Monday, December 12, 2016

Monday, December 5, 2016

Black Pepper Visions (Revised)



 NEW RELEASE


Black Pepper Visions:

Original Food Stories You Can Eat (revised)

By Karen Pierce Gonzalez



 

Black pepper swirls that absorb anger, tortillas that mend broken-hearts, and sundried cookies that encircle a cheating spouse (again) are only three of 16 fast-paced stories in Black Pepper Visions: Original Food Stories You Can Eat (revised).  This 2016 eBook  (FolkHeart Press #978-0-9983938-0-3), written by Karen Pierce Gonzalez, captures the magic of food through a range of original folktales and contemporary stories, food lore and personalized recipes.



“Complete with its culinary wizardry and fascinating historical roots that literally span centuries and continents, food lore about how we grow, prepare, and eat our food allows us to creatively preserve important cultural traditions and beliefs. And these are what sustain and protect us,” said Gonzalez, a folklorist, journalist and author of several books including Family Folktales: What Are Yours? (FolkHeart Press).  



Karen Pierce Gonzalez is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction writer.  Her other books include Family Folktales: What Are Yours?  and Family Folktales: Write Your Own Family Stories.



She has been interested in folktales and folklore for more than two decades and has facilitated writing classes and workshops for more than fifteen years. Her writing credits include nomination for the Pushcart Prize and awards from Farmhouse Magazine, National League of American Pen Women, California Writers Association. Her work has appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, North Bay Biz Journal, Australian Trade Community Journal, Verde, Sonoma Mandala, and Zahir Tales as well as other magazines and newspapers.



Established in 2007, FolkHeart Press books also include Moose Mash and Other Stories, Three Months: A Caregiving Journey from Heartbreak to Healing and Spanish Cuisine One Region at a Time: Catalonia. 



Black Pepper Visions: Original Food Stories You Can Eat (revised) is available for $4.99 at:

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Historical Thanksgiving



A Historical Turkey Ride
 
For four centuries Thanksgiving has been a time to show appreciation of what bounty we have. The tradition began in the fall of  1621 when the Mayflower carried passengers from Plymouth, England in search of a new home. After a long and treacherous journey they finally settled in Massachusetts. 


Long before the settlers arrived the area was inhabited by many Native American nations, among them the Wampanoag. The natives who been there for a very long time knew how to live well off the land they hunted, fished, and harvested. Chief Massasoit, the Wamapnoag leader, offered to help the pilgrims learn how to use the land in exchange for mutual protection. And so the Thanksgiving feast tradition began with a  shared harvest celebration. 


Here are more facts about the history of this day of thanks:



1)    The famous “Pilgrim and Wampanoag” story featured in modern Thanksgiving narratives was excluded from earlier Thanksgiving legends, largely due to tensions between Indians and colonists.

2)    Held every year on the island of Alcatraz since 1975, “Unthanksgiving Day” commemorates the survival of Native Americans following the arrival and settlement of Europeans in the Americas.

3)    President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving, and in 1941 Congress established it as a national holiday.

4)    The original Thanksgiving feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 1. It lasted three days and included 50 of the 112 pilgrims inhabitants and approximately 90 Wampanoag members. Their menu included berries, shellfish, boiled pumpkin, and deer.



We hope this year your Thanksgiving is filled with gratitude and joy.