Loving on the haters 4: Gunn High School

Gunn High School in Palo Alto CA had some serious tragedies: student suicides. People jumped in front of trains. And who showed up to help them in their grief, and to protest the fact that they're a diverse, inclusive school? Westboro Baptist Church, of course, since they are uber-supportive of people in times of tragedy. Margie Phelps (daughter of Fred) brought ugly signs and lots of hate, of course.

And what did the Gunn High School kids do? They sang, and protested back with LOVE. Can you imagine? The same thing happened when WBC moved on to picket at Stanford, at their temple. People just loved them instead of hating back.

I admire the hell out of this. If you can love on Fred Phelps and his crowd, well, you are a love ninja. Or a buddha. Maybe even Gandhi. So, your job for today: love on the most difficult person you can find. Enjoy Fred Phelps' "fag-loving country", filled with lovers and haters.

Old news again, I know--it happened in March. But it's worth mentioning. Photo not of the incident--it just has great examples of their signs.

Loving on the lovers 3: libraries!

Friends! This is National Library Week! And who is on the banner from the American Library Association for National Library Week? Neil Gaiman, my literary crush (who, when I saw him last September, had bedhead and frayed cuffs on his jeans, won't you be mine, Neil?, but I digress).

What is cooler than a library? Not much, in my opinion. I vividly remember my library in Central Nowhere, and the crabby Mrs. George who wouldn't let me read in the adult section (I may have been 12) until one of cool librarians did, and then I was stuck in Stephen King. When we were little, my brother and I lost tons of library books in our book closet. The moment I knew I had arrived as an author: when I found out the Hennepin County Library System (in the Twin Cities, for you non-Minnesotans), had purchased 10 copies of my book. My brain: "holy SHIT, I'm in a library! That book is real!"

Helpful folks, there in the library, helpful with research and/or recommendations. Lots of lively tomes. Lots of peace and quiet and happy patrons. I actually live down the alley from a tiny library, and I don't go there much. My vow is to re-up in my dedication. Have they asked me to speak there? No. Have I volunteered? Twice. However, I will still patronize them for their cushy chairs and their quiet.

Love your library this week, friends. A lot! BTW, the second photo is the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland (school founded in *1592!*). Look close--that's two stories of beauty and books. I got to go last year, and could have stayed for a year. Photo taken by Candida Hofer.

Loving on the lovers 2: Mormons on bikes

The other day when I was driving to school, I saw guys like the ones in the photo, Mormons out trying to spread their Word. But they weren't doing that. They were jumping their bikes off curbs, laughing, and being totally joyous. Decidedly un-Mormon-ish, far as I could tell. Spring will do that to people.

In general, I try not to speak about religions, because I don't care to offend people any more than is necessary. I honestly don't know if Mormons as a faith are loving. Not my job to speculate. But these guys were loving life, and that's OK with me.

I admire, on some level, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses (did you know Prince may or may not be a Jehovah's Witness? I used to have a JW student who knew him, and she referred to him as "Brother Nelson," his birth name is Prince Rogers Nelson, wouldn't you just DIE if he showed up on your door? I'd listen to that Jehovah's Witness for hours, provided I could get him off track from Jehovah and maybe get him to sing "Sexy MF" or something). They are dedicated humans, and they walk their talk. I appreciate that. The same could be said for Fred Phelps, of course. But he spreads hate and separation.

Go jump your bike off a curb. Spread the love.

Loving on the lovers 1: Bernice Ellis

After my rant yesterday, I decided to shape up my act. And really, that rant was mild. Monday night I scared my class when I ranted about haters (or asshats, as I unkindly called them). Last night I hated on abusive Catholic priests for a while, and made myself cry.

But no more! For the rest of the month, here on the blog: loving on the lovers. You may want to tune out if cheerfulness is not your thang.

Today's love situation: Bernice Ellis (91 years of coolness, BTW), local bowling wizard, who's been bowling since 1939 and rolled a 187 at ONE of her leagues last week. And she's blind. Her teammates have to tell her what pins she's hit. Full story here.

I couldn't roll a 187 with gutter bumpers, so Bernice, you have my utmost admiration.

Tune in soon for another appreciation moment! It's cheese wiener, I know. But I like it. And I don't feel angry.

12 Gifts of YA #10: Romance and Luuuuuuuuuuuuve

YA romance is a ton of fun to write. But it's also mysterious and challenging, because my flirting days are long over (though we still try). I do love digging deep into the recesses of my brain and finding that airy, goofy feeling that first love can cause. Case in point: 12/22/09 is the 26th anniversary of the first dance I shared with my silly, sweet, charming high school beau. See? I still remember.

I also like untypical YA romance. In SKY, Morgan's neighbor Tessa declares her affection for Morgan by 1) punching her in the shoulder, and 2) shuffling through a back yard of snow to write "MC + TR" inside a huge heart. Tessa stays away from public acknowledgement because she knows both she and Morgan would get the shit beat out of them. In BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, Gabe and Paige get into "I've fallen for my best friend" love--complete with flirting--but nobody knows what to do from there, and the situation is complicated even further by Gabe's trans-ness. In my WIP, there's more cross-cultural love. This stuff matters to me because there are all kinds of teenagers falling in love in the real world and not all of them are typical boy/girl romances.

I chose Ennis and Jack for my photo because I think BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is the most gut-wrenching love story of the last five years. That kind of unrequited, unavailable romance is something 95% of us recognize, no matter who the players are. Gorgeous film. Gorgeous acting. Heartbreaking story. Devastating emotions. And YA love is tons like this film--beautiful and awful, all at the same time.

I said I wasn't going to talk about emotions anymore, but you have to mention romance if you're going to mention YA. Lately you should mention sparkly vampire romance (gak, eek, no!). But I shall refrain.