Léna is also a Regional Manager for Writopia Lab whose mission is to foster joy, literacy, and critical thinking in kids and teens from all backgrounds through creative writing.

"Well, the question is, what do you want to believe? Do you want to live in a world where things are possible, or in one where they aren't?" Cin, Edges.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

A Wrinkle in Time Turns Fifty

Do you remember the first book you fell in-love with, the first title that inspired you to read, to ingest all other books and other worlds like there was no tomorrow?


I am sure that I am not alone when I tell you that A Wrinkle in Time was my book.


Thirty-six years ago, I was in second grade when Sister Madeleine Mary started reading it to my class. I remember sitting ramrod straight on the floor in my navy blue uniform dress and white knee socks, listening to Sister intone the words of Mrs. Whatsit and Meg. 


I wasn’t reading books that complex yet on my own, but I couldn’t wait until the next week when Sister would read us another chapter: I had to start reading it at home. It was then that my reading took off, and my life was never the same.


Did it make a difference that my grandmother was the author, Madeleine L’Engle? I don’t think that the author/grandmother connection would be my only motivation to surpass my teachers’ reading expectations. It was the wonderful story that compelled me, and kept compelling me to rediscover over and over again. I am sure that I felt the closest kinship to the book when I was eleven or twelve, but that didn’t stop me from falling in-love with the possibility of “story” when I was seven. I grew up with the characters - I understood Meg, marveled at CW, and crushed on Calvin. 


From the beginning, when Meg is scared in the attic on “a dark and stormy night” I slip into her skin, going downstairs for the comfort of hot chocolate and my mother and brother. I too am wary of Mrs. Whatsit at first, not trusting the world “out there” - the world that has not only taken my father, but uses his absence as a way to isolate my family. I too tingle with surprise when we meet Calvin in the woods and bring him home for dinner, and I am ready to believe the Mrs W’s when they call on us/them to save my/Meg’s father on the planet Camazotz. 


It was the first book I read where I - so closely identifying with Meg - got to be the hero, where I realized that parents are fallible, and that anger and stubbornness aren’t necessarily “faults” - that our anger and stubbornness can protect us and serve a purpose. And that love is most important when it’s not just a feeling, but an action, a verb.

For it's fortieth anniversary, I developed a workshop based on Wrinkle - first for a Drama Therapy conference, and then for the education department at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. I still love to lead this workshop: using both drama and writing exercises - with a combination of collaborative and individual work, my hope is for participants to emerge empowered through working with the archetypes of Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin. (I will be leading this specific workshop at the Mobile Library in Mobile, Alabama on the morning of March 3rd, and the Chappaqua Library in Chappaqua, NY on the afternoon of March 20th.)


Now to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of a book that almost didn't get published (26 rejections!), Farrar, Straus, and Giroux has republished a gorgeous special edition of A Wrinkle in Time with a stunning retro jacket flap in FLAMES, and then, when we remove the cover, SURPRISE! We are treated to the original navy blue circles gracing the hardback. 

This Saturday, February 11th, if you are anywhere near New York City, come celebrate with us at Symphony Space at 4PM where my family and I will be in the audience applauding Rebecca Stead, Lowis Lowry, Katherine Patterson and others, who will be giving props to my all-time favorite book. 


What would Gran think? I KNOW that she is thrilled that we are keeping her memory alive and that all of us are making such a big fuss over the 50th birthday of her amazing opus. We will be feeling her beams of joy radiating through the universe, holding us. All of us who love Madeleine L’Engle, whether as a family member, a friend or a fan - we all share in her legacy of the power of her written words and the joy of reading them. We have all become more quintessentially “us” because of “her”. Wouldn’t you agree?


What is your book, the one that turned you into a life-long reader? (For my boys it’s been Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.)
Enhanced by Zemanta

71 comments:

  1. This is going to be hard to believe, but, when I was young I HATED reading. Shocker, I know right? Well anyways, that all changed when I read The Trumpet of The Swan. I loved that the swan couldn't use his voice, just like I couldn't use my ears. Granted, trumpets rank as one of my least favorite instruments unless played well, but the story gave a nice message. Plus, it was totally the first love story I read, gotta love romance, eh? To be fair though, I can honestly say I haven't read a book that I couldn't enjoy or appreciate the genius and story behind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a surprise Ian, and look at you now - a tremendous lover and supporter of books! Trumpet of the Swan - I'll have to re-read that! As always, I appreciate what you have to share. Ciao!

      Delete
  2. Woohoo!!! Edward sent me an ARC of the 50th anniversary edition of A WRINKLE IN TIME....I haven't read it since I was little, but I started again and I'm loving it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It was absolutely A Wrinkle in Time for me. When I was in elementary school, parents would come in to classes on Dr. Seuss's birthday (Read Across America Day, March 2) and read a picture book or a chapter of a novel to us. In 4th grade, my best friend Megan's mom read us the first chapter of A Wrinkle in Time, and I was hooked. I bought it at the bookstore immediately, and I can't even count the number of times I've read it since. I always loved reading, but that book opened my mind to so many other genres, and I believe it's why I maintain a dual love of science and literature/writing! I love the rest of the Time Quartet, the Austin family books, and the Crosswicks Journals, to name a few. Your grandmother is quite an inspiration to me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are making me grin from ear to ear! Thank goodness that Wrinkle opened up your mind to science! Alas, I never excelled in that area myself, but I am thrilled to live in a world where girls and women can pursue whatever turns them on!

      Delete
  4. You already know it was Wrinkle and that I still have my original copy signed many years later by your grandmother. I would compare its impact on my young heart and mind to the Chronicles of Narnia.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow. 50 years already? A Wrinkle in Time is an absolute classic. And I love your personal story and connection with your Grandmother's book. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cherie - I always love seeing your name in the comments!

      Delete
  6. Wrinkle is such a part of who I am that I can't imagine who I'd be without having read it. I'm so grateful for having read, at a very young age, a book that told me that it was possible to be a scientist even though I was a girl - and even though I was also "creative," i.e., loved writing and acting. When people told me I had to be one thing or the other, I remembered Wrinkle (as well as many other of your grandmother's books).

    I gave Wrinkle to my scientifically-inclined 10-year-old niece last year. She devoured it, and has since been ransacking the library for all Madeleine L'Engle's other books. It really brought back my own experience with Wrinkle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dusty - I am so glad to hear about you sharing your love of reading and M'LE with your niece!

      Delete
  7. Hi Lena,

    Before your Gran wrote WRINKLE, a wonderful volume of WORLD HISTORY and Rudyard Kipling's JUST SO STORIES were read to me. I loved words and music was in my blood. When WRINKLE came into my life along with other Madeleine L'Engle books, I was deeply moved and then had the good fortune of participating in many writing workshops with Madeleine. Our friendship grew and in 1993 I produced Madeleine's recording of WRINKLE for TesserTraks believing that future generations should have the chance to hear Madeleine's special reading. So WRINKLE carries a deep significance for me and the text still rings in my ears from our days in the studio. I will always treasure the sacred friendship that I shared with Madeleine and the profound work of preserving her voice.

    It is a joy to be approaching the celebration in NYC this week. I so look forward to seeing you and your family.

    xoxoMaryJo

    p.s. Here is a little trivia for you...Do you know about the BIG FAT LITTLE GREEK MISTAKE? In my WRINKLE workshops, I explain that Mrs Who's Greek quote in WRINKLE is not exactly accurate. The text should read....Αελπτον ουδεν παντα δ'ελπιζειν χρεων. Euripides smiled down on us as I taught the correct version to Madeleine for the recording but he would probably question the fact that millions of copies later, the book has never been corrected. Perhaps for the 100th year celebration?


    See you soon........

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing MaryJo - I am so glad you are coming . . . ALL THE WAY FROM CHICAGO!!!!

      Delete
  8. For me, believe it or not, it was learning Bible stories as a small child and the Nancy Drew series--about a young woman who was the heroine; she loved to solve mysteries and was smart! I also loved The Exodus by Leon Uris at about age 12....and I've never stopped loving stories. Fantasy captured my heart in my teens with CS Lewis and Tolkien. I was introduced to Madeleine L'Enge's books in my late 20s and I've been a fan ever since!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I actually met your grandmother when she gave a lecture at Chautauqua Institution in New York State back when I was a Catholic school girl myself. She was wonderful, of course. I already knew I wanted to be a novelist, so I really took to heart those words of advice she shared with us that day. She spoke of rejection letters as a fact of life instead of as a measure of one's talent, telling us that she could have papered the walls of her room with them at one point. Her words made the possibility of rejection less frightening and turned it into something I could face with acceptance. I spoke with her briefly after the lecture, and it was a huge moment for me. I had read all of her books that I had been able to get my hands on, and it was one of those moments when as a child you realize that an actual, real person created the wonderful stories you loved to read. I wish now that I could listen to that lecture again to get the grains of wisdom that my childhood mind may have missed, but I am still very thankful for having had the opportunity at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Elizabeth - he stories of rejection are sometimes the only things that get me through - I am so glad that you had the opportunity to have the Madeleine Experience!

      Delete
  10. Where I realized that parents are fallible, and that anger and stubbornness aren’t necessarily “faults” - that our anger and stubbornness can protect us and serve a purpose.Can you tell me how i remove slowly this.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The website is looking bit flashy and it catches the visitors eyes. Design is pretty simple and a good user friendly interface.BATHROOM SUPPLIES Sydney

    ReplyDelete
  12. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading.bus rental White Plains

    ReplyDelete
  13. Using a stocks tip list like this is a smart move to make if you are inexperienced or don’t have the time to put towards analytics yourself like hardly any of us do.eyelid surgery atlanta

    ReplyDelete
  14. Although many paperwork which have been key resources continue in non public arms, the typical location for the children can be an save. These types of is usually community as well as nonpublic.Personal injury Lawyer Plantation

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've never been a big fan of fig preserves or fig jam, but this looks so good! I imagine the combination is awesome. Thanks for sharing!kismet kittens

    ReplyDelete
  16. It was wondering if I could use this write-up on my other website, I will link it back to your website though.Great Thanks.Designer Vintage

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ineluctables, your foyer your author arranges be expecting interior the delirious reconnaissance/calamitous stature bunss all instructor arrangement touching heterogeneous packs. Personally, I could confederate to the exegesis.http://thesquid.ink/

    ReplyDelete
  18. Well, this got me thinking what other workouts are good for those of us who find ourselves on the road or have limited equipment options.post my jobs

    ReplyDelete
  19. Though my spouse in addition to my spouse and i researed practical dwelling elevators which could once my spouse in addition to my spouse and i getting pregnant doing work lack of a fresh decision corporation. On a regular basis perhaps always be satisfied publishing rewarding essentials and from now on receiving less of a challenge within reaching such a function.Honeymoon packages

    ReplyDelete
  20. The way you process to get new sales will helps to search new social ideas to apply for great help to save your media assistant. And they help greatly to click the right terms.Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL

    ReplyDelete
  21. Positive site, where did u come up with the information on this posting?I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style. Thanks a million and please keep up the effective work.send international money transfer

    ReplyDelete
  22. Actually I read it yesterday but I had some thoughts about it and today I wanted to read it again because it is very well written.how much does it cost to refinance your home

    ReplyDelete
  23. This excellent doing many fishing end moving regarded as howl up-wards awesome advertised by using a authentic rumple inner surface beside.online legal reputation

    ReplyDelete
  24. I found this website that deals with finding a private invesigator in new york and I thought it may be helpful in NY.academi training cost

    ReplyDelete
  25. I really enjoyed reading on this article. I hope that other readers will also experience how I feel after reading your article. Thank you so much.Lipo battery

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hey – great blog, just looking around some blogs, seems a really nice platform you are using. I’m currently using WordPress for a few of my blogs but looking to change one of them over to a platform similar to yours as a trial run. Anything in particular you would recommend about it?land as equity for construction loan

    ReplyDelete
  27. I have to confess that I like the Sith warrior jump a lot less than the Jedi version. I can't say why exactly, I just know that the Jedi leap animation feels a lot more "right" to me.1940s womens fashion

    ReplyDelete
  28. Next, you have to consider any cash that you use on your auto all the time. This will incorporate the gas that you put into your auto consistently or consistently. It will likewise incorporate the cash you spend on auto protection every month, in the event that you pay month to month. Likewise with the auto installment, you should know about when your auto protection installment is expected. Cash Advance Chicago

    ReplyDelete
  29. Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.letti bassi, stile giapponese

    ReplyDelete
  30. First You got a great blog .I will be interested in more similar topics. i see you got really very useful topics, i will be always checking your blog thanks.Redi driver

    ReplyDelete
  31. I have to confess that I like the Sith warrior jump a lot less than the Jedi version. I can't say why exactly, I just know that the Jedi leap animation feels a lot more "right" to me.things to do in peoria il for kids

    ReplyDelete
  32. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hey there, Happy! How goes your summer? Interesting post, but I'm having a hard time concentrating on anything school-related!clenbuterol bodybuilding supplement

    ReplyDelete
  34. Really great post, Thank you for sharing This knowledge.Excellently written article, if only all bloggers offered the same level of content as you, the internet would be a much better place. Please keep it up!employment agreement

    ReplyDelete
  35. I did a survey about Yolanda's Cafe, and so far, most of them are positive. So maybe they only need improvement,​Best hologram and not major changes.slotenmaker rotterdam

    ReplyDelete
  36. The best perform, our most unforgettable encounters, appear from our variations and activities with the other. As we come to recognize these variations, our exclusive and typical details are introduced into reflection.ranch entry gates

    ReplyDelete
  37. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  38. In case complaints are successful, the offending party’s website can be taken down by online service providers. We give you the power to control your content on the web. You own what you write, and we give you the tools to track it around the web! Nice!Schlüsselnotdienst Wien

    ReplyDelete
  39. Very interesting to read this article.I would like to thank you for the efforts you had made for writing this awesome article.lake como hotels

    ReplyDelete
  40. Many shops charge an excessive amount of for these kinds of products. Try foldable your clothing in innovative methods will occupy less room. Trying away different foldable techniques enables more to suit in your own bag.New Jersey Exterminator

    ReplyDelete
  41. you are really a excellent webmaster. The website loading speed is incredible. It sort of feels that you are doing any unique trick. Moreover, The contents are masterwork. you have performed a fantastic activity on this topic!
    Tenerife

    ReplyDelete
  42. I have to confess that I like the Sith warrior jump a lot less than the Jedi version. I can't say why exactly, I just know that the Jedi leap animation feels a lot more "right" to me.minneapolis web developer

    ReplyDelete
  43. I thank you greatly for this post! When you're used to dressing retro with the cinched waists, pregnancy miracle stories makes for such a big change in the way that you dress, I've been struggling to find things that I like. This definitely gives me some ideas!
    Workout clothing

    ReplyDelete
  44. Making tracks in an opposite direction from the furious life in the city for the most part requires a ton of arranging. You have to take some time off work, make appointments furthermore make sense of what you need to do amid your get-away. All things considered, not any longer. Visitbarcelonashortstay.net

    ReplyDelete
  45. A very fundamental premise of economics is that markets/prices will move toward equalization between supply and demand, correct? (I know it's over simplified, but it's still a valid concept.) So as you say, interest rates depend on market forces to a great degree. Governments set rates for banks, and they manage the money supply - by putting money into (or taking money out of ) circulation) so it's not completely market driven. I mean, let's face it: without government created and managed currency, there would be no currency. Some people talk about governments printing money like it is some evil thing - and money is somehow otherwise created by nature. :) But, it's all created by government; it has to be. So it's never going to be perfect. Isn't currency just a mechanism for distributing value and productivity? That's why I don't believe the dollar should be "backed" by gold, (or any other tangible thing). Gold is no more viable in terms of a currency mechanism than anything else. For example, it could be possible in the future that all currency will be in electronic form. How could you ever back that with gold?Social Media Management

    ReplyDelete
  46. You have written all the detail about travel that is very helpful for us. The information that you discuss in the article is really helpful for me.Visit here for more information.

    biaya umroh,
    paket umroh murah,
    biaya umroh,
    haji plus,
    paket umroh januari,
    paket umroh februari,
    paket umroh maret,
    paket umroh april,
    paket umroh mei,

    ReplyDelete
  47. I am thankful to you for sharing this plethora of useful information. I found this resource utmost beneficial for me. Thanks a lot for hard work.CBD oil for dogs

    ReplyDelete
  48. This article is really a fastidious one it assists new web users, who are wishing for blogging Aluminium extrusion manufacturer

    ReplyDelete
  49. Everything is very open with a really clear explanation of the challenges. It was definitely informative. Your website is very useful. Many thanks for sharing! ssc chsl online test

    ReplyDelete
  50. Shri Shuddhi Nasha mukti kendra bhopal

    shrishuddhiaddictioncentre@gmail.com

    http://shuddhideaddictioncentre.com/

    073548 87354

    Best deaddiction center in bhopal very good behavior in staff changing my life thanks Shri Shuddhi nasha mukti kendra

    ReplyDelete
  51. I simply needed to tell you all that I added another rundown. It has taken me for some time to tell everybody because of server issues. Everything ought to be in the groove again now. new social network

    ReplyDelete
  52. Xpertscm is India's fastest-growing and most admired infrastructure company. We Specialized in Residential Buildings, Institutional & Commercial Building, Industrial Construction and Infrastructure, & Heavy Construction. We provide Building Materials, Architecture Services, Building Maintenance Services in Bihar, Patna. read more:- construction company in bihar patna


    ReplyDelete
  53. I think this is one of the most significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. Thank for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  54. I like the blog very much it is very informative n my perspective. so plz keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Such a great post. Thanks for sharing this information. You can buy industrial uniforms in chennai,tamil naduWe believe the secret to a successful staff uniform is the attention to detail during all stages of the design process.

    ReplyDelete
  56. I am really happy to say it’s an interesting post to read . I learn new information from your article. Keep it up

    ReplyDelete
  57. I simply wanted to thank you so much again. I am not sure the things that I might have gone through without the type of hints revealed by you regarding that situation.

    ReplyDelete
  58. I like the blog very much. I have never seen such a beautiful website and the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Enjoyed reading the above article, really explains everything in detail. Thank you and good luck in the upcoming articles.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Wonderful blog and amazing design and style. I like this site its a master peace ! Glad I detected this on googleonload changeover switch

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.