Maryrose's Blog, All Year 'Round (now illustrated)

Tearing the wrapper off SafeSax - meet the Knuffle Kondom bag!

My one day at BEA was a madcap romp of authorlove, librarianlove, booksellerlove, publisherlove, free books and aching shoulders, straining under the weight of totebags filled with with ARCs and other weighty but worthy goodies.

And speaking of totebags, here is my long overdue shout-out to SafeSax.com. Some of you may have heard about the Teen Author Prom, the very fun benefit thrown by teen authors for Advocates for Youth.org. So not only did I get to dress up, dance and party with teen author pals while raising money for a worthy cause — I won the door prize! And the door prize was this!

It is a condom totebag, made and sold by www.safesax.com. Here's how they describe their mission:

We hope to create a worldwide movement with the goal of eradicating the world of AIDS and other STDs.

Our line of bags, purses, and accessories are intended to make a positive statement, raise awareness, and reduce the stigmatism [sic] associated with the discussion of safe sex.

I'm pretty sure they mean stigma, by the way — safe sex does NOT cause (or cure) vision problems! I'm just saying.

Anyway, my new prized possession has already accompanied me to several personal appearances, including the Princeton Teen Book Bash, the Otis Library, and most recently the Jacob Javits Center for a day hauling bookswag at BEA. The tote performed bravely, and provided a safe and cozy home for one of my favorite freebies of the day - Knuffle Bunny Too, by the pigeontastic Mo Willems.

The lovely Betsy Bird, divine children's librarian at the Donnell, captured the debut of the henceforth-to-be-known-as Knuffle Kondom bag on her digital picturetaker and posted the photo on her blog — but I am (temporarily, I hope) having trouble getting her blog to load up without flummoxing my browser, so I can't show you her picture here. Perhaps you will have better luck — it's http://fusenumber8.blogspot.com. Scroll down to her BEA entry and enjoy!

xoxo
m

Light a single candle

My very wonderful pal Mary Feinsinger sent me this link, which it is my pleasure to share with you: for every visitor to the “Light to Unite” site who lights the virtual candle, Bristol-Myers is donating $1 to the National AIDS Fund, till they get to a big  $100,000. That's what I call a donation!.

So go light one! It only takes a moment, you can't burn your fingers accidentally, and even if they've reached the max by the time you get there Bristol-Meyers deserves the props. There's also some good info on the site about HIV/AIDS, so after you blow out your match do take a spin around.

xoxo
m

The Supermodel Who Never Was

Here’s a thought-provoking little film that reveals so much about media-created definitions of beauty. It’s one minute and ten seconds long, and I guarantee once you watch it you'll want to share it with your favorite young wimmin.

Take a tip from Felicia and her Kittenpals— true Sex Kitten status comes from feeling good about who you are, working hard to develop your talents and make your dreams come true, and being a great pal to the Kitten and Dawgpals in your one-of-a-kind life! And enjoying the occasional Krispy Kreme indulgence, of course.

Thanks to my pal, honorary Sex Kitten Maerwydd McFarland, for passing on this great link.

xoxo
m

Banned Books Week is comin' up!

Mark your calendars! September 23–30 is the ALA's 25th annual Banned Books Week. It's a wonderful time to sit back with a good book of your own choosing and reflect on how important it is that we not take our right to read for granted.

What will you be reading for Banned Books Week?

xoxo
m

Must-read stuff about dating...

In SEX KITTENS AND HORN DAWGS FALL IN LOVE, Felicia tries to figure out the Secret of Love — that magical something that makes the one you love, love you back.

But once you and someone you like are both liking each other, what happens next? This is what we call dating, and it's a big part of teen life. Grown-up life too, I might add! Please, do yourself a humungous favor and check out the Choose Respect site: you'll learn your Dating Rights and Responsibilities and get some clear guidelines about how to know when you're in a healthy relationship and what to do about it if you're not.

Choose Respect is a must-read site for teens. Please take a few minutes to bookmark it and share it with your friends.

xoxo
m