Kristin Bair O'Keeffe: Writer. Mom. Teacher. Traveler.

Project Kindle, Post #6 (The FINAL Episode)

This...is...it. 

Do I love my Kindle? Can I read books on my Kindle?

Watch and see.

Travel Tuesday: Writing the Far-Flung Life (Me + New Place = ?)

Okay, all you far-flung writers, need a jumping off point for a new essay? Here goes:

When you:

• are transplanted in a new country
• are launched out of your comfort zone
• are separated from those you love by expansive oceans and thousands of miles
• are incapable of communicating with those around you because you don't speak the language
• spend minutes/hours/days pantomiming even the simplest nouns (and feel like a cross between an intrepid explorer and a complete ass every time you do it)
• struggle to interpret new cultural cues

you inevitably ask the question...

Me + (New Place) = ?

You can't help it. It's human nature. We're driven to define ourselves in relation to our surroundings. Especially those of us who are writers.

The first time I asked myself this question was back in October 2006, about six months after I'd moved from the United States to Shanghai, China. I was back in the U.S. on my first trip home and was feeling completely overwhelmed by the number of choices I faced in the cereal aisle at the grocery store and a number of other things. I wrote about it here (at my old blog).

Since then, I've mulled over this very question again and again...verbally and in my head...but I haven't yet (re-)tackled it on the page. It's time...I feel it coming. The distillation of who I am in China.

And you? Have you tackled this question in your writing?

Me + (New Place) = ?

If not, give it a shot. It has all the makings of a great essay.

If so, what was your answer?

Project Kindle, Post #5 (...Ah, Competition)

Can a writer/book lover read books on a Kindle...and enjoy it? That's what I'm trying to figure out. Every Friday, I post a vlog (video blog) right here about my Kindle experiences during the week.

This week?

Note-taking on the Kindle, and of course...the new competition. Enter...iPad.

Women Rock Wednesday: Eve Ensler (Who's Your Hero?)

Eve Ensler makes me stand up & cheer.

Do you know her? Of her?

She's this amazingly energetic, creative force who advocates all over the world for an end to violence against women & girls. She's a visionary who empowers other people with her actions, choices, and relentless campaigning. She says the word vagina (out loud! in public! on tv!) without flinching. She says the word cunt as if it's not poisonous. Didn't I tell you? This woman kicks ass!

(See what I mean? Standing up and cheering already...let me continue.)

Ensler is the brilliant playwright who wrote and created THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, this crazily honest, heartbreaking, make-you-wince-and-laugh-out-loud-at-the-same-time play about women's sexuality. (If you haven't seen it / heard of it / read it, check your local listings for an upcoming performance; it's performed every year between February 1 and April 1 in communities all over the world.)

Here's a peek at Eve & glamorous pals getting ready for the 10th anniversary performance of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES. One of the things I love is that although Ensler's life is so wrapped up in dealing with violence against women & girls, she is bubbly and light. Yes, she can be sharp, direct, and serious, but she isn't swallowed by the sadness she encounters. Instead she counters it (and all the forces that create & support it) with her unflagging determination and belief in all things woman. Watch...you'll see what I mean.

I could go on and on about Ensler (and here's one more link for you), but instead I want to know, What woman makes you stand up and cheer? Why?

* * *

*Ensler's new book I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World will be released on February 9, 2010. It's a collection of over 30 fictional monologues of girls all over the world (including a Masai girl from Kenya unwilling to endure female genital mutilation; a Bulgarian sex slave, no more than fifteen, a Chinese factory worker making Barbies).

Project Kindle, Post #4 (...Getting Dangerously Close to Love)

Wow...I didn't know I could do THAT with my Kindle!!!! Watch out...I'm dangerously close to falling in love.

Project Kindle, Post #3: Infatuation

Spent lots of time this week hanging out with my Kindle in Shanghai. We went to a meeting on the Bund, had tea at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, cuddled in bed, and lots more. People are talking and the tabloids are asking, "Are you becoming a couple?"

Not quite yet, but...

Women Rock Wednesday: Kiran Bir Sethi Teaches "I Can"

I love when someone takes a simple concept and turns it into an incredible teaching tool...one that leads to empowerment.

Ever heard of Kiran Bir Sethi?

No?

I hadn't either until a friend shared a link to Sethi's recent TED talk (video below). Once I watched, I was smitten. This woman gets it...and is sharing it.

Who is she?

She's the director of a school in Ahmedabad, India, and yowza, she's doing great things for and with the students. This woman rocks our Wednesday.

The philosophy of Riverside School (taken from the website) is:

"COMMON SENSE IS COMMON PRACTICE Riverside is the amalgamation of an approach to learning that is embedded in common sense. It is a vibrant research center for school education, where insights from cutting-edge research are turned into working models of pedagogical practices with a single-minded focus: student wellbeing. Over the last 9 years, Riverside has developed, implemented and shared a unique curriculum that is proving to be the benchmark for providing a no-compromise school education of the highest quality. By developing and sharing such a research-based, practical curriculum, Riverside is providing schools with an alternative model which focuses on excellence and still works in different economic and cultural contexts which make it possible for children all around the country to have access to a true education."

Broke down, it looks like this:

AWARE                ENABLE             EMPOWER

It's a hands-on, get-dirty, express-your-thoughts, get-involved, turn-those-thoughts-into-action kind of practice. When considering how to improve education in the United States (especially in inner-city schools), we should pay attention to this.

Want to learn more? Visit Riverside School.

As Sethi says, "Get infected!"

Travel Tuesday: Writing the Far-Flung Life (Definitions)

Okay...since I'm going to be yakking with you every Tuesday about how to write about travel and a far-flung life, I figure I better start with a couple of key definitions. That way, all you writers interested in writing about your own far-flung lives will be on the same page with me.

Here goes...

DEFINITIONS

far-flung life

• a life in which you travel to different places on a regular basis (ex: I'm an American. My husband is from Ireland. Our daughter is Vietnamese. We live in Shanghai, China. We get around.)

• a life that jolts you out of your comfort zone

cultural spelunker

• one who arrives in a new country (state, city, etc.), looks around at unfamiliar people & places, smiles, & digs in

• fearless explorer (or perhaps explorer despite fear)

• one who is compelled by odd smells, strange glances, dark alleyways, wacky foods, cultural conundrums, language barriers, & so on

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (I'm anticipating...)

Q: Do I have to travel out of my home country in order to have a far-flung life?

A: Nope. Everyone's definition of far-flung is different. Perhaps you travel from Chicago to Japan twice a year...yep, that's far-flung. Perhaps you divide your time between Montana and New York City...yep, that's far-flung. Or perhaps you stick close to home but cross into a neighboring county twice a week...yep, that's far-flung (as long as--and this is the key--the journey throws you out of your comfort zone in some significant way).

Q: Do I have to be an expat like you?

A: Oh, god, no. If you travel & get out of your comfort zone, you qualify.

Q: Is cultural spelunker a real term?

A: It is now. I made it up.

All set?

Good. Spend the week thinking about your far-flung life and meet me back here in a week.

Happy travels.

Project Kindle, Post #2

Can a writer/book lover read books on a KINDLE...and enjoy it? That's what I'm trying to figure out during PROJECT KINDLE. Every Friday until I do, I'll post a new video on this blog.

This week I talk about three things:

• registering your KINDLE
• form
• function

(Ooh, and oh yeah, you get to find out what book I downloaded first!)

Do you KINDLE? Watch and weigh in.

Introducing...Women Rock Wednesday

Greetings, my friends!

Today I'd like to introduce another new weekly feature to my blog: WOMEN ROCK WEDNESDAY.

Why?

• I'm a woman.

• I've got a lot to say about women...and girls. In recent days, I've written in this blog about all kinds of chick-related things that matter to me, including gender and toys, motherhood & authorhood, and domestic violence.

• I want to hear what you have to say about all this stuff...as moms, dads, daughters, sons, citizens of our world.

• I have a daughter. Right now, she's only (almost) two years old, but already she's absorbing information about what it means to be a girl/woman in our world...some of which is awesome and amazing...some of which is not. I want to stay conscious of her process & her path.

• I'm passionate about putting an end to domestic violence. My debut novel THIRSTY is about one woman's unusual journey through an abusive marriage. I have a history of domestic violence in my family. For years, I've done volunteer work for domestic violence shelters and organizations. Right now I need a designated place on this blog where I can say, "Hey, listen to this...this matters."

• Loads of cool women & cool girls are changing our world in all kinds of kick-ass ways: via writing, knitting, mountain climbing, singing, techy stuff, etc. I need a designated place on this blog where I can say, "Hey, check her out. Look what she's doing."

(NOTE: If you know a cool woman/girl who's doing something share-able, give a holler. I'd love to hear about her.)

And so, WOMEN ROCK WEDNESDAY begins...

So today, to get us started, meet my inspiration for this conversation: my daughter Tully.