From mark at markbinder.com Fri Mar 21 08:22:08 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:22:08 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] [Barkminder] A short story, a short video, news and tour info Message-ID: <8B8F8C11-63F5-435F-B58E-C865F1366BF5@markbinder.com> Hi all, Happy Purim. Happy Easter. Happy whatever holiday you choose to celebrate (or not). My novel, "The Brothers Schlemiel" has finally shipped! It looks awesome. I got a call from my Dad saying I'd won the Nobel Prize. (Which may be a bit premature.) If there's a place near you that would like an author signing, please let me know. (http://tinyurl.com/ 3bgplb) It's been a busy few months. Below you'll find a short story excerpt from "The Council of Wise Women" which is the new serial I've been working on. This story is actually from the middle of the serial, but you're welcome to start at the beginning. We're giving away free trial subscriptions at (http://lightpublications.com/wise/) Did anybody else get one of those Economic Stimulus Package letters from the IRS? Did you read the fine print? It says, "Do not throw away." So what do you do with the letter? Well, I've made my first BarkMinder Youtube Stunt video called "Burning the IRS" http://www.markbinder.com/blog/video.shtml That's about it for now. Enjoy the story. - Mark Dressing Up: A Short Story By Mark Binder (Published in The Forward 3/21/08 - http://www.forward.com/articles/ 12897/) Every year the villagers of Chelm held a Purim parade and it caused trouble for months. Many people around the world consider the Chelmener to be fools, but they are not. They are, however, very specific and honest. So, when you dress them up in different costumes, they often become frightened and confused. One year the entire yeshiva class dressed as Mordechai and they very nearly got into a fistfight about which Mordechai should have the honor of riding Haman's horse. Rabbi Kibbitz, the wisest man in Chelm, had seriously considered canceling the parade, but as in most communities, it is easier to start a tradition than to stop one. Instead, he declared that only children between the ages of 5 and 7 would be permitted to march. Not only did this make the parade safer, it made it cuter. (There had always been something unsettling about seeing Reb Cantor the merchant shimmying down the street dressed as Queen Vashti?) In the Cohen house, this was good news and bad news. Rachel and Yakov Cohen had turned 5 a few weeks before the holiday, which meant that at last they were eligible. However, their father, Benjamin Cohen, was the best (and only) tailor in Chelm, which meant that their costumes had to be more than a pinned up sheet and a false beard. The twins' costumes had to be magnificent. If they were anything less, Reb Cohen reasoned, it would reflect badly on his abilities as a clothier. His wife, Sarah, had offered to make the children's outfits, but he declined. "How would that look if I let you do the work?" Benjamin said. Sarah thought about that for a moment. "Are you questioning my abilities?" "Not at all," he reassured her. "You bake the best strudel, you keep the house clean. You are a wonderful mother. I, however, am a professional. Cutting and sewing is what I do all day long." Again, Sarah waited before she spoke. "You're very good with men's clothes," she admitted. "But designing a dress for a queen? I don't know if you can do that." Benjamin knew a challenge when he heard one. "All right," he said. "I'll do a fabulous dress and you do the suit. But you have to make me proud." "Done," Sarah agreed. They shook hands on the bargain. Reb Cohen slapped the table. "Now, who wants to be Mordechai?" "I do! I do!" said Rachel, looking up from her reading. Her father smiled at her. "Nonsense. You're a girl." "Papa, it's a costume parade. We are supposed to dress up as someone who we are not. I am not Mordechai, but I would like to be. Mordechai was kind and patient and wise. Those are good qualities, don't you think?" "Yes, yes," Reb Cohen said. "But your mother and I have agreed that I will make the dress and she will make the suit. Don't you want me to make you a beautiful dress?" Rachel shook her head. "Not really. I have plenty of dresses already, but I don't have a nice suit." Just then Yakov looked up from the drawing of a goat he was making with a stick of charcoal on the wall. (You should know that Yakov loved to draw so much that his parents had given him a portion of the wall to devote to his art. Every few months the wall was washed and repainted.) "Papa, I'll wear the dress," Yakov said. "I want to be Esther." "But you're a boy!" Reb Cohen sputtered. "Esther was brave," Yakov said. "And you always tell me I should be brave." "But brave as a boy, not as a girl," said their father. "And wise as a girl, not as a man." The children looked at each other and then at their father. "Papa," they said together, "it's just a costume." "Besides," Yakov said. "I don't have any dresses." Benjamin Cohen winced. He looked at his wife for support, but she was covering her mouth with laughter. So it happened that Sarah Cohen spent her days learning how to make a man's suit for her daughter, and Benjamin Cohen spent his evenings trying to make a wedding dress for his son. They did it in secret. Neither was willing to concede to the other that he or she was a better clothing designer. It wasn't until the morning of the Purim parade that their efforts were revealed. Reb Cohen was eating his breakfast of hamentashen and eggs when there was a knock at the door. He opened the door and looked down to see that Rabbi Yohan Abrahms had shrunk in half. The schoolteacher had been the tallest man in the village, but now he was probably the shortest. And strangest of all, he was wearing a gorgeous white and purple suit that fit perfectly his miniature size. Reb Cohen gasped. "Rabbi Abrahms, what happened? Did you get stepped on by an elephant?" "It is I, Mordechai," the diminutive schoolteacher's voice squeaked. "Do you have any hamentashen?" At first this puzzled Reb Cohen, because Rabbi Abrahms's first name was Yohan. Then he remembered what day it was. "Doodle," he said. "That is a great costume." Just then the beard was pulled from the young child's face. "Papa, it's me!" Again the tailor gasped as his daughter hugged him and ran into the house. "Didn't Mama make me a wonderful suit? I sneaked out this morning to surprise you. Mama! Mama! It worked!" Just then, Reb Cohen's wife walked into the room wearing the dress she had worn at their wedding. Her face was veiled and she looked as lovely as she had on the blessed day they were wed. But she too had shrunk. The poor man covered his mouth in horror, and then yanked at his hair as his son lifted the veil and said, "Papa, don't I look beautiful?" "Ack! Ack!" Benjamin Cohen sputtered. Sarah Cohen stepped from the bedroom, poured him a glass of water and waited until he'd drunk it all down. "I think," she said, "that our contest was a tie." "Agreed," Benjamin said, once he had come to his senses. "But isn't there something wrong with our boy dressed as a girl and our girl dressed as a boy?" Sarah shook her head. "No. If Yakov wanted to dress as Haman, and Rachel wanted to dress as Vashti, would that be wrong?" Benjamin shrugged. "Of course not." "Exactly. It is just pretend. Haman is wicked and Vashti is vain, but they are only costumes. And you know that when they take off the costumes they again become Rachel and Yakov." Indeed, Benjamin could see that with the false beard and veil removed, his children were already fighting and arguing as usual. "So be it," the tailor conceded with a sigh. For that, his wife gave him a kiss on the cheek. He was also pleasantly surprised that the day after Purim he had three orders for new white and purple suits, and his first ever commission for a wedding dress. THE END BIO: Mark Binder is an author, storyteller and nice guy. His collection, "A Hanukkah Present" was named as a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Family Literature. His novel, "The Brothers Schlemiel" (about a different set of twins), is being published by the Jewish Publication Society. This story is an excerpt from his serial "The Council of Wise Women." TOUR CALENDAR Thursday, 3/27 at 6:30pm and 7:30pm 'Literacy Night Presentation' at Bicentennial Elementary School, Nashua, NH Friday, 3/28 at 4:30 'Making and Telling Stories' at Heritage Village, North Kingstown, RI Monday, 3/31 at 9:15 and 10:15 'Tall Tales and Silly Stories for Reading Week' at Clayville School, Scituate, RI Tuesday, 4/1 at 8:45 am to 9:30 9:45 to 10:30 'Tall Tales and Silly Stories' at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Central Falls, RI Thursday, 4/3 at 4:30 'Making and Telling Stories' at Heritage Village, North Kingstown, RI Tuesday, 4/8 at 'Fun and Funnier' - New Milford, CT Wednesday, 4/9 at 'Fun and Funnier' - New Milford, CT Thursday, 4/10 at 'Fun and Funnier' -New Milford, CT Saturday, 4/12 at 1 to 3pm 'Brothers Schlemiel Book Reading Signing' at A Novel Idea, Bristol, RI Thursday, 4/24 at 7pm 'Brothers Schlemiel Book Signing' at Books on the Square, Providence, RI Saturday, 4/26 at 2pm 'Stories that Rock' at the New England Folk Festival, Mansfield, MA Sunday, 4/27 at 2 pm 'Brothers Schlemiel Book Signing' at Barrington Books, Barrington, RI From mark at markbinder.com Fri Apr 11 15:02:38 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:02:38 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] April Specials, Digital Thoughts, signings... and more Message-ID: <17960DC8-8277-4D02-B0BB-C7D4FCB51C8B@markbinder.com> Happy spring! Finally it seems warm and sunny -- and then 10 minutes later the clouds come out and it gets cool. Welcome to New England, where if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute. This has been an exciting month for me. After years of being a "wannabe" novelist. I'm now a 100% official novelist! (whoo hoo!) To celebrate, next week I'll be sending you my favorite Passover installment from the book "The Brothers Schlemiel." In the meantime, I'm posting the audio version online for those of you who like to podcast... (http://www.markbinder.com/audio/the_passover_question.mp3) -------------------------------------------- BarkMinder Subscriber Special! -------------------------------------------- I know, I know... You're not supposed to eat bread during Passover, but that doesn't mean you can't dream about it... To celebrate the post-holiday bread binge, I'm offering copies of "The World's Best Challah" for only $5 (plus $2.50 shipping and handling). The book was initially priced at $11.95, so you're getting it for better than half price. If you've never eaten "The World's Best Challah" then you don't know what you're missing. It's delicious plain, with butter, toasted, or as French Toast. It makes great sandwiches, and if you let it sit around long enough and put shellac on it, you can use it as a door stop. The book is a 70 page cookbook that tells you everything from how to make 3, 4 and 6 braids, what equipment to buy, and how to bake on a busy schedule. The offer expires May 9 because postage goes up right after that. (Plus, if you order within the next 72 hours, I'll include a free bookmark!) Read more at http://www.markbinder.com/specials/ Or just click here: http://tinyurl.com/6h9aj3 --------------------------------------------------------- The Future of the Printed Page (continued) --------------------------------------------------------- We just got iPhones. (Yeah, yeah, they're cool -- but even cooler, we got it on sale!) It's nifty to have both my calendar and phone in the same place. It saves running around the house looking for two things when I'm on the way out the door. What's radical is how much it changes your relationship to "information" and the environment, as well as how you spend your downtime... On the first warm day after the winter, I dragged my daughter out for a walk around our neighborhood. We were having a conversation about the difference between a "tree" and a "shrub" -- so I did a search on "Define shrub" and zoop! We answered the question. Then we looked up some of the flowers we were seeing and learned more about them. For instance, holly isn't one particular kind of a plant -- it's a weird bunch of plants that seem to have no relationship except the name. This immediate and detailed connection to the knowledge of the world is amazing. It didn't diminish our walk, but enhanced it greatly. Now we could have been carrying a dictionary and a plant book and found out the same things, but how many times have you wanted to lug those with you to walk a mile or two? I also find myself taking pictures. Now I know that many of you have had camera phones for years, but for me this is very new. Although I have a great memory for stories, I often can't remember details. I've found that the pictures call back to my mind the story much more vividly than just trying to remember what happened. Also, there's a youtube button right on the phone. This means that you have instant (or sometimes incredibly slow) access to billions of hours of time-wasting (or interesting) video. No need to be bored. Want to watch Obama's speech on race... Look it up. In the past few weeks, the New York Times has gotten skinnier (physically) and the Providence Journal has increased its subscription price by 50%. My sweetheart recently got a letter at her office that said they were unable to NOT deliver the newspaper on Saturday and Sunday anymore... What's that about? They can't manage telling the newspaper delivery guy/gal not to show up? Or is it just that they're forcing their Sunday subscription numbers up artificially... Reading on the iPhone is a trial. It's not made for 40+year old eyes. It doesn't give me a headache, but I do squint. However within the next few years as screens get better... Last week I was in New Milford, CT and spent some time in a bed and breakfast connected with cable and DVD player. The best stuff I saw was downloaded from their high speed internet. It seems foolish to try and fight the coming technological change. I certainly hope that my books will be in print for years to come, but in the meantime, I'm planning on releasing "The Council of Wise Women" -- my forthcoming serial -- in both an eamil and an iPhone compatible version. (You can sign up for a complimentary trial email subscription at http://www.lightpublications.com/wise/ -- it starts in May) I'm also looking forward to podcasting the upcoming audio version of "The Brothers Schlemiel" Personally, I hope that newspapers are going to be around for a long time. I love the look and feel and the permanence of them -- at least until I use them to start the fire in the fireplace... ---------------------------- Looking for sponsors ---------------------------- Have you ever wanted to feel like a Medici? It's easy to become a patron of the arts. We are looking for financial sponsors for the Audio version of the Brothers Schlemiel. We need at least $10,000 to make this thing fly. Our goal is to find 100 sponsors of $100 or more to create an awesome audio book. This isn't a tax-deductible contribution. On the other hand there is no administrative overhead, grant-writing or government intervention. What will you receive? (Aside from the satisfaction of helping to finance a piece of art...) - An autographed CD or DVD copy of the completed audio book - An invitation to the release party - Acknowledgement in the work itself - And much much more. To sign up, you can send a check of $100 (or $1000 or $10,000....) to: Light Publications, Audio Medici Project, PO Box 2462, Providence, RI 02906 You can also paypal your contribution to orders at lightpublications.com ------------------------------------------------------------------- MARK'S TOUR CALENDAR The Brothers Schlemiel - Book Signings and more ------------------------------------------------------------------- It's so official. The book is out (Looks and feels great) and it's even got a teacher's guide! Written by my good friend, Beth Hellman, it's sure to become a classroom classic. (http://www.jewishpub.org/pdf/broschteachersguide.pdf) If I'm not doing a signing in your neighborhood, then please ask your bookstore, school or synagogue to call me! Saturday, 4/12 at 1 to 3pm 'Brothers Schlemiel Book Reading Signing' at A Novel Idea, Bristol, RI Thursday, 4/24 at 7pm 'Brothers Schlemiel Book Signing' at Books on the Square, Providence, RI Saturday, 4/26 at 2pm 'Stories that Rock' at the New England Folk Festival, Mansfield, MA Sunday, 4/27 at 12:30 'Hope for the Earthday' at Miriam Hospital - Lifespan, Providence, RI Sunday, 4/27 at 2 pm 'Brothers Schlemiel Book Signing' at Barrington Books, Barrington, RI Tuesday, 5/20 at 9 am and 9:45 am 'Silly Stories' at Woodville School, Wakefield, MA Sunday, 5/18 at 10 am to noon 'The Art of Peace' at Congregation B'Nai Shalom, Westborough, MA You can also order copies of the Brothers Schlemiel online at: http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php?isbn=9780827608658 or at http://tinyurl.com/3bgplb Enjoy the weather. - Mark ------------------------------------------------------------------ From mark at markbinder.com Fri Apr 18 11:26:21 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:26:21 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] A Schlemiel Passover Story Message-ID: Note: You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy these stories! As the days of matzah approach, I wanted to share this story from my new book. Some of you have read it before, and I hope that you'll enjoy it again. If you live in Rhode Island, you can read it in the Jewish Voice and Herald I'm also posting the audio version online for those of you who like to podcast... (http://www.markbinder.com/audio/the_passover_question.mp3) Be well. - Mark The Question Is Answered Reprinted from The Brothers Schlemiel, Copyright 2008, by Mark Binder Published by The Jewish Publication Society with permission of the publisher. * * * Our Story So Far... The Brothers Schlemiel, Abraham and Adam, are identical twins - born in the village of Chelm and confused from birth... * * * When did Abraham and Adam Schlemiel begin to realize that they weren't the same person in two identical bodies? On the surface it seems like a foolish question (although in Chelm, no question is considered too foolish to be asked), but from the time of their birth the twins of them had been confused. They were identical in every way. Their eyes, their lips, their ears, even the moles on their left elbows were in exactly the same place. They ate the same food, wore interchangeable clothes, and slept in the same crib, because the moment their father, Jacob, tried to separate them the screaming began. Not even their mother could tell them apart. When they were babies, she tried to keep Abraham on the left and Adam on the right. That might have worked, except Rebecca Schlemiel had an impossible time telling right from left. She'd set them down, turn around for a moment, and by the time she looked back, she felt certain that some impish demon must have switched the two boys. When they were a year old, their Grandmother Ruth suggested tying a piece of string around one boy's wrist. If only they'd thought of that sooner! It was decided that, as the oldest, Abraham would have the honor of wearing the bracelet. But have you ever tried to tie a string to a wriggling toddler? And five minutes after the string was secured, somehow it was gone. A new string was tied, but even in his sleep, Abraham managed to slip loose. That project was abandoned the morning that Jacob went to the crib and found both boys giggling happily with strings on all four wrists. As they learned to walk they were inseparable. They stood up together, took three steps together, and fell down together. If one bumped his head, both howled. And they loved to climb. Everyone in Chelm got in the habit of saying, "Abraham, Adam, get down from that table... that chair... that book shelf!" Every so often, Rabbi Kibbitz would pull one or the other aside, and ask, "Are you Adam or Abraham?" "Yes," the boy would smile. "I am." It wasn't until the Passover after their fifth birthday that the boys themselves realized that they had something of a problem. You see, at the Passover Seder it is traditional for the youngest child to recite the Four Questions. Their befuddled parents assumed that the boys would sing together. But everyone in Chelm, including the boys themselves knew that Adam Schlemiel was twelve hours younger than Abraham -- and therefore only he was entitled to ask the questions. About a week before Passover, the arguments began. "I think that I should say the four questions," said one boy. "Me too," replied his brother. "You think I should say them?" said the first. "Good!" "No," answered the second. "I think I should say them." "But I'm Adam!" "I thought you were Abraham." "You're Abraham." "No, I'm Adam!" It was the first time that they actually came to blows. Their mother hurried over to pull them apart. "Abraham, Adam, stop that!" she said. "I'm Adam!" both boys shouted simultaneously. "You're Adam?" Rebecca asked the boy on her left. He nodded. "What about you?" she asked the other. "Are you Adam?" This boy nodded as well. "Then where is Abraham?" Rebecca Schlemiel shouted in a panic. "I've lost my oldest child!" Anywhere else such a reaction would have brought healing laughter into the room. In Chelm, however, such remarks are taken seriously. A search party was organized, and it was only after Adam and Adam had gone to bed that Jacob and Rebecca Schlemiel were relieved to count two sleeping boys instead of just one. And the next morning, the search parties went out again as both boys denied being Abraham. This wasn't just malicious mischief. The truth was that neither boy was certain who he was. On one level, they had always heard their names spoken together as "Abrahamandadam." On another level, they had sometimes answered to the individual names whimsically and indiscriminately. If Grandmother Esther offered Adam a treat, both shot forward, but if Grandfather Shmuel had a chore for Adam, neither responded. And sometimes, when neither punishment nor reward was offered, whichever boy was closest replied. Even when they talked it was often simultaneous, both boys speaking like a Greek chorus, or with one finishing the other's sentence, as if they knew each other's thoughts completely. It has often been asked, 'When does identity begin? When does the child recognize that it is an individual and not an extension of its mother?' For the Brothers Schlemiel, individuality came on the eve of that Passover Seder. The feast was held at Grandfather Shmuel and Grandmother Esther's house. Only four of Rebecca's six sisters and their families were coming this year, so there was a little bit of elbow room at the table. Still, Rebecca and Jacob thought that it was best if the twins were separated on opposite sides of the table, to prevent kicks, elbows and pinches from disrupting the service. For his part, Jacob hoped that Rebecca's newest nephew, Avi, who was by all reports a "remarkable and intelligent boy," would be able to recite the questions and thus avoid the impending conflict. Unfortunately, even if the boy was a one-year old linguistic genius, Avi was fast asleep in his mother's arms. Rebecca was worried for a different reason. If both boys really thought that they were Adam, then might they not both grow up as Adam? Then what would happen to her oldest son, Abraham? Would he simply vanish as if he had never existed? The early blessings and songs went smoothly. Hands were washed, wine was drunk, and the tale of the Exodus from Egypt began to unfold. Grandfather Shmuel, as the leader of the service, was seriously considering skipping the Four Questions entirely. The last thing that he wanted was a long and drawn-out argument that made dinner come even later. He came to the page in the Hagaddah and said, "Let's speed this up a bit and move along to... OUCH!" Grandmother Esther had kicked him under the table. He looked at her, she stared him down, and he said, "All right. Fine. Who's going to read the four questions?" All eyes turned to the twins. "Maybe they both can read them together," said Grandmother Ruth. "Or take turns," added Grandmother Esther. "No!" both boys stood up. "Only one. The youngest reads the Four Questions." Grandfather Shmuel rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. Oy! He felt a headache coming on. The room fell quiet. No one dared even to breathe. The two brothers looked at each other across the table, their faces carved in impassive stone. The candles flickered. The roast in the oven grew drier. And then... Without saying a word to each other, it was decided. Abraham sat down, and Adam remained standing. They looked at each other again. A feeling of sadness filled their eyes with tears. Abraham nodded at his brother, and in a voice sweet enough for two, Adam began to chant the Hebrew, "Ma nishtana ha lailoh hazeh, mikol halay los..." In his seat, Abraham mouthed the words, but his voice was silent. ---------------- BIO: Mark Binder is an author, a storyteller and a former editor of the Rhode Island Jewish Herald. His novel, "The Brothers Schlemiel has just been published by the Jewish Publication Society. Mark will be signing copies at Thursday, 4/24 at 7pm 'Brothers Schlemiel Book Signing' at Books on the Square, Providence, RI Saturday, 4/26 at 2pm 'Stories that Rock' at the New England Folk Festival, Mansfield, MA Sunday, 4/27 at 12:30 'Hope for the Earthday' at Miriam Hospital - Lifespan, Providence, RI Sunday, 4/27 at 2 pm 'Brothers Schlemiel Book Signing' at Barrington Books, Barrington, RI You may order copies online at http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php? isbn=9780827608658 or at Amazon.Com - at http://tinyurl.com/3bgplb -------------------------------------------- BarkMinder Subscriber Special! -------------------------------------------- I know, I know... You're not supposed to eat bread during Passover, but that doesn't mean you can't dream about it... To celebrate the post-holiday bread binge, I'm offering copies of "The World's Best Challah" for only $5 (plus $2.50 shipping and handling). The book was initially priced at $11.95, so you're getting it for better than half price. If you've never eaten "The World's Best Challah" then you don't know what you're missing. It's delicious plain, with butter, toasted, or as French Toast. It makes great sandwiches, and if you let it sit around long enough and put shellac on it, you can use it as a door stop. The book is a 70 page cookbook that tells you everything from how to make 3, 4 and 6 braids, what equipment to buy, and how to bake on a busy schedule. The offer expires May 9 because postage goes up right after that. (Plus, if you order within the next 72 hours, I'll include a free bookmark!) Read more at http://www.markbinder.com/specials/ Or just click here: http://tinyurl.com/6h9aj3 From mark at markbinder.com Fri May 2 11:50:41 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 11:50:41 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] The Council Begins Message-ID: <3A888652-FFF9-47B5-98F8-E0961DE4BA3E@markbinder.com> This week marks the premier of "The Council of Wise Women" my new novel of Chelm! It will be serialized ongoingly in the Rhode Island Jewish Voice and Herald, and via email subscription. After the "words from our sponsor" you can read the first installment. You can subscribe for free (for a limited time only...) at http:// www.lightpublications.com/wise/ You can also invite friends and family (or even enemies) to subscribe) Special: Listen to the first episode as a podcast: http:// www.markbinder.com/audio/council/council_chapter_01.mp3 ------------------------------------ Words from our sponsor ------------------------------------ "If you have a youngster in school, I highly recommend Mark Binder for your end of year celebration! He brings energy and enthusiasm and stories that brighten up even the cloudiest day. You can contact him online at his website" - Beth Hellman ------------------ Get Mark's first serialized novel of Chelm, "The Brothers Schlemiel" The story of Abraham and Adam, identical twins born in Chelm and confused from birth. Mark says it's a cross between the Brothers Grimm, the Brothers Karamazov, and the Brothers Farrely. Now available in a beautiful hardback edition You may order copies online at http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php? isbn=9780827608658 or at Amazon.Com - at http://tinyurl.com/3bgplb ------------------ The World's Best Challah Special expires on Friday, May 9 If you've never eaten "The World's Best Challah" then you don't know what you're missing. It's delicious plain, with butter, toasted, or as French Toast. It makes great sandwiches, and if you let it sit around long enough and put shellac on it, you can use it as a door stop. The book is a 70 page cookbook that tells you everything from how to make 3, 4 and 6 braids, what equipment to buy, and how to bake on a busy schedule. The offer expires May 9 because postage goes up right after that. (Plus, if you order within the next 72 hours, I'll include a free bookmark!) Read more at http://www.markbinder.com/specials/ Or just click here: http://tinyurl.com/6h9aj3 Thanks! ----------------------------------------- The Council of Wise Women by Mark Binder Chapter 1 "First Born" Her eyes were beautiful. They were brown and inquisitive. Open already and looking at the new world. Her mother, Sarah Cohen, was exhausted. Childbirth hadn't been as difficult as her mother had warned, but it had been labor. Long and painful, but with this delightful girl at the end nestled warm in her arms. "Not again!" the midwife said. Her words sounded worried. Sarah looked up from the babe. "Is everything all right?" "Perfectly," said Mrs. Chaipul. She patted Sarah's hand. "I didn't mean to startle you. Where is your husband?" "He said he was going to Smyrna to buy some cloth. He should be back at any time." Mrs. Chaipul shook her head and clucked her tongue. What was it about the men of Chelm? Perhaps it was everywhere. Men always seemed to know and have appointments in other parts of the world when their wives were giving birth. "Do you mind holding her?" Mrs. Chaipul said. Sarah smiled. "Not at all." "Because we're not done." Again Sarah felt nervous. "What do you mean?" "Twins," Mrs. Chaipul said. "A double blessing. It's all right. I have plenty of experience. Just follow my directions and begin pushing again." Twins? Sarah's mind began to spin. She was ready for one child. She was ready for a daughter. But another? Two mouths to feed? She remembered what happened to Rebecca Schlemiel after her boys were born. The fighting the arguing, the confusion... The exhaustion. It was crazy. It was impossible. No. It was a dream. Perhaps she was asleep even now. Then she looked at the girl in her arms. The baby's brown eyes were staring at her with hope and love and curiosity. It would be a shame to wake up from the dream and leave behind a beautiful soul like this. She felt something moving. "When would you like me to push?" Sarah asked. "Now would be nice!" * * * The door to the Cohen house slammed open as Benjamin Cohen ran inside. "Shut the door!" Mrs. Chaipul shouted. "It's still winter time and the cold won't do anyone any good." The panting tailor shut the door behind him. "Are they all right?" Mrs. Chaipul nodded. "Everyone is fine. Benjamin gave her a grin and a hug. He reached for the knob to the bedroom door, and then he stopped. "How many fingers and toes?" Mrs. Chaipul calculated for a moment and then answered, "A hundred." "A hundred!" Benjamin smiled. Then he paused. "What?" Mrs. Chaipul nodded. "I assume you have all of yours, and Sarah has all of hers." "Yes," Benjamin said. "Yes." The old woman shrugged and sipped her tea. "I have all of mine." Benjamin's face knitted into a frown. "That's twenty extra." "It is." "I don't understand." Benjamin was imagining what a hand was like with five extra fingers. A foot with five extra toes would need a specially made shoe. Were the fingers and toes on the same arms and legs or were there extra arms and legs? "I thought you said that everyone was all right!" The exhausted midwife spooned more sugar into her tea. "They are. If you made it your business to be here on time, instead of gallivanting around you would understand and I wouldn't have to explain everything to you." Benjamin put his hands on his hips. Mrs. Chaipul was a rather important woman in Chelm, but she was still just a woman. Yes she ran the only kosher restaurant. Yes she was the closest thing the village had to a doctor, veterinarian and midwife. Yes, she and the rabbi seemed to be engaged in negotiations for marriage. But still. This was no way to treat him in his own house on the afternoon of the birth of his first child. "Tell me woman," he demanded, "what is going on?" Mrs. Chaipul peered at Benjamin. She shook her spoon at him. "You need to learn more manners. And you owe me an extra chicken." Such insults and insolence, Benjamin could barely restrain himself. Enough talking with this foolish woman. He opened the door and marched into his bedroom. The sudden noise and draft startled Sarah, who was dozing. She looked up, "Benjamin?" "It's me," he said. The room was dark. "Ow!" He banged his knee against a chair that shouldn't be there. "Ow ow ow!" "Are you all right?" Sarah asked. "I'm fine." He rubbed his leg. "How are you?" "I'm tired. I'm exhausted. But I'm fine." "And the child?" he asked. He hated asking. He was afraid to ask. What was the point of hiring a midwife if she couldn't give you a simple answer to a simple question? "They're fine," Sarah said. He was closer now, and he could see the smile on her face. She looked pale, but so wonderful. "They?" he said. A nod. "A boy and a girl." "Really?" he said in amazement. Sarah stared at her husband. "You think I'd make something like this up? You think I'd lie at a time like this? You think that you wouldn't figure it out in a moment or two?" "No," he said. Why was everyone picking on him? "I'm just surprised." "Me too," Sarah said. "So are they." "Who was born first?" Sarah glanced to her left. "She was." Benjamin frowned. "Really? Let's tell everyone that he was." "Why?" "Because being first born is important to a boy." "I don't understand." Benjamin nodded. "You're not a boy." Benjamin was the third son in a family of seven children. He knew how much his brothers had lorded that difference over him. "We'll tell everyone that he was born first. It's important. It's crucial." "It's not such a big deal." Benjamin frowned. "Have you ever been held upside down by your ankles over a cesspool?" "No!" Sarah said. "Are you threatening me?" "Not at all!" Benjamin answered quickly. "I have been. By my older brothers." "They were so cruel to you." "They were bigger and older," Benjamin explained. "It's the way of the world." "She's only older by a few minutes," Sarah said. "Minutes matter." Benjamin was firm about it. "So, we'll tell them that he was born first. We'll tell Mrs. Chaipul. She'll have to agree." "All right," Sarah answered weakly. "May I pick him up?" "Yes, of course." She felt the weight lift from her right side. "He's handsome." The exhausted mother smiled. "Yes, he is." "I have a son!" Benjamin Cohen said proudly. "And a daughter," Sarah Cohen added. "Yes, yes, of course." Benjamin reached out a finger and touched his daughter's cheek. "A daughter as well. But a son! Think of that. A son!" Sarah Cohen loved her husband but for a moment she felt her heart breaking and she hated him. "Give him back to me," she demanded. "Why?" "He's hungry. We're tired. We need some rest. Go to work." Benjamin surrendered the boy. He didn't notice the curt tone of his wife's voice. A son was something to be proud of. He turned and "Ow!" Who put that chair there! When she heard the door close, Sarah Cohen hugged her children tightly, but gently. "You are both mine," she whispered. "You are both important." Next Episode: Cry Me a River ---------------- Copyright 2008 by Mark Binder All Rights Reserved ---------------- Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed "The Council" you will also enjoy other work by Mark Binder. Learn more about Mark's books and audio recordings at http:// www.markbinder.com/store/ From mark at markbinder.com Fri May 9 13:53:49 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (mark binder, inc.) Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 13:53:49 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] Welcome to council-trial Message-ID: Welcome to the Council of Wise Women! the new serial by Mark Binder Author of the Brothers Schlemiel Finalist for National Jewish Book AwardThey are called the Wise Men of Chelm, but what about the women? This is the story of Rachel Cohen, and her rise to power. You will receive a new installment every week via email. This is a trial subscription. Enjoy! This message was sent by: mark binder, inc., PO Box 2462, Providence, RI 02906 Powered by iContact: http://freetrial.icontact.com Manage your subscription: http://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=18243881&l=33732&s=49C7&m=220554&c=258624 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mark at markbinder.com Fri May 9 14:52:19 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 14:52:19 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] Oops. Message-ID: <95AECA2E-779B-4E73-A2D8-7CC38ACDA243@markbinder.com> Sorry about that. As you know, I'm trying to get "The Council of Wise Women" subscription service working. I accidentally sent an email out to you all. My deepest apologies. If you would like to receive a complimentary subscription, please sign up at http://www.lightpublications.com/wise/ I'll try not to make the same mistake again. - Mark From mark at markbinder.com Mon Jun 30 12:12:44 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:12:44 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] New Books, Story Teasers, Tour and more Message-ID: Contents --------------------------- - Welcome letter - Serial infos - Story excerpts -- "Runninghead" from "It Ate My Sister" -- "Awake and Scream" from "The Council of Wise Women" - Tour dates ---------------------------- Hi all, It's been a wacky busy month, like riding a roller coaster without any brakes over a cliff... The school year finished with a bang, and then we went straight into book production. Then the family spent two days camping in Burlingame Park, huddled in our tent, dodging raindrops and hail stones. (We avoided the hail stones by packing the tent back up and heading home...) Following the April release of "The Brothers Schlemiel" we're releasing three more books this fall. (Barkminder Subscribers should be able to pre-order copies as early as next month!) The first two books are the paper-back edition of "A Hanukkah Present" and a fabulous re-edit of "The Bedtime Story Book." If you remember my original "Everything Bedtime Story Book" it was a wonderful monster with 100 stories for all ages. This new "Bedtime Story Book" is slimmer, with 33 stories, and focuses primarily on early and young readers and parents. The coolest of the three forthcoming releases will be "It Ate My Sister (and other family stories)" The cover blurb calls it "The 100% true autobiography of an award- winning writer and professional liar" These projects are so new we don't even have the pictures up on the web yet... I'm also looking for help. If you live in the Washington DC area, I'm trying to book a tour in October. If you are affiliated with any organization, school, library, church, synagogue, theater, festival or whatever that might like to meet with an author/storyteller, drop me an email and I'll send you a brochure and info packet. Last on the list for this month... I've got two serials running simultaneously in two different locations: The Council of Wise Women continues its weekly serialization in the Rhode Island Jewish Voice and Herald. You can subscribe to it at http://www.lightpublications.com/wise or read back installments at http://jvhri.org/archive/ browse_archive.html?search_sections_29=1 Then, on July 9, I'll be releasing a new serial called "Ellen vs. The Snakes" It'll be happening at the Seekonk Public Library's Summer Camp Wiki. Every week a new installment and an audio podcast... http://www.seekonksafaricamp.wiki.zoho.com Have a great summer. I hope you enjoy the teasers below... - Mark ------------------------ "Runninghead" an excerpt from "It Ate My Sister (and other family stories) by Mark Binder When I was a kid we used to scare each other with stories about it. It was the kind of thing that the big kids inflicted on the little kids and the little kids inflicted on their littler brothers and sisters. Of course I heard about it from Ellen, but I also heard about it from David Kovar, who my best friend. And when my cousin Adam moved to town, he heard about it too. Runninghead. They said that it was the skull of a murdered jogger. They said that it ran around the track at the high school after dark on every full moon. They also said that it was the longhaired top of a mother who had just left her babies at home for a moment and driven her car into the Canal. She went through the windshield, back in the days before safety glass, and got her spine severed in several places. Still, she had to get back to them before anything horrible happened, so she assembled the pieces as quickly as she could, leaving out part of the middle and began running. They said it was a head with legs. They said it was a giant head on normal size legs, like one of those Easter Island statues, but without the body in between. They said a lot of different things. And when you were a kid, you believed a lot of those. Maybe all of them. I mean, why wouldn't you. People were supposed to tell the truth. They weren't supposed to make up scary stories just to scare the pants off little kids, were they? (to be continued....) ------------------------ "Awake and Scream" an excerpt from The Council of Wise Women by Mark Binder Our Story So Far... Early one morning, while Sarah Cohen is meeting with the Council of Wise Women, her husband Benjamin is home alone with their two babies.... They were crying. Two voices like wailing sirens, twirling in and around each other like ivy winding up a tree. They sounded like beasts, wild animals baying at the moon. Still half asleep, still wanting to go back to sleep, Benjamin Cohen thrust out his left arm to nudge his wife to quiet the children. His fingers flailed in the empty space where her body was supposed to be. He squinted at the half-empty bed. For a time, he was confused, but then he realized that she must already be up. He allowed himself a smile through the haze. What a good wife he had! She knew that he had his job and she had her job and that for their family to work they had to work as a team. As his father had told him, "You can have a needle without a thread and a thread without a needle, but you can't sew without looping the thread through the needle." Then Benjamin sighed, blinked, and relaxed. But the crying continued. The screaming got louder. Those babies were much more difficult to deal with than he had ever imagined. Poor Sarah. It was so hard on her. Other mothers were able to cook with one infant, but with two? Almost impossible. Perhaps he should get up and help. But if she was already up that meant that she wanted him to rest, so if he tried to help he would actually be thwarting her. The last thing he wanted was for his wife to think he didn't appreciate the lengths she went to for his happiness and comfort. Still those two certainly had a set of lungs. He wondered if all of Chelm was awake by now. Benjamin stared up at the ceiling. It needed a coat of whitewash, but that was the sort of thing that could wait until after Passover -- or even for another year. It was funny, he thought, how much he had longed for a son, but now that he had both a son and a daughter, how much he longed for the peace and quiet he and Sarah had once shared. He was about to call to her, to ask if she needed help, but a shout might be misinterpreted and he didn't want to start another fight. It was hard to believe that two creatures so tiny could make such a horrible racket. In his mind he began writing a letter to his cousin, Shmuel in America. What did he call himself? Oh, yes. "Dear Sammy, "How are you? Me, you ask? I am exhausted. Did I mention that I have twins? Yes, a boy and a girl, Yakov and Rachel. They don't seem to need to sleep during the night. I suggested to Sarah that she wake them up during the day, but she gave me one of those looks of death. You know the ones that can curdle milk? But oy, the racket these two make! It's like living with two roosters who can't tell the difference between dawn and dark. Right now they sound like..." What did they sound like? He thought for a moment and then picked up his imaginary pen. "...like a pair of feral cats biting each other on the tails." And then there was quiet. It was as if by defining the nature of the sound, by his actually capturing the essence of the din in language, he had managed to give it full expression, so that now silence crept through the house. Perfect unbroken silence. (to be continued....) ---------------------- Mark Binder's Tour Dates (Note: If you don't see a tour date near you, please call Beth at (401) 272-8707 to arrange a booking!) ---------------------- July 7 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- Escuelita Boriken, 85 West Newton Street, Boston - 11:15 -- South End Library, 685 Tremont Street, Boston - 1:15 -- St. Mary's Womens and Children's Center, 90 Cushing Avenue, Dorchester July 9 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- Jeffries Point, 425 Sumner Street, East Boston - 11:15 -- East Boston YMCA at Harborside Community Center, 312 Border Street - 1:15: -- East Boston YMCA at Curtist Guild School, 195 Leyden Street, Wednesday 7/9 at 3:45 pm 'Wild about Reading' at Southborough Public Library, Southborough, MA July 14 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- West End Boys and Girls Club, 105 Allston Street, Alston 02134 - 11:15 -- St. Columbkille School on BC Campus - 1:15 -- 300 North Harvard Ave., Allston Monday, July 21 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 11:15am -- Wang YMCA, 8 Oak Street West, Boston (Chinatown) - 1:15 -- Salvation Army, 1500 Washington Street, Roxbury Wednesday, 7/23 at 1pm 'Big Whoppers' at Memorial Park - rain venue Qualters Middle School, Mansfield, MA Monday, July 28 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- Dimock Community Health Center, 1800 Columbus Ave, Roxbury - 11:15 -- Children's Services of Roxbury, 520 Dudley Street - 1:15 -- DotWell Atlas Adventures, 1353 Dorchester Ave. July 30 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- St. Katharine Drexel Parish, 175 Ruggles Street, Roxbury - 11:15 -- Carter Playground (corner of Columbus Ave. and Camden Street) - 1:15 -- Yawkey Club of Roxbury, 115 Warren Street August 4 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- West Roxbury Community Center, 1716 Centre Street - 11:15 -- West Roxbury/Roslindale YMCA, 15 Bellevue Street - 1:15 -- Washington Beech Community Center, 35 Beechland Street, Roslindale August 6 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- Laboure Center, 275 West Broadway, South Boston - 11:15 -- Tynan Community Center, 650 East 4th Street, South Boston - 1:15 -- Condon Community Center, 200 D Street, South Boston, 02127 August 11 - 14 CAJE Conference, Burlington, VT Thursday, 9/18 at 6:30 pm 'Tamarisk Fifth Birthday Celebration' at Tamarisk, Warwick, RI Saturday, 9/20 at 12 to 2 pm 'Book Signing' at A Novel Idea, Bristol, RI From mark at markbinder.com Fri Jul 25 11:59:03 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:59:03 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] Summer Stories, Radio, and a bit of politics Message-ID: Hello from the thick of summertime (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway)! The kids are scattered and swarming. How come we've allowed our children to be shuttled from one one-week camp to another on an experience treadmill? I think that a movement back toward 6 and 8 week programs make sense -- let children to develop relationships and learn at a different level. Besides, think of the peace of mind and the time it would save that we all spend scheduling! I've been working on half a dozen project simultaneously... - Read Boston Literacy Project - Completing the Bed Time Story Book reissue - A serialized story for the Seekonk Library called "Ellen vs. the Snakes" - Editing my next collection, "It Ate My Sister" - Planning for the CAJE conference in August - Practicing and teaching Aikido... - Writing "The Council of Wise Women" Haven't been to the beach nearly enough! A number of my readers have been puzzled that they haven't received every episode of "The Council of Wise Women" That's because it comes out every week, and I don't like overburdening folk who don't want it. But you can subscribe. Just visit http://www.lightpublications.com/wise/ It's still free! (Subtle hint: Subscribe now!) Meanwhile, you can listen to podcasts of "Ellen vs. the Snakes" at http://www.markbinder.com/ellen/ --------------------- Buy my books! --------------------- For beach reading I recommend "The Brothers Schlemiel" (http://tinyurl.com/3bgplb) To share with the youngfolk: "The Bed Time Story Book" For fall fun reading (a "NO I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL" read) I recommend pre-ordering "It Ate My Sister" http://www.lightpublications.com/books ------------------- On the Radio ------------------- I recently recorded an installment of "This I believe" for WRNI, Rhode Island's NPR station. Barring the announcement of Jack Reed as Obama's Vice Presidential Candidate, it should be airing next Wednesday, July 30 at 6:35 am, 8:35 am and 5:44 pm Listen at 1290 AM in RI or online at http://www.wrni.org/ (I'll post a link when it gets podcast) ----------------------- A snip of politics ----------------------- Whether you support Obama or McCain, I recommend that you watch Obama's speech from Berlin, or read the text. At the beginning of the speech he says, "Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen ? a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world." And the rest is inspiration and challenge. http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/berlinvideo/ Enjoy your summer! - Mark P.S. I'm posting my tour schedule for the next three months below. If you have a place, store or event you'd like me to come to, please send an email to my friend and assistant Beth Hellman (mailto:beth at lightpublications.com) Monday, July 28 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- Dimock Community Health Center, 1800 Columbus Ave, Roxbury - 11:15 -- Children's Services of Roxbury, 520 Dudley Street - 1:15 -- DotWell Atlas Adventures, 1353 Dorchester Ave. July 30 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- St. Katharine Drexel Parish, 175 Ruggles Street, Roxbury - 11:15 -- Carter Playground (corner of Columbus Ave. and Camden Street) - 1:15 -- Yawkey Club of Roxbury, 115 Warren Street Friday, 8/8/8 at 10 am and 2pm 'Stories for Adults' at Seven Hills, Groton, MA August 4 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- West Roxbury Community Center, 1716 Centre Street - 11:15 -- West Roxbury/Roslindale YMCA, 15 Bellevue Street - 1:15 -- Washington Beech Community Center, 35 Beechland Street, Roslindale August 6 - Read Boston Literacy Tour - 10am -- Laboure Center, 275 West Broadway, South Boston - 11:15 -- Tynan Community Center, 650 East 4th Street, South Boston - 1:15 -- Condon Community Center, 200 D Street, South Boston, 02127 August 11 - 14 CAJE Conference, Burlington, VT Thursday, 9/18 at 6:30 pm 'Tamarisk Fifth Birthday Celebration' at Tamarisk, Warwick, RI Saturday, 9/20 at 12 to 2 pm 'Book Signing' at A Novel Idea, Bristol, RI Sunday, 9/28 at 2pm 'Storytelling, CD and Book signing' at Books on the Square, Providence, RI From mark at markbinder.com Fri Sep 12 13:27:32 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:27:32 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] Good News - Summer and Fall Message-ID: <9559518F-3B12-4B99-9576-28F16A034EAA@markbinder.com> Whew! It has been a whirlwind summer. Upcoming, I'll be performing at the Burrilville Arts Festival, the Governor's Heritage Day festival, and doing book signings in Bristol and Providence. In the past, when folks have said, "I don't know where the days went," I've scoffed. In my "business" I usually know where the days went. This summer, I'm not so sure... Sometimes I was up in Boston working on the Read Boston Literacy Tour. Sometimes I was working on the revised edition of "The Bed Time Story Book." Sometimes I was rewriting, "It Ate My Sister" or recording part of it as "Ellen vs. the Snakes." Sometimes I was teaching Aikido. Sometimes I was wondering when I was ever going to get to the beach! Then, I got a series of freelance editing gigs, including two weeks as the Acting Editor of the Jewish Voice and Herald Newspaper. It was like deja vu all over again, sitting in an office without any windows, working on the Jewish news in Rhode Island on an incredibly tight deadline. (Note: I held the position 16 years ago... Talk about the circle of life.) Anyway, I'm back at the job of writing and telling stories to a broad audience of people, and loving it. If you'd like me to come to your school, bookstore or other venue, send me an email. If you'd like a copy of my new brochure, let me know what your address is! Here's the quick good news: My serialized novel, "The Council of Wise Women" has passed the 20 episode mark, and has subscribers around the world. You can subscribe at http://www.lightpublications.com/wise/ I've got four new books out in the past 12 months -- - It Ate My Sister -- the 100% true autobiography of a professional liar - JUST OUT THIS WEEK! - The Brothers Schlemiel -- my first novel - The Bed Time Story Book - 36 fun-to-read favorites and classics - - A Hanukkah Present - now in a new paperback edition (The paperbacks are $10, hardbacks are $20, and you can buy them at http://www.markbinder.com/store/ or on Amazon) Plus we've issued the fifth edition of "Classic Stories for Boys and Girls" with a new cover, and lowered all my CD prices to $10 I've also got a cool new color brochure. Let me know if you'd like me to send you one. Finally, I'm offering a discount to anyone who books a storytelling event for their school, library or other organization before the end of September. (The event can happen any time in the next year). Send an email to beth at lightpublications.com to find out about that. Like I said, whew! - Mark Tour Schedule SEPTEMBER Saturday, 9/13 at 1:30 pm Stories at Burrliville Arts Festival, RI Sunday, 9/14 at 3 pm Stories at Burrliville Arts Festival, RI Thursday, 9/18 at 6:30 pm 'Tamarisk Fifth Birthday Celebration' at Tamarisk, Warwick, RI Saturday, 9/20 at 12 to 2 pm 'Book Signing' at A Novel Idea, Bristol, RI Saturday, 9/20 at 3:30 pm 'Heritage Day Festival' at Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. , Providence, RI Thursday, 9/25 at 10:30 am and 3 pm 'Stories and Telling Lies' at Block Island Library, Block Island, RI Sunday, 9/28 at 2pm 'Storytelling, CD and Book signing' at Books on the Square, Providence, RI Sunday, 9/28 at 3:30 pm Miriam Hospital'Fall Festival on Hope Street' Providence, RI OCTOBER Wednesday, 10/8 at 9:30, 10:30, 12:30 and 1:30 'Fun stories' at High Road Primary of Washington DC, Washington, DC Saturday, 10/13 at 2 and 3:30 pm 'Harvest Festival Tales' at Ledge End Produce - Farm CSA, East Greenwich, RI From mark at markbinder.com Fri Sep 26 15:52:05 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:52:05 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] Support local stuff (and have fun doing it) Message-ID: <09B4C7D2-4CA9-4568-82C7-7B481D2EC88F@markbinder.com> Hi all, Everybody talks about local food, but what about local art? Local artists? Local stories? Local books! It Ate My Sister... The Bed Time Story Book... The Brothers Schlemiel... and more! While the economy swirls into the toilet, we here at Mark Binder, inc. are doing our best to lighten and brighten your day without destroying your wallet. We've lowered our prices on books and audio books to under $10 for paperbacks and CDs and under $20 for hardbacks! We're also offering free signatures to anyone those who come to book signings and other events this weekend. Sunday, September 28 2:00 pm 'Storytelling, CD and Book signing' at Books on the Square, Providence, RI 4:00 pm - Fall Festival on Hope Street, Providence, RI (Sponsored by Miriam Hospital). You can order books and audio books at http://www.markbinder.com/store Or at your local bookstore Or at Amazon.com You can even download onto your Kindle! Or listen on your iPod and iPhone. Wow -- so many choices. Act today -- before the economy tanks! And have an awesome weekend. - Mark ------------------------------------------------------ - The Brothers Schlemiel (a novel) - The Bed Time Story Book (for young families) - It Ate my Sister (and other family stories) - A Hanukkah Present (now in paperback!) - The Council of Wise Women Books on amazon.com Cds at CDBaby.com Downloads from the iTunes Music Store Subscribe to "The Council of Wise Women" at http:// www.lightpublications.com/wise/ Visit me at http://www.markbinder.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mark at markbinder.com Fri Oct 10 12:47:10 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:47:10 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] Halloween Book in the News and more Message-ID: Depending on your point of view, the spooky time of year is coming up, or it's already here in the form of the Great Financial Boogeyman Crisis of 2008. My sweetheart, Alicia, made the wonderful point that because things are looking bad everywhere, it's not personal to us -- at least we know we're all in it together. In the meantime, while we all still have our sanity and a bit of money, I wanted to mention that my new book, "It Ate My Sister" is out and available online and through my online store (see details below). The book is a brilliant-blue softcover edition perfect for anybody from 3rd grade through senior center. In addition to the title story (about a giant slug), it has two Halloween tales: "Runninghead" tells the story of a horrible monster that chased me across my hometown. "The Haunted Playground" describes the park next to my house, and the untimely demise of the bully, Butch Mattingly. If you've got younger kids, my "Bed Time Story Book" is also out and about with 36 stories fun to read and share. And "A Hanukkah Present" is out in a new softcover edition to celebrate its status as a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Family Literature Plus, of course, The Brothers Schlemiel is still available. Whew! (Get copies at http://www.markbinder.com/store/) Also, I'm looking for referrals! Do you have a youngster in school -- or know a youngster in school? Are you involved in a synagogue, church, theater or other venue for storytelling? I'm trying to plan my fall/winter/spring tours now. I still have a few slots for Halloween, and some spaces for the November/December Holiday period... Anyone who gives me a good lead will receive complimentary copy of the 2nd edition of "Classic Stories for Boys and Girls" (Did I mention that the third edition of "Classic Stories for Boys and Girls" is out with a cover that matches "The Bed Time Story Book"? Also available at the store and download on iTunes! Coming soon: A new Halloween Tale (or song...) A Free offer: Subscribe to "The Council of Wise Women" at http:// www.lightpublications.com/wise/ Enjoy the long weekend. - Mark Tour Dates (so far) ----------------------------- Friday, 10/17: Art of Peace' at Gordon School, 45 Maxfield Avenue, East Providence, RI Saturday, 10/18: Harvest Festival stories' at Ledge End Produce - Farm CSA, 830 South Rd., East Greenwich, RI Saturday, 10/18: Stories for Fun' at The Storks Nest Child Academy , 2260 South County Trail , East Greenwich, RI at 12 pm Sunday, 10/19: Fall Festival on Hope Street' at Miriam Hospital - Lifespan, 164 Summit Avenue , Providence, RI at 3:30 pm Saturday, 10/25: Stories and Telling' at The Stork's Nest Child Academy, 440 George Washington Highway, Smithfield, RI at 12-12:30 Wednesday, 10/29: It Ate My Sister and other Stories on a Sliding Scale of Terror' at Private Event, 20 Clovelly Road, Wellsley, MA at 7 pm Wednesday, 10/29: ' at Milestones, 460 Totten Pond Road, Suite 300, Waltham, MA at 12 noon to 3pm Thursday, 10/30: Rain Date' at Private Event, 20 Clovelly Road, Wellsley, MA Thursday, 10/30: Rain Date Silly Stories and Tall Tales' at Milestones, 460 Totten Pond Road, Suite 300, Waltham, MA Friday, 10/31: Spooky Stories' at Rocky Hill School , 530 Ives Road , East Greenwich, RI at 1:30 pm Friday, 11/7: Silly Stories and Omakase: Many Cultures/Many Tales' at Nathan Hale School, 277 Atkins Street Extension, Meriden, CT Sunday, 11/9: Life in Chelm' at Leventhal-Sidman JCC , 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA at 1pm Wednesday, 11/12: SEMLS Showcase' at SEMLS, 10 Riverside Drive, Lakeville, MA Thursday, 11/13: Autumn Tales' at Little Red Hen Preschool, PO Box 226 - 358 Old Forge Road, Warwick, RI Saturday, 11/15: Book Signing' at A Novel Idea, 450 Hope Street, Bristol, RI at 12 to 2 pm Tuesday, 11/18: Posoc Stories' at Gordon School Vacation Camp, 45 Maxfield Avenue, East Providence, RI at 6:30pm Wednesday, 11/19: Stories Making/Telling' at Carlos Pacheco School, 261 Mt. Pleasant Street, New Bedford, MA Wednesday, 11/19: Silly Stories and Tall Tales' at Hayden-McFadden Elementary School , 361 Cedar Grove St. , New Bedford, MA Friday, 11/21: Wolf Stories (and Tall Tales)' at Wolf School, 215 Ferris Avenue, East Providence, RI Tuesday, 12/2: Book Signing and Discussion' at Borders Books - Providence Place Mall, 142 Providence Place, Providence, RI at 6pm Wednesday, 12/10: Book Signing and Storytelling' at Barnes and Noble - Warwick, 1350 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick, RI at 7 pm Thursday, 12/11: Holiday Stories' at Seven Hills, 22 Hillside Ave, Groton, MA at 10am and 2pm Friday, 12/12: Chanukkah in Chelm and other Stories' at Striar JCC, 445 Central Street, Stoughton, MA at 10:30 am (TENTATIVE) Monday, 12/15: Author Talk' at Rochambeau - Providence Public Library , 708 Hope Street, Providence, RI at 7pm Thursday, 12/18: A Holiday Present' at Garvin Memorial , 1364 Diamond Hill Road , Cumberland, RI at Saturday, 12/20: A Holiday Present' for Miriam Hospital - at Rochambeau Library , Providence, RI Sunday, 12/21: Hanukkah in Chelm (or Chanukah in Helm?)' at The National Yiddish Book Center, Weinberg Building, Amherst, MA at 2pm Tuesday, 12/30: Stories' at Gordon School Vacation Camp, 45 Maxfield Avenue, East Providence, RI From mark at markbinder.com Tue Oct 28 10:30:12 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:30:12 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] "Gold Pieces" A Story for the Crossroads Message-ID: In This BarkMinder Newsletter - From Mark - Quick Plug - Story - Tour Dates ---------------------------- From Mark ---------------------------- One week to go. In a little over seven days, the world as we know it will change. If one candidate wins, it will go one way. If another candidate wins, it will go a different way. For now, we hold our breath. We grumble and wait. And wonder. And hope. Regardless of who you choose, please vote. Even if you walk in and cast a blank ballot, vote. If you don't want to vote, vote anyway. If you object to voting, then do something to change the system. Note to Rhode Islanders: If you are not registered to vote, you may go to your city hall (or in Providence to the "Dunkin Donuts Center") to same-day register and cast a vote for President only. (No voting on referendums or other candidates.) As you know, I'm rarely moralistic in my stories. This one, however, seems timely. It is from the original Bed Time Story Collection. If the recent banking collapse had happened a while ago, it probably would have been included in the new edition. As it is, this is a BarkMinder newsletter exclusive. Have an excellent week, and we'll be in touch after it's over... - Mark ---------------------------- Quick Plug Before the Story ---------------------------- I have four new books out this year: -- It Ate My Sister (ages 8-13 and up) -- The Bed Time Story Book (ages 4-7 and parents) -- The Brothers Schlemiel (a novel) -- A Hanukkah Present (all ages and families) One or all of them are bound to make you (or someone you know) happy. Bonus: If you buy all four, I'll throw in a present! Subscriber Specials are at http://www.markbinder/com/specials/ Also, if you'd like to invite me to come to speak, teach or perform at your school, social or religious organization or favorite theater, please get in touch with my alter ego, Beth Hellman via email: beth at markbinder.com ---------------------------- The Story ---------------------------- "The Boy and the Gold Pieces" by Mark Binder From "The Everything Bedtime Story Book" Copyright 2008, all rights reserved. [Based loosely on Aesop's "The Boy and the Chestnuts."] Many years ago in a land far away from here lived a boy who was very very poor. His father had no job, and his mother had no job. Sometimes, when the father got work, they would eat beans. Sometimes when the mother got work, they would eat bread, but it was only rarely that the mother and father found work at the same time. And then, the boy was left in charge of his five brothers and sisters. One afternoon, the boy decided that he would find a job and make enough money for his entire family to live for many many years. He had heard that in the big city there were many opportunities for people to make money, so he traveled there. It was a long and difficult trip. He had to walk the whole way, and by the time he arrived he was very hungry. But he did not have any money. His clothes were old and tattered, and he was very very dirty. Everyone in the city walked past him as if he did not exist. They ignored him or, if they did see him, quickly turned away. At last, a young girl, not much older than the boy, came up and gave him a copper. "No," the boy said. "I will not take this." "Why not?" asked the girl. "I am not a beggar," the boy said. "I have come to the city to make my fortune. My family is very hungry, and I would like to find work to support them." The girl thought this was wonderful, and she clapped her hands together. "I know just the right person you should meet," she said. "Come with me." She led him through the streets of the crowded city until they came to a large building. It had stone columns and a pair of heavy brass doors. "Surely you are not going to arrest me," the boy cried. He thought the building was a jail. "No no," laughed the girl. "This is the bank where my father works. He will certainly help you get a job." She led him inside, and all at once the boy was amazed. Never had he seen ceilings so high. And the ceilings were painted with pictures of factories and farms. On the walls were portraits of imposing looking men. One whole wall had a bank of tellers, people who sat behind tall glass windows, and took deposits and cashed checks. "Follow me," the girl said. The boy followed, very conscious of the shabbiness of his clothing, and the dirt that he still wore from his travels. Finally, the girl led him into a large room with deep red carpeting. Inside was a very imposing man. He looked just like all the other men in the portraits on the walls. He had white hair and big bushy side burns. His mustache drooped, and his mouth seemed to be frozen in a perpetual scowl. But he smiled when he saw the girl, and he laughed softly when she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Father," said the girl, "this boy has traveled a long way because he wants to get a job. I offered him a copper, but he said that he would not beg. He wants to work. He has a large family that is very poor and he would like to support them." The father's scowl returned. "Do you know who I am?" he asked. "No, sir," said the boy. "Well, he's polite at least," thought the father. Then he said, "I am the president of this bank. I understand that you want a job." "Oh, yes, sir," said the boy, his face brightening. "Please, I would like a job. I may not look like much, but I can read and I can count, and I can follow directions and..." "Slow down," said the father. "First I have a test for you. Come with me." The man stood up, and the boy followed him into a little back room. The old man showed him a table that held a beautiful crystal pitcher that was nearly filled with gold pieces. The boy's eyes widened in amazement. He had never seen so many gold pieces in his entire life. One gold piece would feed his family for two months. The pitcher itself might give them food enough for ten or twenty years! "You may take as many gold pieces as you can hold in your hand," said the Old Man. The boy raced to the pitcher, and reached his hand in. He grabbed as many gold pieces as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull his hand out, he found it was stuck in the neck of the pitcher. He immediately burst into tears. A handful of gold coins would feed his family for a long time, and he did not want to let go. Then he realized something. If he broke the pitcher all the coins would spill out, but he could still hold onto the ones he had. He lifted the pitcher up high above the table. Perhaps he would cut himself, but any pain would be worth it to help his family. Then, just as he was about to send the pitcher crashing down on the table he stopped himself. One by one, he let go of the gold pieces. At last, sadly, he removed his hand from the neck of the pitcher, completely empty. "You know," said the girl's father, "if you had been satisfied with only half a handful you could have withdrawn your hand easily." "Yes," said the boy, "but I did not come here to beg, nor to receive charity." The boy picked up the crystal pitcher with one hand, and poured gold pieces into his other hand. "I came here to show you that I was smart and could work for you," he said. He looked at the gold pieces in his hand, and then one by one dropped them back into the crystal pitcher. The old man looked very pleased. "No, no, don't put them all back." "I won't take charity, sir," said the boy. "Then consider that gold piece an advance against your pay," the man said. "I can't have my youngest clerk looking like a ragamuffin." The boy was overjoyed! He worked hard and sent money back to his family, and all of his brothers and sisters and mother and father came to live with him in the city. Then, when he was old enough, he married the old man's daughter. In time, he became the manager and eventually the president of the bank. If you go down to the bank, perhaps you will see his portrait hanging on the wall. He is the one who doesn't frown quite as much as all the others. The End. ---------------- Copyright 2008 by Mark Binder All Rights Reserved --------------------------- Note --------------------------- The Aesop?s Fable of ?The Boy and the Chestnuts? ends with the boy?s hand stuck in the vase and the admonition, ?Do not attempt too much at once.? I think this version ends in a much more satisfying way. ---------------------------- Quick Reminder After the Story ---------------------------- Subscriber Specials are at http://www.markbinder/com/specials/ You'll get four books (3 paper and one hardcover ) for $50, plus a bonus present! -- It Ate My Sister (ages 8-13 and up) -- The Bed Time Story Book (ages 4-7 and parents) -- The Brothers Schlemiel (a novel) -- A Hanukkah Present (all ages and families) One or all of them are bound to make you (or someone you know) happy. Subscriber Specials are at http://www.markbinder/com/specials/ Also, if you'd like to invite me to come to speak, teach or perform at your school, social or religious organization or favorite theater, please get in touch with my alter ego, Beth Hellman via email: beth at markbinder.com ---------------------------- Tour Calendar ---------------------------- Wednesday Oct 29, 2008 2:30pm It Ate My Book signing at the Gordon School - Thursday Oct 30, 2008 12pm Silly Stories and Tall Tales' at Milestones, Waltham, MA Friday Oct 31, 2008 1:30pm 'Spooky Stories' at Rocky Hill School , East Greenwich, RI - Friday Nov 7, 2008 10am 'Silly Stories and Omakase: Many Cultures/ Many Tales' at Nathan Hale School, Meriden, CT Sunday Nov 9, 2008 1pm 'Life in Chelm' Leventhal-Sidman JCC , 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA Wednesday Nov 12, 2008 11am Starship Adventure at Your Library - SEMLS Showcase, Normandin Middle School in New Bedford, MA - New Bedford, MA Thursday Nov 13, 2008 10:30am 'Autumn Tales' at Little Red Hen Preschool, Warwick, RI - Saturday Nov 15, 2008 12pm Book signing Tuesday Nov 18, 2008 6:30pm Posoc Stories' at Gordon School Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 9am Stories Making/Telling' at Carlos Pacheco School, New Bedford, MA 12:10pm Silly Stories and Tall Tales' at Hayden-McFadden Elementary School Thursday Nov 20, 2008 6pm Thursday, 11/20: Family Night Book Signing' at Nayatt School , 400 Nayatt Road , Barrington, RI at 6pm Friday Nov 21, 2008 10am Wolf Stories (and Tall Tales) at Wolf School, East Providence, RI Tuesday Dec 2, 2008 6pm 'Book Signing and Discussion' at Borders Books - Providence Place Mall, Providence, RI More to come. Visit http://www.markbinder.com/tour for all dates. --------------------------- For learning... for fun... and more Mark Binder - author and storyteller http://www.markbinder.com From mark at markbinder.com Tue Oct 28 14:41:25 2008 From: mark at markbinder.com (Mark Binder) Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:41:25 -0400 Subject: [Mark Binder's Barkminder] Broken link Message-ID: <552D0190-A818-468B-BB48-7D9F9AACEA13@markbinder.com> Whoops. Please excuse this, but I foolishly put the wrong link in my email (Banging head on wall - "Always Test! Always Test!" http://www.markbinder.com/specials/ Please resume your regularly scheduled day. - Mark --------------------------- For learning... for fun... and more Mark Binder - author and storyteller http://www.markbinder.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: