Philadelphia Authors

You most probably have read about Philadelphia’s part in the history of the US, but you might not be aware of the many authors who have brought a touch of Philadelphia to their writing. These are merely a few of those authors:

• Benjamin Franklin. Poor Richard's Almanack. He was an important figure in American letters. Not only was he the editor and publisher of The Pennsylvania Gazette, but he also wrote essays, articles, pamphlets, satires, and speeches throughout his life.

• Edgar Allen Poe. Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe. Although he was born in Boston to a Virginian family and lived in cities throughout the East Coast, Poe wrote many of his most memorable works in Philadelphia, including "Tell Tale Heart" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." His influence on American short stories is immeasurable.

• James A. Michener. Chesapeake. Although dismissed by literary luminary Ernest Hemingway as "that gifted Philadelphia writer," James Michener never used eastern Pennsylvania as a backdrop to one of his epic bio-geographies. The closest he came was in this novelistic history of one of Philly's favorite summer playgrounds.

• Lisa Scottoline. Everywhere that Mary Went. Native Philadelphia mystery writer Lisa Scottoline, after earning a B.A. in English at the University of Pennsylvania, went on to practice law and later write many legal mysteries. Scottoline continues to live and work in Philadelphia. Furthermore, she uses Philadelphia as the backdrop for most of her books. If you have read any of her books, the street names will bring back memories of legal thrills.

Philadelphia Attractions

As a visitor to Philadelphia, you will want to take a cursory trip on the official website of Philadelphia, http://www.visitphilly.com . The city is a bustling, thriving location beckoning to one and all. If you wish to hear your Philly information, tune in on hotels, restaurants, and Philadelphia happenings from KYW Newsradio reporters to HearPhilly!, an online radio station - a first-of-its-kind endeavor produced in partnership with CBS Radio station KYW Newsradio. Up-to-the-minute segments are updated regularly with trip-planning tips and inside scoops on what to do and where to go http://www.visitphilly.com/hear-philly/ .

Stepping into the main attractions of Philadelphia puts you in touch with the history of our country, names that you have read about, and a movie that is unforgettable. Below is a short list of ten of the top attractions:

1. Franklin Square
2. Philadelphia Museum of Art
3. Valley Forge National Historic Park
4. The Liberty Bell Center
5. National Constitution Center
6. Longwood Gardens
7. Independence Hall
8. The Franklin Institute
9. The Barnes Foundation
10. The Rocky Statue

A "Journey" in Philadelphia

Whether you think of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as “Philly”, “City of Brotherly Love”, home of the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, or some other nickname, think of Philadelphia as the 2012 home of the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG) Seminar and “A JOURNEY WITH NEEDLEART – From the past to the future” (www.NeedleartJourney.org) .

August 2012 will be a special time in Philadelphia. From August 3-31 ANG and the Philadelphia Art Alliance (PAA) will work together to bring needlepoint from the past, present, and future to gallery visitors. At the PAA gallery, 251 South 18th Street, you will be enthralled by a wonderful display of historic samplers, contemporary samplers, and originals for auction.

Triskaidekaphobia, Not I!

Although this posting is on Friday the thirteenth, fear not! When our Journey with Needle Art is held in Philadelphia in August 2012, there will be no Friday or Tuesday the thirteenth.

Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of 13, a number commonly associated with bad luck in Western culture. While fear of the number 13 can be traced back to medieval times, the word triskaidekaphobia itself is of recent vintage.

Fear of the number 13 also leads to fear of Friday the thirteenth (a fear recently dubbed paraskevidekatriaphobia), despite the fact that Friday turns out to be the most common weekday on which the 13th of a month can occur in the Gregorian calendar. This superstion dates back to Chaucer's early writing about misfortune falling on that unlucky Friday.

Growing up in Miami, I blithely went about life aware of some people's fear of Friday the thirteenth. Many of my professional years were spent in little Habana, a section of Miami where many Cubans and other Hispanics populated. I was a bit surprised one day, when the school secretary told me to ten cuidado (be careful) of mal Martes (bad Tuesday). What is bad Tuesday? If it wasn't difficult enough to worry about Friday the thirteenth, now I was supposed to worry about Tuesday the thirteenth.

In cultures of Spain, Greece, and the countries of Latin America on Tuesday,13 is considered an unlucky day. There is a Spanish saying regarding this date, which reads in 13 and Tuesday, neither get married nor you embark, considering that both, a wedding or a trip, ended badly when started on Tuesday and 13.

May today and each day bring you good luck and wonderful stitching. We are expecting nothing but wonderful times and fun experiences in Philadelphia during the August 3 - 31 Journey with Needle Art. No Tuesdays or Fridays the thirteenth will spoil our Journey!



REFERENCES:

• Adams, C. "Why Is the Number 13 ConsideredUnlucky?" The Straight Dope. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_080.html.
• Bowen, J. "Friday the 13th." Salon Mag. 13Aug 1999.
• Emery, D. "Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky." http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th_p.htm.
• Ferm, V. ABrief Dictionary of American Superstitions. New York: PhilosophicalLibrary, 1965.

Our Journey

“A JOURNEY WITH NEEDLE ART - From the past to the future” will bring the spotlight to our art, skills, and place in history for all to see. Your job is to tell your friends, plan to attend, and get to work on designing your own sampler for the 2014 competition.

2012 – Philadelphia

• Historic samplers, contemporary samplers, and originals for auction
• Exhibition

2013 – Anaheim

• Exhibition

2014 – Chicago

• Sampler Competition
• Exhibition