Bookish Adventures — from Africa to Pennsylvania

Anthony Majok visited Tannery Books last weekend to sign his new book. (I can't believe I forgot to take his picture! This is his PR photo.) He was so nice, and his story is fascinating: when he was 7 years old, he escaped into the jungle when his village was attacked and his father killed. With a group of other children, he survived more than a decade on the run. Refugee workers called them the Lost Boys of Sudan (but there were Lost Girls, too, and Anthony eventually married one of them).

Now a U.S. citizen with a family of his own, Anthony has written his memoir, Journey of Faith. Proceeds benefit others who are building a new life in South Sudan.

English is not Anthony's first language. He can speak it, but dedicated friends from Writers Group of the Triad helped him edit and publish his story. I'm really looking forward to reading it!

In less than a day (as in, it will still be dark!) I'm leaving for Philadelphia for the Quakers Uniting in Publications annual meeting.  I'll get to see people I met last year at the QUIP meeting in England and hear about publishing, marketing and bookselling. Although I wish I had the whole week for genealogy research at nearby Swarthmore and Haverford libraries, the logistics didn't work out this time. We do get a library tour on Friday, so I plan to scout out resources for a future research trip.

My dear laptop just got out of minor surgery. Barring any technical difficulties, I'll keep you posted from Philadelphia. You can also follow QUIP on Facebook or Twitter.