Years ago Stanley had the misfortune of being flattened by a bulletin board.  He’s made the best of his situation for decades and traveled around the world by envelope.

As someone who has had the pleasure of buying a lot of plane tickets lately, I have to say, I’m a tad envious.

Really, the Flat Stanley Project is a teaching tool for young students to learn about correspondence (and awesome places like The Wren’s Nest and a cauldron full of boiled peanuts).  Last week, Lain and I each received a Flat Stanley and a delightful hand-written letter from two first grade students in Illinois.

As you may have guessed, we have taken our responsibilities very seriously.  The four of us have been all over the place, having a grand old time — even suburbia.

Well, that was probably the least grand part.

Are  you looking for a good place to visit with your Flat Stanley?  Might I suggest The Wren’s Nest?  I assure you, should you arrive at our Spring Break (Woo!) Storytelling Extravaganza this week with Stanley in tow, he will be treated like a (paper) king.

For example, one of my favorite books when I was little (I’m very tall now) was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  Check out the review!  You’re right, J.D. Age 7, it is funny to see food falling from the sky!

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food was also a favorite (apparently I only liked books about food) and boy, does Kevin S. capture the magic! Pants ripping does a favorite character make, I tell you what.

The only problem with this goldmine?  No Brer Rabbit stories!  As the Spaghetti reviewers would say, what the heck?!

Dear reader, let’s change this — together.

The Wren’s Nest is looking for reviews of Brer Rabbit stories and books from children ages 9 and under.

For their trouble, we’ll send them a Wren’s Nest t-shirt AND feature their review on our website.  In short, we will make them both stylish and famous.  Pretty good, right?

You can send reviews via email to me at amelia@wrensnestonline.com, or just mail the whole shebang all old-fashioned-like to the Nest.  Pictures not only appreciated but cherished forever and always.

Need proof?  Game on.

1. Rachael Maddux, author of “Dummies in the Attic,” our feature in the July ’08 Paste Magazine, is also an author of An Indie Rock Alphabet.  Easy.

2. The release party was at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur.  Wait, do I mean the store managed by Duck and Herring Co. editor and Wren’s Nest volunteer Terra McVoy?  The very place we held half of the meetings for the Wren’s Nest Publishing Company?  I do!  How convenient!

3. The entire administrative staff of the Wren’s Nest was there.  Sure, that’s only two people, but they’re the two people who write this blog.

4. The party was totally awesome.  The Wren’s Nest is totally awesome!  Maybe that should have been #1.

5.  The book was released by Paste Magazine, which we toured with the Wren’s Nest Publishing Company.  Ta da!

6. There was beer, complete and total rocking out, and every hip baby this side of the Ole Mississip’.   There were even toddlers sitting in a semi-circle while Judi Chicago jammed like no one has jammed (in front of a stroller while using a keytar) before.

(Thanks to Josh Jackson at Paste for letting me steal this photo.)

Why were the kids sitting like that?  Because that’s all they know how to do.  So maybe this one wasn’t a connection, per se, but did I mention beer and funny babies?!

In short, we asked Rachael if she could publish another book by next Sunday so that we could all do this again.  It was great.  Buy the book at Little Shop of Stories and check out more pictures over at Paste.

I was a little nervous.  I’ve never spoken in front of that big an audience before.  Plus, they were way outside my usual target demographic (namely: Stately Dames, ages 72 – 86).

To make the Wren’s Nest a little more relevant to the students of Pace Academy, I brought out the big guns.  My published works from the Pace Publishing Company, circa 1989, were included in the presentation.

I’ve included one of the better works below.  Enjoy.

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(The End)

If this does not inspire students to contribute to the Wren’s Nest Publishing Company, I do not know what will.

Let’s ignore, for a moment, the irony concerning the destruction of the “Life of Georgia” building.  Really, Atlanta?  Again?  Can we just keep something?  Please?

Jim Auchmutey (who is a very nice man) writes:

Emory Crawford Long Hospital plans to demolish the 78-year-old Life of Georgia building, at West Peachtree Street and Linden Avenue, to make way for a medical complex scheduled to open in 2013.

The Atlanta Preservation Center is already on the case, and you can sign their petition here, if you’re so inclined.  And, by the way, you totally should be.

For one, the Life of Georgia building (also known as the Industrial Life and Health Insurance Co. building) is made of Indiana limestone.  That stuff’s very pretty, in case you were wondering.  Perhaps I am biased, having gone to a pretty college made of said pretty limestone.

For two, why do hospitals in Atlanta (or anywhere, really) have such spotty records when it comes to creating new facilities that so often detract from the environment around them?

I’m sure the insides are top o’ the line.  But in terms of design, it’s like they’re trying to rend the urban fabric and kill any semblance of connectivity or pedestrian inclusion.  Keeping this building would buck the trend, for sure.

So hey.  We can do better than this. Preservation may be expensive now, but tearing down this building will be much more costly in the future.

h/t: Atlanta Intown’s In the Loop, from a while back

Related:

• Life of Georgia Photo Album on Flickr

• Life of Georgia Photos on Atlanta Time Machine

• Atlanta Preservation Center

As usual, we’re here to highlight the best and the bravest of our latest batch of fan mail.  Or, more accurately, Nannie and Josie‘s fan mail.  No one appreciates the people behind the desks.  Sigh.

Onwards!

I’ve been saying the Wren’s Nest is totally awesome for a while, but foxes with smiley faced tees really drive the point home.

Garrett played it cool for a while there, but then BAM!  We like you too, Garrett.

I wish everyone would finish their letters to us this way.  You’re welcome, friend, you’re so very very welcome.

This one is my favorite and, unfortunately, the hardest to read.  Here’s what it says:

The STROYIS funny. Thank you. Baer Fox. Tar Baby. Brer Rabbit. Brer Baer. Brer Turtle. 100 Years. Uncle Remes. Mr. Harris. Josie. Dear Red nest. Nannie.

An abstract poem?  Many short and important statements?  A total disregard for punctuation?  I don’t know!  But I love it!

There are about three very hungry baby birds in there, being small and opening their mouths.

Between my mysterious baby-bird-proximity-induced whispers and Lain’s overwhelming fear that the mama bird would disown the babies if we looked at them too long, we only got one quick snapshot.

Previously:

• 120 Years Later, Wrens Still Make Nests In Wren’s Nest Mailbox

We’ve recently gotten a new batch of fanmail for Miss Nannie, and it looks like the goal this time was to draw the Wren’s Nest. There were varying levels of success.

I mean, that’s clearly a house. And the border is totally in our colors. Save for the hovering M’s, this is spot on!

Judging from this picture, this student may have either enjoyed their time at the Nest or seen a ghost and lost the will to live/draw.

This one’s your pretty basic people-with-trees-living-in-them deal. Let’s cut to the chase: FROM ADONIS. Pressure!

There’s a lot going on here. Lain thinks it looks a person wearing a traditional African hat.

Maybe so. I think the hat looks like scribbled out initials. Perhaps it’s supposed to be embroidered.

Either way: why can’t this child come back?! S/he even wishes it. Be strong, little one.

I feel I can say, without bias, that this one is absolutely the best. Here’s why:

1. Cursive. Duh.
2. Two loves! That are color-accented! Beautiful!
3. Look how much Callie loves Joel Chandler Ha. Ha!

Nice work, children! Nicer work, Nannie!

Cool dresses. Where can I get one?

Left to right: Brer Fox, Linda Harris, Joel Chandler Harris Jr, Annette Harris, Brer Frog, Brer Bear.

This evening I was clearing out old and inherited files on this here computer and found some pictures of the very same books. Well, one of them, anyway.

This is the Wren’s Nest’s copy.

If I understand correctly (and I probably don’t!), the author did not usually autograph copies of the book after the first run.

She may have made an exception for us, though perhaps someone from the Margaret Mitchell House could enlighten us.

Text: For the library of the Uncle Remus Memorial Association with the compliments of the author.

Margaret Mitchell
Atlanta, Ga.
August 26, 1936.

What I don’t have a picture of is the letter that has been inserted in the book. In it, Ms. Mitchell explains that her eyes are way too tired, and she can hardly see anything. She promised to sign the Wren’s Nest’s copy eventually, and looks like she made good on it.

Gone with the Wind was initially published in June May [thanks, Sam!] of that same year. They really burned through those printings, huh?