Heidi W. Durrow News

The New Bellwether Book is Here!

2012-01-30T17:17:42Z

A very huge congratulations to Naomi Benaron author of the newly released Bellwether Prize winning book, Running the Rift. It's a wonderful story of hope and dreams set against the backdrop of Rwanda before the genocide and beyond. I know you'll enjoy this wonderful book! And if you have a chance to see Naomi in person on her tour, please do! She has so many wonderful stories to share about her writing and life. Yay Naomi!

PCC Reads Video Part 6

2012-01-16T12:08:54Z

So this is it guys--the last of the PCC reads videos. I hope you had a chance to see all of them--PCC did an amazing job of bringing together a wide-range of students into the campus-wide read program. I am honored that I was a part of it! Thank you PCC! Maybe I'll see some of you at the Schnitz on March 6? It's a whole new show!

PCC Reads Video Part 5

2012-01-13T12:23:34Z

I was so happy to talk with the student leaders of PCC's Multicultural Center about The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. The questions were great and we had a great time talking after the camera stopped rolling too!

PCC Reads Video Part 4

2012-01-12T12:24:00Z

One of the most exciting things about PCC choosing The Girl Who Fell From the Sky for its campus-wide read was meeting the ESOL students. There are students from across the globe studying at PCC and for some of them--my book was their first read of a novel in English. This is a great honor. What I heard from the students was that there were many ways they could relate to the characters as immigrants to a new community and trying to find their own way too. And you must see the beautiful watercolor that one of the students was inspired to create after reading the book. She is hugely talented!

PCC Reads Video Part 3

2012-01-11T12:25:40Z

I was excited to hear what The Illumination Project theatre students would do for the staged reading of this passage from The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. I read it at a couple of appearances years ago, but felt so awful about saying the N-word, I vowed never to do it again. But I think they did an awesome job with this staged reading of a passage from The Girl Who Fell From the Sky.

PCC Reads Video Part 2

2012-01-10T12:25:03Z

The Illumination Project theatre students do an awesome job with this staged reading of a passage from The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. Thanks for bringing such wonderful life to the words!

PCC Reads Video Part 1

2012-01-09T12:25:17Z

I just discovered that the video of my visit to Portland Community College last Spring has been posted on You Tube. This is the video (in 6 parts) of the wonderful culminating event at Sylvania campus. Students, staff and faculty interview me. Best of all there is a staged reading of a couple of passages from the book by the wonderful student actors. I hope you'll enjoy watching this as much as I enjoyed doing the event!

Everybody Reads 2012 Has Begun

2012-01-08T20:02:13Z

Everybody Reads 2012 is well underway! Multnomah County Library is giving away 6000 copies of a special edition of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. I think you can find a copy at any branch of the library, Portland State University, and Oregon Public Broadcasting. (This is a photo a friend of mine sent to me of a display at the North Portland branch.

Everybody Reads 2012 Schedule of Events

2011-12-26T16:22:00Z

Everybody Reads 2012 has announced the schedule of events for the community to get together and discuss The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. There are lectures and roundtable talks and I just wish I could be there for all of the events. I will be speaking at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on March 6. Get your tickets now! See you there!

2012 Appearances

2011-12-02T16:15:07Z

It's been nice to be off the road for the last few weeks, but that won't last forever. I'll be traveling again starting in February 2012. In addition to the events listed below, I'll also be speaking at Missouri State, University of Washington, Exeter, and the Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD in the coming months. As soon as I have the specifics about those appearances, I will be sure to post the information on my website. I hope to see you on the road!

Purdue University

Feb. 23, 2012 7PM

I'll be reading at Purdue University, Ernest C. Young Hall Room 1037, W. Lafayette, IN 47906.
* * * * *
AWP Conference

Feb. 29-March 2, 2012

Join me for this great panel: Keeping a Debut Book Alive with Justin Taylor, Marie Mockett, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Dylan Landis, and me! Thursday, March 1 at 1:30 PM to 2:45 PM. Scheduled Room, Hotel, Floor: Crystal Room, Palmer House Hilton, 3rd Floor!
* * * * *
Pasadena Festival of Women Authors

March 3, 2012

I'll be part of the wonderful Pasadena Festival of Women Authors featuring Susan Straight, Fannie Flagg, Michelle Huneven, and moderated by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey. For more information visit the Festival website.
* * * * *
Everybody Reads 2012

March 6, 2012

I'm thrilled that The Girl Who Fell From the Sky is the Everybody Reads 2012 selection and I will do a presentation at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. For more information and ticket information, click here.
* * * * *
AAUW Literary Lunch

March 17, 2012

I'm thrilled to be part of this program. For more information click here.
* * * * *
Story Week Festival

March 18-March 23, 2012

I'm thrilled to be part of this Festival. Details to come.
* * * * *
Rutgers University - Camden

April 11, 2012

I'm thrilled to do a reading and signing with writer Tiphanie Yanique.
* * * * *
Santa Barbara Women's Literary Lunch

May 5, 2012

I'll be a part of this wonderful program. For more information click here.
* * * * *
Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival

June 16-17, 2012

Don't miss the 5th Annual Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival www.mxroots.org.

Terry McMillan and Me Interview

2011-12-01T15:36:56Z

I was so incredibly honored that Terry McMillan agreed to participate in the Algonquin Book Club interview event at Book Passage last August. (BTW: The next ABC event is Dec. 8: a live webcast with Robert Goolrick and Garth Stein!) You have no idea how much fun we had! Unfortunately, the digital video recording of the live webcast got scrambled. Luckily, I had my handy-dandy digital voice recorder with me. I was sitting here today getting some great inspiration from my Terry McMillan pen--yes, she gave me a pen! And I was supposed to be thanking her! And I realized that I hadn't shared the audio with all of you here on my website. Well, at last, here it is! Thank you, Ms. Terry McMillan for a wonderful wonderful night. It was an unforgettable delight to share the stage with you!

You can download it: Heidi Durrow & Terry McMillan Algonquin Book Club Night (mp3). You can also

subscribe to my podcast

via itunes and never miss another one of my audio podcasst.

My College of William & Mary Visit

2011-11-30T17:47:23Z

I had the very best time visiting with students and faculty at the College of William & Mary earlier this month! Prof. Jacqueline McLendon, a fellow lover of Nella Larsen, is teaching The Girl Who Fell From the Sky in a course on major African-American women writers. (Too cool, right?) Thank you to everyone I met during my visit!

My Visit to SE Missouri State

2011-11-29T16:15:40Z

I just loved my visit to SE Missouri State. I visited at the invitation of Dr. Susan Swartout, an amazing and inspiring professor and writer. She mentioned to me that many of the college's students were the first in their families to go to a four-year college--I totally could relate to that! I loved meeting the students and have been keeping touch with a handful via Facebook. Thank you all for a really amazing trip to Cape Girardeau, MO!

My Visit to Catlin Gabel

2011-11-28T16:16:03Z

The character Jesse in The Girl Who Fell From the Sky is a graduate of Catlin Gabel High School. Imagine how excited I was to learn that the students were assigned the book as a school-wide summer read, and that I had been invited to speak to them. I had an absolutely wonderful time speaking with the students who had engaging and insightful questions. In particular they wanted to know: Why did the character have to be from Catlin Gabel? Some thought that OES would have suited him better. Thank you to Catlin Gabel for a great time!

Interview with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

2011-11-25T15:04:21Z

I so enjoyed talking at the Pen on Fire Literary Salon along with Danzy Senna in September that I was thrilled to continue the conversation with host Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on her podcast on writing and writers on KUCI-FM. You can hear the interview here.