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| 1st June 2010 Final book talk:
Soroptimists International - Rugby branch
Soroptimist International is a vibrant
and dynamic women’s organisation. They are committed
to a world where women and girls together achieve their individual
potential, realise their aspirations and have an equal voice
in creating strong and peaceful communities worldwide. They
are the only women’s organisation affiliated to the
United Nations.
I’ll be giving my final book talk
about the “Odyssey” to the Rugby branch,
arranged by Desiree Lambert – thank you!
More news next month on my second book
– the whole seven year, 60,000 mile quest to find compassion
in the strangest of places and circumstances!
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| 14th October 2009 USA: The
summary
The weather was hot & steamy, and
Chris and Yodit in Washington were great hosts. They made
me feel part of the family for ten days, in the midst of Yodit’s
younger brother’s wedding preparations. But the turnout
at the Ethiopian embassy talk was low – I was disappointed
that none of my former classmates were able to attend. And
the New York talks were similar.
But those that turned up were very interested
and surprised by what I’d achieved, with readers in
21 countries and all the endorsements. In the Big Apple, I
met Dr. Haile Seyoum and Tsion, who graduated from Nazareth
School in ’86 and promised to help track down some of
the ladies, thanks! Thanks to Annette Sheckler, in Washington;
Fay Bennett Lord at the Community Church in New York Magda
and Amie Kiros for hosting and arranging the talks. I appreciated
your support.
It was much easier when it came to radio
interviews. The Talk Show hosts loved the story – I
was interviewed by stations right across the US, intrigued
by a Brit doing something for water, especially when most
of us are so fearful of what’s next for our families
& companies with the global recession. My favourite host
was Joey Reynolds, a caring, ethical journalist who gave me
a lift back to the brownstone Indigo Arms where I was staying
at 3 am (the interview had been at 2am!) It turned out the
Joey lives in the neighbourhood. Another world traveler and
host was Kathryn Raaker, who has a weekly show called “Let’s
Just Talk” which is nationally syndicated. Click
here for the 15 minute interview
Whilst in Harlem, I popped into Hue-Man,
Harlem’s favourite book store. There I found my
classmate Salome Yilma’s ‘‘Ethi
Dolls’ on display near the front door – an
amazing connection! (The dolls are beautiful, by the way –
real collectors’ items).
Harlem had great, edgy energy, and I
encountered nothing but kindness and friendship, just as I
have everywhere. So, all the love and energy is out there,
with this journey and the book. It’s now time for a
return to work, and preparing a book proposal for the whole
amazing 60,000 mile journey: 1995 – 2009 , with a major
publisher behind it this time.
Just have the courage to Be what you
Believe in!
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| 14th September 2009 Lots of
interest!
Coming to the US was really the right
decision. There has been a lot of interest from Americans.
The radio hosts who've read the book are all calling the Odyssey
a 'must buy'. The no. 1 interview that's coming up is an in
studio live interview on the Joey Reynolds late night show
on WOR Talk radio on 22nd September. http://www.wor710.com/
Joey is the 'King" of late night talk shows, so a great
coup to be on the show. Book talk at 4pm tomorrow at the Ethiopian
Embassy, so will be preparing tomorrow. Joey's show is broadcast
to 100 stations and he has 4 million loyal listeners. This
looks like the media break I've wanted for 3 years now - fantastic!
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| 7th September 2009 All set
for the US:
Radio stations contacted, friends, supporters,
readers and African-American community have been alerted.
Everything that could be done for a good foundation in the
US has been completed. Last week, I attended a Christian workshop
“Restoring Prayer” at Ridley Hall, Cambridge,
which had Eugene Peterson, American pastor and author of many
books, as the lead speaker. He was eloquent, humorous and
very moving and, as luck would have it, he sat beside me the
first afternoon,so I actually got to speak to him! Prof. Alastair
Magrath also gave a talk – a master orator with an incredible
grasp of history, the Bible and literature in general. He
and Richard Dawkins are being interviewed this week by Sir
David Frost, about faith. Hope it is shown before Christmas!
(May be on Al-Jazeera TV, rather than the BBC.)
Pastor Zakaya from Tanzania
and me in the sunshine!
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| 7th August 2009 Book talks
& radio interviews in the US:
Next month, I will return to the US to
give some more book talks. This time is different: I have
readers organizing them for me, which is awesome. The first
is on 15th September at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington
DC, hosted by the ambassador, H.E. Dr. Samuel Assefa, who
knew my classmate, Hiruth Girma. His executive asst., Annette
Sheckler, taught another classmate, Etenush Tsige!
In New York, I’m giving book talks
on 20th September, the first at the NY Community Church, and
later that day at Piatto D’Oro, New York arranged by
Aimee Kiros, owner and aunt of my friend, Magda! Other opportunities
will emerge, I’m sure. Just as important, I will be
doing some Talk Show radio interviews throughout my stay,
and will hopefully be meeting some literary agents. There
is a lot of energy in the US for this book, which is just
great!
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| 2nd April 2009 With the G20
Summit's agreement to continue helping the developing world,
and my return to Addis last week, it was an appropriate time
for me to visit President Girma of Ethiopia, who is the father
of one of my classmates.
We're pictured in his office in the National
Palace, formerly Emperor Haile Selassie's Jubilee Palace.
We spent an hour together, a very special opportunity. Earlier
that day, the book had been front page news in 'The Daily
Monitor' an English language newspaper.
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20th March 2009
www.ekklesia.co.uk
March 22 is World Water Day, so I wanted
to mention a remarkable book by a good friend of Ekklesia
(and an Ekklesia Partner) Annette Allen... |
1st March 2009
www.expatwomen.com
It was Pat Vanier, a good friend of 36
years, who tipped me off about Expat Women, a website for
women living and working abroad. With my mission to find those
final 3 non-Ethiopian classmates, and the UN’s World
Water Day on 22nd March (Mother’s Day
in Britain too) it was a great opportunity to see what might
develop. Andrea Martins who runs the site, was very helpful
– here’s the link.
http://www.expatwomen.com/
Please forward it to anyone else in India
or the US whom you think might be able to help me find Sumitra,
Celina (India) and Kathy (USA.)
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| 25th November 2008 £1,000
for WaterAid!
On 25th November, I presented a cheque for £1,000 to
Alan Machin, WaterAid's National Head of Fundraising at their
London headquarters. This is enough to fund lasting clean
water and sanitation for 60 people - a life changing act for
them.
It's a big milestone for the 'Odyssey',
as it shows the power of dreams, and your support and purchase
of the resulting book. And in October, cheques for £250
and £160 were donated to Christian Aid and the AGOHELD
charity, respectively. The Christian Aid money will go direct
to their work in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
I hope that there will be many more cheques
in the future, although that still depends on landing a major
publishing deal. (With the current global financial crisis,
readers are finally ditching misery memoirs, so I'm more hopeful
for progress in 2009!)
This week, I'm also being interviewed
by Radio Salaam Shalom about the book,
an internet based radio station, which encourages dialogue
between Jews and
Muslims:
http://www.salaamshalom.org.uk/#SlideFrame_1
Finally, I have three book readings between
now and the end of January, including one at work.
Perhaps 2009 will indeed be a Tipping
Point for this little book?
Have a wonderful Christmas, however you
celebrate it.
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| 12th April 2008 Goa Herald
British author
in search of Goan classmate...
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| 1st December 2007 Coventry
Telegraph
Dream that
led Annette to write a book... |
September 2007
Interviewed by Diane Bailey, UN Radio
Listen
here [MP3 13MB]
12th September 2007
UN book talk highlights
The day dawned with a clear blue
sky, a good omen. I got up an hour before I needed to, to
go through the presentation, and to visualise feeling calm,
when it was another momentous step on the journey. I needn't
have worried - the Ethiopian ambassador, H.E. Negash Botora,
was charming and very well briefed about the book, and made
me feel at ease. There had been a short item in the UN Journal
- the daily briefing sheet which all UN Missions and reporters
read - which was helpful. Almost 30 people attended, representing
13 different countries. I was delighted to meet the Armenian
ambassador and one of his attaches, along with attaches from
the US and Egyptian missions. The rest were people who were
interested in news about the UN Millennium Development Goals
and Ethiopian supporters. The introduction from the ambassador
was very poignant, as he read out one of the dreams I'd included
in the book, as the introduction and then for the next half
an hour, people listened, nodded, laughed and gasped.
10am, 12th September 2007
Conference room A, United Nations, New York
His Excellency, Negash Botora, Ethiopian
ambassador to the United Nations, will be hosting a talk in
conference room A at the UN Plaza, New York. Ambassadors from
all the countries whose citizens helped me have been invited,
along with leaders of faith groups, former classmates and
the media.
22nd March 2007
The Book Depository
Interview...
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| January 2007 InspireMagazine.org
Book
on Ethiopia inspired by dream
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| 19th October 2006 Buckingham
Advertiser
20,000-mile
hunt for old friends...
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| 27th October 2006 Ethiopian
Herald
Ethiopia: British Author Publishes Book Entitled "An
Ethiopian Odyssey"...
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| October 2006 WaterAid Coverage
An Ethiopian Odyssey
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| February 2004 Authentic Business
Article
An Ethiopian Odyssey
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7pm, 31st October 2007
Women’s Institute, Thornborough, Buckinghamshire.
Tea was being brewed as I walked into
the Women's Institute meeting in Thornborough village hall
on Hallowe'en Home made biscuits were carefully laid on plates:
gingerbread, macaroons, flapjacks, shortbreads, and Viennese
fingers. All looked delicious and my tummy rumbled, as I'd
had to rush back from work to give the talk. When the hall
was full to bursting - almost 60 members from all over north
Buckinghamshire - the meeting was declared open and we stood
to sing "Jerusalem", that wonderful hymn with lyrics
by William Blake, with which the BBC Proms finishes each year.
A complete contrast to the giggling witches, goblins, ghouls
and Frankensteins knocking on doors and running from house
to house, trick or treating!
The focus for this audience was the local angle: how people
in Britain had helped in the search for missing classmates.
There were sharp intakes of breath when I revealed that through
the 'Buckingham Advertiser' I'd found Jack Atamian, the second
cousin of one of my classmates, and the support of my church,
SS Peter & Paul. I told them about the talk at the United
Nations and the letter from Gordon Brown, which made many
sit up. But best of all were the questions - "Why were
your classmates so elite?" "How did you manage to
fund your journey?" "In what way is your life different
today?" I told them of the joy I felt, knowing that I
was finally on the right track, and the ability to discover
and appreciate the connections across the world, as I continued
the quest to reunite all my missing classmates for book 2.
Over a third of the audience queued up afterwards to buy a
copy, including some for early Christmas presents.
26th October 2006
Addis Ababa launch: Nazareth School for Girls
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| Addis was experiencing unseasonal
rain during my stay in Ethiopia last week, but Thursday 26th
October dawned bright and sunny. Nazareth School’s library
was the venue for the book launch there – a promise I’d
kept to Sister Weynemariam, the head, and Marta Asrat, my former
classmate and school secretary, who sadly died in March 2005. |
Addis book display |
A rapturous welcome |
| Over 40 people were there,
along with a TV crew and the local news agency! President Girma
received a rapturous welcome from the school – it was
the first time they were honoured with a visit from him. Bernd
Dreesmann had made a special trip from Cologne – Hiruth
Girma, my classmate and the President’s daughter, had
worked for him for a year in 1974. Sister Weynemariam welcomed
him and the guests, before handing over to me. I succeeded in
keeping my talk short – 30 minutes – and afterwards
there was time for book signings and a few sales. |
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Sister Weynemariam welcomes the guests |
Answering questions |
| There was a poignant moment
when Addisalem (New World) stood up, the youngest of Marta’s
daughters, who’s now in the ninth grade there. I gave
her a special signed copy in memory of her mother, and donated
three books to the library, so students can enjoy the story.
All the school turned out for my departure – an amazing
and wonderful moment. I could get used to the cheers! |
Discussing the book with President Girma
and Bernd Dreesmann |
A proud moment for the school |
| Very good media
coverage: The following
day, the book made the front page of The Ethiopian Herald
– the English language newspaper, and it was on TV.
Many people are interested in buying a copy, but I need to
find a good local printer so it’s affordable for Ethiopians.
And now it’s time to promote the
book in the UK. More news soon! |
| 22nd October 2006
An Ethiopian Odyssey signing at SS Peter and Paul
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| A signing at my church, SS
Peter and Paul, in Buckingham. There was a real buzz amongst
the congregation that morning, as many had followed my journey
from March 2004. |
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“And that lady there is Fanaye,
my classmate”
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| 20th October 2006
An Ethiopian Odyssey London Book Launch
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The London book launch took
place at the Globe Theatre and was a great success: |
A proud moment, standing by the directional
sign at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
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Ken, my former boss, with Fanaye, my
classmate from Cologne and I
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| 20th October 2006
Former pupil posts to 'The Door'
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Linda, one of the attendees
at the launch sent me this
link later that day, from the website of the Door, the
Oxford diocese magazine. How amazing that a former pupil should
post it the day of the launch! |
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