Michele Albion

Titanic Articles On Line

michele — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:53:27 +0000

I wrote two Titanic articles which are now available on line. The first is about Richard White, a young Bowdoin man and his father who traveled to Europe to celebrate his graduation. They returned on the Titanic. It’s on page 30: http://www.bowdoin.edu/magazine/archives/2012/Bowdoin_Vol83_No1_Winter_2012-web.pdf

The second article was for St. Paul’s Alumni Horae and is about two graduates, Archibald Gracie and John Jacob Astor. http://www.sps.edu/flipbook/Alumni_Horae_Winter12/index.html

Over and over people have asked why the Titanic has such resonance today. Part of it is the overwhelming tragedy of the sinking and the great humanity lost to the freezing waters. But it is also something else, something primal. We wonder, if faced with the same situation as the passengers, would we go quietly to our deaths? Would we claw our way into a lifeboat and leave others to drown? In short, we are left only to imagine what we would do in such a situation.

Birth of a Nation, Edison’s Favorite Film?

michele — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:08:54 +0000

On this day in 1915, D.W. Griffith’s silent film, Birth of a Nation, appeared in theaters. Years later, in February of 1930, Edison recalled it as his favorite movie.

Today, we find the racist themes of the film offensive, but in his day they were more mainstream. Still Edison may have had little interest in the content of the film at all. In Birth of a Nation, Griffith combined several new film techniques: cutting back and forth between scenes, the dramatic close up, and tinting of the black and white film. The effect was revolutionary.

And was Edison really enamored with the movie? Here’s his response to the question, “What is your favorite movie:”

“Let’s see now–what’s the name of it? Oh yes, I remember–The Birth of a Nation, that great picture Griffith made. But who cares?”
-American Magazine, February 1930.

For more amazing Edison quotes, buy a copy of The Quotable Edison.

Florida Book Tour Canceled

michele — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:47:00 +0000

I’m sorry to say that my March book tour in Florida has been cancelled. I will be planning an extended tour for March of 2013, when The Quotable Henry Ford will be released.

In the meantime, I still have signed copies of The Quotable Edison and the Florida Life of Thomas Edison ready for shipping. Keep an eye out for our special deal on Edison’s February 11th birthday!

Mesmerizing Titanic Stories

michele — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:25:44 +0000

This April is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. I wrote a story commemorating the event for St. Paul’s Alumni Horae. It dealt with three alumni who sailed the Titanic in 1912: Archibald Gracie, John Jacob Astor II and John Borie Ryerson. One was a boy who was placed in a lifeboat with his mother and sisters. One man watched his pregnant wife cast off in a lifeboat knowing that he would likely not live to see their child. Another helped load the lifeboats, refusing to take a space for himself.

Now I’m working on a story for Bowdoin Alumni Magazine about two other passengers, Percival White and his son, Richard Frazer White. For this story I was lucky enough to reach a descendant who not only shared the impact of the tragedy on her family, but is sharing some never before published letters. Both articles will be in the spring editions of the respective magazines.

Famous First Lady Almost Done!

michele — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:07:39 +0000

Monday is the deadline for sending The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt to the publisher. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know this amazing woman! Below is a brief sampling:

“I’d step in front of him, of course.”
On what she would do if someone attacked FDR. Circa 1933.

“All writing and opinion is only good when you make it your own.”
June 15, 1933, White House Press Conference

“Destructive criticism is always valueless and anyone with common sense soon becomes completely indifferent to it.”
November 1944, Ladies Home Journal

“No man is defeated without until he has first been defeated within.”
Circa 1960, You Learn by Living

Signed, Wrapped and Delivered!

michele — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:41:27 +0000

Give the gift of an autographed copy of The Quotable Edison!
From now until December 10, you can order an signed copy of The Quotable Edison and/or The Florida Life of Thomas Edison. It will be:
-Autographed and signed with a dedication to the person of your choice
-Gift wrapped and tagged with your greeting
-Sent to the recipient’s door
How? Send a check for $30 for the Quotable Edison or $40 for The Florida Life of Thomas Edison to: Edison Books, PO Box 487, Dover, NH, 03821.
*Include your email to receive confirmation of the book(s) ship date. That’s it! For more information or with questions, please contact: bookpr@zmjenterprises.com **Discounts for multiple purchases!

Gettin’ it Done for Eleanor

michele — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:13:06 +0000

I’m getting closer to the deadline for The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt. Although a bit stressed about getting the draft to the publisher, I’m thrilled about the content. Eleanor Roosevelt was a very intelligent and well-spoken woman. Edison and Ford were intelligent too, but in a grass-roots, get-it-done manner. She’s so articulate that narrowing the crop of quotes is more difficult than finding and confirming them. She’s an amazing woman. I just hope the book does her justice.

The Quotable Me

michele — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 11:04:06 +0000

“True writers write because they just can’t live without writing. Smart writers write with an eye to what will sell. Writers who like eating regularly do both.”
-Michele Albion, 2011

All About the Spam

michele — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:52:45 +0000

I don’t check the comments for my blog very often. Truthfully, I find it depressing. Spam, spam, spam…. (Please sing yourself the theme to Spamalot here.) There are Viagra product placement offers, pleas to try entice me to use web services–because, of course my page is “sadly outdated,” and then there are the offers to link with other pages. Do you know my page would perfectly complement a hearing aid website? How about a porn site for wayward spouses? Who knew Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt brought out the internet’s prurient impulses.

Loving Eleanor Roosevelt

michele — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:25:02 +0000

Researching my next book, The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt, is a great pleasure. She’s a delightfully interesting writer–though a bit overly fond of prepositional phrases–and chock full of opinions on every subject. The challenge with this book won’t be finding enough quotes. It will be letting go of enough of them to stick to my page limit!

Here are some examples of some quotes now in the draft edition:

“The only difference between Royalty and other guests is that Royalty takes up more space.”

“How slowly human beings seem to learn the lesson of love instead of hate. It is important that each one of us in our own hearts should wipe out resentment and bitterness whenever we detect it, for it is the sum total of what we do as individuals that makes the world.” -1943

Of European refugees. “These children present a different problem, for many of them will never see their parents again, since they have been left behind in concentration camps in various European countries.” (Italics mine.) [It is obvious she understood in 1943 that people didn't come back from concentration camps.]

This is a thrilling project and I am impressed by the complexity of the great First Lady more every day!