years unlike her mother did. In her interview, Mistry said, “In my 25 years of being in the healthcare profession, the Sunrise Adult Day Care mission is my proudest endeavor.” She then added, “I wish at this time to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Sam Zutshi. It was his expertise and diligence that saw Sunrise Adult Day Care to completion. Mr. Zutshi had the vision and is the Founder and Honorary President of Sunrise Adult Day Care. The energy and care he gave to the mission was boundless.”
Zutshi, originally from Kashmir, India has a rich and interesting background. Mr. Zutshi is the formerEditor/Publisher of National News Paper Asia Observer A South Asian weekly and International Magazine KASHMIR TODAY. KASHMIR TODAY exposed the propaganda being spread by neighboring Pakistan as well as the struggles of the people living with terrorism. Zutshi was recognized then as a Kashmiri activist in America and also was the founder and Chairman of the Kashmir Solidarity USA; a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and secular organization dedicated to stopping crime around the globe.
Zutshi served as a Commissioner of Human Rights and was elected Chairman of the Jersey City Human Rights Board. in Hudson County. He was also appointed Honorary Special Deputy Sheriff of Hudson County.
As if Zutshi wasn’t busy enough, he had the privilege of interviewing President Bill Clinton in a press conference live at the White House on CNN. He also interviewed President George H. Bush who awarded him an Honorable Mention Award for outstanding efforts in initiating an anti-terrorist movement in Kashmir.
When asked what he does during non-working hours, Zutshi said, “Magic is my hobby.” Come to find out, his stage name in the “Magic World” is Professor Kumar – Magician Maharaja of India and he is a renowned magician who began practicing his craft at around eight years old. Zutshi said that just a few months ago he met with David Copperfield in Las Vegas to discuss the famous Indian Rope Trick which Copperfield was interested in. Needless to say, Zutshi intends to continue his hobby for a long time and will perform for the seniors at his center.
When explaining how he got involved with SUNRISE Adult Day Care, Zutshi said, “My passion was to work with seniors so I wanted to help Sandy to establish this place.” He shared all the planned activities SUNRISE Adult Day Care provides such as table games, music, bingo, laughing yoga, exercising, beauty days, learning to use the computer and Skype, field trips, and more. He added that there will be a CNA on hand at the center and that he and Mistry are dedicated to helping increase the quality of life for seniors in their golden years.
Having an active senior life is possible with all the healthy activities SUNRISE Adult Day Care has planned. Hours are 7.30 am – 5.30 pm Monday-Friday. They provide quality supervised care at affordable costs. Medicaid covered seniors are welcome.
MINIS GONE WILD! An Avant Garde Night of Comedy and Live Art!
The New Light Theatre is proud to announce its brand new production “Minis Gone Wild!” – How does one perform a mini? Well, quickly of course…
Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16, 2013 – Cocktails at 7 pm, Show starts at 8 pm
GAB Studio, 225 NW 26th Street, Miami, Florida 33127 – $15 per seat.
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How Minis Gone Wild! came to be; New Light Theatre’s Resident Playwright, Artist and Director, Wendy White envisioned a new type of theatre production featuring mini-plays. Wendy often paints in her studio, living by her motto ‘painting a mini a day keeps the doctor away.’ Her initial concept of matching a mini-painting with a mini-play gained momentum and she invited other talented South Florida playwrights to join her; and voila ‘Minis Gone Wild!’ was born. States Wendy White; “I can’t help but to Maximize all the Mini Power by painting minis, singing minis, showing minis, and performing minis!”
Nine new original mini-plays will be performed by the talented cast: Gema Calero, Luis Navarro, Rio Chavarro, Tamara C. Moore-White, Gabriel Villasmil, Jessica Pusceddu, Mario Temes, Robert Hernandez and Julie Kendall. Wendy White is directing all of these plays!
1) “Hi. I’m Anne and I’m Afraid of Squirrels Biting my Ankles” by Wendy White
2) “The Unusual Suspect…” by Matthew Para
3) “Brunch Soon” by Marla E. Schwartz
4) “Man vs. Statue” by Luis Navarro
5) “Wet Paint” by Wendy White
6) “I Want to Be Your Sculpture” by Wendy White
7) “Vincent’s Room” by Wendy White
8) “Starry Nights and Midnight Chats” by Elaine Alonso-Cruz
9) “Art Deals in Dealers” by Rio Chavarro
The playwright and director, Wendy White has written over 125 one-act plays and was a resident playwright, curator and director at the Kraine Theater in the East Village of New York City from 1984 to 1992, and at the Expanded Arts Theater Company from 1994 to 2001, in the Lower East Side of New York City. Her off-Broadway productions are the basis for her new venue at the New Light Theatre. She recently produced her one woman show; The Jewish Nun to sold-out audiences in Off-Broadway’s 59e59 Theatre and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
In 2009, the New Light Foundation, Inc. represented the United States as Art Ambassadors by the 1-2-3 Kinderlachen e.V. foundation of Rottenburg, Germany by hosting the international “Global Gallery” project (www.123kinderlachen.org). During the course of this important project, the “world’s biggest canvas” emerged; painted by children – transcending all borders and conflicts.
The New Light Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit public foundation and has won numerous awards around the globe. The theatre company has performed everywhere from Amsterdam to Paris; from Miami to Los Angeles to New York City; and has tackled subjects relating to women, love, politics, and Shakespeare.
November, 2013 – Wellington Chamber of Commerce Equestrian Season Kick-Off Luncheon
On Wednesday November 13th, 2013 the Wellington Chamber of Commerce had its monthly luncheon at the Wanderers Club in Wellington, Florida. Insightful information was presented by several prominent speakers involved in the equestrian community regarding the outlook for the 2013-14 season in Wellington.
John Wash, President of the International Polo Club said that the vision of the International Polo Club was to establish a world class facility that would attract the highest level of polo competition. He noted that of the 70 polo fields in Wellington, nine are at the International Polo Club. Wash said spectators of polo come from 20 countries around the globe and from 49 different states which equates to over 150 thousand spectators. He added that polo has an important economic role in the western region of the county generating many millions of dollars. International Polo Club celebrated a tenth anniversary season last year and Wash noted that last season they broke all records as well.
Also speaking was Noreen O’Sullivan from Wellington Classic Dressage. She stated that dressage has a rich history of over 31 years in the area. O’Sullivan has been involved in dressage for over 18 years and she has been overseeing and managing dressage events around Wellington for over 16 years. She noted that Wellington Classic Dressage was incorporated in 2006 and added that many Olympic riders qualified here in Wellington. In addition, many riders call Wellington their year round or seasonal home and those who don’t come back every year. O’Sullivan shared interesting facts as she mentioned that in dressage over 96 percent of the riders are women, 66% are college educated and 87% are over age 35. In addition, many of them have annual incomes of over $185,000 per year and 22 % own two or more homes. The average value of their homes is $594,000. Most own three vehicles, four horses, and compete six or more times per year.
Marla Connor, Manager of Gulfstream Polo, was also a speaker and she noted that she has been the manager there for 18 years. Gulfstream Polo was originally established in the small town of Gulfstream along the intra-coastal, but as things grew in the 60‘s they had to move west. Connor made it clear that they never charge admission and that there are grand-stands for public convenience overlooking every field. She added that in 2013 they had 22 teams and that this year they’re expecting to have more even more.
The last speaker was Mark Bellissimo from Equestrian Sport Productions. Bellissimo spoke of attending the FEI Convention in Geneva. He noted how amazed he was at how much talk there was there regarding Wellington. He said that the people were chatting about how Wellington horse shows used to be disaggregated and that now that’s history as things have changed and evolved.
Bellissimo credited his wife Katherine with helping him change the elite status of the sport and making it more accessible to the general public. In addition, he discussed The Great Charity Challenge which started five years ago and was an idea he and his daughter came up with. They raised $562,000 in the first six weeks of their marketing efforts. The Great Charity Challenge has been growing every year since.
Overall, all the speakers seemed optimistic of the future 2013-14 equestrian season.
For more information regarding the Wellington Chamber of Commerce contact Michela Perillo – Green at (561)792-6525 or write to Info@WellingtonChamber.com. Also visit the Wellington Chamber online at www.WellingtonChamber.com.
Photos and Write Up By: Jon Lipshaw – SharpShooter Marketing Group
Think PINK students raise money and awareness for breast cancer research at Scripps Florida
Wellington & Jupiter, FL– Co-founders Janet Rosenthol and Amy Aqua of thinkPINKkids recently presented Scripps Florida with a check for $ 15,000 – to go towards cancer research at Scripps Florida.
ThinkPINKkids South Florida began at Wellington Community High School, and has since expanded to 17 schools throughout Palm Beach County! Through corporate sponsors and various fundraising activities such as merchandise sales, thinkPINK Day in the elementary schools, a dodge-ball tournament in the middle and high schools, and a Dance Night for the Fight against Breast Cancer, this South Florida organization has raised and donated over $60,000 to the Cancer Biology Department at Scripps, Florida, and $22,000 to Your Bosom Buddies, II, a local cancer support group.
The founders of this remarkable organization are extremely proud of all of the local South Florida students, parent volunteers, and school faculty members that have worked hard to raise money and spread the word about breast cancer awareness and research. Each year the organization continues to expand providing breast cancer education and awareness among youth and adults, earning, raising and donating money for breast cancer research, and partnering with community groups.
“It is an honor and a privilege for Scripps researchers to be the benefactors of the remarkable fundraising efforts of so many students, teachers and volunteers who are making a real difference in our campaigns to develop new drugs that can prevent and eradicate breast cancer,” stated Dr. John Cleveland, Chairman of the Department of Cancer Biology of Scripps Florida.
To learn more about starting a thinkPINKkids club at a school in South Florida, please email tpkwellington@comcast.net.
“A Story Written in the Sun” 2013 Red Cross Beach Bash honors Lilly Pulitzer
(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Annually, in each of the last six ‘seasons,’ the Saturday between Christmas and New Years has seen the ocean side of the island of Palm Beach turn pink and green as the American Red Cross hosts its Beach Bash. The must-attend “Lilly or Louder” event for gorgeous young things visiting Palm Beach’s sunny paradise or lucky enough to call it home, the Red Cross Beach Bash returns to The Beach Club on Saturday, December 28, 2013.
Marking the 7th anniversary of the Beach Bash, this year’s anticipated event will honor the late fashion icon, Lilly Pulitzer, by “bringing it back to Palm Beach,” the birthplace of the brand’s beginnings. Themed “A Story Written in the Sun,” the evening is presented again this year by the Lilly Pulitzer fashion house, and Lilly’s grandson, Bobby Leidy, also returns to chair the Bash. More than 600 of Palm Beach’s next generation of philanthropic leaders are expected to gather for the premiere pre-New Year’s Eve celebration.
“My family has supported the American Red Cross for decades, so helping to raise awareness for the organization was a natural decision,” stated Bobby Leidy. “This year’s event is especially meaningful for me, as we honor my late grandmother and her ‘Story Written in the Sun.’ Additionally, I am grateful for the continued support of the Lilly Pulitzer Corporation. Their partnership throughout the years has been integral to the success of this great event.”
Leidy, a vice president with Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management in Palm Beach, has served as Chair of the Red Cross Beach Bash for the past six years. Bobby is the eldest grandson of Lilly Pulitzer, founder of presenting sponsor, Lilly Pulitzer Corporation. In addition to being an active supporter of the Red Cross, he is a member of the Four Arts Contemporaries and the Preservation Foundation. He is a committee member of the Young Friends of Cleveland Clinic Florida and the Gulf Stream Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
The event’s committee members include Bettina Anderson, Loy Anderson, Zach Berg, Amanda Boalt, Chris Dischino, Mary Victoria Falzarano, Nico Fanjul, Reddy Fanjul, Chris Hill, Alex Hufty, Alexander Ives, Nick Kassatly, Chris Leidy, Sasha Lickle, Christina and Ben MacFarland, Samantha Marulli, Dabney Mercer, Tommy Morrison, Tinsley Mortimer, Kelly J. Murray, Stacy Nichols, Crissy Poorman, Gary Pohrer, Kelly Ring, Lauriston and Richard Segerson, Andrew Steel, Bruce Sutka, Siobhan Helene Shea, Mary Tobin and Erik Waldin.
All proceeds from the Red Cross Beach Bash support the lifesaving work of the American Red Cross, helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Across the Palm Beaches-Treasure Coast region, every 28 hours on average, a neighbor calls upon local Red Cross volunteers for emotional support, food, clothing and shelter after a fire, flood, hurricane or other disaster. Tickets are $200 and sponsorship packages and opportunities are still available. For more information, please contact Alison Freeman at 561-650-9133 or Alison.Freeman@redcross.org.
Wellington Children’s Theatre presents The Wizard of Oz at the Palm Beach Central High School Theatre
The Wellington Children’s Theatre presents the dazzling musical, The Wizard of Oz, Friday, November 22nd at 7:30pm, Saturday, November 23rd at 2pm and 7:30pm, and Sunday, November 24th at 4:30pm at the Palm Beach Central High School Theatre, High School Theatre, W. Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington. Tickets are available
Readers from all over the world with authors from all over the world will meet, talk and share ideas.
As I mentioned in A Reader’s Paradise – Part I, earlier this week, hop in the car and head south to the Miami Book Fair International (MBFI). The MBFI is the oldest and largest gathering of authors coming from all over the world with an attendance of 250,000 people of all ages over a period of 8 days.
It’s important to reserve your ticketsnow! The prices are reasonable and many of the ticketed events are free. There are programs, concerts and activities for the entire family. For more information about the weeklong event go to:
“I always try to think about the person who, out of love or friendship, has come to a poetry reading for someone else… My hope is that we can, as poets, excite that person to form a new relationship with poetry.” – Julie Marie Wade
“Born in Seattle in 1979, Julie Marie Wade completed a Master of Arts in English at Western Washington University in 2003, a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry at the University of Pittsburgh in 2006, and a Ph.D. in Humanities with creative dissertation at the University of Louisville in 2012. She is the author of the poetry chapbook Without (Finishing Line Press, 2010) and two collections of lyric nonfiction, Wishbone: A Memoir in Fractures (Colgate University Press, 2010) and Small Fires (Sarabande Books, 2011). Julie lives with her partner and their two cats in the Sunshine State, where she teaches creative writing at Florida International University.” – The Marie Alexander Poetry Series Website
Julie Wade will be reading from her latest book, Postage Due, along with poets James Allen Hall, Orlando Ricardo Menes and Jen Karetnick on Saturday, November 23 at 3:00 PM at the Miami Book Fair International 2013. For more information see:
Recently, I was fortunate to interview Ms. Wade about the upcoming event. The following is most of our enlightening conversation.
LHB: Your new book, Postage Due, is sincere, heartfelt and innovative. How did the use of the “postcard” concept come to you?
JMW: I’ve always been interested in epistolary literature in general. In graduate school I read A Postcard Memoir by Lawrence Sutin, and in that book he uses random postcards as occasions for musings. I’m sure that collection put certain ideas into my head about how I might use postcards in a more compressed way in my poetry. Typically [on] a postcard, you don’t have a lot of space to write very much… If you were literally sending out postcards, not just using the concept, you are forced to either write very small or compress what you want to say… boil your message down to its essence.
Because I am a long-winded person, I realized this approach would be a really good challenge for me. I’m always looking for some kind of formal challenge. As writers, we tend to circle around a lot of the same themes in our work… The only way I have to know that I’m keeping my work fresh is to try new things formally. The postcard for me was the ultimate challenge… For the literal poems in the book that are postcard sized, I knew I had to force myself to say something very brief and very precise to significant people from my past.
I also reasoned, if I wasn’t fortunate enough to find my way into an academic job, that the next best thing might be becoming a postal carrier… I just thought it would be interesting to work with the mail since I’m fascinated by correspondence. I’m curious about the kind of things that we send to each other and also the kinds of things that we don’t send – maybe the letters that we wished we could send?
And I love all the different stamps that they have at the post office. I always look at the different things that you can stamp on a letter, and “postage due,” to me, is the most fascinating one. How vexing to have something come back postage due! If you’ve mailed it out and hoped that it would make it, but also, if it makes it to someone else, that person will have to pay in order to get at the content. I imagine a lot of letters and parcels slip through the cracks that way in the postal system? This book is interested in those things… with those letters that don’t make it there.
LHB: What attracted you to participate in the Miami Book Fair International?
JMW: I’ve been aware of the Miami Book Fair for years and after I moved to South Florida last year, it was an honor to be asked to participate. What is a special honor for me is that James Allen Hall, one of the other poets on the panel, is a long-time friend of mine. We have overlapped in our careers many ways… We just found out a couple weeks ago that we’d be reading together for the very first time. So that is thrilling news for me because I’m such a big fan of his work and also of James as a person. Orlando and Jen are two writers whose work I don’t know yet. There’s something lovely about this panel because it’s both a reunion for James and me, [and it’s] also a chance to have the best seat in the house for readings from two new poets.
LHB: What would our readers learn if they attended your panel discussion? What question do you want those who attend the discussion to be asking themselves?
JMW: I think that it’s fantastic to get a book of poems and to savor it on your own…
There’s something fabulous about the private communion you can have with a book of poems. But I also love a poetry reading… My friend James [Allen Hall] is a very dynamic reader, and I would hope and assume that other readers on our panel will be, too. I try to be a reader who would make poetry something that would catalyze you, that would be exciting even if you’re not a person who tends to pick up a book of poems and read it to yourself…
To me, there’s nothing better than hearing any literature read aloud well. It’s captivating. But I always think, for poetry in particular, that it’s meant to be read aloud. I hope that we, as a panel, can deliver that experience – not just for people who are already initiated… I always try to think about the person who, out of love or friendship, has come to a poetry reading for someone else… My hope is that we can, as poets, excite that person to form a new relationship with poetry.
LHB: Is there anything else in particular that you, Julie Wade, the writer or the person, would like our readers to know about you before the Miami Book fair? When they’re thinking, “Hmm… what panel discussions am I going to sit in on?”
JMW: Wow, that’s a hard question!
LHB: It’s insightful. (I then repeated the question slowly).
JMW: A fantastic question… I DO have an answer for this! A huge amount of serendipity has brought me from Seattle, where I was born and raised,to South Florida, which is about as far away within the continental U.S. that you can get.
This sounds like an apocryphal story, but it really is true. When I started my PhD program in 2008 at the University of Louisville, my partner’s sister and brother-in-law asked me, “What’s your dream job? Where would you most like to teach when you get done with your PhD?” The big elephant in the room of course is that if you’re looking for an academic job, everyone [around you] is getting a little nervous, too, knowing there are so few of them.
My first choice school was Florida International University. I thought that there was something really magical about a place where all the faculty stayed… It is a hugely talented faculty in the creative writing program at FIU,… and I reasoned there must have been something special worth staying for when surely other schools would have wanted to hire these faculty members as well.
I dreamed of coming here, and I ended up being hired onto the creative writing faculty at FIU in 2012. I try to remember what a gift it is to have my dream job, even when I get busy and stressed! I am, in fact, working at my dream school.
LHB: Lucky you!
JMW: Lucky me, truly.
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A Conversation (between planes) with Brad Meltzer!
Brad Meltzer in the green room about to go on at CBS This Morning.
“ I believe that ordinary people change the world. I hope that my work speaks for that and I speak for that and I hope I stand for that.”
– Brad Meltzer
“What’s really going on at Area 51? Did John Wilkes Booth get away? Based on his popular History Channel show, Brad Meltzer’s Decoded, Meltzer presents History Decoded: The Ten Greatest Conspiracies of All Time (Workman Publishing). Each chapter is illustrated and includes an envelope containing removable facsimile documents. Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Circle, as well as the bestselling novels The Fifth Assassin, The Tenth Justice, Dead Even, The First Counsel, The Millionaires, The Zero Game, The Book of Fate and The Book of Lies. His first non-fiction books, Heroes for My Son and Heroes for my Daughter, were also bestsellers.” – MBFI website
Mr. Meltzer will be presenting History Decoded: The Ten Greatest Conspiracies of All Time at the MBFI on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 10 AM on a panel that includes Dave Barry and Roy Blount, Jr. For more information go to:
You can hear it in his voice – the enthusiasm that most of us wish for. A man so busy, that the only way to have a conversation (in time for our deadline) was to catch Brad Meltzer between planes after a speaking engagement with two thousand teachers in attendance. I initiated the dialogue by informing him that we both were born in Brooklyn, NY and graduated from the same high school, North Miami Beach Senior High (only about a decade apart). After reminiscing about terrific teachers we both were fortunate to have, I attempted to conduct an interview between the beeps and announcements often associated with airport ambiance. Brad was an excellent sport and seasoned trooper. The following are some snippets of that conversation.
LHB: What brings you to the MBFI and what do you have in common with your fellow panelists Dave Barry and Roy Blount, Jr.?
BM: Well, I think that we all think that Miami is the craziest place on earth and one of the very best places on earth! I don’t know Roy, but I know Dave well and, I can tell you, I grew up reading Dave Barry. He was one of my early influences as a writer. In fact, the very first piece I ever wrote that got published was in response to a Dave Barry contest that was in Tropic Magazine years ago. He’s always been one of my writing heroes. I tried to get him to speak at my graduation at North Miami BeachSenior High School!
I think what the fun will be with us together is: it’s not just a perspective from authors and it’s not just someone trying to talk about their book, but it’s someone who has a very intimate knowledge, all of us, of Miami and the beautiful chaos that it is.
LHB: What would my readers learn if they attended your panel discussion?
BM: I think that they’ll learn about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the truth about UFO’s and they will absolutely hear my theory on who really killed John F. Kennedy.
LHB: What questions would you want your audience to be asking themselves after attending your panel’s presentation?
BM: The question I would want them to ask is, “How did I get to have so much fun for free!” How did they get to enjoy a day of books and have a big smile on their face – and they didn’t have to pay a thing!
LHB: That’s great!
BM: It’s more important to learn something about history and themselves. Because every time you learn about history you always learn about yourself.
LHB: Whose idea was it to include the envelopes filled with historical facsimiles in the book? The concept is brilliant.
BM: Thank you. Full credit goes to Peter Workman – who passed away this past year. We were talking to different publishers – we went to lots of different publishers… and we went to Peter and to Bob Miller, who was the original editor on the book and they said, “What do you think of doing something completely different with this book and giving people pullouts from the book?” … and I said that’s exactly what I’d love to do. I loved that idea immediately. I had gone into the treasure vault at the National Archives where they keep the most important documents and they gave me an old oath of allegiance that the revolutionary war soldiers had signed. Our troops today still take that oath of allegiance.
What they showed me there was the oath of allegiance by a man named Benedict Arnold… and Benedict Arnold, for all of us, has become a curse word. It’s almost something bad that you call someone. When I saw that document in front of me and I saw that pen on that paper I could imagine a man with a pen writing on this sheet of paper and Benedict Arnold suddenly became a real person to me. History in that moment came alive. That’s what I wanted for the book. The goal of the book is to bring history alive and let people look at those documents themselves.
When you see the document about Lee Harvey Oswald and what the state department knew about him… when you hold that in your hand and you look at the date [1959]. All those years… you feel like – oh my gosh – you’re uncovering this incredible piece of history. I love that we get to do that for the readers who take the time to play with this book. Now, people said it’s like a pop-up book for adults and I’ll take that as the best compliment.
LHB: Does being involved with The History Channel make it easier to get into the National Archives to see these types of things or does every American have this kind of access?
BM: First of all, anyone can go to the National Archives and see the Declaration of Independence. I highly recommend it. You can also see other incredible documents. Will they take you through a private tour of the treasure vault? For me, it had nothing to do with the History Channel. I went because I was researching my novels. How did I get in there (?) – Because of thrillers that I write. People know that I do research on my thrillers… everywhere from the secret tunnels below the Capitol to the ones beneath The White House. As a result, they were kind enough to let me inside.
LHB: Is there anything else that you, Brad Meltzer, the writer or person would like our readers to know about you?
BM: Everyone is getting on board. Sorry, they’re about to take off… Listen; if I want to tell anyone anything… It’s not about book sales; it’s not about something I want to sell. What I want people to know about me, and about themselves, is the power of ordinary people. I believe that ordinary people change the world. I hope that my work speaks for that and I speak for that and I hope I stand for that.
It’s why our new children’s books that are coming out in January, I am Amelia Earhart and I am Abraham Lincoln are exactly on that subject.
Mr. Meltzer then stepped onto the plane.
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To hear an incredibly detailed podcast about Brad Meltzer’s History Decoded: The Ten Greatest Conspiracies of All Time listen to NPR’s Topical Currents recorded on November 24, 2013.
