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.