The Final Round of My First Book Tour

My two-month book tour ended Mar 31. I came home, crashed for a couple of days and got some rest and relaxation. I was thankful for the opportunities to be so involved in Black History and Women’s History Month programs

My induction into the Enterprising Women Magazine Hall of Fame on Mar 18 was in the beautiful, relaxing environment of the Doral Spa Resort, Miami, FL. Entrepreneurs as well as corporate & non-profit executives shared experiences. It offered great networking. The beautiful plague presented to me now graces the wall at my home.

I was honored to have been invited to be the keynote speaker for The Women’s History Month luncheon of the National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women on Mar 20 in Petersburg, VA. The invitation was extended by the young woman who was my first administrative assistant at my company in the late 70’s. We connected a couple years ago after about 20 years.

Because I was in Miami March 17-19 and a commitment for a speaking engagement on March 20, I was unable to fully participate in the Virginia Festival of the Book held March 17-21 in Charlottesville, VA. I did attend a luncheon and book signing hosted by The Links of Charlottesville and a book signing at Barnes & Noble on Mar. 21.

March 25-28 found me in the Washington, DC area. Bowie State University, Bowie, MD, hosted its second annual tea & book discussion. It was a delightful event in a beautiful setting decorated with flowers, streamers, and balloons and offered a wide selection of teas, tasty scones and tea sandwiches. The interview with me was conducted by a journalism student. A highlight of the day was being surprised by five former employees who live in the area. Earlier in the day I had a glorious experience – conducting a class in leadership for upperclassmen. It reminded me of my teaching days at Bowie and it felt good!

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Maryland, College Park, MD was my host on Mar 26 for a discussion with students, faculty and staff.

Sunday, Mar 28 found me at the Oxon Hill Library, Oxon Hill, MD as the keynote speaker for the Women’s History Month program sponsored by Association for the Study of African American Life and History and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Having lived in Prince George’s County, MD for about 30 years, I was grateful to be able to reconnect with many people I knew from my days of living there.

The evening of Mar. 30, East Orange City Hall, East Orange, NJ was a booming success even with the torrential rainfall. My brother lives in East Orange and a friend of his hosted me as the keynote speaker for its Women History Month Program. Many relatives and even people I went to school with in Powhatan, VA attended.

My last stop of the month, Mar 31, was in Stamford, CT for the Women’s History Month program for UBS Financial Services. I was invited by a woman I had met at another speaking engagement a few months earlier. It’s a great feeling to be referred as a speaker. This event was limited to employees, many whom had already read my book. A real plus was the company had purchased books for each person in attendance. We had a wonderful discussion.

A Whirlwind Week

It has been a whirlwind of a week since my last posting.

After three relaxing days in Sarasota where I had a change to have lunch with same friends and get in a round of golf, it was off to Boston. I was saddened to leave the warm, sunny weather to head to the frigid cold of Boston. I, however, was greeted with a pleasant surprise; my heavy winter coat was too much! Though there were some rain showers the day I arrived, the temperature was pleasant. I checked into the relatively new Westin Waterfront with all of its trappings of comfort.

The four-day experience gave me the opportunity to share with the academic and non-profit communities - Babson College, Harvard Business School and Strong Women, Strong Girls; a non-profit organization that uses lessons from contemporary and historic women to help young girls and women become strong women themselves.

First stop: Babson College where I was interviewed by Dr. Myra Hart, retired professor from Harvard business School, as the first author in their Author Series program for Women’s History Month. Ironically, Myra was the professor who presented my Alumni Achievement Award from Harvard to me in 2003 and with whom I had worked on the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners Foundation. It was an interactive exchange between students, faculty, staff and friends from the Babson community. The students were so impressive.

The Strong Women, Strong Girls event was hosted by one of their sponsors, Naxitis, at their attractive facility in downtown Boston. I was welcomed with drinks and tasty hors d’oeuvres. Having a chance to mingle with the attendees before my presentation put me in a more relaxed state of mind. The more I heard from the people involved with this organization, the more impressed I became.

The H. Naylor Fitzhugh conference, sponsored by the African American Student Union at Harvard Business School, took me back to familiar territory. Although the conference was at the Westin Hotel, seeing so many students, alumni and prospective students was reminiscent of my days at HBS. Adding to the joy of the weekend was the fact that both of my daughters came from NY to attend the conference. It was a glorious weekend.

Traveling around and meeting so many people is exhilarating. I have been exposed to individuals and organization that are doing amazing things. I will explore some of these for possible involvement after my book tour slows down.

I look forward to the next leg of my journey which takes me to Richmond, VA, then Miami, FL for the Enterprising Women conference where I will be inducted into their Hall of Fame.

Time to Catch Up

It’s been two weeks since I wrote my last blog. So much has happened since then. It seems that every place where I had a book event, I either was a day ahead or a day behind the snow storm. Only one event was cancelled, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA, and plans are underway to reschedule.

After a successful book signing at Barnes & Noble, Libbie Ave, Richmond, VA, on Feb 13, I headed to New York City for a signing at Hue-Man Book store on Feb 16. It was snowing when we landed at LaGuardia and snowed all day, stopping just before the scheduled signing at 6 PM. Despite the snow a good crowd showed up and about half of them purchased books, a good percentage. The next night, Feb 17, I was one of three participants on a panel discussion at Harvard Club of New York, The other panelists were Ilene Lane, President & CEO, Catalyst and Selena Cuffe, President & CEO, Heritage Link Brands, a company that imports wines from South Africa. This was interesting and offered great networking opportunities.

An early flight back to Richmond, VA on Feb 18 was necessary in order to make the two-hour drive to Alexandria, VA for an event at Alexandria Black History Museum at 6 PM. In a wonderful, intimate setting with homemade goodies (made by my sister-in-law) we had a great evening surrounded by a few feet of piled up snow. The next night, Feb 19 took me to DC where I was honored with a reception in recognition of my induction into Enterprising Women Hall of Fame on March 18 in Miami. My good friend and golfing buddy, Susan Peterson, President & CEO, The Communication Center hosted the reception. Saturday, Feb 20 took me to Politics & Prose, a great independent bookstore on Connecticut Ave, DC where I had a book signing. Thankfully , I sold lots of books and saw some people whom I had not seen for years.

Sunday, Feb 21, I enjoyed visiting Mt. Pero Baptist Church, the church where I grew up as a child. Though few of my contemporaries were there, it was good to see many of their family. That afternoon, I flew to Boston to speak at two schools – Belmont High School, Boston and Galvin Middle School, Wakefield. Got out of Boston a day before a predicted snow storm, headed for Sarasota, FL. On Wed. Feb 24, SisterSpace and University of FL, Gainesville hosted a signing in the newly constructed Alumni Center at U of FL, Gainesville. I had the opportunity to interact with some very intelligent, interesting students. With students such as those, our future is in good hands.

I closed out the week in Columbia, SC where I attended the South Carolina Book Festival. I was part of a three-person panel of authors who had all written memoirs. Each of us was quite different. Joining me on the panel was Jackie Cooper, a southern gentleman and Shelia Morris an acknowledged lesbian. This was a fantastic two days. I met so many authors, made some valuable contacts and sold some books. What more could I ask!

On Mar 4, I head to Boston for three days of events. Will report back later.

Good Experience

Good Experiences

As I travel on my book tour, I am meeting so many people of all races, nationalities and cultures. The experiences are enlightening for me. I have a renewed appreciation for humanity. People are genuinely, kind, thoughtful and willing to go the extra mile to help others.

I have received so many words of encouragement and support as well as comments from many people about how I have inspired them when I didn’t even know “anyone was watching”. When I am told that I was an encouragement for someone to return to school, that is particularly heartwarming. I place such a high premium on education: “There is no substitute for education and there are no shortcuts”.

This reinforces something taught to me as a child. Carry yourself in such a way that you will be proud for others to know of your deeds and words. You never know for whom you are setting an example.

Impact of the Snow

It’s a beautiful, sunny day as the sun bounces off the 15-18 inches of snow. I must admit that even I, a warm weather person, appreciate the beauty of the snow. I still can’t get out of my driveway and no generous soul has come by to clear it. A few years ago the teenager across the street was always on our front stoop offering to clear our driveway and walkway. But he is an adult now and does not need to or want to do it. Hopefully Mother Nature will be generous over the next few days and begin melting the snow. I have used the time wisely – decorating, cleaning, working on projects, etc. I have no urgent need to go out. The snow has also helped with my weight loss. Hubby & I were scheduled to attend two parties today and one tomorrow. Both cancelled. So I am banking calories for Christmas day.

I am anxious to see my 2 daughters and 2 grands who are scheduled to arrive Christmas Eve night and a childhood cousin (and best friend), scheduled to arrive that morning. Mother Nature, please be nice to us! Big family plans beginning with Lambert Family traditional Christmas brunch after which my household will have 12 people for dinner and 15 people for dinner on Sat. Sun. will be family visiting day when we go to the country where my cousin and I grew up to visit family still there. I am excited!

Snow! Snow! Snow!

Let it snow! No shopping to do will just stay in to decorate the tree and house and finish cards. Hubby & I completed all outside activities yesterday in anticipation of snow (much less I may add). Went to see Precious yesterday and when we came out of the theater there was at least an inch of snow. After snowing all night on our deck is at least 15-18 inches. Great acting in Precious but when I was growing up I didn't know any grandmothers that would have tolerated such treatment from her daughter or mistreatment of her granddaughter.

As we entered the house after the movie, the phone was ringing. It was a neighbor who told us they had planned a Christmas party, expecting about 30 people. Because of the storm most had cancelled so they asked us to come over to help eat all the food. It was great fun celebrating some holiday cheer with neighbors whom we only casually talk to when in the yard. About 12 people showed up. Interesting what can bring people together.

The Stay-At-Home Dad

I spend quite a bit of time on planes and waiting in airports so I have the opportunity to interact with a number of people. Those opportunities will increase over the next few months as I begin my book tour.

Recently on a flight from Atlanta to Richmond, I sat next to a lady who was traveling from Denver to Richmond because her job was transferring her. She initiated a conversation that became more interesting as we talked. She was traveling with her cat. I asked if it was just her and her cat and she informed me that she had a husband and two girls who would be joining her the following week. I sat thinking to myself. Since she is being transferred I assume her husband is either being transferred or will be looking for a job. I finally asked her “Is your husband being transferred or will he be looking for a job?” Her answer was priceless: “My husband has been a stay-at-home-dad for six years.” I was so impressed as I informed her that when my children were small that would have been taboo. She said that sometimes her husband does get the strange questions such as “When are you going to get a real job?” The response to that is he has a real job of taking care of his children and household. I would give him the title of Chief Household Officer (CHO) – a very important job which has been held by women for years.

She felt her husband had done a wonderful job over the years and she was very proud of him. It was a decision that they discussed in detail and arrived at based on what was best for the family. I would venture to say, however, that it takes a man who is very secure with himself to undertake that role. Though there has been progress, society has not fully embraced it. There are still those questions, both asked and unasked. It is my hope that more men will undertake that role when it is in the best interest of the family. Are that many more of you out there? I welcome comments.