My book tour has opened the door to many fun opportunities, one of which is the chance to interview with great bloggers I’ve admired since starting Pass the Torch in 2006. To listen to these talk shows, please just click the “Play” button on the widgets below.

On Home School Talk, Dana and I discuss youth empowerment as it relates to all youth, but also its relevance to homeschooling families. We also talk about the one-year homeschool experiment my family embarked upon at the same time as I was writing my book.

On Behind the Blog, I talk with talented hosts and bloggers Melanie Nelson and Karen Lewis. We discuss my journey to becoming an author. Although my path isn’t typical, I do think it points to the innate value of blogging to prospective authors.

Want to schedule an interview? Please email kellycurtiswriter(at)gmail(dot)com

Today I published the September column for Positively Speaking. My topic this month is poverty, and I address ways we can build the assets of caring and equality and social justice.

Also, earlier this week, I joined Melanie Nelson and Karen Lewis on Blog Talk Radio for their show, “Behind the Blog.” You can listen to the entire show by clicking on the widget below. Blog World Expo founder Rick Calvert is interviewed in the first half, and my segment follows. I discuss my series on Becoming an Author.

Susan Carney at Suite 101 wrote this review of Empowering Youth on her youth development blog.

I also have several book giveaways to mention – these are perfect for educators:Great Group Games (through September 12)
Team Challenges (through September 12)
Empowering Youth - Girlfriendology podcast interview
Empowering Youth - Beauty Inside and Out (through September 12)

Want to schedule an interview? Please email: kellycurtiswriter(at)gmail(dot)com
Would you like Pass the Torch updates? Just sign up for them via email or feed. I will never spam you or give out your address.

Please join me on the Empowering Youth Book Tour!

Take a PEEK inside Empowering Youth!

INTERVIEWS:

Interview with Mary from Everyday Baby Steps – we discuss writing, youth empowerment and parenting.

Girlfriendology podcast - my interview with Debba Haupert. We discuss youth empowerment and community-building.

Blog Talk Radio – Behind the Blog – Melanie Nelson and Karen Lewis interview me about the transition from blogging to traditional media, and my path to becoming an author.

Blog Talk Radio – Interview with Dana on Home School Talk. We discuss youth empowerment and my one-year homeschool experiment.

JJ Cooper – Five Quick Questions with Kelly Curtis.

REVIEWS:

Jennifer Donovan at 5 Minutes for Books

Laura Smith, Community Coordinator for the Snoqualmie Valley Community Network

School counselor Susan Carney at Youth Development – Suite 101

School Counselor Shannon Hutton writes a review of Empowering Youth at Ask the School Counselor.

John Pearson – “Mr. Teacher”

Asset trainers and authors Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor review my book on their blog, The Asset Edge.

Blogger and mother, Robin at Pensieve, reviews Empowering Youth in a powerful and poignant way.

GUEST ARTICLES:

How to Empower Your Students
Good News About Youth

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

COMING SOON:

November 6, 2009 – Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Conference, Cincinnati, OH
Kelly and her 12-year-old daughter, Prudential Spirit of Community Distinguished Finalist and Kohl’s Kids Who Care scholarship winner and founder of BookWorm Wednesday will facilitate a breakout session on how youth can start their own neighborhood book clubs.

January 13, 2010 – American Camp Association Conference, Hunt, TX
Kelly will deliver the keynote address, and Kelly and her daughter, Prudential Spirit of Community Distinguished Finalist and Kohl’s Kids Who Care scholarship winner and founder of BookWorm Wednesday will facilitate breakout sessions.

PAST ENGAGEMENTS:

October 9 and 10, 2008 – NWEA Teacher’s Convention, Eau Claire, WI
Kelly and her 11-year-old daughter, Kohl’s Kids Who Care scholarship winner and founder of BookWorm Wednesday.

November 6, 2008 – Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Conference, Minneapolis, MN
Kelly and her 11-year-old daughter, Kohl’s Kids Who Care scholarship winner and founder of BookWorm Wednesday.

February 20, 2009 – Wisconsin School Counselors Association Conference, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Kelly and her 11-year-old daughter, Kohl’s Kids Who Care scholarship winner and founder of BookWorm Wednesday.

Want to schedule an interview? Please email: kellycurtiswriter (at) gmail (dot) com Like to read my updates? Just sign up for them via email or feed. I will never spam you or give out your address.

Do you have good news to share about youth? I’m encouraging bloggers to share “Good News About Youth and the Adults Who Empower Them.” Please write about the great things you see happening in your community – and I’ll feature links once per week through August.

Here are a few of my recent articles related to youth empowerment:

Service to Others: Raising Charitable Kids (5 Minutes for Mom – Positively Speaking)
My Daughter Won the Kohl’s Scholarship (Pass the Torch)
How to Empower Your Students (So You Want to Teach)
Youth Empowerment (Pass the Torch)
Good News About Youth is There When We Seek It (E-Writing)
Growing a Servant’s Heart (Pass the Torch)

Feel free to attribute and republish a short excerpt of any of the above articles, and link to the complete original post.

My book, Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things will soon be available everywhere. If you’re looking for it, the following stores and major online retailers are a good place to start:

SearchInstituteStore.org
Barnes & Noble
Amazon.com
bn.com
Powell’s.com.

I also offer autographed copies from my company order page here.

And please be sure to ask your local library to carry it! Librarians are often looking for recommendations from their patrons.

We host regular giveaways for parents and educators. Please consider signing up for updates by email or feed. We will never spam you or give out your address.

We returned to the house from our cabin for a day last week. We had lawn to mow and mail to retrieve. And I knew there would be a box on my porch. I hadn’t really told the kids about this package, but I thought about it during the entire 45-minute drive.

When we pulled into the driveway, I saw it sitting there, but told myself I’d get it in a minute. As usual, we had loads to carry in, and would use the garage door, rather than the one on the porch. The kids helped me haul in the cabin basket filled with whatever we thought we’d need for the overnight stay, got the dog out of the car, and Darla grabbed the pile of mail that had accumulated in our mailbox.

Once everything had been dropped on the floor and kitchen counter, Craig took off to see his buddies, and Darla started sorting the mail. I quietly walked to the porch door and opened it, picking up the small cardboard box I’d been waiting to open. It was light and unassuming, yet I felt my heart beat faster as I read the return address label.

I carried it to the counter next to Darla and dug around for scissors in the junk drawer. Darla sifted through the mail, planning to open the ubiquitous credit card applications, and get a few fake cards for a make-believe game she plays with her friends.

I sliced through the clear packaging tape while Darla chatted about what I considered the useless pile of garbage she’d retrieved from the mailbox. She probably assumed my box was one of the regular ones that comes from Office Depot, addressed to my company.

“Can I use this Visa card? It says. ‘John Smith,’” she asked.

“Sure,” I said as I sliced through the clear packaging tape.

“Oh, I think this one’s a bill — I’ll put it over here,” she told me.

“Sounds good,” I said, removing the kraft-colored filler paper from the box.

There they were. Five of them. Crisp and shiny, a bright green, with blue and black lettering. The pdf file image really didn’t do them justice. They were beautiful — and mine.

I pulled out the top copy of my brand-new book, and held it with both hands up near my face. I could still smell the fresh printing. The scent of ink and paper lingered, even on this small pile of books. Then I quietly said, “Darla look.”

She turned her head away from her project, and her face lit up with both surprise and excitement. But most touching was the way she spoke – like a mother might speak to her daughter, her heart swollen with pride.

“Congratulations, Mom!”

She’d been with me on so many steps of publishing. She listened to my half of the interview conversations on the phone. She watched me during those months at the keyboard. Then she celebrated with me as I held the book in my hands. And now she confidently tells her friends,

“My mom’s an author.”

Other torch-passers:
Phat Mommy – The Lemonade Stand – Sell What People Want

What does passing the torch mean to you? Is it teaching? Passing traditions? Or good news about youth? Join us each week for Pass the Torch Tuesday.Former PTT posts.

Each weekend I share moments that help me journey toward occasional “presence” — explained in A New Earth — to enjoy life and appreciate small gifts. This post is also a part of Fussy’s Happiness Project every Thursday.