Tag Archives: Reading With Robin

Mar6

Feed The Mind & Feed The Hungry With Ann Hood

Posted on by
Feed The Mind & Feed The Hungry With Ann Hood

An Event With Ann Hood & Her Newest Book The Obituary Writer

Author Ann Hood is one of the most charming speakers!   Not only can she tell a great story, but she is engaging and funny while doing it.  At another fabulous event organized by Robin Kall, donations for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank were collected, and Ann Hood read from her latest book The Obituary Writer . It was an event where we could feed our minds and help to feed the hungry at the same time.

A sophisticated and suspenseful novel about the poignant lives of two women living in different eras.

On the day John F. Kennedy is inaugurated, Claire, an uncompromising young wife and mother obsessed with the glamour of Jackie O, struggles over the decision of whether to stay in a loveless marriage or follow the man she loves and whose baby she may be carrying. Decades earlier, in 1919, Vivien Lowe, an obituary writer, is searching for her lover who disappeared in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. By telling the stories of the dead, Vivien not only helps others cope with their grief but also begins to understand the devastation of her own terrible loss. The surprising connection between Claire and Vivien will change the life of one of them in unexpected and extraordinary ways. Part literary mystery and part love story, The Obituary Writer examines expectations of marriage and love, the roles of wives and mothers, and the emotions of grief, regret, and hope.- The Obituary Writer By Ann Hood

I can not wait to dive into my signed by the author copy  of this book from this great evening!

Ann Hood Reading of The Obituary Writer

Signing Books

Robin Kall & Leah DeCesare of www.motherscircle.com

Collections for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank

Elizabeth Atalay & Ann Hood

Nov23

Inspiring Women: Robin Kall Turned Her Passion Into Her Profession

Posted on by
Inspiring Women: Robin Kall Turned Her Passion Into Her Profession

Robin Kall Celebrates 10 Years of Reading With Robin

I always love hearing stories of women who have managed to turn a passion of theirs into their profession. This seems to be an ideal that many of us only dream about, but is exactly what Robin Kall has achieved.  As a lover of books I have been fascinated by Robin since I moved to RI, and first heard of her radio show Reading With Robin. I love to discuss books and to hear author’s speak about their work, so of course I thought it was brilliant to have an entire radio show of author interviews, and book discussions.  It is exciting for me to live in a state that always seems to have such great literary events going on, and I know that Robin plays a large part in drawing both new and  big name authors alike to our tiny state.  This Saturday November 24th marks the celebration of the 10 year Anniversary of Reading with Robin, and I finally had the chance to ask her how she turned her love of reading into a career, and what advice she would give others starting out.

 

How did you get started?

RK: I would listen to the John DePetro show and call in with my comments…I became a regular -‘Robin from Providence’ and then eventually I would come into the studio to play RI jeopardy on-air with John and the callers…that sort of thing.  I so enjoyed being on-air and writing my own material that I pitched the idea to do a show. Being such a book enthusiast I thought that doing a show about a subject I am so passionate about would make for fun radio.

What advice would you give to other women about turning your passion into your profession?

RK: As far as turning your passion into a profession -I’d say never take anything out of the realm of possibilities.  Brainstorm-write every idea down..you can always get rid of the ones that really don’t make sense. It’s amazing some of the ideas I’ve found from old notes I had written and put away. Thinking outside of the box is so cliche, but the way things are done now looks almost nothing like the way they were done even 5-10 years ago.  You need to be very creative and very persistent. When I first suggested the show idea I was greeted enthusiastically with my idea of being on-air, but not necessarily about books…but I kept at it, and here I am today..10 years and hundreds of books later!!

To celebrate those ten years on the show this upcoming Saturday morning, November 24th
from 7-8am there will be a special 10 Year Anniversary Celebration Show! The show will be streaming live at www.920whjj.com and Robin is joined by special co-host, NYTimes Bestselling author, Ann Hood!  They will be hearing from some of our favorite authors:
Susan Jane Gilman (Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven) Caroline Leavitt (Girls in Trouble), Jane Green (Another Piece of My Heart), Claire Cook (Wallflower in Bloom) and Adriana Trigiani (The Shoemaker’s Wife)
Plus a few more if there is time!  There will be special anniversary show giveaways throughout the show and also on the Reading With Robin Facebook page! (please ‘like’ it!)

Lots has changed in the ten years since the show first began but one thing that will never change is the love of a great book!!!
www.readingwithrobin.com for more information!!

 

 

Oct7

Reading With Robin

Posted on by
Reading With Robin

To celebrate my friend Julie’s birthday the other night, we went to the annual An Evening With Authors event hosted by Robin Kall of Reading With Robin.  An Evening With Authors is one of my favorite nights out, it is always a fantastic event featuring amazing writers, and this was the third year we have attended. Each year we emerge just blown away by being in proximity to such rock stars of the literary world.   We are thrilled to have heard their behind the scenes stories, tricks of the trade, and details of their writing processes.  As Avid readers my girlfriends and I are always fascinated and inspired hearing glamorous bestselling authors tell us their “dirty little secrets” of  the really not so glamorous writing life.  Spending all day writing in their pajamas, not always having a say in the jacket design of their books, renting hotel rooms to find the peace they need to write. This year we heard stories of the writing lives of featured authors Elizabeth Berg, Chris Bohjalian, and Amanda Eyre Ward.

Left to Right on the Authors Panel: Robin Kall, Amanda Eyre Ward, Elizabeth Berg and Chris Bohjalian

Discussions are based on questions that the authors themselves write to ask each other, and this year some of the  questions were about their relationships with editors, and how the stories unfold as they are writing. Following the discussion attendees have the opportunity to purchase the writer’s work and meet the Authors as they get their books signed.   The evening serves as a fundraiser to support Breast Cancer Research through the Love, Carol Foundation.  The Foundation was set up to honor Robin’s mother whom she lost to Breast Cancer in 1997, when her mother was only 53 years old.

With Robin Kall (center) at An Evening With Authors

Julie getting her book signed by Chris Bohjalian

I love that Robin Krall has created a successful career for herself based on her love of reading and books. In 2002 she launched Reading With Robin a RI radio talk show she hosts, that airs on WHJJ 920AM and is devoted to authors, readers, and the books they love.  She also writes the  “Well-Read” column for  www.golocalprov.com which appears every Tuesday.  I am so grateful that she creates events for readers and lovers of books in the community, bringing authors to our area, and enriching the depth of our reading lives.

The Author (of this blog post) with Amanda Eyer Ward and Elizabeth Berg