Linda Busby Parker's Blog

Linda posted about our meeting on her blog the past couple of days. Check it out....especially you Hillene!


http://www.lindabusbyparker.typepad.com/

Re: Meeting News

Great job to everyone last night. I love the friendship and discussions, and can't wait for next month which comes early this time!

Christmas is just around the corner, and I do have note cards (8/pkt) displaying images of my artwork on the front. They are a great gift idea for anyone looking for stocking stuffers, teacher gift or a special friend gift. If you are downtown near Pujo Street, my cards are on sale at the Charleston Antiques and Art Gallery (and you can peek at my artwork while you are there). I will have them for sale at the Kiwanis Antique, Handi Craft, and Fine Arts Fair at the Civic Center Nov. 6, 7, and 8th where I have a booth in the Fine Arts section with another young artist, Mollie Reed. Or you can simply contact me. I can personalize them with a special saying or name.

One correction, my e-book is available at www.thewildrosepress.com .

Happy treats this weekend!

Peggy B.
www.peggyborel.com

Meeting News

What a houseful we had Wed night at Queen Beverly's!!! And Queen Allison White KUHN, arrived from her honeymoon in Niagra Falls with her Bridal Tiara. What a beautiful bride she is. Much happiness to her and Chris.

Welcome to new member Phyllis Stine and guest Grace Broussard who plans to join.

It was fun visiting, eating Taco Soup and Cornbread and the very best Coconut Cake and Praline Pumpkin Torte! Thank you Queens Beverly, Chris, Boo and Tracey! Queen Peggy donated gift packages of her notecards that have her beautiful artwork on the front. If you need Christmas gifts, you might contact her or check her booth out at the Kiwanis Arts and Craft Fair and her new ebook at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

We voted unanimously Bonus Book of the Year Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie ford and Book of the Year Blood Lines by Kathryn Casey beat out votes for Saints in Limbo, Suck in Your Stomach ....

Everyone agreed that Seven Laurels by Linda Busby Parker was a great book with lots of discussion generated. Queen Erin kept us focused on the discussion and everyone was primed and ready to visit with Linda Parker via SKYPE video call. Visiting with Linda was comfortable to say the least with us sprawled out on the floor glued to the computer screen. Queen Beverly did it again, asked the author a questions she hadn't been asked before causing her to reflect on the name Laurel and reasons she chose it. She invited us to visit her blog http://www.lindabusbyparker.us/ where she has first chapters of two of her finished novels posted. Please read and comment.

Linda will also be giving a Writers Workshop at Girlfriends Weekend which Queens Beverly M and Chris plan to attend. What writing talent we have in our group!!

Speaking of Girlfriends Weekend: New on her blog today Luncheon for Ron Hall has just been posted: Are we going? or Who would like to attend? Let me know and I'll contact Kathy with a number...maybe we can pay when we get there!

12:00 p.m Noon New York Times Bestseller RON HALL Luncheon at the Fellowhip Hall of the First United Methodist Church of Jefferson. Tickets are $20 for Pulpwood Queen Members, $30 for Non-members made payable to The First United Methodist Church. This is a fundraiser for my church to help provide a NEW nursery for the church. Seating is limited so call 903-665-7520 to reserve your ticket!

Nuts and Bolts:

Next Meeting: Saturday Nov 14 5:30 PM at Linda Breaux Ory's home, 5706 Birch St., Lake Charles, Home Phone 477-3327
Food Committee: Queens Linda Breaux - taco soup; Kay - pistolettes; Lea - drinks, paper; Brenda - dessert
Discussion leader: Queen Allison
Book: Blood Lines by Kathryn Casey
Special Guest: author Kathryn Casey - be sure to bring your book for her to autograph! Thanks to all who donated $5 for a Louisiana gift back to present Kathryn...if you haven't donated yet, contact Beverly M

Dec Meeting/Christmas Party Wed Dec 9, 5:30, Queen Brenda V 1315 Southern Oaks Dr., Sulphur (actually Carlyss) 274-7762
Gift Exchange will be similar to last year: Bring something nice and usable that you no longer need, wrapped. Last year many brought Christmas decorations and household decor -- like the clock that now hangs on the wall in my kitchen :)

Also bring books, magazines, children's books to donate to the Women's Shelter.

Looking Ahead:

January 27 the book will be The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells
Feb 24 the book will be South of Broad by Pat Conroy
If you want to host the meeting, please let me know.


If I've overlooked anything, let me know and we'll send out another email!

Happy Reading
Queen Kay

Kathryn Casey's Gift

Hi Ladies,

Please try to bring $5 to tomorrow's meeting for our wonderful gift basket and food preparations for our special author visit next meeting. Bev already has some beautiful starts of the gift for you to look at!

Thanks,
Allison

Hello Ladies!

This is your reminder that if you took home your name tag – please bring it to your next meeting! We are now sending them home with the host of the next meeting so that we always have them!

If you don’t have your name tag, I’m scheduled to make it tonight – if you need me to redo your name tag, or make a change, please just let me know!

Thanks – and see many of you tomorrow!!

Allison

Nov Meeting

Just a reminder that I will not be doing bookplates for our books for Nov since Kathryn casey will be here and available to personally autograph your copy of her book for the month, Blood Lines.
 
Again the meeting will be on Sat evening Nov 14 at 5:30 pm at Linda Breaux Ory's home.
 
If you can not attend and would like to have your book signed you can get it to me in advance of the meeting.
 

 
Justice --- When you get what you deserve
  Mercy ----- When you don't get what you deserve
 Grace ----- When you get what you don't deserve

EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me

October's PQ Book

Ladies,

Once again, I haven't had a chance to pick up Seven Laurels before now (and we have just a bit over a week before the meeting).  There's not enough time to order it online.  Also, there are no local library copies and the inter-library loan is in slow-motion.  Does anyone know if the bookstores in town have the book?  Or does anyone have a copy they are finished with that I can borrow?  Thanks!

--Erin Green

Louisina Book Festival and Queen Peggy's ebook

Queen Beverly and I, along with our husbands, attended the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge this weekend and also went to Queen Allison's wedding!  What a perfectly gorgeous weekend for a Fairy Tale Wedding...know she will have some beautiful pictures to share when she returns from their honeymoon to Niagra Falls.  Absolutely beautiful bride....and Chris looked pretty good too :) 
 
The Pulpwood Queen, Kathy Patrick, was a presentor at the Book Festival and she gave a wonderful presentation on how Pulpwood Queens came into being and the heart of her passion for literacy, and a big hair make over....now I know how..wonder if that hair piece comes in gray?  that's scary
 
She blogged about it and you can read and see pictures here:
 
http://www.pulpwoodqueen.com/
 
If you missed Queen Peggy's post on our Facebook group site http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=53786161374   I am sending it with this email.  She has just published an ebook
 
 
 
Wanted to share a bit of news with all my new PQ friends! I have a mini novella e-book that was just released this last Wednesday! See y'all soon.

THE BLUEBONNET CAFE
BY: Peggy A. Borel
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
(  www.thewildrosepress  )
Release Date: October 14,2009

A small cowbell tinkles above the dining room door of the financially struggling Bluebonnet Café.
The sound of a lone pair of cowboy boots rings out against the wooden floor.
Confusion, anger, and attraction twist together within Avery Livingston, as she comes face to face with Will Steele.

A year ago, without a word, this man left Wayback, leaving her love for him to wither away in a trail of dust. Now he's returned to seek her forgiveness, but doubt holds her back. Can he be trusted? Or will he ride away again, disappearing with the rodeo crowd at the end of the season? Can a cowboy auction at the Blue Bug Saloon save the café and rope this cowgirl's heart once more?
 

 
Justice --- When you get what you deserve
  Mercy ----- When you don't get what you deserve
 Grace ----- When you get what you don't deserve

EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me

Next Meetings

Hiya Queens!
 
We welcome our newest member Chris Baldauf!   Chris we are glad you joined and look forward to getting to know you better.
 
Just a reminder that our next meeting will be on Wed Oct 28 at 5:30 pm.  We will b e meeting at Beverly Martin's home, 5029 Stephanie Dr in Sulphur.  The food committee members:  Beverly, Boo, Tracey and Chris.  Discussion leader will be Erin.
 
Author of our Oct book selection, Seven Laurels, is Linda Busby Parker and she will be doing an author call-in.  The Discussion questions can be found at this link  www6.semo.edu/universitypress/books/Study%20Guide%20Seven%20Laurels.rtf      Thanks to Erin and Rachel for agreeing to help do the technical setup for the next meeting.  I haven't heard from Linda parker yet on whether she wants to do SKYPE or a regular phone call in.  I'll let you know when I hear back from her.
 
ALSO  VERY IMPORTANT:  CHANGE OF DATE FOR KATHRYN CASEY TO SATURDAY EVENING, NOV 14, AT 5:30 pm AT LINDA BREAUX ORY'S HOME.  She is becoming a very in demand author and wants to get back to Houston to meet with another book club on Sun there.  She has also just signed the movie contract for one of her true crime novels!  We will be looking for it as a TV movie.  She hasn't announced which book it is yet, maybe she will announce it with us  :)
 
Have a great weekend...Gene and I, Bev and Jim will be dancing at Allison's wedding...who else will be?
 
Kay
 

 
I'll see if the questions can be pasted here:

 

 

 

 

 

Seven Laurels

A Novel

By Linda Busby Parker

 

 

A Study Guide

 

 

Introduction:

 

            Seven Laurels opens in 1956. That year is significant because the Supreme Court had recently (in 1954) settled the Brown v. Board of Education case that made segregated school illegal. Other court rulings prior to 1954 had argued that separate but equal schools for blacks and whites were legally acceptable in the United States. Historians argue that Brown v. Board of Education altered the course of American history and was a catalyst in the development of the Civil Rights Movement. The story of Brewster McAtee and his family opens in the very early days of the emerging Civil Rights Movement.

            In 1956, when the story of Seven Laurels begins, many Jim Crow laws were in effect. Jim Crow laws (some were actual laws, others were merely customs or traditions in practice, especially in the south) sanctioned discrimination against African Americans. These Jim Crow laws included segregated schools, segregated restaurants, segregated public housing (including hotels), segregated buses and train cars, as well as segregated bathrooms and drinking fountains. In many cases the requirement for segregated facilities meant that African Americans had few, if any, public resources available to them. A local community, particularly in the south, may not have a hotel for African Americans, nor a restaurant, nor a public bathroom. In many cases, segregated facilities meant no facilities.

            The effects of segregation become obvious in the opening chapter of Seven Laurels. Note that when Brewster sees the advertisement for the land on Ole Summit Highway, he realizes that the land is not listed in the newspaper under "Colored Property." He knows the owner may not sell the land to him because he is an African American. Even newspaper ads were segregated. This is the world that Brewster McAtee knows and understands in 1956 when the book opens.

            Seven Laurels is a historical novel and also a family saga—the story of one man and his family. All of the events in the Civil Rights Movement portrayed in Seven Laurels are historically accurate. In a sense, the book provides an accounting of the Civil Rights Movement and its effects on one man, his family, and his community. It also tells the story of Brewster and Marlenna McAtee, and their son, Laurel.

 

Questions for Consideration and Discussion:

 

1.      Why does Brewster want to own land? What does the ownership of land represent to him?

 

2.      Brewster's younger brother, TeeBoy, is already dead when the book begins. How did his brother die? How does TeeBoy influence Brewster's decisions from the first chapter in the book all the way through to the last pages of the book?

 

3.      In chapters 1–6 of Seven Laurels, what are some of the indications that Brewster lives in a segregated world? Locate three examples of discrimination that you observe in these opening chapters. How does the discrimination take place? What are the general consequences of each of these particular acts of discrimination? What impact do they have on Brewster? What impact do they have on you as a reader?

 

4.      On more than one occasion, Deak Armbrecht helps Brewster. Do you think Deak's being a foreigner makes him more willing to assist Brewster? If so, why?

 

5.      How is Albert Mixon different from the rest of the African American community in Low Ridge, Alabama? Do your feelings toward him change from the beginning of the book to the end?

 

6.      Brewster's father, Tom, is a complex character. He hurts those around him, but is he also hurting? Do your feelings toward Tom change from the beginning of the book to the end? Ultimately, how do you, as a reader, evaluate Tom?

 

7.      In the African American community of Low Ridge, Alabama, Paulette's Café is a gathering place—a place for good food and for the exchange of community news. Are there places within your own community where people enjoy gathering and exchanging information? How important are these places to the well-being and the enjoyment of people who live in your community?

 

8.      How was Brewster's mother, Bess, affected by the segregated south? What were the various factors that led to her ultimate death?

 

9.      Mama Tee raises Brewster and his brother, TeeBoy. Describe Mama Tee. What traditions does she maintain? How does she influence Brewster? What are her special strengths?

 

10.  Matthew James is one of the dominant characters in Seven Laurels. What are some of his personal characteristics? Why is he important to his community? How is he important in Brewster's life?

 

11.  Marlenna Mixon, Brewster's wife, has been raised in Low Ridge and also in private boarding schools. Why do you think she wants to marry Brewster and live on his sixty acres of rural land on Ole Summit Highway?

 

12.  Anvil Thomas, Brewster's friend, is another complex character. How do your opinions of Anvil change from the opening pages of the novel to the final chapters? Is Brewster jealous of Anvil? How do Brewster's opinions of Anvil change? What events altered Anvil and brought about changes in him?

 

13.  The Civil Rights Movement explodes as part of the background of Seven Laurels. Locate three events of the Civil Rights Movement described in the novel. How do these events affect the characters in the novel?

 

14.  Marlenna and Matthew James are very directly involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Brewster holds back from the Movement. What is his rationale for holding back? Ultimately, how would you assess Brewster's contributions to changes in the south from 1956–1994?

 

15.  Why did Marlenna want her son, Laurel, to study classical music as well as the traditional music of African Americans—jazz and blues. How did Laurel take the white man's European music and the black man's rhythm and blues and turn them into new creations? Do you think Laurel had the potential for a brilliant career in music? If so, what do you imagine would have been Laurel's unique contributions?

 

16.  A sense of place is important in Seven Laurels. Describe each of the following locations:  Three Brothers shed and furniture store; Brewster's land and home on Ole Summit Highway; Our Savior's Home where Laurel and baby Tee were born; Limrick Road Baptist Church; Travis Peets home and property on Ole Summit Highway. Can you see these places? Can you smell them? What feelings do each of these places engender in you?

 

17.  Describe Travis Peets. What do you think shaped him as a man? If he afraid? If so, what does he fear? Is he angry? If so, what makes him angry? Is he pitiful? If so, what makes you feel sorry for him? At the close of the book, what are your final feelings toward him?

 

18.  Brewster and Marlenna see Tee differently after the death of Laurel. What are Tee's special gifts? Why had Brewster and Marlenna failed to see them?

 

19.  Describe Professor Rimes. What characteristics make him special? What did he symbolize for Laurel?

 

20.  Describe the relationship between Laurel and his father and between Laurel and his mother.

 

21.  Marlenna's feelings toward Ruby Peets are complex. Was Marlenna, prejudiced toward Ruby Peets? Was she afraid of Ruby? Did she distrust her? Did she dislike her? How would you summarize her feelings about Ruby?

 

22.  How do you feel about Brewster's tribute to his son—destroying Travis Peets old place and planting seven laurels. Was this a fitting tribute? What did this "new place" represent to Brewster and to the entire community of Low Ridge?

 

23.  In your opinion, outside of property and material possessions, what legacy did Brewster leave to his grandson, John Henry Harris (Jay)? What legacy did he leave to us all?

         

 

Seven Laurels

Southeast Missouri State University Press

© 2004

 
Justice --- When you get what you deserve
  Mercy ----- When you don't get what you deserve
 Grace ----- When you get what you don't deserve

EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me

Baby Beck Shower - Sunday, October 4

Hello All,

Just a reminder that we will be celebrating Josh and Rachel's baby boy this weekend! Please see invitation and directions attached for this Sunday, October 4, from 2 - 4:30pm.

Stop by the entire time or any time during for lots of food and fun!
Thanks,
Allison P White
337-661-4900