Augusta Savage Road in Saugerties

This is the road to the house Augusta lived in when she left New York City.  Here is the road sign that the community chose to replace the one that originally said “Nigger Road. (After a while one of the g’s was taken out to make the sign look like NIG ER Road). Augusta Savage was well-received in Saugerties when she came in the 1940s. However, she chose to spend most of her time tending her little farm, taking notes at a laboratory, and visiting with the neighbor children. She did about seven works of art in Saugerties but left the art world for the most part…while only in mid-life.

Never Forget

My latest novel is a Young Adult novel about three teens. It is appropriate for ages twelve to eighteen. Look at where it can be read for free for now. If a teacher wishes to use it in class and wants a study guide, I can furnish it.

Overall, Never Forget is about how during one school year three teens from a suburban high school go through experiences together and learn lessons they will never forget. It’s a novel that teens can read for pleasure and schools can use to promote empathy for “the other”-any other teen who comes from a different social stratum from one’s own.
A high school English teacher is using the book with her class now.

For my new book, “Never Forget”

This is a lamassu from the Palace of Sargon II in Khorsbad. I viewed it at the Oriental Institute in Chicago. My newest book is a Young Adult story about the relationship among three teenagers at a local high school. Each one has a different  problem. How each one resolves it is the crux of the book. Through an unexpected visit to the Oriental Institute, the three develop a passion to learn more about the history behind this forty thousand pound colossus. I wanted this to be a book about real teenagers and their interactions rather than the more common fantasy story of today.

I just returned from a trip to Nova Scotia. It was beautiful.  I discovered that Longfellow wrote his epic poem, Evangeline, about a young woman in Nova Scotia who devoted her life to finding her long lost love.  I bought a copy of the book and highly recommend it for its descriptions about the landscapes and people in this lush, verdant country.IMG_1388.JPG