Language Arts by Stephanie Kallos

Grief fills the room up of my absent child
Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,
Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,
Remembers me of all his gracious parts,
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form.
--William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King John (as quoted in Language Arts)

Charles Marlow is a Language Arts teacher and the divorced father of a 21-year-old autistic son, Cody. How Charlie and his wife reacted to their son's condition led to their divorce but also binds them in their roles of perpetual caregivers.

Charles has been drinking through their collection of fine wines as he opens boxes of papers and magazines in a search for their daughter Emmy's box. The process leads him to remember his Fourth Grade year when his proficiency at the Palmer Writing Method earned him his teacher's recognition and his story Flipper Boy won a prize but revealed too much about his home life. A misfit classmate with Fragile X syndrome spoke his first words in idolization of Charlie's loops. Charlie befriended the the boy and tutored him in the Palmer method.

Adult Charles has been asked to mentor a student whose project involves photographing residents of Cody's group home and writing a poem to accompany each photo. The girl reminds Charles of his daughter Emmy. He reluctantly agrees to co-mentor along with the school art teacher.

Stephanie Kallos writes with great humanity and sympathy about the human condition. We learn about Charles through flashbacks and his interactions with students and family, coming to understand his complex past and crisis of finding a future. She deals with some of the most harrowing issues a family can face, experiences that divides parents and ends marriages, and explores Charles' dysfunctional home life full of spousal anger and accusations. Kallos' portrayals feel true to life and wrenching.

I was so moved by this novel that on page 307 I cried, heartbroken for Charles. He was so alone.

Rays of light comes into Charles' life. His student's art project allows Cody a voice no one knew he had and unearths a part of Charles past to life. We come to understand Charles past and present and are given a glimpse into a possible future. His Language Arts experience comes full circle to a satisfying resolution.

I had read Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos and enjoyed it so I was excited to receive her third novel Language Arts through NetGalley. I usually read the NetGalley books in order of soonest to be published, but I skipped over to this book and am glad I did.

I received a free ebook in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Language Arts
by Stephanie Kallos
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication June 9, 2015
ISBN: 9780547939742
$27.00 hard cover

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A Quilter's Paradise: 2015 CAMEO Quilt Guild Show

Here are some of the 186 quilts in the CAMEO Quilt Guild show.

Design Odyssey by Betty Carpenter; left is Starry Blue by Linda Wallace

French Braid by Susan VanEck

Tina Rink's Wedding Quilt for her son and daughter-in-law

 

Michigan Lighthouses by Sharon Cratsenburg, machine quilted by Barbara Lusk. Sharon made the quilt for her husband who was in the U.S. Navy. The Nautical flag border spells Michigan Lighthouses.

She included the Crisp Point Lighthouse, where my husband's grandmother spent time as a girl about 100 years ago!( see The Shipwreck Coast, Girl, and a Lamp)

Top Left: Marie Ware Dragonfly; Right: Tina Rink Modern Streets

Helen's Irish Bouquet by Helen Graham

Patricia Baldauf's quilt for her daughter's graduation from U of Montana

Designing Stars by Dorothy Strefling 

Summer Meadow by Jeneen Sharpe

Janet's Viewer's Choice winning quilt is reversible!

Austrian Heavens by Janet Steele also won Best Original Design

Marie Ware's Reef Refuge

Chambered Nautilus by Carole Gilbert

The raffle quilt seen above was amazing.

Theresa Nielson's Grand Central Station Quilt, which I blogged about here

60th Anniversary Quilt, Linda Hermes

Best Modern Quilt winner Sharon Bisoni's City Scape in Shades of Grey

An interesting use of lace doilies

Kay Schepke Blue Traveling

Cindy May's Christmas Morn  also incorporates lace doilies

Lucy Lesperance's Eye of Splendor

Best Use of Color Award to Janet Steele

 

Sharon Bisoni, Falling Leaves

Alaskan Triangles by Vanetta Sterling

Jan Mansfield, Grandma's Starlit Garden

Where's the Beef?  by Sharon Johnsonbaugh uses cow fabric

Clawson Historical Museum Quilts At the CAMEO Quilt Guild Show

The CAMEO Quilt Guild mets in Clawson, MI. Quilts donated to the Clawson Historical Museum were displayed at the show this weekend. They are in delicate condition and were displayed on quilt racks. The display was in the lobby and the lighting was not the best. 

Bicentennial Signature Quilt signed by Clawson Historical Society members, President Gerald Ford, Governor William Milliken, Congressman Blanchard and others; and a Tulip Appliqué on feedsack fabric quilt top by Dora Holscher.

 A very pretty quilt with lots of red, white and blue by Mrs. Malone circa 1920.

The sashing fabric on this quilt was startling and wonderful.

 By Mabel Davis Hodges, top completed circa 1920 and quilted in 1979 by Delores Kumler.

This quilt with the cigar flannels is owned by the Burns family and was on loan for the exhibit.

 Embroidered silks crazy quilt is not in the traditional crazy quilt setting.  Crazy Quilt top by Martha Morrison Davis circa 1890, silk, satin and velvet.

Friendship Quilt by Ida Hames circa 1920, "This red and white bow-tie quilt was begun in the later 'teens or early 1920s as a fundraiser for the Clawson Methodist Episcopal Church. The quilting was completed in 1978 by the Senior Citizen Women.

Very faded and badly shredded, a simple one template quilt.

 Love the windowpane plaid!

I would love to see this quilt laid out on a bed! It was called a candlewick quilt. Perhaps some day I will see if I can have a private viewing and get better photos.

 Candlewick by Martha Morrison Davis, hand woven, embroidered, tassel edge.

I Won Most "Humerous"!

My new quilt guild's biannual show started today. I will be sharing photos from the show over the next few days.

I entered five quilts, four of which were original patterns incorporating  hand quilting, hand embroidery, and hand appliqué. When I arrived a friend told me I had won a ribbon! I never win ribbons.

Which quilt was it? Little Women, my hand appliquéd and hand quilted version of the 1952 pattern by Marion Cheever Whiteside Newton?

Was it I Will Lift My Voice Like A Trumpet, hand appliquéd and hand quilted, that took three years to research, design, and execute?

My original take on Princess Feather, also hand appliquéd and hand quilted?

Or my original story book quilt based on Pride and Prejudice, hand appliquéd and hand quilted?

It was Gridlock and it won "Most Humerous!" That is a real "boner".

I suppose it is funny and appropriate that "Humorous" was misspelled.

Gridlock was the name of the Giddyup block I received in an exchange with Dustin Cecil who I met on Flickr while we were making the Austen Family Album quilt with Barbara Brackman.

I set the block with items from my political handkerchief collection and two 1952 linen towels with funny political sayings.

Gridlock block by Dustin Cecil

Perhaps they should have had a "group" category because this quilt would not have been made without Dustin's Giddyup block!