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Rob presided over our Zoom meeting that began at 12:30 PM. He thanked Archana for hosting last week's meeting at her home, briefly welcomed our visiting guest speaker, author Bill Kiley, and made as well as invited announcements about upcoming activities. Please note that since Monday, September 7th is Labor Day, we will NOT meet next Tuesday, the 8th. Bob will be sending out the monthly calendar of club events shortly. Meanwhile, know that our Raffle Drawing on September 17th is still looking at a number of venues. Bates House in Setauket (Frank Melville Memorial Park) is a possibility. Rebecca reported that the RYLA event this past Saturday was amazing. She and Sal, who also attended, were quite inspired by the young leaders, who easily organized themselves and each other and who seemed so comfortable together in their leadership roles. Rebecca noted that she feels excitement about the coming year and is so hopeful for the future, having met and watched these talented youth of all different backgrounds work together with ease. ("My mind is blown.") Rob re-introduced Bill Kiley, a former Deputy Chief of Police in Suffolk with a long history in the police department, preceded by a stint in the army (finishing as a Colonel). A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Bill spent time in the US Army Command and General Staff College, and holds 2 Master of Science Degrees. After retirement, at age 71- a year ago- Bill became an author. He published his first book for children this June, "Hope and Freckles: Fleeing to a New Forest". Bill decided to write a children's book, because he got to spend much time with his 5 young granddaughters, visited the library often and read to them a lot- coming to realize how much children's books and stories affect them. Bill told us a story of the American wife of a Syrian citizen, living with their children in Syria until the husband was suddenly arrested and taken away. She and her family were taken to a refugee camp. He told how an American grandparent feels about the situation and the empathy and compassion he felt for this family, in particular, and similar ones forced by politics,war, famine, threat, abuse, etc., to leave their homes because remaining would be unsafe. There are over 26 million refugees today, with projections for the increase in numbers to become staggering by the middle of this century. Bill also thought about how the story of "Bambi" had a significant influence on his youth. Thus, he decided to create a story for children that could be used as a tool for teaching, and chose to use the gentle characters of a mother deer and her son needing to escape their home and seek a new one, in order to create awareness of the many challenges related to refugees seeking asylum. He wrote this book to be thought-provoking, to create the possibility of discussion with youngsters about a serious human problem, and to convey the idea that everyone (and everything) deserves to be together in a place where they feel safe. He knew that he had to, in telling his story of fleeing animals, try to tell the story without traumatizing his readers. Bill next spoke of the problems in getting his story published. He needed to find an illustrator (the book cover, especially, has to grab a child's interest) and found an excellent one in Mary Manning, who he learned about while attending a 3-day Book Expo in NYC and looking at hundreds of children's books. He contacted her at her home in Oklahoma, and sent her the manuscript, which he had to pare down to 1,000 words. She liked the manuscript and sent him pencil drawings (character sketches) she would use, spaced throughout the story. They then worked out the details. The finished product was aimed at children ages 7-10. Asked how Bill felt when he held the 1st published copy in his hands, Bill said it felt like the 1st time one holds a grandchild. Bill next had to learn how to sell his book. He included at the end of the book a list of definitions of words that might be new to the young reader, as well as questions on the story's content and thoughts provoked by it. The author set up a website (www.Hope and Freckles.com) and listed his book with Amazon. Covid has so far forced virtual author visits with readers/would-be clients. He will present his book at schools, in libraries, in book stores, at service club meetings, and the like. Book Review in Huntington carries his book. Bill has been interviewed on a local radio station and by local newspapers and has gotten impressive reviews for his story. His 1st club presentation was to Westhampton Rotary. Some clubs are purchasing copies of his book for their local libraries and schools. A friend took a copy of this book to Rome, where it will be delivered to Pope Francis. The author's proudest moment? His 9 year old granddaughter reviewed it and liked it a lot. Bill is now looking forward to publishing a sequel, "Life in the New Forest", which will be about acceptance and acculturation, and is expected to bring about sympathy and compassion for asylum seekers. This book, if successful, will be followed by at least 1 other. |
