I’ve had a blast promoting my new book, Poems by First Ladies, at recent festivals in Missouri and New York. As much as I tend to prefer words, I’ll let the “a picture’s worth 1,000 words” approach do most of the talking.
Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival
In April, I traveled to Marshfield, Missouri, for the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival. This annual event gives First Ladies their due and is well attended by descendants of presidents and First Ladies.
I was honored to receive the Ella Dickey Literacy Award for “authors who have contributed to the preservation of history.” Jennifer Coolidge Harville, the great-granddaughter of Calvin and Grace Coolidge, presented me with the award.
At the National First Ladies Day Ceremony, I gave an overview of the book and First Ladies’ poetry. The plan was for descendants of Grace Coolidge, Lucretia Garfield, and Edith Roosevelt to read poems by their ancestors. Harville read Grace Coolidge’s best-known poem, “The Open Door” and the first stanza of “Easter Sunday—1930.” When the great-great-great-grandson of Lucretia Garfield and the great-grandson of Edith Roosevelt were unavailable at the last minute, “First Ladies Man” Andrew Och and I read the selections.
This was such a terrific event to be a part of! I especially enjoyed chatting with presidential descendants, First Lady impersonators, historians, and the rest of the presenters and attendees.
Dolley Madison impersonator 
Helen Taft impersonator 
Mary Todd Lincoln impersonator 
Edith Roosevelt impersonator 
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis impersonator
Roosevelt Reading Festival
Last month I spoke at the Roosevelt Reading Festival at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York. The festival featured authors whose books draw on the Library’s archives and address FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, or that period of history. Having visited as a tourist a few years ago, it was a huge honor to be back for a speaking engagement.
Although Eleanor Roosevelt’s six poems do not take up much space in Poems by First Ladies, she was the primary focus of my presentation. I discussed the biographical significance of her poems and put them in the context of other First Ladies’ poetry.
One highlight was signing copies of Poems by First Ladies and chatting with attendees after my presentation.
Going in, I knew I had to take photos with the statues of FDR and Eleanor. I was pleasantly surprised that the cover of the program showed the same idea!
It’s been thrilling to take the show on the road and meet historians, presidential descendants, and interested readers. I’m looking forward to some other promotional opportunities that are coming down the pike!
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