This is where we are at now.
Please remember to RSVP to Cheryl for the party!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Party Update from Patrick
We need to hear back from everyone to get a head count! ASAP!
Here are the Details:
Date: October 23, 2010
Time: 5:30 to 10:30 pm
Place: W. A. Frost, 374 Selby Avenue, St. Paul MN 55102
Dinner: Four courses w/ champagne and wine.
Cost: $40.00
Answers to FAQs:
Checks should be made out to Cheryl Miller upon your arrival at Frost’s.
Participants can choose one of three meal selections when they arrive at the restaurant. Supplemental cash bar is available.
Your spouse or significant other is welcome if they read a biography of Washington, Cleveland, Harrison, or G. W. Bush. If you have a special case, give Cheryl a call at 651 653-8133.
Let us know if you are coming from out of town and need to be picked up at the airport and/or would like to stay in one of our homes. We have lots of offers to put people up.
PLEASE RSVP BEFORE OCTOBER 1ST TO Cheryl Miller AT camiller@umn.edu or 651-653-8133.
Thanks for your prompt attention to this and your help in making this a great evening.
Pat
ps: Listen to KBEM Jazz 88 on Will’s birthday October 15th if you get a chance.
Here are the Details:
Date: October 23, 2010
Time: 5:30 to 10:30 pm
Place: W. A. Frost, 374 Selby Avenue, St. Paul MN 55102
Dinner: Four courses w/ champagne and wine.
Cost: $40.00
Answers to FAQs:
Checks should be made out to Cheryl Miller upon your arrival at Frost’s.
Participants can choose one of three meal selections when they arrive at the restaurant. Supplemental cash bar is available.
Your spouse or significant other is welcome if they read a biography of Washington, Cleveland, Harrison, or G. W. Bush. If you have a special case, give Cheryl a call at 651 653-8133.
Let us know if you are coming from out of town and need to be picked up at the airport and/or would like to stay in one of our homes. We have lots of offers to put people up.
PLEASE RSVP BEFORE OCTOBER 1ST TO Cheryl Miller AT camiller@umn.edu or 651-653-8133.
Thanks for your prompt attention to this and your help in making this a great evening.
Pat
ps: Listen to KBEM Jazz 88 on Will’s birthday October 15th if you get a chance.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Official Presidential Party Plans from Hollis
Ladies and Gents,
Greetings to all - here is an update-
Please mark your calendars and your pages in the Presidential biographies for your quote. Pare it to two minutes and be prepared to present or have it read.
Do check the attached for your name, please let me know any corrections and if you will be bringing another person.
Sat. October 23 for Hey Will Listen to this..."".
WA Frosts on Selby Avenue in St. Paul where Will and Cheryl gathered often.
Cheryl has reserved the back room for something like a groom's dinner but more participatory
Beginning around 5:30 serving courses of quotes and memories:
5:30 - 6:00 People arrive, drink ordering, finger food appetizers
6:00 - 6:10 Master of Ceremonies Patrick Coleman- welcomes group, describes plan for evening
6:10 - 6:25 First reports: The Founders (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Quincy Adams)
6:30 - 7:00 Salad course served, informal chatter
7:00 - 7:45 Second reports: Jacksonian/Expansion through Civil War era (see attachment for presidents)
7:45 - 8:15 Dinner served, informal chatter
8:15 - 9:00 Third reports: Gilded Age, Progressive Era, Depression, World War II
9:00 - 9:20 Dessert served, informal chatter
9:20 - 9:50 Fourth reports: Cold War, Social Age, Progressive Era, Depression, World War II
9:00 - 9:20 Dessert served, informal chatter
9:20 - 9:50 Fourth reports: Cold War, Social Change, Globalization
10:00 - 10:30 Wind down, hang out, final toasts to project and any further instructions to group
Hollis Stauber
Greetings to all - here is an update-
Please mark your calendars and your pages in the Presidential biographies for your quote. Pare it to two minutes and be prepared to present or have it read.
Do check the attached for your name, please let me know any corrections and if you will be bringing another person.
Sat. October 23 for Hey Will Listen to this..."".
WA Frosts on Selby Avenue in St. Paul where Will and Cheryl gathered often.
Cheryl has reserved the back room for something like a groom's dinner but more participatory
Beginning around 5:30 serving courses of quotes and memories:
5:30 - 6:00 People arrive, drink ordering, finger food appetizers
6:00 - 6:10 Master of Ceremonies Patrick Coleman- welcomes group, describes plan for evening
6:10 - 6:25 First reports: The Founders (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Quincy Adams)
6:30 - 7:00 Salad course served, informal chatter
7:00 - 7:45 Second reports: Jacksonian/Expansion through Civil War era (see attachment for presidents)
7:45 - 8:15 Dinner served, informal chatter
8:15 - 9:00 Third reports: Gilded Age, Progressive Era, Depression, World War II
9:00 - 9:20 Dessert served, informal chatter
9:20 - 9:50 Fourth reports: Cold War, Social Age, Progressive Era, Depression, World War II
9:00 - 9:20 Dessert served, informal chatter
9:20 - 9:50 Fourth reports: Cold War, Social Change, Globalization
10:00 - 10:30 Wind down, hang out, final toasts to project and any further instructions to group
Hollis Stauber
Thursday, July 15, 2010
New online food magazine
Given that WP was a foodie long before it was cool and I know many of you are foodies, I thought this would be a nice July share. In Danville we had panzanella and fresh beans from the garden last night.
Remember our gathering date is the evening of October 23 at a TC location to be announced. We still have several presidents to be claimed, so help us recruit a few more people.
Best for July—may you have all the fresh tomatoes you want , Karl
The Zenehilada
Remember our gathering date is the evening of October 23 at a TC location to be announced. We still have several presidents to be claimed, so help us recruit a few more people.
Best for July—may you have all the fresh tomatoes you want , Karl
The Zenehilada
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Overall rank of presidents
Bob found this cool chart ranking the presidents on various things - take a look! (Although my guy came in last, boohoo. Not much of surprise, though.)
Happy Fourth!
- Lori
Overall rank of presidents
Happy Fourth!
- Lori
Overall rank of presidents
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Update from Karl
Dear Friends—
I’m writing on behalf of Cheryl Miller, Patrick Coleman, Hollis Stauber and myself.
I am happy to announce that we have the beginnings of an event plan. On October 23 we will have the "Will, listen to this!"--"An evening of presidential readings in honor of Will Powers" somewhere in the Twin Cities. Please mark your calendar and help us recruit other interested people.
After trying to communicate by blog with great help from Lori Williamson, the four of us have come to the conclusion that we are the e-mail generation, not the blog. So we are going to plan to send out an e-mail each month until we get together in October. Feel free to use this list as a way of communicating with everyone.
At our October 23 event, people will have the opportunity to share a funny line, a provocative quote, or a great example of political absurdity that you would have wanted to share with Will. For example, from Pat,
Quotes that either made me think of Will or that I would have loved to have shared with him…
From Mark Twain’s Roughing It, published during the administration of Grant, there are hundreds of great descriptive phrases like “dust-licking pimps” (applied to those who discriminate against the Chinese) or “”a step peculiar to myself – and the kangaroo” (his self assessed dancing style) but what I would like to read to Will is the end of the book,
The moral of it [the book] is this: if you are of any account, stay home and make your way by faithful diligence; but if you are “no account,” go away from home, and then you will have to work, whether you want to or not. Thus you become a blessing to your friends by ceasing to be a nuisance to them – if the people you go among suffer by the operation.
I’ m uncertain why this made me think of Will, but the quote I liked from the Smith’s biography of Grant is from Lincoln who, before the Civil War, said “I hope god is on my side but I must have Kentucky”.
So as you read the biography and the work of fiction from the same period, think about what you would have loved to read to Will.
Lori, can you share with all of us where we are on assignments?
Cheryl, Pat and Hollis, please add anything I have left out. Everyone else, please join in.
Best, Karl
I’m writing on behalf of Cheryl Miller, Patrick Coleman, Hollis Stauber and myself.
I am happy to announce that we have the beginnings of an event plan. On October 23 we will have the "Will, listen to this!"--"An evening of presidential readings in honor of Will Powers" somewhere in the Twin Cities. Please mark your calendar and help us recruit other interested people.
After trying to communicate by blog with great help from Lori Williamson, the four of us have come to the conclusion that we are the e-mail generation, not the blog. So we are going to plan to send out an e-mail each month until we get together in October. Feel free to use this list as a way of communicating with everyone.
At our October 23 event, people will have the opportunity to share a funny line, a provocative quote, or a great example of political absurdity that you would have wanted to share with Will. For example, from Pat,
Quotes that either made me think of Will or that I would have loved to have shared with him…
From Mark Twain’s Roughing It, published during the administration of Grant, there are hundreds of great descriptive phrases like “dust-licking pimps” (applied to those who discriminate against the Chinese) or “”a step peculiar to myself – and the kangaroo” (his self assessed dancing style) but what I would like to read to Will is the end of the book,
The moral of it [the book] is this: if you are of any account, stay home and make your way by faithful diligence; but if you are “no account,” go away from home, and then you will have to work, whether you want to or not. Thus you become a blessing to your friends by ceasing to be a nuisance to them – if the people you go among suffer by the operation.
I’ m uncertain why this made me think of Will, but the quote I liked from the Smith’s biography of Grant is from Lincoln who, before the Civil War, said “I hope god is on my side but I must have Kentucky”.
So as you read the biography and the work of fiction from the same period, think about what you would have loved to read to Will.
Lori, can you share with all of us where we are on assignments?
Cheryl, Pat and Hollis, please add anything I have left out. Everyone else, please join in.
Best, Karl
News
As Karl has noted, we will be primarily communicating by email. As I am unwilling to give up the blog (so much less hateful than a wiki) I will repost his updates here as well (that'll be the next post).
I will also note that we've had four more people join our effort: yah! Keep them coming, though...we still need eight more people!
Thanks, all, for your efforts. Hope the reading is going well! Put that long weekend to good use! (For instance, I've still got to find my books...)
- Lori
I will also note that we've had four more people join our effort: yah! Keep them coming, though...we still need eight more people!
Thanks, all, for your efforts. Hope the reading is going well! Put that long weekend to good use! (For instance, I've still got to find my books...)
- Lori
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thanks Lori
For getting us going again.
If you know people that are signed up, tell them we are back in action. And we still need a few more readers!
If you know people that are signed up, tell them we are back in action. And we still need a few more readers!
Update - May 26
Hi WP Project Participants!
Thanks again for your eagerness to join Will’s presidential project. We thought we should send a note to check in with folks. Have people found books? Need advice, help, motivation? If so, let the group know! (For myself, I still need to identify the two books I’ll be reading!)
We are also starting to think about the party we want to have at the end.
Could you please weigh in on which date works better for you, October 23 or 30?
More specifics about locale will be forthcoming, but we’ll need a head count, so please respond with which day works better. If you’re coming from out-of-town, accommodations will be found.
Please let me know the date and if you have questions, issues, etc. And if you’d like to post here to the blog or send emails as you start reading or as you go along or just to say hi, please do so!
Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you soon!
Best,
Lori
Thanks again for your eagerness to join Will’s presidential project. We thought we should send a note to check in with folks. Have people found books? Need advice, help, motivation? If so, let the group know! (For myself, I still need to identify the two books I’ll be reading!)
We are also starting to think about the party we want to have at the end.
Could you please weigh in on which date works better for you, October 23 or 30?
More specifics about locale will be forthcoming, but we’ll need a head count, so please respond with which day works better. If you’re coming from out-of-town, accommodations will be found.
Please let me know the date and if you have questions, issues, etc. And if you’d like to post here to the blog or send emails as you start reading or as you go along or just to say hi, please do so!
Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you soon!
Best,
Lori
How I Hate Wikis
I grew disenchanted with the original technology I intended to use for this project, the wiki. It seemed unnecessarily confusing and not user friendly.
So: Welcome to the WP Project Blog. Please set yourself as a follower, so that you'll get updates as they occur.
And as part of this project, you should feel welcomed (and, yea, encouraged) to comment and post.
Hopefully this will be easier. Of course, contact me with questions or problems!
Thanks.
So: Welcome to the WP Project Blog. Please set yourself as a follower, so that you'll get updates as they occur.
And as part of this project, you should feel welcomed (and, yea, encouraged) to comment and post.
Hopefully this will be easier. Of course, contact me with questions or problems!
Thanks.
Welcome!
We are endeavoring to continue Will Powers's excellent project: reading a biography of every U.S. president, paired with a novel that the president himself may have read. The biography should be read first, in case a specific book is mentioned; if not, the novel should be contemporary. (Patrick Coleman has offered to suggest books if need be.)
Many of us were inspired when Will told us of his project but hesitant to follow his lead with such a commitment of reading time. This community effort offers an easier start, one we can feel much more confident about fufilling - and we suspect Will would have approved of the community nature as well.
Each of us who choose to join will be assigned a president, then read a biography and a book he would have read. A year from now we will convene in person at a location to be named to have a party, remember Will, and talk about what we have learned. Readers will contribute a one-page report on the president and the book. In the spirit of Will’s squeeze-o-type/inflate-o-type abilities, the font and leading are left to the reader.
This space in the ether is for us to post comments, questions, suggestions, and have a central location to exchange thoughts and ideas.
Please post a comment here if you'd like to participate, with your top three presidential reading choices. Please remember to be expansive in your choices; everyone can't have Lincoln. Chester Arthur needs a reader too! Karl Strauber will sort out who gets whom and a list will be posted. Yes, trading is legal, bribery encouraged.
Please join us! We need 44 people, so pass this invitation on to those who love Will and also American History!
Many of us were inspired when Will told us of his project but hesitant to follow his lead with such a commitment of reading time. This community effort offers an easier start, one we can feel much more confident about fufilling - and we suspect Will would have approved of the community nature as well.
Each of us who choose to join will be assigned a president, then read a biography and a book he would have read. A year from now we will convene in person at a location to be named to have a party, remember Will, and talk about what we have learned. Readers will contribute a one-page report on the president and the book. In the spirit of Will’s squeeze-o-type/inflate-o-type abilities, the font and leading are left to the reader.
This space in the ether is for us to post comments, questions, suggestions, and have a central location to exchange thoughts and ideas.
Please post a comment here if you'd like to participate, with your top three presidential reading choices. Please remember to be expansive in your choices; everyone can't have Lincoln. Chester Arthur needs a reader too! Karl Strauber will sort out who gets whom and a list will be posted. Yes, trading is legal, bribery encouraged.
Please join us! We need 44 people, so pass this invitation on to those who love Will and also American History!
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