Home > Pulpwood Queen Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 17
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
it’s 4:00 a.m. and I am wide-awake!
The next couple of weekends, I woke up and realized, are going to be something I have been waiting for all my life. Can you imagine? Let me explain.
First, I am speaking at the District Conference of Rotary International in Marshall, Texas today. I feel as if I have come full circle. When I was just 19 years old the owner of Crum’s Beauty School, Mrs. Crum, asked me to speak to the Manhattan Rotary Club in Kansas. I had practically failed high school speech, not because I had not prepared my speech, but because I was shy. Mrs. Crum recognized something in me that I did not see in myself and told me, “Kathy, you can do this. Just talk about your experience at our Redken School, and you will represent us well.”
I was scared to death as I approached that podium with all those very important businessmen looking at me. But I loved beauty school; I excelled at this way of expressing my artistic side. I really do see hair as an art form and explained to the Manhattan Rotarians my experience of attending beauty school. In fact, doing hair was how I put myself through college. Even though with seven colleges and universities under my belt and still have not graduated, I have never regretted for a moment that I have been a life long learner.
The Rotarians gave me a big round of applause and after the meeting, many came to shake my hand and tell me what an outstanding speech I had given. Mrs. Crum had planted a seed that I could do anything if I believed in myself and worked hard enough. The Rotarians were like a ray of sunshine for that little seed. I can hardly wait to speak to the Rotarians today! What an outstanding organization to not only say “service above self” but mean it and do it!
Second, I have been commissioned by Diamond Jack’s Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana to do my absolutely favorite party band’s hair The B-52’s prior to their concert tonight. Now my co-worker will be doing Cindy’s hair and I, Kate Pierson. I don’t remember when I discovered The B-52’s music but their sound is instantly recognizable and just makes me what to jump up on my feet and do the watoosee to my favorite song of theirs the”Love Shack”. All that BIG HAIR and crazy dance beat just screams this band is having the time of their lives and me too, ME TOO!
I had the excellent opportunity to meet Kate Pierson in person many years ago in Los Angeles. I had been invited to a Hyperion/Disney Children’s Dinner where the author and illustrator of book that published called “Wig” would be honored and featured. The B-52’s lyrics for the song “Wig” were the story for the book and Kate was there to represent them.
When I got to the party invite restaurant, the Hyperion publicist told me that Kate Pierson was to be the featured guest! That is all I heard and began screaming and jumping up and down like one of those insane Beatles fans from my youth. “Oh my GAWD, you mean Kate Pierson from The B-52’s! I jumped around and around like a banshee. Now I was I think about 40 at the time, the publicist seeing my insane enthusiasm asked me, “Would you like to sit next to Ms. Pierson?” Would I ever? I about fainted as here was my fire engine red headed persona of real womanhood come to life!
As Kate walked into the room, I will never forget what she wore. A small petite and very pretty blue-eyed big backcombed and haired redhead stepped into my view and she was a vision. She had on a polyester pantsuit that’s pattern was flames of fire! Red, orange, yellow hues fanned up her body and I can literally say she was HOT! Paris Hilton was a flick of ash compared to this Barbie Gone Wild! Even with all that mile high Big Hair she barely came up to the top of my shoulder. I was mesmerized and my knees went weak as we were introduced. I was going to have dinner with Kate Pierson, my idol.
I remember that dinner as one of the best nights of my middle-aged life. We really hit it off, as Kate is a reader. At the time, she lived in Woodstock, New York and she told me all about her favorite little independent bookstore, The Golden Notebook. Like me, she was a flea market Queen and loved to shop at those. I told her about the largest flea market in America in Canton, Texas. I think she about swooned when I told her about the acre after acre of flea market booths. That night was a dream. Our dinner lasted four hours and she begged us to forgive her but she had to go as she was singing back up for R.E.M. at a concert in San Diego. I knew as we said our goodbyes that someday I would see her again. Nevertheless, I never dreamed I would be doing her hair, I can hardly wait and will give a full recap report on that later. In the mean time shouting, “TIN ROOF RUSTED!” To get that line, you just have to buy their CDS!
As I looked back at that mousy haired photo of me with Kate taken years ago, I remember that as soon as I got back to Texas, I scheduled a hair appointment to go back to my blonde hair coloring of my Madonna and Blondie days. Why not? Kate was hot and you know she was I think at the time about ten years older than me. I learned a lot that evening and one of them is age is a state of mind and by God, if you love something then, go for it! Kate had ignited a spark that has been burning ever since that day. If you have a dream, live it and I am!
Last, every year I have a book loving party! It is the ultimate party of the year for me! One in which I host with my book club members, The Pulpwood Queens, and invite in some of the authors of the best books I have read that past year! We call it our Girlfriend Weekend, a celebration of women, authors, books, our girlfriends and BIG TIME FUN! This year the Cox Newspaper, The Marshall News Messenger, (who gives me this blog site), is joining the Pulpwood Queens to host this literary and literacy promoting venture. They have gone so far beyond the call that I am humbled by their newspapers generosity and their faith of believing in me that reading is important. For the past year, they have run ads, full color ones no less, printed the schedule of author and book events, and for the past month they have featured an author a day on the front page and will continue to do so until the event. In all my life, I have never had a more ardent supporter of my literacy mission, to get America reading. I want you all to know dear readers that in this business world today never have I found a better partnership than The Marshall News Messenger. They see my view, the BIG PICTURE. Reading and Literacy are important!
Now for you to understand how important that statement is and how outstanding our Girlfriend Weekend is, you have to experience it! Come, and like me speaking to Rotary, dancing to the music of The B-52’s, throw yourself into this event with wild abandon. This weekend is the culmination of my life and my life’s work, reading. The whole program is on my website www.beautyandthebook.com. Come one, come all! This weekend has something for everybody. We will have two nights of incredible entertainment featuring authors at our take off of the television show, Saturday Night Live, that we call Friday Night Live. All the skits are by the authors and the authors will all provide the musical entertainment. Saturday will be author panels all day of some of the best reading in America today. Saturday night is our infamous Hair Ball with the theme “The Pulpwood Queens Go Hollywood!” Sunday morning will be our Author Brunch featuring Hollywood’s favorite funny man, comedy writer turned author, Phil Doran who wrote for the television shows “All in the Family”, “Sanford and Son”, the “Wonder Years” and featuring Nashville musical artist, Jonathan Pierce who is married to featured author, Denise Hildreth of the “Savannah from Savannah” series.
This weekend will have New York Times bestseller authors such as Cassandra King, a Pulitzer Prize Winner and author Doug Marlette, a Pen/Faulkner, National Book Award winner, and Oprah Book Club Selection Author, Mary McGarrity Morris. We have authors who write fiction, non-fiction, teen books, inspirational books, historical novels, romance, memoir, suspense, humor, truly, there is something for any reader. Books that will make you realize that reading is the best form of entertainment that I know. As some of you may know, I turned 50 this year. I was beginning to have thoughts of what have I done my whole life. Do I have a purpose? Why am I still here? All I have to tell you all is that 50th birthday was a wake-up call. Next year at Girlfriend Weekend 2008 my first book will premiere “The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life” to be published by Warner Books. I am planning on a big book launch Girlfriend Weekend Party. Wonder if I could get The B-52’s for my HAIR BALL. Well, all I know it never hurts to ask and I’m asking.
I know that the first half my life I spent taking from this this world. You should see how many books I own. I now know that I do have a purpose, which is to get America reading. I plan to make the last half of my life in giving back more than I have received. It is better to give than receive. If everyone would adopt that Rotarian motto “service above self” think what a better world it would be. I can think of no other greater gift than I have been given than of being taught to read. Thank you for reading my stories. In addition, there is nothing more that I love to do than read your responses to my blogs. Please comment and do let us get a conversation going with reading as our home base. Someone once said that home is where I keep my books. I have built a house of books and now know that I must build a home of readers. Won’t you join my book loving party and be my reading family? Singing “It’s the Love Shack, a little ole place where we can get together, Love Shack, baby yeah!”
Tiara wearing and Book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs and the book festivals, Books Alive, Girlfriend Weekend, and our first ever International Book Club Author Extravaganza Beauty and the Book 210 West Austin Jefferson, Texas 75657 www.beautyandthebook.com, official website www.pulpwoodqueens@yahoo.com, official chat site www.marshallnewsmessenger, official Pulpwood Queen Blog site www.southernliving/ilovetexas, official “What the Pulpwood Queens are Reading!” website
