by Tracy James Robinson Photography by Chuck St. John

"I take inspiration from many different sources, but I never get too far away from a tartan shirt," says Andy in a Club Monaco oxford cloth shirt; "old school" J.Crew pants in original Nantucket red, cut off to shorts; Versace ring; Timex for J.Crew watch

Ah, to be 24 again. Fresh-faced prepster Andy Smith exudes a passion for all things creative: art, architecture, landscape, and above all, fashion. His involvement in the fashion industry as a personal shopper for J.Crew at The Summit helps Andy feed his shopping addiction by gorging on fashion info, rather than always having to acquire the goods.

As befits  his youth, much of his knowledge is gleaned from social media, following industry insiders on Twitter and their blogs. A favorite on Twitter is “dknyPRgirl.” As for blogs, Andy checks in on Scott Schuman’s blog, The Sartorialist, “to see how people are dressing on the streets of NYC;” and “can’t live without Tavi’s reviews,” referring to Tavi Gevinson’s blog The Style Rookie, which she began at the age of 11. Not ignoring the long-standing leaders, however, Andy expresses a deep admiration for Vogue editor Anna Wintour. “She keeps the industry alive and moving,” he says. “Anyone in fashion should be required to see [the documentary] The September Issue.”

Interviewing Andy reveals his eclectic tastes and is like a crash course in what’s hot, and also.

Favorite fashion designers: Alexander McQueen, Michael Bastian, Tom Ford, Billy Reid, Marc Jacobs, and Christian Siriano.

Shopping Destinations: J.Crew, OAK, Opening Ceremony, Nashville’s Imogene + Willie and any vintage store (“for those items no one else has”).

Style Icons: Fashion editor Derek Blasberg, stylist Brad Goreski, rapper Kanye West and figure skater Johnny Weir.

On his Wishlist: Day-Glo Tretorns by Sid Mashburn and a vintage Rolex.

As a personal shopper who answers about 40 style questions per day, Andy has had the time and experience to form a multitude of opinions on dressing himself and others, and how others choose to dress themselves.

As for menswear, Andy believes this area of fashion has improved significantly. “In the South, we’ve embraced a way to look Southern without looking hillbilly, like [designer] Billy Reid has done.” That said, he still sees room for improvement, noting that men, especially in the South, tend to fall back to their college habits and wear their clothing too big and pants too long. Refusing to let men use the word “conservative” as an excuse for wearing pleated pants, even on a suit, he cites J.Crew’s Ludlow suit, which was featured in The New York Times, as an excellent, properly fitting suit at a great price point. Andy admits that because he is short in stature, he is particular about pants, preferring no break. At times he gets frustrated with fit and as a result has turned countless pants into shorts. “Fortunately in the South we’ve also embraced a way to be casual and laid back without being sloppy,” Andy says. “It’s always about proportion— whether one is talking about color or fit or styling. Proportion is key.”

And that brings us to his observations of women. Andy expresses  great disdain for super–chunky wedges, especially on shorter girls, and especially with skinny jeans. “There’s this slim silhouette of the leg and then, boom, this big clunky shoe.” Another pet–peeve is college girls wearing ill–fitting sorority t–shirts and carrying huge Louis Vuitton bags. “Just because you spent a lot of money on your bag doesn’t mean you have style,” Andy exasperates. “I prefer Goyard anyway,” he adds with a smirk.

However he is pleased to see more and more women being unafraid to try bolder hues, “I don’t care what season we’re in, I’ll always be obsessed with color.”

Photographer, Chuck St. John; Stylist, Tracy James Robinson. All clothing & accessories from Icon’s own wardrobe. Photographed at The Bottletree.

by Charlie Thigpen Photography by Chuck St. John

pretty for us and yummy for the birdies

A few summers ago, I would walk through our kitchen garden almost every morning.  Like clockwork, a tiny winged friend that would nervously dance above a planting of dew-covered red salvia would join me. I had planted the salvia to attract the bees, which would help pollinate my veggies, but the little hummingbird ruled the airway in early morning. After tending the flowers for several minutes at a time, the feisty bird would perch and momentarily relax on top of a tomato cage and clean its long, sword-like beak on the metal wire.

To this day I can see the little bird’s jewel-like ruby throat and glistening green feathers shimmer in the morning sun. I saw it happen several times a week throughout the summer but never took it for granted. These hummers are amazing creatures that can become as prominent in the garden as the flowers they hover over.

Make Your Own Memory

Attract these tiny, acrobatic birds to your landscape using feeding stations, colorful flowers or both. They’re so fun to watch, and you’ll be surprised how vocal the bitsy birds can be.  Place the feeders or nectar-producing plants where you can easily view them. In our busy, hectic world, we can be mesmerized and briefly forget about everything by watching one of God’s most amazing creations.

Fill-Up Feeders

Hummingbirds are attracted to color, so choose a colorful feeder or two to place around your garden. Make sure they’re positioned where they can be reached easily for filling and cleaning. Try to position them several feet from windows so the birds won’t fly into the glass.

You can buy solutions to mix and fill the feeders or make your own. To make sugar water, mix one cup of sugar with four cups of water. Then boil the solution for 30 seconds to reduce fermentation and mold. After filling the feeders, store the sugar water in the refrigerator for no longer than two weeks. Clean the feeders periodically to keep your feathered friends happy and healthy.

Plants for the Birds

Hummingbirds prefer tubular flowers. They seem to be drawn to most salvias. “Black and Blue” salvia is an easy-to-grow perennial that really attracts hummingbirds. It will produce beautiful blue blooms in sun or part shade.  “Lady in Red” salvia is a sun-loving annual that blooms summer through fall and will usually reseed in the garden. For shady areas, plant impatiens, hostas or cardinal flower. Red honeysuckle is a wonderful climbing vine that draws the birds in like a magnet.

Put up feeders and plant colorful flowers and watch your garden come to life. The little birds will dive, dart and maneuver around your yard at high speed. They’ll make you happy, capture your imagination and add interest to your landscape. These humming beauties have an excellent memory, and once they find a food source, they’ll return to your garden throughout the summer. •

Charlie Thigpen is a horticulturalist and the owner of Garden Gallery in Pepper Place.

The Gilmore Family

In 2008, at 31 years old, I found myself very content with life. I had been happily married to Justin for three years. Life was fulfilling and more than I could ask for. A few years earlier, I had started a business designing wedding flowers, and it was thriving. Travelling and spending time with friends occupied my hours outside of work.  When the 2009 New Year rolled in, we made a resolution for our home. This was the year we wanted to start a family. Becoming a mother was something I wanted, but honestly it had never been the major goal of life for me. It was a desire among a list of other important goals. Having a baby was a piece of the whole picture I had for myself. I set out, like most women, hoping to become pregnant soon and without much difficulty. After trying without any success, I found myself sitting in front of fertility specialist Beth Malizia.

When I arrived at the appointment, I was nervous and felt so vulnerable. It was my hope that she would say there was nothing to worry about and I had no reason to be in her office. Some minor tests were done that were inconclusive as to why I was having difficulty in conceiving. She gave me some factual information to be hopeful about and some procedures to look at that would increase our odds of success. After taking her advice and a lot of conversation with my husband, we decided to move forward. I took heart knowing that without any big obstacles maybe we would see success with minimal assistance. After six months of pursuing treatment, including three IUI (intra-uterine insemination) procedures, I was still not pregnant. I found my confidence wavering and began to flail emotionally. I lost perspective, and the realities of infertility weighed heavily on me. I wanted to be a mother, and hope was slipping through my hands. Sadness was giving way to despair, and frustration was turning into anger. I hated what I was becoming. It was surprisingly painful to be around babies and especially pregnant people. This was hard to face about myself. Hearing other people’s success stories became infuriating. I was becoming absorbed with infertility.  During this time, I leaned on friends and my faith to cope and move forward with the next option. I wrestled with bigger questions about my purpose in life. My pain was personal but my problem felt so public. I was discovering that life could hurt and disappoint more than I had ever imagined. In retrospect, it was in the midst of this that some valuable lessons began to surface.  Marriage and friendship could bear more weight than I realized. Being a good listener is a gift to someone grieving because there are some problems in life that don’t have good answers, and people that love you cannot fix them. I learned that it takes courage to sit with someone in a difficult place. So listening was a gift, because my heart ached, and I needed to hear that it would stop some day. May I be so blessed to one day return the favor.

In fall of 2009, I signed up for my first round of IVF (in vitro fertilization). I was nervous and numb inside by now. I was encouraged by the odds that we would become pregnant. Dr. Malizia is an advocate for her patients. She was concerned with my success and my emotional health. She gave me two statistics that anchored me: 86 percent of couples that pursue up to six rounds of IVF saw a live birth. I also learned that after one round of failed in vitro, 50 percent of couples drop out of trying. It is just too taxing emotionally and financially to keep going.  I was ready to take my chances.  I followed the protocol for in vitro, and 10 days after completing it we received a phone call that my blood work showed a positive pregnancy. I was elated, but that would prove to be short lived. Unfortunately, a week later my levels dropped, and I was no longer pregnant. It was close to Christmas, and I was consumed with the pain of disappointment. The reality was that I had everything I wanted for a week, then lost it, with no promise of it ever returning. I’ve spoken with many women who have miscarried at various stages of pregnancy. There are some losses in life that our human hearts don’t have a file for. My heart didn’t know what to do with a miscarriage, and it broke into pieces.

The New Year in 2010 came, and very little in me wanted to celebrate. I felt hollowed out by our circumstances, but life moves on with or without you, and I had to make a plan to keep going. I was weary of the fight. I had given it everything I had. I felt so pinned in. At some point in life, we accept some realities that are beyond our control. I couldn’t let this one go.  I couldn’t make a concession about being a mother. I don’t know if it was for lack of Plan B in life, numb determination or my Texas roots, but I went through another two failed rounds of IVF. I struggle to find words for this part of the journey. I remember the medical details, but emotionally I was very detached. For some people, adoption is the answer, conceiving without any medical intervention, or maybe deciding that life is fulfilling without children and this pursuit is not worth the emotional difficulty. Though for me, it was my journey, and I felt compelled to keep fighting.  Sad stories must end at some point, right?

In the fall, we walked into a fourth round of IVF. It was Dec. 15, 2010, and I was standing in the floral department of a grocery store trying to distract myself. A simple phone call would deliver the results of our latest attempt. I was cautiously optimistic. It was freezing cold and pouring rain outside. I tried to ignore that the weather seemed ready to befriend me in sadness. My phone rang and the nurse simply said, “Your hormone levels are very high and healthy. You are pregnant. Congratulations. ” Oh, sweet victory.

I waited for two more weeks before having an ultrasound to look for a heartbeat. The silence in the room bore the weight of our longing to be there. The nurse located the tiny, flickering heartbeat and said, “Baby A looks very good.” Happy tears began to pour down my face as the nurse finished her sentence. “Baby B and C look healthy, too.” Triplets. I was pregnant with triplets. The reality of this is still sinking in, and they are nine months old.

Triplets are considered a high-risk pregnancy, so we received our medical care from the Maternal Fetal Medicine center at UAB Hospital.  While fortunate to be pregnant, I quickly learned that a triplet pregnancy is a high risk for both mother and babies. Triplets are typically born between 32 and 33 weeks gestation. Triplets have an 11 times greater risk for cerebral palsy due to prematurity, and mothers are at high risk for early hypertension, which could lead to losing the pregnancy completely. We were given a 35 percent chance of conceiving one baby, a 17 percent chance of having twins, and a less than 2 percent chance of triplets.  Our triplets were not the result of too many transferred embryos, but instead a splitting of one fertilized embryo, resulting in two of our babies being identical twins.

Justin and I considered ourselves to be blessed with the opportunity to give these babies a chance at life, and we moved forward with a sober gratitude.

I was very blessed to have a relatively healthy pregnancy. I was on bed rest for 17 weeks and consumed an ungodly amount of milk shakes. On July 4, 2011, at 32 weeks and 5 days pregnant, I was admitted to the hospital for hypertension. The following morning, our daughters were born at 6:45 a.m., 6:45 a.m. and 6:47 a.m. July 5 was a heavenly day for our family.

Our babies spent seven weeks in the NICU. Rosemary was born weighing 3 lbs 8 oz, Emma 3 lbs 11 oz and Chloe a slight 2 lbs. 2 oz. The first few days in the NICU were very difficult. I not prepared to watch my babies struggle in an incubator. Chloe was so small that my husband’s wedding band would slip up her arm to her shoulder. The attending neonatologist would round on her morning and evening with residents in tow. I would sit quietly in the corner trying to decipher the medical talk about her. She was doing well, but her weight gain was slow. One evening, her doctor told me that she would someday thrive. Babies that have growth restriction in the womb sense a need for survival that helps them become very efficient at learning to breath and digest food for weight gain. Chloe was born ready for a fight. We nicknamed her Mighty Mouse in the nursery. Rosemary and Emma grew and gained their weight steadily. On a warm August day, we brought our third baby home from the hospital. Home. I had wished for this day for so very long.

Life has moved forward very quickly. I find myself here typing this story, and much of it seems like it happened yesterday. Our household is controlled chaos — most of the time.  To date, we have changed at least 5,400 diapers, given over 5,000 bottles and gone many nights without sleep. My daughters are nine months old and thriving. I went into the nursery tonight, as I often do, to steal a peaceful moment watching them sleep before starting the circus again tomorrow. They are worth every longing tear shed and every desperate prayer uttered. I am profoundly grateful for the gift to be their mother. My cup runneth over.

Bettola Italian Fare

Bettola

Chef James Lewis and his rigorously authentic Italian dishes have received plenty of national acclaim, from being named one of the best new chefs of 2011 by Food & Wine to a James Beard Award semifinalist nod this year. The wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas and more are all wonderful.

2901 2nd Ave. S; 205-731-6499;

GianMarco’s

If you’re going to GianMarco’s for dinner, expect a wait. But there’s a reason for that: Its versions of Italian classics are pretty much universally delicious. Your best bet is to order one of the daily specials, which are always delightful.

721 Broadway St., Homewood

205-871-9622

Giuseppe’s Café

Tucked away in the Gable Square shopping center in Glen Iris, this might be one of the city’s best-kept secrets. It’s nothing fancy, but the home-style pastas, pizzas and sandwiches are excellent — and extremely affordable. Don’t miss the meatball sub.

925 8th St. S; 205-324-2626

DeVinci’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant

Another place that does the basics but does them beautifully is this Homewood spot. The chicken and eggplant Parmigiana are both very tasty, as is anything involving the house-made sausage. The place is also open for breakfast, serving great pancakes and omelets.

2707 18th St. S, Homewood 205-879-1455;

Bottega

He may be a Southerner through and through, but Frank Stitt sure has a way with Italian food. The beautiful patio and casual café menu at this Southside spot are an ideal way to pass an afternoon or evening. Make sure to try the mac and cheese, or, if it’s a Monday, the crab cake.

2240 Highland Ave. S; 205-939-1000

Rocky’s Pizza and Italian Foods

The best pizza-delivery joint in the city also happens to offer big portions of lasagna, chicken Alfredo and other Italian dishes. And that’s not to mention the place’s legendary muffuletta, one of the best versions of that sandwich to be found outside New Orleans.

715 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. S

205-252-8282;

Joe’s Italian

If ever there was a reason to trek all the way to Alabaster for a meal, this is it. Owned by Italian immigrants who ran a successful restaurant in California before “retiring” to Alabama, the place offers amazing pastas that’ll make you want to stuff yourself, but save room for an absurdly massive slice of cake for dessert. 21 Weatherly Club Dr., Alabaster

205-663-4111;

Vino

The newest addition to English Village, this elegant eatery recently expanded its patio, offering even more space to enjoy its mix of Italian, Middle Eastern and Greek dishes. The house-special apple fritters are a must to end your meal.

1930 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook

205-870-8404;

Trattoria Centrale

Friday-night dinner is when this hip downtown pizzeria really shows off its Italian chops, serving an array of seasonal pastas and other dishes made from local produce that are reliably awesome. But that’s not to say the lunchtime pizzas and specials aren’t also well worth a try.

207A 20th St. N; 205-202-5612

Mafiaoza’s

Offering simple dishes like spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread and thin-crust pizzas, as well as more fancy antipasti, salads and pastas, this Crestline Village establishment is good for the whole family. And if you need a place to watch the game with better eats than the typical sports bar, it’s also a good choice. 2 Dexter Ave., Mountain Brook 205-414-7878;

By Paget Pizitz

Willie Wonka wasn't afraid to be himself, and he lived in a magic land full of chocolate and seemed quite happy (except that creepy boat scene) AND he brings a good point here….what if your makeup mask meets a wet wipe?

I was born on May 2, so I guess this means happy birthday to me. My mom’s biggest gripe about being pregnant was the Scotch she had to stop sipping and the cigarettes she had to stop puffing. Considering most of her friends smoked while their bun was cooking in the oven, this was a pretty big sacrifice in the 1970s. So thanks to my mom for hatching me 30-something years ago and giving up those vices that would have most likely lead to birth defects or more serious mental illness than I probably already have. Jokes aside, you could scour the earth and never find a better, more selfless mother. And if you’ve met her, then you’re hip to this jive; the woman’s a saint.

I was brought into this world by a Doctor named Foots. As the story goes, my father was out drinking with Foots the night before I arrived, and he showed up to the hospital with one leg still full of  J&B. “The only thing wrong with your son is that he was born without a penis.” If I have heard this story once, I have heard it a thousand times.

After my dad came to the hospital floor, he realized his baby son was actually a baby girl and no body parts were missing at all. The plan had been to leave the hospital as Merritt Jr., but instead I left as “Prune Toes” Pizitz.  I literally thank God every day that my name was swiftly changed to Paget, as I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I had to answer to Prune Toes. In truth, I did spend a chunk of my childhood feeling like I let my dad down being born without a penis. Perhaps that’s why I played with a tackle box and fishing lures instead of Barbie and her floozie gal pals. It eventually dawned on me that my father loved me, boy parts or not (I fear I have said penis a few too many times this column). This is all getting a little too intimate, and I bet you think I’m crying, alone under the covers, eating my feelings and cradling my cat. Rest assured that I am not, but I will get to the point.

This daunting walk down memory lane got me pondering the idea of masks and how, from time to time and to varying degrees, we all wear them. Unless you are Batman or have some bizarre fetish, it isn’t practical to hide behind a mask in intimate and romantic relationships. It won’t behoove anyone, this I can promise.

Masks are Creepy…be yourself

Unfortunately, many people live their lives behind them in attempts to seek approval. Ironically, approval gained in this way all too often becomes the source of rejection when this persona we have created of ourselves falls apart. Don’t spend those first exciting months of a new relationship hiding behind a mask or pretending to be someone you aren’t. This will just be a hindrance in developing strong and meaningful relationships. Also, that mask is going to get pretty itchy around the sixth month, and I bet it’s also going to cause a very unappealing rash.

I once spent three months pretending to like blue cheese for a chef I dated in D.C. Blue cheese causes hives down my back and makes my throat feel like its being snuggled by a python. If you hide behind your mask for too long, you run the risk of forgetting or losing who you really are. Your homework this month is to think long and hard on what scares you about showing your true self. I can’t answer that question for you, but I’ll be willing to bet it has something to do with the fear of rejection. To this, I can only say be authentic and honest about who you are and what you want. I’m glad I told Chris blue cheese made my throat swell.  He did dump me, but I’m pretty sure it had nothing to do with the cheese and everything to do with him being gay.

Paget is the owner of Connections: Matchmaking and Personal Consulting.

by Cherri Ellis

This column originally ran last year. It has been updated and offered again thanks to its timeless advice…

congrats to mickey here who CLEARLY just graduated and to the rest of the class of 2012

I would like a word with the graduating class of 2012.  Listen up, because I have been burdened with wisdom far greater than what is immediately apparent.

I would begin by saying to this group of graduates that you are an amazing group of human beings.  On this day, as you accept your diploma, revel in your own sense of awesomeness.  Realize that in some ways, at this moment, you are as smart as you will ever be.  If you don’t believe me, take a page of your calculus homework, put it up for 20 years, then get it out and try to complete it.    Right now you can do it in the back of your friend’s car on three hours of sleep with music blasting while you eat a Hot Pocket.  In 20 years, nothing.  You will look at it like a monkey looks at hieroglyphics.  So celebrate yourself and your youthful acuity today!  Embrace your brain cells, for they are as plentiful as they will ever be.  High five yourself.  Scream like you’re in the front row at Bonnaroo.  Give yourself a standing ovation.  You have absolutely earned it.

No pressure, but we are sort of counting on you.  You are the generation that will cure cancer, fix healthcare and save the planet.  Let me see by a show of hands how many of you have helped your parent with a Power Point they were doing for one of those JOBS they’re always complaining about.  The first time you helped your parents with anything on the computer you were… what?  Eight years old?

I marvel at your potential.  You are the first native online generation.   You have literally grown up on the lnternet.  Because of this, you expect your information to be obtained at increasingly faster speeds.  It’s not that your attention spans are shorter — it’s that you need less time to process stimuli.  You can sit in front of a television with a computer in your lap and a cellphone in your hand and wish you had something to do.  Two generations ago that would have given someone a seizure.

When the telephone was invented, it took 75 years for it to acquire 50 million users.  When the television came along, it took 13 years to get the same amount.  Know how long it took to acquire 50 million users on the Internet?  Five years.   Your parents think they’re cool because they learned how to text.  You can text from an AP English class with your hand buried in your backpack and never take your eyes off the smart board.   I love it.  The world needs those fine motor skills in its surgical suites.

So get out there and live your life.  As you do, remember these things:

Love yourself. You will be in your own company for longer than anyone else’s.  From this day forward, quit thinking about what anybody thinks of you.  There are some aspects of high school that will parallel eternity for you.  Writing a paper at the last minute for your teacher is not unlike making a report at the last minute for your boss.   But there are some aspects of high school that you can now leave behind and do so joyfully.  I challenge you to never spend another second trying to fit in to any group of people who do not make you feel like you are the BOMB.   You only have so many minutes on this planet, so surround yourself with people who see you for who you are.   Not everyone will love you, but learning to operate under someone else’s disdain is part of growing older.    It will help you survive a tough boss, a loved one’s ex, or someone to whom you must say no.  It is possible.  On rare occasions, it is actually pleasurable.    So if someone is unkind to you, let them go.  Your future is not tied to anyone whose back you see as they walk away.

Across the board, as a matter of policy, do your best.  When you do mess up, apologize instantly and sincerely.  Say it from the heart, accept the blame and move on.   Purgatory’s for suckers.

Don’t feel fat.   The images you see in magazines have been Photoshopped beyond an inch of their lives.  Your body is the most amazing machine you will ever drive, so drop it into gear, give it some gas and enjoy the ride.   Instead of texting while you drive (which will eventually get you killed) try SINGING.  When you’re spotted, roll down the windows and sing louder.  Bang out drum riffs on the steering wheel.   Don’t just listen to your inner voice — harmonize with it.  You guys sound great together.

Give back in whatever way you can.  Volunteering is a sure way of gauging your place in life, and it’ll help you keep perspective.  Everyone cares about something.  Find out what you care about and throw a little energy its way.  I don’t want to make you paranoid, but know that there is actually a giant dry-erase board somewhere in the universe that is tracking what you gave and what you took, so volunteer.   It’s the right thing to do, and you’ll most likely need the bonus points.

You will need to work.  Not working not only creates resentment from those around you who do work, but it limits your ability to buy things that you want in a timely manner.  While at work, be on guard for any sentences that start with the words “in the future” or “effective immediately.”   Nothing good ever follows.  Work is only fun when it involves a lot of positive feedback, and you only get positive feedback when you do something very well, so find out what it is that you like to do and then get really, really good at it.   Before you know it, you will have a career instead of a job, and you will own better electronics.

That’s about it for advice from me.  Except… Respond to love.  Ignore negativity.  Don’t drink Everclear.  Avoid visible panty lines.  Be nice.  Call your Mother.  Use sunscreen.  Get enough sleep.  And finally, receiving news that you are pre-approved for a credit card does not mean that you need to activate it.

Now go get ‘em, Tiger.

By Joe O’Donnell    Photo by Beau Gustafson

Same day delivery and fresher flowers are the backbone of Norton's successful business practices

The formula is deceptively simple. Fresher flowers. Same day delivery. That has become the mantra at Norton’s Florist, the old-line Birmingham florist founded in 1921 that has thrived under the ownership of Gus Pappas.

Pappas was the chief financial officer of the company that owned Lorch Diamond Centers when he got into a friendly chat with his neighbor across the lawn. That neighbor, Phillip Norton, was the owner of his family’s floral company, one of the city’s oldest, most respected retail establishments. Norton told Pappas that he was ready to sell the business, and whether he was certain of it at the time or not, Pappas was ready to buy.

That was almost a decade ago, and the intervening years have seen Pappas manage the business for a new era and thrive by delivering what is high on the list of everyone’s favorite gift, flowers.

“We deal with a product that makes people happy,” Pappas says. “It is fun to see the looks on the faces, the wow people get from looking at flowers. There was a study done at Texas A&M where they measured the reaction of receiving certain gifts — clothing, jewelry, things like that. The reaction they got when they tested flowers blew everything else off the charts.”

An older line in the retailing industry, floral has been transformed, like almost every other type of business, by the Internet. The rise of 1-800-Flowers and similar teleflora services have been a blessing and curse to the small retailers who populate the industry.

“One thing that is changing our business are order gatherers like 1-800-Flowers, which gather orders from web sites and send them to florists to fulfill,” Pappas says. “They spend millions of dollars marketing their services. This has changed our business because that order that you placed with them replaces an order that we would have gotten previously from you directly. But at the same time, we are in a good position to fill and deliver that order that comes to us from a third-party Internet marketer because we have the selection and the delivery trucks to get them to the customers. We fill those orders anyway, but the customer never knows.”

The industry is very segmented, Pappas says. More than two-thirds of all florists have five or fewer employees. At one time, Norton’s was the 75th largest flower shop in the country. Today the company has approximately 25 employees. “It is unusual to find an operation this big,” Pappas says.

Over the decade he has owned the business, Pappas says, the operation has enjoyed good growth and top-of-mind awareness. They purchased gift basket companies, and that has helped put them on the map for that segment of the business, he says.

The floral has become increasingly global, with Norton’s product coming from all over the world, places such as South Africa, Ecuador, Chile, Israel and New Zealand, in addition to the flower-growing regions of the United States.

“The cold chain — moving product in refrigerated trucks and airplanes — keeps flowers cold throughout the distribution process,” Pappas says. “They are kept at  34 to 36 degrees from the time they leave the farm until we get them ready here at the store. We have the advantage of doing enough volume to be able to get the very freshest flowers. Same day delivery and fresher flowers are our two bullets.”

The company’s future growth is likely to come online, Pappas says. “Our growth is in our own Internet business. We work real hard on that, and that area just keeps growing. People just go to the Internet now instead of calling. Our statistics tell us that for every order we get on the Internet, two people will call while looking at the screen. Up to half of new customers come from the web. We have a floral app now we are going to implement. As we think about the future, we know people are still going to wait until the last minute. The fact that we have so many trucks and people who can deliver that same day is a big advantage. One of our challenges it to make sure we can offer the service and same products as any other .com.”

Along with procrastination, the other thing that has not changed in the world of flowers is the importance of holidays. “Valentine’s Day is the biggest day of the year,” Pappas says. “We will do 1,200 deliveries. Mother’s Day is about the same. You do the same volume but spread it over a longer period of time.” So while continued globalization and online growth are on the horizon, the beauty and attraction of flowers is one thing that seems constant.

Carol Clancy and Ava

When I was a young girl, those annual summer road trips to Grandma’s house in rural Georgia always commenced in similar fashion. Upon arrival, we’d unfurl ourselves from the Buick sedan, untangle our cramped legs, and slip in the creaky back-porch screen door that slapped shut behind us with a sudden thwack that sent Grandma fluttering from the kitchen. She would be frantically drying her hands on her apron in a jubilant rush to hug our collective necks. Then we would be shooed out of the hallway and into her kitchen. We eagerly took our places at the well-worn wooden table as she ladled out bottomless bowls of steaming vegetable soup and generously buttered hot triangles of golden cornbread. This wasn’t Campbells or Jiffy Mix, mind you. Grandma Holloway’s stockpot was blessed with the bounty of her own backyard garden, all of which was selected, shelled, shucked, stringed, seeded, sliced or snapped by her own busy hands. Is that why it tasted so deliriously good? Or was it the re-enactment of this familiar welcome that seasoned the broth with such wonderful memories of the good and simple times we craved? I feel certain both are true.

As I grew up and developed my own interest in cooking, I would often think of recreating some of Grandma Holloway’s specialties. Several times I called her in hopes of obtaining the recipe for a particular childhood favorite only to be disappointed in her standard response;  “Well, I don’t have directions, child. You just have to be in the kitchen with me and see what I do. I can’t tell you. I have to show you because the knowing is in my hands, not my head.” I regret that I never took her up on that. If I had, I might not have unwittingly used the self-rising flour to make the dough in a disastrous attempt to recreate her savory chicken and dumplings. As a newlywed. On my in-laws’ very first visit for dinner. And, if I hadn’t misappropriated that tricky ingredient, those little dumpling grenades would not have violently exploded upon entry as I dropped them into the bubbling broth, spraying my freshly wallpapered kitchen and my late 80s perm with scatter shots of hot, gloppy dough.

Sadly, my maternal grandmother’s ultimate comfort combo of vegetable soup and cornbread, along with her impossibly fluffy biscuits, glorious chicken pie and luscious Grand Duke Cake are pure, sweet memory now. So I dedicate this project to her on Mother’s Day.  She expressed her love in so many ways. But the time she spent in the kitchen, preparing those predictably delicious meals for us, is what seems to stand out the most after all these years.

By the way, I am fully aware that not all maternal beings excel in the kitchen.  And cultural roles have certainly shifted to clear a path for dear ol’ Dad to strut his culinary prowess while maintaining the security of his manhood.  But the nostalgic stereotype of the doting mother or grandmother donning her ruffled apron and cradling a mixing bowl of some heavenly batter is as comforting to me as anything I can conjure. Apparently I am not alone in my periodic pining for the  comfort foods of my youth. According to a recent survey, most grown men admit they prefer their mother’s cooking to that of their wives.

So I put feelers out all over town.  I posted on Facebook and tweeted:  “Does the matriarch in your family have an heirloom recipe that everyone agrees is the best they ever tasted?” We could fill a book with the responses. And we just might. But for this round, we decided to feature this charming collection of ladies and their time-tested, family-reunion-finishing, sweet-tooth-slaying desserts.  These crowd-pleasers are the crowning glory of any potluck buffet table. Most are familiar Southern classics. But the versions we chose have been prepared so many times by the same caring cooks, subtly tweaked and embellished over the years to tried and true, dependable perfection. These gracious women were so kind to share their kitchens and their sweet secrets with us. It was a delight to spend time with them, as they regaled us with the family lore while confidently preparing these divine concoctions. Each time we were lucky enough to be invited to share in the result. And I can tell you, my gleeful taste buds agree wholeheartedly with their families’ assertion. These Mamas really do reign supreme!

Minnie Johnson’s

Minnie Johnson

Peaches and Dumplings:

Minnie is a cherished wife, a devoted “Mama” to four grown kids and an indulgent “Granny” to 11 little ones.  Most weekends, her home overflows with family members and church friends sharing the good food and fellowship that she and husband James dish out.  Minnie truly loves to cook,  but with the demands of work and family and church, her time in the kitchen is stretched thin.  However, she has devised clever ways of spoiling guests and loved ones with dishes she can whip up in a flash.  Here is her twist on peach cobbler that keeps everyone smacking their lips and queuing up for seconds.

Ingredients:

• 4 cans (15 oz) peaches.  (Minnie prefers “light” peaches, which are not too sweet)
• 1 cup sugar, divided.
• 1 tsp nutmeg, divided
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick butter, unsalted
• ½1 cup Tropicana Peach Orchard Punch
• 2 sheets refrigerated pie crusts

Directions:

Drain peach juice from cans into a stock pot.

Add the stick of butter, ½ cup of the sugar, ½ tsp of the nutmeg and ½ tsp of the cinnamon.

Heat to boiling.  Meanwhile, empty drained peaches into casserole, sprinkle remaining spices and sugar, and toss to coat evenly.

Roll out one sheet of the prepared dough.  Cut into 1-inch strips, vertically and horizontally like a grid.  Separate the squares of dough and drop one at a time (so they don’t stick) into the boiling syrup.  Cook the dumplings in the syrup until they begin to brown and puff a bit.  (Approximately 15 minutes)

Stir in the vanilla.

Pour the dumplings and thickened syrup over the peaches in the casserole.

Cut several hashes into the second sheet of dough in a decorative pattern to prevent bursting while baking.

Now place the dough on top of the dish and seal edges.

Brush the top with milk for a browner, crisper crust.

Bake  at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Minnie dishes hers out warm and tops with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Jerri Sanders

Banana Pudding

Jerri Sanders

Jerri Sanders has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the nicest people you will ever meet.  And she is well known for many of the dishes she totes to church suppers, sick or bereaved friends or just about anybody in her community that needs a little TLC.  She has been cooking as long as she can remember.  In fact, she welcomed us into her childhood home where she learned to cook by assisting her mother in this very kitchen. Her family includes husband Milton and their three grown children, as well as several Grandchildren.  They all agree, “If Mama’s cookin’, it’s gonna be good.”  This recipe for banana pudding has a hint of almond extract that kicks up this classic Southern specialty an elegant notch.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 6 medium eggs, separated
• 8 tbsp sugar, plus 12 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch  (or 6 tbsp  flour)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 ½tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 6 large or 8 medium-sized,  well-ripened bananas
• 1 small box vanilla wafers

Directions:

Scald milk in top of a double broiler.  Beat egg yolks then add 8 tbsp of the sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, 3 tbsp cornstarch (or 6 tbsp flour); mix well.  Add part of hot milk to egg yolk mixture; stir well.  Return this mixture to boiler and mix thoroughly with remaining milk.  Cook until pudding starts to thicken, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla extract and almond extract.

In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart oven-proof dish, place vanilla wafers along bottom and up the sides one layer deep.  Over this, cut three bananas in approx 1/4-inch rounds. Spoon approx 1/4 of the custard sauce over this and spread gently.  Repeat and pour remaining sauce over top.

Beat reserved egg whites until stiff peaks form.  A small portion at a time, add the 12 tbsp of remaining sugar, beating well after each addition.  Cover pudding with meringue and brown to golden bliss in a 350 degree oven.

Refrigerate any unlikely leftovers.

Mrs. Joy Raine-thrash’s

Cannolis

Joy Raine-Thrash

Mrs. Joy Raine-Thrash is no shrinking violet.  This lively mother of seven and grandmother of 14 brings her feisty brand of fun to just about everything she does.  And when she mixes it up in the kitchen, you can bet the laughter will be dispensed as generously as the helpings.  Most of Miss Joy’s special dishes celebrate her rich Italian heritage.  And who doesn’t seriously love Italian food?  Sometime we may get lucky enough for her to teach us how to make her life- changing con sardo pasta sauce.  Or “Pasta Mama,” a surprisingly simple way to repurpose last night’s leftover pasta for this morning’s delicious breakfast plate.

This time she treats us to her famous “Lady Locks cream-filled horns,” or as they call these elegant stuffed Italian cookies back in the home country, “Cannoli.” I should pass along the caveat I received from Miss Joy:  This recipe is not one for the faint of heart.  This time-consuming process is a genuine labor of scratch-baked love.  And it’s one of the reasons they remain a very special treat for the most special occasions, like weddings or Christmas.

Special tools:  You’ll need 40 or so wooden sticks, about the diameter of a nickel and cut in 4-inch lengths, for wrapping dough to bake the horns.

Ingredients:

For dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp granulated white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp shortening (or butter) melted
• 3/4 cup sweet Marsala
• 1 large egg white

Filling:

• 3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese, drained overnight with cheesecloth and squeezed dry.
• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp Grand Marnier
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

For finishing:

• mini-chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, candied orange peel or chopped chocolate
• powdered sugar, optional.

Prepare shells:

Combine the dry ingredients and mix in the butter and Marsala until you get a stiff, smooth dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Roll out dough 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into 4-inch circles.  You can use a biscuit cutter) Wrap dough circles around prepared wooden sticks.  (spray generously with non-stick cooking spray or coat with butter)

Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet.  Bake at 400^º for about 20 minutes or until golden.  Cool.  Remove sticks.  Reserve until ready to fill.

For filling:

Mix filling ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (at least a couple of hours).

When ready to fill the cannoli (do so only a few hours before serving; if you fill them too far ahead, they will begin to get soggy), place filling in a pastry bag with a wide tip opening (or simply a freezer zip bag with the corner snipped off). Hold a cannoli shell in one hand and the squeeze bag in the other. Gently squeeze filling into both ends of the shell to fill it. Let the filling come out of each end a little bit. Edge the cannoli with desired decor, such as mini-chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, chopped pistachio. Remove to a platter and repeat with remaining shells. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, give the cannoli a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top if you wish.

tips:

•Vanilla extract may be substituted for the Grand Marnier.

•Metal cannoli tubes can be ordered online, but they can also be found in well-stocked cooking stores.

•Cannoli shells can be made a day or two in advance.   Store in a sealed plastic container

•If you cannot locate mascarpone cheese, you can substitute cream cheese.

•And if you want to make this really, really easy… purchase some ready-made cannoli shells at a good Italian deli and fill them with this delicious filling.

Carol Clancy Couch’s

Old -Fashioned Orange Marmalade

Carol Clancy and Ava

This creative lady puts her artistic spin on everything she does.  Whether knitting or painting or sculpting with clay, Carol Couch’s nimble fingers are happiest when they are in the act of making. And though Carol is very modern in her thinking, she prefers the old-fashioned, no-shortcuts path in the kitchen. In fact, she still uses cookbooks from the 1930s that belonged to her grandmother. She is passing on these traditions to her own granddaughter, Ava. One of their favorite ways to spend time together is cooking up something to share. This recipe for old-fashioned orange marmalade is one that Carol learned from her paternal grandmother. It is a perfect accompaniment to any tea party.

Ingredients:

• 3 dozen oranges
• 1 dozen lemons
• sugar

Directions:

Slice fruit into bite-sized bits or grind. Pour three times as much water as fruit. Let stand over night. Cook until tender. Let stand over night again.

Add 1 cup of sugar for each cup of fruit mixture. Cook until proper consistency for marmalade. Follow directions for canning and sealing in Mason Jars.

]]> http://b-metro.com/in-the-kitchen-with-sweet-sugar-mama/5848/feed/ 1 http://b-metro.com/building-equity/5841/ http://b-metro.com/building-equity/5841/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 15:34:44 +0000 admin http://b-metro.com/?p=5841 Read More]]> Jonathan Fuller and Alan Gardner
bring professional theatre, and
Superior Donuts, to Birmingham.

Written by Tom Wofford

Alan Gardner and Jonathan Fuller of City Equity Theatre

Six years ago Jonathan Fuller and Alan Gardner brought professional theatre back to Birmingham without using a theatre.

The show was David Mamet’s American Buffalo, and the two City Equity Theatre founders put it up almost on the sidewalk, in a Third Avenue North storefront. “The play is set in a junk shop,” Fuller said, “so it made perfect sense to do it in a storefront.”

They named their new group City Equity Theatre, a riff on an old Birmingham bank that states plainly that the group would be professional, “an Equity theatre,” referring to Actors’ Equity Association, the 99-year-old union that represents the 49,000 working theatre actors and stage managers, something Birmingham was again without in 2006.

Rich in community and semi-professional theatre for decades, Birmingham has historically had few opportunities for working actors.

“For decades Birmingham has supported a professional symphony and professional ballet,” said Will York, former head of UAB theatre and an Equity member for more than 35 years. “But when it has come to professional theatre, there hasn’t been the same support.”

City Equity is the only group in Birmingham operating its season on an Equity contract. (The only other such theatre in the entire state is the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.) In comparison, there are no fewer than eight Equity theatres in South Carolina. Even Alaska, barely more populous than Jefferson County, has three Equity theatres.

“Equity members who work with us receive pay, health and pension benefits,” Fuller said. “It’s a real job.”

City Equity has remained small, performing mostly in venues with fewer than 100 seats and usually producing only two shows a year, but it has done what others have failed to do: survive. The group is now the longest-running professional equity theatre in Birmingham history.

“We’re still in the black,” Gardner said with a grin. “From the beginning we haven’t done anything we couldn’t pay for.”

While City Equity has been conservative financially, its choice of material is closer to the edge, tackling, along with Mamet (last year’s Race was its second play by the Pulitzer Prize winner), other contemporary heavyweights like Martin McDonagh (The Cripple of Inishman) and Terrence McNally (Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune). The 2008 season was all Sam Shepard: True West and The God of Hell.

“I think someone coming to their first CET production will notice that the acting and direction is much stronger than Birmingham’s usual fare,” Fuller said.

The local critical response has been in agreement with Fuller.

City Equity and its actors have been described as “formidable,” “exquisite” and “masterful.”

Bully! (photo by Leo Ticheli)

About the company’s second show, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Birmingham News writer Pamela Morse said, “City Equity is out to prove to Birmingham that Equity means something.”

York, who directed that 2006 show, puts it simply today. “The words ‘Equity production’ ensure a level of quality because it means professionals are at work.”

“We look for roles that offer actors a chance to creatively and artistically grow and stretch,” Fuller said.

Superior Donuts, City Equity’s 13th production, has a pedigree that makes it perfect bait for Gardner and Fuller.

The first work by Tracy Letts after he won the Pulitzer for drama and the Tony for best play for August: Osage County, Superior Donuts was premiered by Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre four years ago and opened on Broadway in 2009, picking up a Tony nomination.

With City Equity’s production, Birmingham joins a small list of cities — mostly big theatre towns — where Superior Donuts has been produced, including Boston, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., San Diego, Calif.,and Washington, D.C.

Running June 7-17 in the Virginia Samford Theatre’s Martha Moore Sykes Studio, Superior Donuts should chamge the perception that City Equity produces only heavy, intense material, a reputation both earned and deceiving. While City Equity’s most serious plays no doubt made big impressions, its offerings have also included Gardner’s affable Teddy Roosevelt in the one-man Bully!, and comedies both classic (Stage Door) and darkly contemporary (Cripple of Inishman).

Starring Gardner and directed by Fuller, Superior Donuts has every chance of hitting a theatrical sweet spot; it’s a comedy, but it’s about a serious situation: the culture clash between an aging white hippie and his young black assistant in a rundown donut shop in uptown Chicago. The New York Times called Donuts “a gentle comedy” that leaves audiences with “satisfied smiles.”

City Equity also offers an extraordinary benefit to local actors with professional ambitions. Through City Equity, it’s now possible for actors in Birmingham to get a union card and continue to work in any theatre in town, as well as go to a larger market and more easily get auditions for professional shows.

“We have made seven local actors full Equity members since 2008,” Fuller said with satisfaction.

Fuller is even prouder of his new program offering the Equity Membership Candidacy Program to the students of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where he teaches, a program Fuller lobbied the union for. In two City Equity shows last year, ASFA students worked alongside professionals and earned credit toward full Equity membership. Thirty-six ASFA students and three adult actors joined the Candidacy program.

“The program puts actors, students and adults, on the road to making a full living in the theatre,” Fuller said. One ASFA student is on track to be an understudy for the first national tour of Broadway’s The Scottsboro Boys, a direct benefit of his EMC candidate.

“We want to keep raising the bar in Birmingham theatre and become Birmingham’s nationally recognized professional regional theatre,” Fuller said. City Equity will do that by continuing to “choose material we find artistically challenging and professionally credible,” Gardner said.

Next year City Equity will have the tools it needs to make its goals: the rights to add August: Osage County, one of the most acclaimed and ambitious non-musicals of the last decade, to its 2013 season, along with a collaboration with the Aldridge Repertory Theatre for a production of the 2009 Pulitzer winner, Ruined, which is set in a brothel/cabaret in war-torn Congo. And it’s a musical.

Suzanne Collins

Q: You have said from the start that The Hunger Games story was intended as a trilogy. Did it actually end the way you planned it from the beginning?

A: Very much so. While I didn’t know every detail, of course, the arc of the story from gladiator game, to revolution, to war, to the eventual outcome remained constant throughout the writing process.

Q: We understand you worked on the initial screenplay for a film to be based on The Hunger Games. What is the biggest difference between writing a novel and writing a screenplay?

A: There were several significant differences. Time, for starters. When you’re adapting a novel into a two-hour movie you can’t take everything with you. The story has to be condensed to fit the new form. Then there’s the question of how best to take a book told in the first person and present tense and transform it into a satisfying dramatic experience. In the novel, you never leave Katniss for a second and are privy to all of her thoughts, so you need a way to dramatize her inner world and to make it possible for other characters to exist outside of her company. Finally, there’s the challenge of how to present the violence while still maintaining a PG-13 rating so that your core audience can view it. A lot of things are acceptable on a page that wouldn’t be on a screen. But how certain moments are depicted will ultimately be in the director’s hands.

Q: Are you able to consider future projects while working on The Hunger Games, or are you immersed in the world you are currently creating so fully that it is too difficult to think about new ideas?

A: I have a few seeds of ideas floating around in my head but—given that much of my focus is still on The Hunger Games—it will probably be awhile before one fully emerges and I can begin to develop it.

Q: The Hunger Games is an annual televised event in which one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts is forced to participate in a fight-to-the-death on live TV. What do you think the appeal of reality television is—to both kids and adults?

A: Well, they’re often set up as games and, like sporting events, there’s an interest in seeing who wins. The contestants are usually unknown, which makes them relatable. Sometimes they have very talented people performing.

Then there’s the voyeuristic thrill—watching people being humiliated, or brought to tears, or suffering physically—which I find very disturbing. There’s also the potential for desensitizing the audience, so that when they see real tragedy playing out on, say, the news, it doesn’t have the impact it should.

Q: If you were forced to compete in The Hunger Games, what do you think your special skill would be?

A: Hiding. I’d be scaling those trees like Katniss and Rue. Since I was trained in sword-fighting, I guess my best hope would be to get hold of a rapier if there was one available. But the truth is I’d probably get about a four in Training.

The Hunger Games (book 1)

Q: You weave action, adventure, mythology, sci-fi, romance and philosophy throughout The Hunger Games. What influenced the creation of the story?

A: A significant influence would have to be the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The myth tells how in punishment for past deeds, Athens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete, where they were thrown in the Labyrinth and devoured by the monstrous Minotaur.

Even as a kid, I could appreciate how ruthless this was. Crete was sending a very clear message: “Mess with us and we’ll do something worse than kill you. We’ll kill your children.” And the thing is, it was allowed; the parents sat by powerless to stop it. Theseus, who was the son of the king, volunteered to go. I guess in her own way, Katniss is a futuristic Theseus.

In keeping with the classical roots, I send my tributes into an updated version of the Roman gladiator games, which entails a ruthless government forcing people to fight to the death as popular entertainment. The world of Panem, particularly the Capitol, is loaded with Roman references. Panem itself comes from the expression “Panem et Circenses” which translates into “Bread and Circuses.”

The audiences for both the Roman games and reality TV are almost characters in themselves. They can respond with great enthusiasm or play a role in your elimination.

I was channel surfing between reality TV programming and actual war coverage when Katniss’s story came to me. One night I’m sitting there flipping around and on one channel there’s a group of young people competing for, I don’t know, money maybe? And on the next, there’s a group of young people fighting an actual war. And I was tired, and the lines began to blur in this very unsettling way, and I thought of this story.

Q: The trilogy’s premise is very brutal, yet is handled so tastefully. Was this a difficult balance to achieve?

A: Yes, the death scenes are always hard to write. It’s difficult to put kids in violent situations—Gregor (the protagonist in The Underland Chronicles) is in a war, Katniss is in a gladiator game. Characters will die. It’s not fun to write, but I think if you can’t commit to really doing the idea, it’s probably better to work on another type of story.

Given that, you have to remember who you’re trying to reach with the book. I try and think of how I would tell a particularly difficult event to my own children. Exactly what details they need to know to really understand it and what would be gratuitous.

Catching Fire (book 2)

Q: The Hunger Games tackles issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression and the effects of war, among others. What drew you to such serious subject matter?

A: That was probably my dad’s influence. He was career Air Force, a military specialist, a historian, and a doctor of political science. When I was a kid, he was gone for a year in Viet Nam. It was very important to him that we understood about certain aspects of life. So, it wasn’t enough to visit a battlefield, we needed to know why the battle occurred, how it played out and the consequences. Fortunately, he had a gift for presenting history as a fascinating story. He also seemed to have a good sense of exactly how much a child could handle, which is quite a bit.

Q: What do you hope readers will come away with when they read The Hunger Games?

A: Questions about how elements of the book might be relevant in their own lives. And, if they’re disturbing, what they might do about them.

Q: In The Hunger Games, Katniss and Gale have an extensive knowledge of hunting, foraging, wildlife and survival techniques. What kinds of research did you do, if any?

A: Some things I knew from listening to my dad talking about his childhood. He grew up during the Depression. For his family, hunting was not a sport but a way to put meat on the table. He also knew a certain amount about edible plants. He’d go into the woods and gather all these wild mushrooms and bring them home and sauté them. My mom wouldn’t let any of us go near them! But he’d eat them up and they never harmed him, so I guess he knew which ones were safe, because wild mushrooms can be very deadly.

I also read a big stack of wilderness survival guidebooks. And here’s what I learned: you’ve got to be really good to survive out there for more than a few days.

Q: How long would it take for North America to deteriorate into the world depicted in the books?

A: You’d have to allow for the collapse of civilization as we know it, the emergence of Panem, a rebellion, and 74 years of The Hunger Games. We’re talking triple digits.

Q: You have written for television for young children and for middle-grade readers (The New York Times bestselling series The Underland Chronicles). Why did you decide to write for an older audience and how was the experience different?

A: I think the nature of the story dictated the age of the audience from the beginning. Both The Underland Chronicles and The Hunger Games have a lot of violence. But in The Underland Chronicles, even though human characters die, a lot of the conflict takes place between different fantastical species. Giant rats and bats and things. You can skew a little younger that way. Whereas in The Hunger Games, there’s no fantasy element, it’s futuristic sci-fi and the violence is not only human on human, it’s kid on kid. And I think that automatically moves you into an older age range.

I find there isn’t a great deal of difference technically in how you approach a story, no matter what age it’s for. I started out as a playwright for adult audiences. When television work came along, it was primarily for children. But whatever age you’re writing for, the same rules of plot, character and theme apply. You just set up a world and try to remain true to it. If it’s filled with cuddly, animated animals, chances are no one’s going to die. If it’s filled with giant flesh-and-blood rats with a grudge, there’s going to be violence.

Q: What was it like to return to the world of The Hunger Games to write Catching Fire and then Mockingjay?

Mockingjay (the final of the trilogy)

A: Honestly, I feel like I never left it. The revisions of Book I overlapped with the writing of Book II, just as Book II has overlapped with Book III. Since each book feeds into the next, I feel like part of my brain’s been in Panem continuously.

Q: Do you have every book completely mapped out, or do you have a general idea and then take it from there? Did you run into things that were unexpected plot-wise or character-wise?

A: I’ve learned it helps me to work out the key structural points before I begin a story. The inciting incident, acts, breaks, mid-story reversal, crisis, climax, those sorts of things. I’ll know a lot of what fills the spaces between them as well, but I leave some uncharted room for the characters to develop. And if a door opens along the way, and I’m intrigued by where it leads, I’ll definitely go through it.

Q: How do you typically spend your workday? Do you have a routine as you write?

A: I grab some cereal and sit down to work as soon as possible. The more distractions I have to deal with before I actually begin writing, the harder focusing on the story becomes. Then I work until I’m tapped out, usually sometime in the early afternoon. If I actually write three to five hours, that’s a productive day. Some days all I do is stare at the wall. That can be productive, too, if you’re working out character and plot problems. The rest of the time, I walk around with the story slipping in and out of my thoughts.

Q: You are probably getting a lot of fan mail. What is the most surprising feedback you’ve received for The Hunger Games? (Or, what has surprised you the most about the feedback you’re getting for The Hunger Games.)

A: Probably how differently people view the book. Some are attracted to the dystopian world, others are there for action and adventure, still others for the romance. The readers are defining the book in very personal and exciting ways.

Q: What were some of your favorite novels when you were a teen?

A: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Boris by Jaapter Haar

Germinal by Emile Zola

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury  •