I don’t think that there’s a definitive answer about the origins of the maypole, although the tradition of dancing around a maypole seems to have been with us since forever. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Miriam Josefsohn and her friends danced around a maypole in 1912, although the earliest photograph I’ve seen from [...]
All posts in category Oregon
Miriam, Maypoles, and May Day
Posted by Ruth on May 1, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/05/01/miriam-maypoles-and-may-day/
Miriam’s Willamette River: Filthy!
Earth Day wasn’t celebrated back in the time of Blue Thread, when the Willamette River sorely needed attention. The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970. According to Earth Day Network: “The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 [...]
Posted by Ruth on April 22, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/04/22/miriams-willamette-river-filthy/
Back to Work on the New Book
To tell the truth, the Blue Thread characters are still all aglow and a bit full of themselves after receiving the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature at the Oregon Book Awards ceremony this week. I certainly am not about to dampen their enthusiasm, since at least two of them are working hard with [...]
Posted by Ruth on April 12, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/04/12/back-to-work-on-the-new-book/
Blue Thread Wins!
I am honored to announce that Blue Thread has received the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature, a category of the Oregon Book Awards. The announcement came last night during ceremonies at the Gerding Theatre, and this morning my local (and favorite) florist delivered this flower arrangement from my current project managers at Ooligan [...]
Posted by Ruth on April 9, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/04/09/blue-thread-wins/
Blue Thread at Literary Arts… Tonight!
Seven writers whose books are finalists for the 2013 Oregon Book Awards will be reading tonight at Literary Arts. I’ll be there with Blue Thread, along with authors Kerry Cohen (Dirty Little Secrets: Breaking the Silence on Teenage Girls and Promiscuity and Seeing Ezra), Carter Sickels (The Evening Hour), Aria Minu-Sephr (We Heard the Heavens Then), [...]
Posted by Ruth on April 4, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/04/04/blue-thread-at-literary-arts-tonight/
Harry Lane for Women’s History Month
There are many women whose lives inspire us, and Women’s History Month gives us a chance learn about them. I’d also like to remind folks of a man who contributed much to supporting women as equal members of society. His name was Harry Lane. He was an ardent suffragist during the time of Blue Thread, [...]
Posted by Ruth on March 5, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/03/05/harry-lane-for-womens-history-month/
Quick! Go See This Suffrage Play!
Here, cribbed in its entirety, is an article from Willamette University. You still have time to see this play. Go for it! WU Theatre Presents “Brightly Dawning Day” in February The battle for women’s voting rights in Oregon was hard-fought and hard-won, taking place in parlors, public squares and print media. In celebration of the [...]
Posted by Ruth on February 19, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/02/19/quick-go-see-this-suffrage-play/
Graphic Design Meets Transit Lines
Roaming through the Internet jungle, I chanced to find this map of Portland area transit lines by graphic designer Cameron Booth: Cameron writes: “This map…compares the passenger rail network of Portland from three different eras – 1912, 1943, and 2015, when the Portland-Milwaukie MAX light rail line will be completed. In this case, “passenger rail” [...]
Posted by Ruth on January 24, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/01/24/graphic-design-meets-transit-lines/
Dreaming of Rhodies in Bloom
Although winter is breathing down our necks, chances are excellent that spring will come and the rhododendrons will bloom. These flowering shrubs are so popular that they made an appearance in Blue Thread: ‘This part of Johnson is quite lovely,’ Charity said as we crossed the front porch. ‘Your rhododendrons and rose bushes are gorgeous….’” [...]
Posted by Ruth on January 17, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/01/17/dreaming-of-rhodies-in-bloom/
Blue Thread: Award Finalist!
On behalf of the characters in Blue Thread, I have the honor of announcing that their story is a finalist for the 2013 Oregon Book Awards. The book is one of three that Literary Arts selected for the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature. Winners will be announced April 8, but all the finalists [...]
Posted by Ruth on January 7, 2013
http://bluethreadbook.com/2013/01/07/blue-thread-award-finalist/
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Welcome!
My name is Ruth. I write books and articles for children and young adults. Blue Thread is my eleventh book, and the first one in which I have knowingly stretched the truth.Visit this blog to satisfy your curiosity about:
- Every factual and fictional part of Blue Thread
- What happens to the characters after the book ends
- The real connection between Blue Thread and pursuing justice
- The next book in the Blue Thread series
- Almost anything else you ask
Thanks for stopping by.
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