Read All About It!

Absolutely nothing — not even vanilla cupcakes! — makes me happier than starting the week by recognizing today’s Volunteer All-Star. For the past year, Open Books’ headquarters has shared a wall with Ann’s office, and every once in a while our days are brightened by howdys in the hall. Ann and her van are a huge help in a pinch, and she’s one of Open Books Buddies’ most dedicated and thoughtful volunteers. To paraphrase Mr. Rogers, I have always want to have a neighbor just like Ann.

Name: Ann Ayres
Neighborhood: River West (residence); River North (tutoring)
Profession: Art consultant
Open Books volunteering: My trusty van has transported slightly over a ton of books to the warehouse. Also, when the SmartBoard came along, and although it doesn’t to this day look like it would fit in the van- it did. And we brought it home! Best though, is working with my Little Reading Buddies at Schiller School.

Here’s Ann and friends on the first day of Schiller buddies last fall:

The 10 Questions We Always Ask

1. How would you spend your last 24 hours if you knew the world would end in the morning? If I knew that a black hole resulting from the Hadron project would swallow up the earth tomorrow morning, I would spend my last day living a daily day. I love where I am, what I do, who I see every day, the errands, the e-mails, the interruptions, the frustrations. Nothing is more special than the beauty of all these details. That’s what I would want to live one more time.

2. What was your dream job when you were 5? Firefighter or astronaut.

3. If you could have dinner with 3 people (real or fictional), who would you invite and what would you eat? I would invite W.A. Mozart, Jack London, and Elizabeth I to dine with me on sushi.

4. What was your favorite childhood toy or game? I loved (and still love) basketball.

5. If you had one superpower, what would it be? Really sensitive intuition to almost the point of seeing before happening.

6. What secret obsession do you have that no one knew about before this interview? My obsessions are pretty well out there for all to see: Star Trek, vintage jewelry from e-bay, artwork by Steve Rebora.

7. What makes you laugh uncontrollably? New Yorker cartoons.

8. What book are you reading right now? Year Million- a collection of essays by these incredible scientists from different disciplines speculating on what human life on earth will be like in year 997,991.

9. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate.

10. What is playing on your iPod/record player these days? The Decemberists, Robert Schumann’s cello concerto, Death Cab, Edward Elgar’s entire portfolio.

Hello, Internet! My name is Rachel Fischhoff and I’m one of the fall Literacy Interns here at Open Books. I was born in St. Louis, later moved to Boston, and stayed east for college and recently moved to Chicago.

In May, I graduated from Wesleyan University where I double majored in Dance and American Studies. I’m thrilled to be able to work with an organization that combines reading, writing, bookstores, education, and even candy!

Among my favorite things to read lately are Jorie Graham’s poems, J.M. Coetzee’s novels, and Lisa Delpit’s wise words about reading, writing, speaking, learning and teaching in the U.S.

I am very excited about working with Open Books. Every day I learn about literacy, education, and non-profit work in Chicago, meet some fantastic young authors, and hopefully make myself useful while I’m at it.

Christine is the Author of A 28-Day Journal of My Crazy Lesbian Breakup: (And What The Radio Had To Say About It).  She also happens to be an Open Books book donor!  So lets get to meet Christine with our 10 questions.  We Always Ask and for moreinformation about her book check out www.crazylesbianbreakup.com.

Name: Christine Hutman

Neighborhood: OakLawn

Profession: Author

The 10 questions We Always Ask!

1.    How would you spend your last 24 hours if you knew the world would end in the morning?

I would be cuddled in bed with My Love, my dogs and a good book.

2.    What was your dream job when you were 5?

Veterinarian.

3.    If you could have dinner with 3 people (real or fictional), who would you invite and what would you eat?

Ben Franklin, Ghandi and Mother Teresa: a combination of vegetarian dishes and a traditional “meat and potatoes” meal.
4.    What was your favorite childhood toy or game?

I had a thing for cardboard boxes.

5.    If you had one superpower, what would it be?

To be incredibly fast, like The Flash!

6.    What secret obsession do you have that no one knew about before this interview?

I was a huge Menuedo fan.  (Kidding.)

7.     What makes you laugh uncontrollably?

Videos of people tripping and/or falling down.

8.    What book are you reading right now?

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

9.    What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Chocolate chip cookie dough or mint chocolate chip.

10.What is playing on your iPod/record player these days?

Dance music all the time!!!

We’d like to meet some Abbott Labbers!� If you work at Abbott Labs, let Dani know at dani@open-books.org.� And if someone close to you works at Abbott Labs, let us know that, too!