Dear friends,

The book, Ann(ie) Blum in Our Lives, is out.  It is a wonderful thing.

“What does it mean to have had Ann-Annie to some-Blum in our lives? The letters and stories from family and friends assembled in this book, together with photos and words of Ann’s own, evoke her presence. They allow us to think about what we want to carry forward, into the lives we still have.”

Any net revenue from sales of this book will be directed towards “The Ann S. Blum Memorial Scholarship in Latin American Studies” at the University of Massachusetts Boston. (Gifts can also be made at http://www.umb.edu/giving ).  To this end, I have copies to sell or you can buy it online via https://thepumpingstation.org/books/ or regular online retailers.

I recently wrote a blogpost on my evolving thinking about the purpose of the book, http://wp.me/p1gwfa-W9 . From that thoughtpiece:
“[N]ow I see that the value of people having their voice heard in a community is that we-this includes me-have very partial narratives about what the loss of someone means for their lives. We say something-such as ‘I so miss her’ or ‘Cancer sucks’ or ‘I’m doing as well as can be expected’-but we know there’s more to what we are feeling. Things that are hard to articulate, things that are hard to know whether this is the person and the time to explore it with. So those things often get left un(der) explored; we just carry on. The book allows, however, readers to bring their own thoughts to the surface through hearing the partial things others are able to say, to give voice to. And also to learn more, which adds to those thoughts. In that way, there is more play, more processing of what each reader wants to carry forward as part of their own lives….”

best wishes,
peter