CHATTERBOX IS ROASTING
Summer 2025 is bringing the heat. Chatterbox: Stories from a Noisy Life is too. Read all the latest news and thank yous to people and places I love–and keep scrolling for a free story.
These Crazy Days of Summer
June started with 60 Fahrenheit temperatures and monsoon rains. Then came June 22. Temperatures, ratcheted up to 99+ (115 in my car this afternoon). Gruesome. It’s times like this I thank the patron saint of air conditioning for my HVAC. Of course there is no such saint. Still people, I learned online, are searching to find someone to pray to for relief from the heat, to prevent power outages and to bless their air-con systems so they’ll keep up the good work.
Lots of Cool Stuff Happened in June
I’ve had my fingers, knees, ankles and eyes crossed for good reviews (would have done my toes too if I was able) and my wish is coming true. Here’s what came through in June.
Kirkus Reviews gave Chatterbox a “Get It,” and on the strength of the review, my book is not only featured in the online magazine, you’ll find it in the July 1st issue of the print magazine. A big deal, and I’m excited. To build on that, I’m going with a Kirkus Reviews ad campaign. You’ll find Chatterbox ads in the 7/15 and 8/1 online and print magazines, on the website on 7/21- 8/23 and in Kirkus Reviews’ email on 8/5! That takes care of all my mad money for a while, so you can be sure, I’ll be spreading the word on this far and wide.
The Midwest Review of Books said “From the opening pages, Chatterbox captivates readers with… the hustle and bustle of daily life and vivid impressions collected by an observant child, teenager and woman who taps the inner fears and delights of her world… a step back in time and forward into the present… stories that connect us to our own feelings and life experiences we share.” The full review will be posting on their website and going out to bookstores and libraries on July 1st.
BookLife picked Chatterbox for their Spring 2025/June issue “Cover Crush” series “celebrating the artistry and creativity of indie book covers.” The quarterly series “showcases standout designs and highlights the collaboration between authors and cover artists…. we're pulling back the curtain to reveal the creative thinking behind the designs. From visual metaphors to unexpected details, these covers reflect the heart of the stories they represent.”
And Chatterbox was top of the list in “Indie Spotlight: Memoirs” in both BookLife and Publishers Weekly.
Cyrus Webb is an Amazon influencer and top book reviewer. AND, he just named Chatterbox to his Conversations Book Club “Top 25 Books to Read This Summer” and Conversations Magazine “Books You Need To Read” for June 2025. Thank you. I’m smiling.
The Italian American Press gave Chatterbox top billing on their website and ran a blurb in their newsletter Tutto Italiano in June. “Blending her Italian American and German Dutch heritage, Barbara offers a collection of her life experiences. From her first story where ‘grandma’s spaghetti and meatballs were worth’ all the adventures and mishaps to get to the ‘kid’s table,’ to the last with a primer on making tomato sauce – noting that if her mother’s family had a coat of arms ‘it would be a bubbling pot of tomato sauce ...’
Event News
Italian American Writers Association (IAWA), June 12. Loved doing the open mic, but Angela Derecas Taylor and LuLu LoLo Pascale were the stars of the show at IAWA New York at The Calandra Institute. Angela’s story “The Turkey Shoot,” with fellow IAWA buddy Kathy Curto’s story “What He Knew,” was just published in Well Said. Well Read, an anthology published by Writers Read. If you love true stories, you need to get this book. The contributor’s list, is a who’s who of writing and culture.
Poetry at the Barn, June 22, Nan Becker, Paul Rabinowitz and Tina Barry were the featured poets—spectacular—and there was a cast of open mic readers too. Geoff and I were up there. If you’re on Facebook, check out all the photos. The Ringwood Manor Barn Gallery is a beautiful space. If you’re in New Jersey, you need to take a drive up to Ringwood. The State Park is wild and beautiful and the drive through the lakes is awe-inspiring. September 6, noon-2 p.m. is the next Poetry at the Barn event, featuring Elaine Koplow, Jane Ebihara and Juanita Kirton. Come for the readings, the art gallery and the open mic.
Hudson Valley Books For Humanity, “Read Aloud” on June 28, I read Plenty of Hugs by Frank Manushkin with illustrations by Kate Alizadeh. This was my second Read Aloud, and I hope there will be more. Reading to children is one of the most joyful experiences. They are so smart and bubbling over with ideas they want to share.
Thank You for the Emails, Texts and Posts
My hope for Chatterbox was it would bring people together. I hoped sharing my stories would convey a larger sense of time, place and culture that draws people in and gets them remembering their experiences and stories. I am proud to say that the book seems to be working its magic. My friends and family have been behind me 100 percent all the way. People I haven’t seen or heard from in a while are getting in touch too. I didn’t know and worried a lot about who might buy my book. I am deliriously happy to say many friends and colleagues I’ve been lucky to know over the years are snatching up copies and telling me the stories made them, laugh, cry and reflect on their own stories and lives. And through the book I’m reaching many wonderful people I’ve never met before. One old friend and former client emailed to say that my stories reminded him how important it is to remember. Another friend and work colleague wrote she loved the glimpses into another person’s experiences and was excited to share the book with her Italian American mother. The kind and caring women at the Physical Therapy practice I go to are reading the book and telling me the stories have them cracking up. My sister-in-law, Jill, said she read Chatterbox with a smile on her face from beginning to end. (And, I didn’t even have to bribe her with the promise of a pricey Christmas gift to say that.) Thank you. I continue to be grateful and verklempt.
You Can Teach An Old Chatterbox New Tricks
When I find a good writing workshop, I stick with it. And I have found a number of excellent workshops at ARTS by The People.
June 4th was The Platform from ARTS by the People. I love this monthly event in Madison, NJ. The writing to a prompt gets me out of my head and inspires writing that is not my usual style. This month, an excerpt from “Beloved” by Toni Morrison was the prompt. I am always blown away by all the talented writers who step up to the open mic and how we applaud and encourage each other. And I love that Geoff is there, getting comfy writing to a prompt and reading his poetry.
June 9th was the last of the six workshops in The Writing Lab Creative Writing Workshop with Paul Rabinowitz. Geoff and I did this workshop series together. It was one of my best workshop experiences in years. Each assignment pushed me to think beyond themes I typically explore in my writing. Paul created a welcoming and safe environment and so much good writing came out of these sessions. I think everyone finished the workshop with poems and prose ready to submit to magazines and journals. I finished with the first chapter of a novel I’ve been trying to write. You can’t say better than that.
And now for something completely different, Geoff and I boldly went where we’ve never gone before. We took a Life Drawing Class at the Passaic County Arts Center—live models and all. I have never before taken a life drawing class. It is daunting. I muscled through, even bought my own pencils and charcoal. You won’t be seeing any of my work in the Louvre any time soon, but I’ve made a little progress toward turning out drawings that vaguely look like a human. Four more classes to go. Watch out, Leonardo!
Chatterbox’s Friends Have News Too!
Linda Dini Jenkins has a chapbook This Is How Way Leads On To Way coming out from Finishing Line Press on July 10, 2026. Advance sales begin March 9. I got a sneak peek at some of the stories. This is a collection not to be missed.
Friends at The Jug Tavern celebrated the story of Captain Lewis Brady, a self-emancipated slave who found a home in the historic district of Sparta. Please read the story and watch the video on ABC7News.
The Tour Continues.
Here are spots where you can hear from me and do some writing and reading yourself. Hope to see you at events I’ve booked for June and July. It would be great.
July 2: Workshop and Open Mic, The Platform, ARTS by The People, 10 Kings Road, Madison, NJ, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
July 12: NYC Poetry Festival, Governors Island, New York, with Italian American Writers Association—Peter Marra, Kathy Curto, Julia Lisella—12:00 p.m. Brinkley Stage
July 18: Reading & Books Signing with Linda Dini Jenkins, Salem Athenaeum, 337 Essex Street, Salem, MA
July 21: Food For Thought, with Kathy Curto and Angela Derecas Taylor, 3:00 p.m., Toastique, 2-4 Garber Square, Ridgewood, NJ
Want To Bring Chatterbox To A Bookstore, Library, Italian Restaurant, Coffee Shop, School, Book Club, Etc., Near You? Please get in touch. Email me at barbara@barbaraworton.com. And let’s talk date, and place. Thank you!
New Story: “Thank You, Brian Wilson”
For the music. All of it. And for the opening G power chord to “I Get Around,” that blasts out of my speakers, and still, since the first time I heard it, blows my mind.
The day my brother and I brought the “I Get Around” single home, we lifted the lid of my parents’ walnut stereo/drinks/record storage cabinet, centered the .45 on the turntable, raised the tone arm and dropped the needle in a groove. And wow. That first chord and then the acapella vocals. Wow. We picked up the tone arm and placed the needle cartridge back at the beginning of the spinning vinyl. And we did that over and over and over again. And wow, after wow after wow...
Go to https://www.barbaraworton.com/stories/thank-you-brian-wilson for the rest of “Thank You, Brian Wilson.”
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