Post by Freehold Resident on May 17, 2007 9:54:31 GMT -5
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On the Loose: Wit and Wisdom
By STACY BRIGGS
The Intelligencer
Karen Weekes has been working on a project for more than 20 years.
She just didn’t know it.
An assistant professor of English and women’s studies at Penn State Abington, the Georgia native has been collecting interesting quotes — all of which embody the empowerment of women — in a small, spiral-bound notebook since she was an undergraduate in college.
Now, more than two decades later, those 300 or so entries are at the heart of her first published pop-culture book.
“Women Know Everything: 3,241 Quips, Quotes, & Brilliant Remarks” (Quirk Publishing, 2007) features entries from an eclectic mix of well-known and obscure women of all ages.
It consists of chapters of quotes that address different topics — from feminism to friendship, desire to diversity and sex to shoes.
The book — which includes quotes from entertainer and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, rap artist Lil’ Kim and actress Pamela Anderson — actually is meant to appeal to women ages 10 through 100.
It is one terrific and enlightening read — from start to finish.
Oh, yes — it’s interesting, insightful and useful for men, too.
And we can thank Jason Rekulak, the editorial director at Quirk Books, a quirky, Philadelphia-based publishing house, for all of this.
He and Weekes have a history, so to speak: The Penn State graduate is a multiple-appearance speaker in one of her classes on the college’s campus off Woodland Road in Abington.
“He asked me if I knew anybody who might be interested in writing a book of noteworthy quotations from well-known women,” says Weekes, who lives in Rockledge after moving here from Georgia in 2000.
She certainly did.
“I’m a quote-aholic,” says Weekes. “I have always been interested in statements that are empowering to women, so this seemed like a natural project for me … this was just perfect for me. I started collecting them toward the end of my undergraduate career. They’re well written, they’re wise, they’re from a variety of voices — you know, stuff that gets to the heart of the matter.
“In some places, there are whole poems; in others, there are whole paragraphs. They’re kernels of the works themselves. They’re the things that seem to have the most wisdom. And that formed the basis of the book. A friend would always ask me: ‘I want to see what you’ve added to it.’ I would get the notebook, open it up, and tell her: ‘See, I have more smart stuff than I used to have.’ ”
And you can call the 35-year-old Rekulak and those folks at Quirk smart, too.
“We do a lot of the kinds of books that would sell to young people,” he says, specifically citing the 18-to-35 demographic. “Most of the people working here are in that age group. These are the kinds of books that we’d like to read. We’re always asking ourselves, ‘What are young people doing with their entertainment dollars?’ So we aim to appeal to young people in fresh, new ways. Believe me, this ain’t your grandmother’s quote book. We put a lot of time and attention into the look and feel — the specs — of our books. You don’t see too many paperbacks with flaps. (Karen’s) has one.”
It’s a rich reward for her efforts, as well as a tip of the hat to Quirk’s own Bryn Ashburn, who designed the 480-page, Bulmer-typefaced package.
“They told me there that, sure, there are plenty of books of women’s quotes out there,” says Weekes, “but they were looking for something that was visually appealing, stylish and cool, and that would be geared to a young audience. That fits in perfectly with what I’m about. I’m always trying to get young women to grasp and understand things about other women throughout the world. This is something that they will sit around with their friends with and laugh at and think about. In fact, everything (Quirk) puts out has really useful information. But, you see, it’s packaged in such a way that makes it fun. And, believe me, much of this book imparts wisdom.”
She certainly has earned Quirk’s respect and gratitude.
“What we asked her to do,” says Rekulak, “was to cast a much wider net. There are more contemporary figures in there. And there are some very interesting international figures in history. It’s really fantastic. I was surprised she was able to do it as quickly as she did. It only took her several months. Now, it’s just pubbing this month and we’re already into a second printing.”
While the celebrities and cultural and political icons may draw readers, Weekes hopes the book brings obscure but notable women into public view.
“The purpose of this book,” she says, “was to find quotes from women who have done fascinating things so readers would be interested in finding out more about them. The women featured in this book come from all walks of life, and they all have something important to say. Even today, there are so many women alive and writing and sharing their wisdom. But young people don’t see them as role models. In fact, they don’t even know they exist. It’s, like, we see a lot of Paris Hilton and not a lot of Nobel Prize winners. So writing this book has been an amazing experience for me.”
Looking for an interesting quote from someone not everyone knows? Here’s one from American pioneer Susan Moir Allison: “I have learned that even if you are terrified, it’s best not to show it. Then you get credit for being fearless.”
Aside from publishing a book based on her passion, Weekes also has learned a great deal about what an author goes through — something that will be invaluable to English students at Penn State Abington who are enrolled in the publishing emphasis.
She also relied on the assistance of Danielle Fitzpatrick of Philadelphia, a former Penn State Abington student, who last summer helped Weekes with the editing — “she’s a relentless fact-checker,” says the author — and even suggested a few entries for the book.
“She was a student in my women’s studies class,” says Weekes. “She impressed me with her organization — she’s a bright, a very bright girl, who really had her stuff together, so to speak. I had recruited her on one research project that we worked on for two years and she proved very reliable and very verbal, and so I recruited her for this one.”
The ink is barely dry on “Women Know Everything” and Weekes already is into her next project: a book chronicling the lives and impact of some of the most influential women in the world today.
“The working title,” she says, “is ‘21 Women for the 21st Century.’ ”
Would it be fair to assume that some, many, most or perhaps all would have been represented in “Women Know Everything”?
“I’ve already selected 10,” says Weekes. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see that, say, 19 out of those 21 would come from it when I’m done.
“Women are breaking boundaries now that are impressive to old and young women alike. It’s an exciting time to be a woman, and to be able to share these stories with other women is tremendous.”
Here’s another one:
On Monday, in Freehold, N.J., Weekes married engineer Joe Benhabib, who was a driving force in her compilation work, using his savvy and acumen to help organize and categorize every one of those 3,241 quotes.
“Oh, yeah,” she says, laughing. “Just imagine — he’s willing to marry the woman who knows everything.”
On the Loose appears every other Tuesday. Stacy Briggs can be reached at (215) 345-3057 or sbriggs@phillyBurbs.com.
May 15, 2007 1:38 PM
On the Loose: Wit and Wisdom
By STACY BRIGGS
The Intelligencer
Karen Weekes has been working on a project for more than 20 years.
She just didn’t know it.
An assistant professor of English and women’s studies at Penn State Abington, the Georgia native has been collecting interesting quotes — all of which embody the empowerment of women — in a small, spiral-bound notebook since she was an undergraduate in college.
Now, more than two decades later, those 300 or so entries are at the heart of her first published pop-culture book.
“Women Know Everything: 3,241 Quips, Quotes, & Brilliant Remarks” (Quirk Publishing, 2007) features entries from an eclectic mix of well-known and obscure women of all ages.
It consists of chapters of quotes that address different topics — from feminism to friendship, desire to diversity and sex to shoes.
The book — which includes quotes from entertainer and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, rap artist Lil’ Kim and actress Pamela Anderson — actually is meant to appeal to women ages 10 through 100.
It is one terrific and enlightening read — from start to finish.
Oh, yes — it’s interesting, insightful and useful for men, too.
And we can thank Jason Rekulak, the editorial director at Quirk Books, a quirky, Philadelphia-based publishing house, for all of this.
He and Weekes have a history, so to speak: The Penn State graduate is a multiple-appearance speaker in one of her classes on the college’s campus off Woodland Road in Abington.
“He asked me if I knew anybody who might be interested in writing a book of noteworthy quotations from well-known women,” says Weekes, who lives in Rockledge after moving here from Georgia in 2000.
She certainly did.
“I’m a quote-aholic,” says Weekes. “I have always been interested in statements that are empowering to women, so this seemed like a natural project for me … this was just perfect for me. I started collecting them toward the end of my undergraduate career. They’re well written, they’re wise, they’re from a variety of voices — you know, stuff that gets to the heart of the matter.
“In some places, there are whole poems; in others, there are whole paragraphs. They’re kernels of the works themselves. They’re the things that seem to have the most wisdom. And that formed the basis of the book. A friend would always ask me: ‘I want to see what you’ve added to it.’ I would get the notebook, open it up, and tell her: ‘See, I have more smart stuff than I used to have.’ ”
And you can call the 35-year-old Rekulak and those folks at Quirk smart, too.
“We do a lot of the kinds of books that would sell to young people,” he says, specifically citing the 18-to-35 demographic. “Most of the people working here are in that age group. These are the kinds of books that we’d like to read. We’re always asking ourselves, ‘What are young people doing with their entertainment dollars?’ So we aim to appeal to young people in fresh, new ways. Believe me, this ain’t your grandmother’s quote book. We put a lot of time and attention into the look and feel — the specs — of our books. You don’t see too many paperbacks with flaps. (Karen’s) has one.”
It’s a rich reward for her efforts, as well as a tip of the hat to Quirk’s own Bryn Ashburn, who designed the 480-page, Bulmer-typefaced package.
“They told me there that, sure, there are plenty of books of women’s quotes out there,” says Weekes, “but they were looking for something that was visually appealing, stylish and cool, and that would be geared to a young audience. That fits in perfectly with what I’m about. I’m always trying to get young women to grasp and understand things about other women throughout the world. This is something that they will sit around with their friends with and laugh at and think about. In fact, everything (Quirk) puts out has really useful information. But, you see, it’s packaged in such a way that makes it fun. And, believe me, much of this book imparts wisdom.”
She certainly has earned Quirk’s respect and gratitude.
“What we asked her to do,” says Rekulak, “was to cast a much wider net. There are more contemporary figures in there. And there are some very interesting international figures in history. It’s really fantastic. I was surprised she was able to do it as quickly as she did. It only took her several months. Now, it’s just pubbing this month and we’re already into a second printing.”
While the celebrities and cultural and political icons may draw readers, Weekes hopes the book brings obscure but notable women into public view.
“The purpose of this book,” she says, “was to find quotes from women who have done fascinating things so readers would be interested in finding out more about them. The women featured in this book come from all walks of life, and they all have something important to say. Even today, there are so many women alive and writing and sharing their wisdom. But young people don’t see them as role models. In fact, they don’t even know they exist. It’s, like, we see a lot of Paris Hilton and not a lot of Nobel Prize winners. So writing this book has been an amazing experience for me.”
Looking for an interesting quote from someone not everyone knows? Here’s one from American pioneer Susan Moir Allison: “I have learned that even if you are terrified, it’s best not to show it. Then you get credit for being fearless.”
Aside from publishing a book based on her passion, Weekes also has learned a great deal about what an author goes through — something that will be invaluable to English students at Penn State Abington who are enrolled in the publishing emphasis.
She also relied on the assistance of Danielle Fitzpatrick of Philadelphia, a former Penn State Abington student, who last summer helped Weekes with the editing — “she’s a relentless fact-checker,” says the author — and even suggested a few entries for the book.
“She was a student in my women’s studies class,” says Weekes. “She impressed me with her organization — she’s a bright, a very bright girl, who really had her stuff together, so to speak. I had recruited her on one research project that we worked on for two years and she proved very reliable and very verbal, and so I recruited her for this one.”
The ink is barely dry on “Women Know Everything” and Weekes already is into her next project: a book chronicling the lives and impact of some of the most influential women in the world today.
“The working title,” she says, “is ‘21 Women for the 21st Century.’ ”
Would it be fair to assume that some, many, most or perhaps all would have been represented in “Women Know Everything”?
“I’ve already selected 10,” says Weekes. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see that, say, 19 out of those 21 would come from it when I’m done.
“Women are breaking boundaries now that are impressive to old and young women alike. It’s an exciting time to be a woman, and to be able to share these stories with other women is tremendous.”
Here’s another one:
On Monday, in Freehold, N.J., Weekes married engineer Joe Benhabib, who was a driving force in her compilation work, using his savvy and acumen to help organize and categorize every one of those 3,241 quotes.
“Oh, yeah,” she says, laughing. “Just imagine — he’s willing to marry the woman who knows everything.”
On the Loose appears every other Tuesday. Stacy Briggs can be reached at (215) 345-3057 or sbriggs@phillyBurbs.com.
May 15, 2007 1:38 PM