Lizzy on KGNU December 1st

Tune in this Monday, December 1 at 6:56 a.m. mountain time to Boulder's (CO) independent radio station, KGNU, to hear a short interview I did with Nikki Kayser regarding Heidi's & my nonprofit, Girls Education International. I talk about our program in Liberia and future projects that we aspire to do. KGNU is 88.5 FM and 1390AM, or you can go to KGNU's Web site later that day and listen to itl.

I will also post that interview on the blog that afternoon.

My nonprofit activities and other stuff

I haven't been writing on this blog for a variety of reasons, one of which is that I need to focus my time on my other projects, including article writing and my nonprofit. In an effort to raise funds for my nonprofit I'm going to focus more time in blogging there. I'll try to write some stuff for this blog as well, as time allows. I'll be heading to Mexico twice over the next two months, once for a vacation to Puerto Vallarta with my pop and the second time in January to write an article on rock climbing outside of Mexico City. My therapist says my shoulder should be healed enough by then so that I can climb. Woohoo!!! Climb. I can't wait. I've been pining away for it, especially after such a stellar late summer/fall climbing at Index Rocks.

I had a fantastic Thanksgiving. My brothers both showed up, and along with eight of my friends (including a crazy Tasmanian named Darren), we crowded around two tables in my tiny living room and feasted, laughed a lot, and drank mulled wine (mmmm). It was such a lovely day and evening. Though I've been really sad lately (another reason I haven't been writing), I felt a lot of joy that day and the next, and I'm left with a feeling that I'm well loved by my amazing friends and family. I have a lot to be Thankful for.

Today I'm heading over to Ciatano, a winery just outside of Lyons, with my friend Alex. We're going to do a bit of wine tasting for an article I'm writing about the ideal wines for the holidays. I've got a few more hours of work to do before that though.

Here is a complete update on what Heidi Wirtz and I have been working on in relation to our nonprofit. You can find more information on the Girls Education International blog.

Our board--which still consists of Elizabeth O'Neill, Justin Voorhees, Heidi Wirtz, and myself--decided that we needed to pay someone to do some of the work that we needed to get done, but haven't been able to get done for lack of time. At a meeting we had about six weeks ago we decided to pay me to write a grant--for a very low cost of $15 per hour (the low average is $40 per hour, but can upwards of a few hundred)--and to pay Heidi and myself to put together a donor database and send off year-end giving letters--for the same $15 per hour. We established that amount of money because we currently have (or will soon have) about $10,000 in the bank from our fundraising efforts and from the Inspiring Soles grant (which we don't actually have in hand yet...) We're working a total of 110 hours on these projects, which equals about $1650. We will have to pay an additional $350 or so to get quickbooks to manage our accounting and also to pay for supplies for the year-end giving letter. After speaking with numerous people and doing research, we reasoned that spending 20% on overhead at this point would be well worth it, especially if our giving letter campaign is successful. We will make every effort to never exceed paying 20% for overhead costs.

In regards to the grant: We understand that because we are such a new organization, it will be difficult to get substantial grants. However, we believe it is important to have a template of information that we can modify for any grant opportunities that come our way in the future as we make more contacts. We will also be applying for grants, despite the odds. We think that because we have some strong NGO partners in other countries that have been operating for years that we might have a reasonable chance at receiving some grants regardless of our newness. We are applying for a Ford Foundation grant in December, and last month we applied for a grant/fundraising relationship with BoldeReach, an organization out of Boulder, Colo.

Writing the grant has provided valuable information in regards to how Heidi and I need to plan the future of GEI. Basically, in researching and writing the grant I discovered that we have many gaps to fill before we can be fully operational and successful. We have put plans in place to have all these gaps filled by January 2009.

I'll break down the process of writing the grant and what I discovered in the following outline and narrative:

First, I read extensively on how to shape grants, who to approach, and the things GEI needs to have in place before any foundation will consider giving us money; I read "Grant Writing for Dummies," which proved to be incredibly valuable and was open next to me on the table the entire time I was writing the grant; and I spent 20 to 30 hours reading materials I found on GrantCraft, a comprehensive Web site of grant writing information created by the Ford Foundation. I also spoke with various people from the nonprofit Engineers Without Borders, including their founder, the director and assistant director of fundraising, and the grant writer. Because I had the opportunity to pick their brains, I also got a lot of great tips and advice for other important things we need to think about.

The most important things I discovered were that nonprofits have a difficult time getting grants unless:

1. They have actually been around for at least five years (and have shown they can start, implement, and follow through with projects, including managing the money;
2. They have their accounting practices accredited by an outside source;
3. They have some paid employees (which reassures grantors that there money won't disappear when volunteers inevitably burn out or end up with not enough time to see projects through)
4. They have complete transparency with finances;
5. They have some concrete, long-term fundraising plans in place;
6. And they are accredited by the various organizations that monitor nonprofit activities.

I also discovered:

1. Year-end giving letters that target people we know, previous donors, associates, etc, are what bring in the most money. All the EWB people stressed the need to establish personal ties with people that can be developed over the long term. Those relationships will sustain the organization, especially considering it is very difficult to get operational grants. Grantors typically designate grants to go to specific projects. However, in order to implement our projects, Heidi and I have finally realized that we have to be paid something. If we want to expand the programs we currently have and expand our operations to different countries, we have to be able to sustain ourselves as well as our programs. Thus, we decided to go ahead and implement a comprehensive year-end giving letter campaign that includes the mailing out of 500 letters with follow up emails, which we are mailing out Saturday, December 6th (after our letter-stuffing party, which is being sponsored by Oskar Blues--Thanks Dale and Chad!). We are currently using Filemaker Pro to organize the list of 400 or so donors that Heidi and I have so far put together, and The Mountain Fund is generously allowing us to use their license with Constant Contact to send out follow-up email newsletters later in December. We hope to bring in sufficient funds to pay for Heidi and I to get specific projects done, to manage our projects, and, of course, to pay for our projects.
2. Developing a donor database from the get-go is key. Basically we need to figure out a way to manage our donors including: keeping track of who has given us what in terms of money or in-kind donations; thanking people who have donated with personal calls and/or letters; knowing where the donors came from; finding out who is most likely to donate again; and the list goes on. Heidi and I have been developing this. We are still not sure which management system we are going to go with, but for now I'm using Filemaker Pro because it makes sense, and I have a free one-month trial period to use it.
3. We need a comprehensive fundraising plan that we will use in conjunction with a comprehensive marketing plan. We have a new marketing person on board--Jancy Quinn--who will be helping us develop this. We plan to have both outlined by the beginning of January. We have already made a good start. We feel that if we figure these two plans out, we can combine them with our already existing strategic plan to come up with a viable business plan.

OK, that's all for now. I've got a load of work to do, including putting together the rest of the donor database and writing the second draft of the year-end giving letter (which I will post when I am finished with it).

Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprise launches RecycOil program

By Lizzy Scully

What happens to the millions of gallons of cooking oil we use over the holidays for frying our turkeys and cooking our potatoes? Typically it ends up in our landfills and down our sewage pipes, contaminating groundwater and clogging plumbing and municipal wastewater infrastructure (costing taxpayers thousands of dollars). The Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprise (RMSE) recently came up with one solution to this problem – its recycOil program.

On November 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. fried turkey lovers can bring their fryer oil to one of RMSE’s Holiday recycOil locations, including Longmont’s Eco-Cycle on 140 Martin Street, and the City of Loveland Recycling Center on 400 N. Wilson Ave.

In addition to keeping the oil from polluting our waterways, this innovative program is reducing our dependence on foreign oil and contributing to cleaner air, and it “allows families and households a convenient way to recycle their used cooking oil,” said Aaron Perry, the CEO, CFO and co-founder of RMSE. It also raises awareness generally about recycling opportunities, and specifically about alternatives to standard waste disposal practices. According to Perry, companies such as RMSE are investing money in an infrastructure that can deliver ecologically beneficial and economically sound “up-cycled biomass energy products” to the Front Range.

Plus, he explained, programs like this promote regional economic development. “By partnering with RMSE, families and municipal governments are making the choice to help build the regional supply chain network required to develop and deliver sustainable, commercial-scale biofuels solutions to our region at economically competitive prices,” he explained.

So what exactly happens to the oil, including the 2,000 gallons of oil collected from last year’s recycOil program? It (along with millions of gallons of oil that restaurants on the Front Range recycle with RMSE) is collected and processed at RMSE’s feedstock processing facility in Berthoud, and then sold to agricultural users such as livestock raisers in Colorado and biodiesel and agricultural users out of state. RMSE is currently building a refining facility in Fort Morgan, where it will be turned into “high quality” biofuel for use on the Front Range.

“We expect that with the expanded participation this year, we’ll divert even greater quantities in 2008,” stated Perry, enthusiastically. His hope is to continue to the grow the program year after year to include additional municipalities throughout the region and to encourage some to set up year-round centers so that families can conveniently recycle oil throughout the year.

For Perry, this is the perfect answer to a serious problem. “RMSE is delivering solutions to the challenges we face in energy, agriculture, water and climate,” he explained. “By developing integrated biorefining infrastructure with our customer-members and total supply chain stakeholders, we are helping thousands of restaurants and facilities realize the greatest economic and environmental benefit from their biomass wastestreams – all while enhancing ‘green-collar’ employment in our communities and regions.”

And there isn’t anything he’d rather be doing. “I love working every day to help thousands of people to maximize their economic and environmental benefit,” he explained. “Having grown up in the Rocky Mountain region, and now that I have two wonderful kids of my own, I am grateful to have the opportunity to create green-collar jobs with my team while contributing to the overall sustainability of our region – for current and future generations.”

Wonder about Splenda and Equal?

Splenda versus Equal

Artificial sweeteners are being used in increasing amounts of food products around the world. Two of the most popular sweeteners—Splenda and Equal—have dominated the market for years, with Splenda overcoming Equal over the past decade. Both sweeteners offer benefits to diabetics and to overweight people who need to consume fewer calories, but who aren’t willing to give up sweet foods. However, because sweeteners are not natural substances, they can also cause problems for people who are sensitive to the different chemical compounds. The Berthoud Recorder recently researched Splenda and Equal and chatted with doctors from the Berthoud Family Physicians and the United Medical Center in Lyons, about the two sweeteners.

Splenda

Splenda, also known as Sucralose or SucraPlus, is a chlorinated compound that is made when three of the hydroxyl groups in a sugar molecule are replaced by three chlorine atoms. Scientists who were researching pesticides in 1976 accidentally invented this substance. Subsequently, the bonds holding the carbon and chlorine atoms together are more characteristic of a chlorocarbon, which is what most pesticides are made out of. The FDA has ruled Splenda to be safe. It is found in around 3,500 food products.

Splenda is about 600 times as sweet as table sugar (sucrose), twice as sweet as saccharin, and four times as sweet as aspartame. Though its manufacturers claim, “it is made from sugar,” it is actually not at all natural. It is stable under heat and can be used in baking or in products that require a longer shelf life. Splenda does not promote tooth decay, and it has almost no calories, so most people don’t absorb much of the substance into their bodies.

No long-term human studies have been conducted on the effects of Splenda. However, a recent study by the Department of Internal Medicine at Mercer University School of Medicine, determined that Sucralose can trigger migraines. Other studies show that people who are allergic or sensitive to sucrose molecules may suffer other side effects, such as rashes, dizziness, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping and stomach pain. On the other hand, various other studies, including one by the Department of Food at Pennsylvania State University, found no deleterious effects of Splenda or other sweeteners if they were consumed in normal doses and that they are likely more beneficial overall because they don’t cause obesity and other problems associated by the excessive consumption of sugar.

Equal

Equal is an artificial, aspartame-based tabletop sweetener. Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, but does not have the high-energy value of sugar. It is a peptide, which is a compound consisting of two or more amino acids linked in a chain. Its caloric contribution is insignificant. It is not as popular as Splenda because it breaks down into its constituent amino acids when it gets too hot. It is found in around 5,000 food products.

A plethora of independent studies have been done on aspartame, many of which show adverse effects. According to the Aspartame Toxicity Information Center (ATIC), aspartame consists of phenylalanine (50 percent by weight) and aspartic acid (39 percent), both ordinary amino acids, bound loosely together by methanol (wood alcohol, 11 percent). “The readily released methanol from aspartame is within hours turned by the liver into formaldehyde and then formic acid” (ATIC)

According to an article in Life Sciences (Vol. 63, No. 5, 1998), “aspartame consumption may constitute a hazard because of its contribution to the formation of formaldehyde adducts (chemical compounds formed by the combination of two or more different compounds or elements in an addition-type reaction).” Furthermore, the study states that these adducts of formaldehyde are “a substance responsible for chronic deleterious effects that have also been considered carcinogenic.”

Other studies have shown a possible relationship between aspartame and brain tumors. According to a Department of Psychiatry, Washington University Medical School study: “Compared to other environmental factors putatively linked to brain tumors, the artificial sweetener aspartame is a promising candidate to explain the recent increase in incidence and degree of malignancy of brain tumors. Evidence potentially implicating aspartame includes an early animal study revealing an exceedingly high incidence of brain tumors in aspartame-fed rats compared to no brain tumors in concurrent controls, the recent finding that the aspartame molecule has mutagenic potential, and the close temporal association (aspartame was introduced into US food and beverage markets several years prior to the sharp increase in brain tumor incidence and malignancy). We conclude that there is need for reassessing the carcinogenic potential of aspartame” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8939194).

Studies also show that aspartame may adversely affect people with fibromyalgia, depression, and that it can cause a plethora of side effects including joint pains, headaches, fevers, fatigue, swollen glands, itching or rashes, mania, insomnia, poor vision, edema, breathing problems, and dozens of other problems.

So, which is better?

According to Dr. Tim Maly, M.D., of the Berthoud Family Physicians, most literature that he is familiar with is “moving toward Splenda being more safe than Equal.” He recommends Splenda to people who should avoid sugar, especially diabetics and people who need to lose weight. He added, “I wouldn’t caution people against using the artificial sweeteners.”

Dr. Matthew Brett, M.D., of United Medical Center of Lyons, an affiliate of Longmont United Hospital, thinks people should stick with natural substances such as honey or sugar because who knows what problems these “fake products” might cause. “You should not need to use Splenda or Equal,” he explained. “You should decrease the calories you have instead of worrying about which artificial sweetener to use. I’d rather have people eat natural foods. If you’re worried about losing weight, you should use lifestyle modifications and not gimmicks, which I think these are.”

Etown

Etown: Music, activism and a message of hope
By Lizzy Scully

Emanating from the airwaves of Boulder, Colo., the weekly independent radio show Etown spreads its unique mixture of down-to-earth music and socially conscious talk show dialogue to thousands of listeners around the country, and has done so for well over 15 years. But Etown is more than just a radio show, says co-founder, actress/singer and co-host of the show, Helen Forster, it is a nonprofit “community on the air.”

“No matter where you are you can plug into Etown,” she explained. “You can learn and get some hope along the way and maybe even some inspiration to get involved in your own community.” When Helen and her husband, former Hot Rize member Nick Forster, began their endeavor in 1991, she added, there “seemed to be a lot of apathy.” But it wasn’t a result of people being unaware or not wanting to be involved. Rather, “problems at the time seemed so overwhelming, and people felt powerless. It’s very easy to say, ‘how can I possible scratch the surface and make a difference with all these big looming environmental problems?’”

The Forsters’ solution was to use music to get peoples’ attention and bring well-known activists, politicians, authors and others to the show to address pressing social and environmental issues. Folks like Jane Goodall, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Terry Tempest Williams have candid conversations with Nick Forster in front of a live audience, while musicians, such as Emmylou Harris, Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, and Sarah McLachlan share the stage and perform with less well-known and oftentimes eclectic artists.

“We are constantly looking to create compatible diversity on the show,” said Forster in a 2006 Denver Post article. “We don't want to just do all bluegrass or pop or jazz. We want to mix it up with musicians from Uganda or Steve Earle with Dar Williams.” They are also looking for ways to directly connect audience members and listeners with the show. One way they do that is with the e-chievement award, where one outstanding community activist or volunteer is recognized for making a positive difference in her/his community or beyond. Listeners nominate winners, whose success stories are celebrated on air.

The overall effect of the show, said Forster, is that “people feel really connected … they are inspired and they’re moved, whether by the e-chievement award or what an artist is working on.” There’s also magic in creating all of this in front of a live audience, she added. Though the Forsters’ primarily do their show at the Boulder Theater, they occasionally take requests for tapings in other parts of the Front Range or elsewhere in the United States in order to establish a direct rapport with the stations that invite them. “We want to keep in touch with our listeners in other parts of the country,” Forster explained.

Where once the Forsters’ struggled to get their show on the air – NPR rejected the idea at first, and then dropped the show after four years during Newt Gingrich’s assault on public funding for radio – now they play to 600,000 weekly listeners on 230 stations in 46 states. “We’re not affiliated with the university or a network like NPR, or even a radio station,” Forster explained. “We are a truly independent program.” In a world inundated with celebrity worship, commercials that make us feel badly about ourselves and vacuous and negative reality shows, Etown offers its audiences a refreshing sense of hope and positive energy.

For more information on tapings or live shows, visit: www.etown.org.

Giving Thanks

Being Grateful, Giving Thanks
By Lizzy Scully

Lord most giving and resourceful,
I implore you;
make it your will
that this people enjoy
the goods and riches you naturally give,
that naturally issue from you,
that are pleasing and savory,
that delight and comfort,
though lasting but briefly,
passing away as if in a dream.
~Aztec Prayer from the 1500's

Since the religious beginnings of Thanksgiving, this particular American holiday has been expressed in different ways, but its underlying themes – being thankful and giving selflessly without expectation for anything in return – can be found throughout the world’s religions. Why are these things important? The Berthoud Recorder spoke with leaders, teachers and lay people from Loveland to Boulder to get various perspectives on the importance of giving thanks and how that relates directly to helping others.

Catholics place a lot of importance on “giving back” to God, and in doing that one is supposed to “serve the poor as if they were the masters and we the servants, rather than merely condescending to serve the less fortunate,” www.dioceseofmonterey.org. A popular prayer for Thanksgiving encourages people to open their hearts “to the concern for our fellow men and women” (http://www.catholic.org/clife/prayers/).

According to Mary Raker, a Catholic and the business manager for St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Loveland, “when we give to other people, we are giving Christ to them.” In the scripture, she added, “it says if you give of yourself without expecting anything in return, I will multiply what you have tenfold.” Thus, members of her church give 10 percent of everything they own to the church during Sunday mass. “We trust him ultimately and with everything we have,” she explained, adding that the gift God gave Catholics, “we willingly give back to him.”

According to Pastor Scott Phillips of Berthoud’s 1st Presbyterian Church, members of his church give generously to others, especially those who are disadvantaged, because they have been given “more than enough” by God. “That is what we proclaim when we give of ourselves,” he explained. “Through our gifts of service, our prayers, our helping hands, our willingness to give, and all the other ways that we share ourselves, we proclaim the generosity of God to our church, our community, and our world. And we reach out with our time, out talents, our building and ourselves and say, ‘God is amazingly generous, and we are thankful!’”

Thanksgiving, he added, is a great time to remember these things. “It is when we look at the amazing number of blessings around us … from family and friends to food a shelter, from health and provision to sunrises and forests, from the joys of laughter to the comfort of prayer, from the life offered in Christ to God’s encouragement and instruction in the Bible … and we stand in awe.”

The Muslim perspective of giving thanks carries a similar theme, as evidenced by their saying, “Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.” It translates to “In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate,” and according to wahiduddin.net, the phrase “contains the true essence of the entire Qur’an, as well as the true essence of all religions.” Muslims say it before meals and before embarking on any significant endeavor.

It’s not enough to just say those words, however. There must be meaning behind the words. People who say the phrase with their own self-centered or selfish needs in mind, says the Web site, will “will receive their just reward ... suffering, pain and confusion,” while those who dedicate every step of their lives to “the glory and service of God,” including serving the needy, shall receive a “just reward ... peace, love and beauty.”

Buddhists also have some unique ways of expressing thanks and give to others, one of which can be summarized in the teaching, “Be grateful to everyone,” discussed by Buddhist nun and meditation master Pema Chödrön in her book, “Start Where You Are”. The slogan is about making peace with the aspects of ourselves that we have rejected, and making peace with people we dislike.

“If we were to make a list of people we don’t like – people we find obnoxious, threatening, or worthy of contempt – we would find out a lot about those aspects of ourselves that we can’t face,” Chödrön says. “They mirror us and give us the chance to befriend all of that ancient stuff that we carry around like a backpack full of granite boulders.”

Furthermore, said Buddhist practitioner and Naropa University instructor, Jim Yensen, when you make peace with yourself and others, you are transforming your outlook and your views, and appreciating things as they are. “It’s one thing to have a philosophical view that ‘things are just what they are,’ but that doesn’t help human beings very much,” he stated. “But a sense of the sacredness of things as they actually are, a sense of appreciation, that changes your life.” “Be grateful to everyone” helps people “see things in a different way,” he continued. “Every thing (and every situation) provides you with an opportunity to become free from ego, which is a source of suffering, according to Buddhism.”

An article on www.jewishaz.com by Moshe Novakoff, further illustrates the commonalities in all these religious and philosophical beliefs. “How can a person truly show that they are thankful if they continually approach the subject of their thankfulness in a mundane way?” asks the Navakoff. “There is nothing about gratitude that is static; it is operative in its truest sense when it inspires a person towards renewal and transformation.” One of the most authentic ways a person can show how thankful they are is to change the nature of who they are and how they perceive the world, he continued.

While Judaism’s actual teachings may differ slightly from Buddhist teachings, the themes underlying both are selflessness and generosity. By thinking about the points outlined in this article, we can open our eyes, hearts and minds to allow situations in life to become our teachers; and we can consider putting other people first. Think about these ideas when you give thanks this year on November 27, or, even better, donate a turkey and other items to the needy or be one of countless volunteers in the United States who volunteer their time at soup kitchens.

As Navakoff said, “Let us use gratitude as a mantra this Thanksgiving to help those who feel hopeless imagine the world and themselves new again.”

For more information on Colorado’s homeless shelters, visit: http://singanewsong.50megs.com/soupkitchen.htm.

Sandi Ault, best selling murder mystery author

I wrote this for the Berthoud Recorder.

Local author finds success with mystery series
By Lizzy Scully

This November, Publishers Weekly named Sandi Ault’s book, “Wild Inferno,” as one of nine of its best books of the year. A resident of Pinewood Springs, Colo., Ault has written two novels in her WILD mystery series and has a third coming out February 2008.

After being severely injured in an automobile accident, Sandi Ault’s life changed drastically. However, the difficult recovery period opened up a new and exciting chapter of her life. A journalist and editor, Ault found she couldn’t deal with the stress and pressure of the fast-paced newspaper world with a head injury, but she wanted to keep up her writing skills. So, she began writing her first murder mystery novel.

“To keep my hand in it, I decided to write something longer so that I had to try to keep my short term memory going,” she said. “My neurosurgeon thought it was a great exercise for me.”

What followed was what Ault calls a “Cinderella story.” Rather than receive countless rejection letters as most new book authors do, Ault found dozens of agents who wanted to represent her books.

“I picked the agent I liked the best, and when we sent it to the publishers, we had so many offers we had to have an auction,” she said. “I had instant success.” Then Ault’s first book, “Wild Indigo,” won the prestigious Mary Higgens Clark – Edgar award and both it and “Wild Inferno” made it to numerous bestseller lists. Ault’s best book is yet to come.

“I think the next one is the best thing I’ve ever written,” Ault said, an excited tone to her voice. The story includes an abandoned boarding school on Native American lands, a murder (of course), her famed heroine and sleuth Jamaica, Jamaica’s wolf companion, and a mountain lion that “represents native cultures and the West living on a knife edge.”

Ault’s stories are steeped in Pueblo culture and set in the wide-open landscapes of the Southwest, which are both “vanishing. I’m hurrying as fast as I can to capture the Wild West while it is still here,” she explained.

Her stories are also infused with experiences from her own life. Wolf characters appear in each novel and are based on the wolf companions she’s had for many years; her novels are set in the West, a landscape she lives in and has explored extensively; and they have Native American characters, based on her experiences and friendships with the Pueblos. Plus, “Wild Inferno” opens with a raging fire and includes information that Ault gleaned from her work as a Type 2 Fire Information Officer. The “dramatic” and “exciting” job offers the perfect opener to grab the reader’s attention, she stated.

Ault believes she is “very good” at drawing people into her stories. Compared to Tony Hillerman and Nevada Barr, her books are experiential, much like her favorite mystery author, James Lee Burke. “I’m not a plot-oriented person,” she stated. “It’s more texture. It’s place. It’s sensual. People seem to love it.”

Clearly they do. Her publisher will keep her busy writing one book per year, and doing conferences, book signings and other writing-related events.

Though excited, this means Ault doesn’t get much sleep these days. “I can’t write on the road,” she explained, “so what I end up doing is holing up for long periods of time – four to eight weeks – and then I just work night and day. I don’t stop unless I have to eat, pee or go to the market for coffee.” She likens these periods to the Pueblo Indian’s “quiet time,” when they close the reservation to tourists and “live in the old way.” They put their moccasins and blankets back on, while Ault hangs out in her “jammies.”

“It’s cool,” she added. And it works.

According to Publishers Weekly, “The dramatic background … and a smooth blending of plot and Native American lore and rituals make Ault’s sequel to her impressive debut (Wild Indigo, 2007) a richer novel than her first.”

In regards Publishers Weekly’s praise, Ault said she’s “just awestruck. For them to say my book was one of the best books of 2008 is just one of the highest acclaims. I’m in such wonderful company.”

For more information on Ault’s books, visit: www.sandiault.com. Both her books are published by Berkley Prime Crime/Penguin USA and are available at booksellers everywhere.

Photo courtesy of Sandi Ault.
Sandi Ault and her wolf companion, Tiwa.

Note from Emily Sherman-Davis

This note is from Common Ground Society's Program Director Emily Sherman-Davis in response to a note I sent her along with those terrible statistics I published on my blog yesterday. I wrote, "Those statistics make me feel sick." She responded:

Lizzy

I can understand how you feel, but it is also pathetic when you see the girls or the victims themselves. The personal tragedy is too terrible and I can tell you stories upon stories of what I saw during the war. When it comes to rape, especially up country, people are too scared to talk about it, women are seen as tools to be used by men, girls get ostracized because of rape and sometimes even blamed. Women live in a very harsh world here. It is only now that thngs are taking a different trend. We have a woman president and she is doing her best. But women need to stand up for themselves. How can they, when they can't get an education. This is the struggle and it is going to be a long and ardous journey. I am happy that your organization is helping our girls. Someday, it is my desire that you come and see this country and the children you are helping.

Rgds
Emily

Conditions in Liberia are

Lizzy Update:
I'm still taking a break from blogging, but will post occasional articles and interesting happenings at Girls Education International.

In other news, I have an article on Madaleine Sorkin being published in the next issue of Rock & Ice mag, as well as two articles in Mountain Flyer, one on Jen Gersbach and one on custom painting mountain bikes. I've also been writing regularly for the Berthoud Recorder and just finished two very interesting and informative articles (at least they informed me) about sleep apnea in children and the difference between Equal and Splenda (stay away from both; they're both awful for your health). I also wrote a profile on this wonderful local murder mystery author named Sandi Ault. In fact, I'll go ahead and post it tomorrow.

Currently I am working on a grant for our project in Liberia, I've applied for a part-time job as a bartender at the Greenbriar Inn (they have 1200 wines on their wine list!!) I hope I get it so I can learn how to make chocolate martinis and figure out the subtleties of red wine.

Stuff I've learned about Liberia:

The situation for women in Liberia is dire, which is why we (at Girls Education International) are committed to supporting our Liberia Scholarship Program for the long term and expanding it over the next few years. I found this entry on a woman's blog. It is powerful. Among other things that are really sticking in my head are the facts that the rape rate is upwards of 77% and the literacy rate for women is less than 30%. To read more, visit this powerful blog.

SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2007
Personalizing the reality of Liberia's gender statistics
Statistics about the situation of women in Liberia are few. After 14 years of civil conflict, the lack of data is a huge constraint for government and development partners alike. One of the ongoing priorities is to gather data to characterize the population and inform policy, especially as the country moves into the process of drafting its 5-year Poverty Reduction Strategy. Over the past week, I have been working with the Ministry of Gender to review and revise the nation's Gender Profile and Gender Needs Assessment, telling a story with what little information is available. I'm keeping my nerdy fingers crossed that the Demographic and Health Survey data will be out in July, as promised, so that I can do some data crunching to expand upon the data we have now (including violence prevalence rates, perceptions on HIV/AIDs, education attainment and women's health concerns). Below, I have attempted to pass along some of the harsh reality that the current reports contain.

Think of a room of 100 women/girls in your life.

I picture my mom, 2 grandmothers and 7 aunts. 17 girl cousins, my 2 high school best friends (aka sisters), my god-daughter. My 11 college roommates and 15 young women who participated in service trips, retreats and adventures with me at Boston College. My 32 female peers in the 2008 MPA/ID class at the Kennedy School and 4 faculty/staff who have influenced my studies throughout the years. 4 women who were my community in Laredo and 8 mentors from Casa de Misericordia Domestic Violence Shelter.

100 women. Who would be in your room?

Now, imagine that these 100 women live, not in the United States, but in Liberia. What would this mean?*

Women will average six children each and the entire room will mother 620 children. 97 of those babies will die before they reach the age of 5 years old. Pick 61 women who will watch at least one child die before it reached school age. About 25 women will experience this loss more than once. Luckily in my own randomized exercise, my mom was one of the 39 women who never had a child die. 4 of the 97 dead infants belonged to my friend Maggie.

Now select a group of 11 women and a group of 4. 11 women will deliver their children with the assistance of trained medical professionals; 4 women will die giving childbirth. My Granny Stanger, cousin Darci, roommate Regina and classmate Caroline died while giving birth (I’ll ignore the fact that my Granny’s death might have erased the existence of 10% of the room).

Separate nearly two-thirds of the room: 74 women in the room will be illiterate adults – unable to read newspapers, street signs, books or guides to proper health care. As a comparison, if the room were 100 men, half would be illiterate. In my simulation, 7 out of my 32 Kennedy School classmates are able to read and write their names. My Aunt Denise and my Grandma Dauenbaugh no longer share books with each other and my god-daughter will never be able to read her birthday cards.

Now add in a new assumption, the room of women are all from the urban area of Monrovia:
28 work as market vender/petty traders, 5 work in clerical positions, 3 are skilled laborers or work in manufacturing. Overall, 41 women are working and of these 33 are self-employed.

Now assume your network of women comes from rural areas:
65 women have access to land for farming, but only 7 women in the room own land that they farm. In fact, even though the law of inheritance changed in 2003 to grant wives the right to 1/3 of their husbands’ property (previously, they had no rights over his property), 28 women in the room believe that the law does not even allow them to own land. (32 have husbands who believe the same). This is all in spite of the fact that women in Liberia are collectively responsible for 60% of the total agricultural production of the country.

Final scenario, the 100 women in the room were forced to leave their homes or were directly affected by the 14-year civil conflict in Liberia:
Separate just over three-quarters of the room. These 77 women were raped. 13 women became pregnant as a result of rape. In my room it was my Mom, aunt Jodi, cousin Cassie, 4 friends from Boston College, 2 colleagues from Laredo, and 4 of my KSG classmates.
42 women were subjected to internal body cavity searches.
23 women suffer from permanent physical disfigurement
Pick out one woman in the room. My random sampling drew my college roommate Lizzie. She was forced to eat or sell pieces of a loved-one’s body. Imagine her telling you a story similar to one of these:

“The soldiers cut my husband’s head off after he witnessed powerlessly them raping me. After they cut him into pieces, they put the pieces in the pot and asked me to cook it. After cooking, they forced us to eat. I am not the way I was before.”

Or

“My son was killed by a group of rebels and the body was cut into pieces and put into a wheelbarrow. They (rebels) gave it to me for sale. I did it because I was afraid to be cut to death.”

Only six women are free from physical/health consequences from the abuse they were subjected to during the war.*