the First Winter

When I first met Katie Stockman Daffner, she was a happy, young girl walking a big dog past my store.  Katie is now a happy young woman working relentlessly to help others realize their big dreams.  As co-facilitator of United ReSisters, Katie works with a group of Somali women living in Green Bay many of whom study at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.  Katie dedicated much love and effort in helping these women - her friends- bring this book to fruition.

In The First Winter, the Somali "sisters" share memories, fears, reflections, hopes, and dreams in poems and narratives.  Their voices, both as writers and as women, resonate with the same feelings we all have when thrust into new situations.  The truth is - life has not been easy for these women, yet their words harbor no anger.  You will find grace in every single selection.

Maryam Husseyn writes with mixed memories about her homeland.  She misses the sound of the ocean near her home, the surrounding gardens, and welcoming neighbors.  She also remembers the bombs.  The injured.  The dead.  Still, she misses home.

In a short piece called I Speak with an Accent, Nadifo Kasim writes "... an accent is not a measure of intelligence.  It is someone speaking your language using the rules of theirs."  She has instructed me with those words.  

Najma Kasim wants to be a lawyer.  Bisharo Abdullahi wants to be a nurse.  You will meet these two and many others in this bright and provocative collection.  Katie Daffner is planning a meet and greet signing at LaDeDa in the near future.  Watch our FaceBook page for details. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Oh, I just got in some silly little joke books for kids.  Here's one of my favorites:

Why did the chicken cross the mobius strip?

To get to the same side.