Category: Blog
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Day Two Recap
DAY TWO Destination: Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri The rising sun and boisterous Ohio birds woke us up about 5:30 but we were eager to hit the road, so it wasn’t a problem. (We had already taken down the awning the night before, much to the dismay of the Dancing Baby one campsite over.) We…
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Day One
We made it to Buck Creek State Park around 4pm. There’s a “Meet the Naturalist” event tomorrow and all of the electric campsites were full (guessing it’s not from that event, but who knows?). We don’t need to have electricity for our setup, but the feeling was sort of along the lines of “Why not…
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Blogging from the Road
For a week or so, I’ve been trying to figure out how best to leave posts that friends and family can use to “check in” on us during our travels. I like Facebook, but it doesn’t keep things neatly in one place. So I made a page on this website called “Teardrop Travels” that I…
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January Promotion–art cards!
All during the month of January, each purchase of Bones of an Inland Sea (Book Club Edition) will receive a free set of eight art cards designed by the author. Each card features an original illustration created specifically for a story in the collection–four images, two designs each, envelopes included. Use the Paypal button below…
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Book Clubs Get 40% off!!
40% Discount for Book Clubs** Promotion Rules: Download one of the coloring pages from the Extras page (here). Color it–manually, digitally, with paint, pencils, markers, or whatever you prefer. Post the colored image to Instagram and/or Facebook and tag me in the image. Add the hashtag #bookclubs and #maryakers Private message me to complete secure…
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Goodreads Giveaway
The Goodreads giveaway for the new issue of Bones of an Inland Sea is live! 10 copies available. Sign up to be eligible–Goodreads makes the picks randomly and sends the list to me to ship out. I will sign each one and include an original drawing. Good luck! Goodreads Book Giveaway Bones of an Inland…
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Ten Days at Ucross
Ucross, Arrival Day: I awoke in New York at 4:30 am (plenty of time to get ready and get to the airport) and yet somehow just made it to my departure gate as they were closing the door (after calling my name–Mary ACK-ers over the airport PA). But the flights were great, no issues.…
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The Pragmatic and the Grotesque
“The Pragmatic and the Grotesque.” Man, I love this review (by Vanessa Blakeslee, in the spring issue of the Iowa Review) more than I can express. When a reader “gets” your sensibilities and likes the same things about your work that you like, it feels like the luckiest of gifts. And when that book is…
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ONE LIFE TO GIVE Featured for Veteran’s Day
Pete Gallivan did an absolutely wonderful feature on Buffalo’s WGRZ about my co-author Andrew Bienkowski for Unknown Stories of Western New York. Pete talked about Andy’s banishment to Siberia (in 1939) at only five years of age and how that experience has informed and influenced his life for the past 75 years. There’s even…
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Interview with Jericho Brown
Mary Akers: Thanks for agreeing to talk with me about your wonderful collection The New Testament. I enjoyed this collection so much, Jericho. It has stayed with me for weeks, much like your other collection Please did when I first read it. In fact, I would say you write the most haunting poems–in the best…