Newsletter/Winter/Spring05

I woke up last night to hear a pack of coyotes howling outside my window. Here we are in southeastern Massachusetts, and it's pretty wild. My dogs barked and snorted – easy to act tough when you're safe inside.

Hope this e-mail message finds you well and not overwhelmed with the spam of life – this e-mail included. I've been home for a couple of months working (I think) on various projects and am getting ready to come out there and see you in the next couple of months. Well, I did take one trip – to the Dominican Republic with a good friend of mine. We spent time in the capital Santo Domingo with friends, saw a championship baseball game (and baseball almost everywhere we went), some incredible geography and beauty, and great poverty, too. I was moved by people's resourcefulness and reminded how hard it is for many (most?) people to get through the day – some food for thought. We got an extensive tour of cacao plantations from a great guy who works with a farmer's cooperative. Oh yeah, we went to some beaches too.

A friend gave me the new recording by Madeline Peyroux – comparisons to Billie Holliday are inevitable, but it's a lot more than that. Both of her albums, “Careless Love” and “Dreamland” are great.

Yesterday I got the pages for my picture book, Dear Santa, coming out this fall from HarperCollins. It looks great, and the illustrations by my friend R.W. Alley (who has done some of my cd cover art) are the perfect complement to the words from a desperate boy to Santa in the month leading up to the big day.

Also, we've reached a tentative agreement with the Maricopa County Library District (which serves Phoenix, AZ) to serially print (post? Blog?) my first novel (chapter book? Middle grade reader?) for kids. It's called “Flyboy” and I'm excited about the whole project. And since it will be on the internet, you can read it, too. The project will start this September, with the beginning of the school year. More details as we come closer to the date.

My favorite book recently is The Cave by Jose Saramago. I also enjoyed Ivan Doig's This House Made of Sky, and have been working my way through Robinson Jeffers' Collected Poems. And now working my way through Edith Grossman's new translation of my favorite book, Don Quixote.

Debbie (now quilting and reading again) loved Alice Hoffman's The River King, Elizabeth McKracken's Niagara Falls All Over Again, and is deep into Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Dylan had one of his father's favorite books, The Education of Little Tree forced up on him, and loved it.

We gave my nephew Danny, who is ten, a couple of John Bellairs books for Christmas. If you like mystery and suspense (and a wee bit of darkness) and have gone through Mr. Snickett, The Clock in the Walls is a great read, as are many other books by Bellairs. Lloyd Alexander's books were a great favorite around here when my kids were younger. That was yesterday, I think.

Congratulations to Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer (producers) for winning the Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children. Their tribute to Ella Jenkins---First Lady of Children's Music--- brought together some of todays best Children's performers (including Bill Harley) who performed some of Ella's best works. If you haven't heard of Ella Jenkins, Cathy Fink or Marcy Marxer, click on their names to learn more. Click on the album cover to find out more about it.

We're always trying to keep our website new and interesting, full of information that Bill Harley fans will like and appreciate, so we've created a Fan Info section on our home page which brings you to our newsletter, a brand new picture gallery and a list of radio programs that play Bill. As always, we want your input. If you know of a radio program that plays Bill or that should, let us know. If you took pictures of Bill at a show and you'd like to share them, drop me a line. If you have a great idea for something that fans would really love to see on our website, get in touch with us. (click here to write us a message)

While Bill has spent the winter at home working, the Spring has him traveling across the country. Check out our calendar to see where he's going to be! As always, we only post concerts and events that are open to the public and you should always call the number given to double check show times and ticket prices.

"Come On Out and Play" is a collection of some of Bill's best loved stories, most of which have been published as books. His story "Staying Up" is available as the Hard Cover Book Nothing Happened and now you can get the recording and the book for $25 (a five dollar savings). Click here to order