Posts Tagged ‘Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir’

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Interview on “WomensRadio”

Friday, November 26th, 2010

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and ours was shared with my family, my sister Patrice, and good friends. My plan is to write more about it soon, but right now I’m posting a link to a radio interview I did with Pat Lynch for the  Speak Up! series on WomensRadio.  Click on the link to listen to it here.

Being interviewed “live” is still a new experience for me. I must say, I’ve gained a new respect for people who speak in front of microphones or cameras. But Pat Lynch made the experience delightful. As always, I’m grateful for the opportunity to talk about my favorite subject, adoption.

http://www.womensradio.com/episodes/Adoption-Gives-Good-Homes-to-Children-Around-the-World/7349.html

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New Stops on “Mamalita” Book Tour: Fairfield, CT; Santa Fe, NM; Tiburon, CA; Squaw Valley Writers’ Workshop

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

The next few months, I’ll be traveling around the country to read from Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir, and I hope, meet other people involved in adoption and/or simply interested in a great story. Four new stops have been added: at the Borders Books in Fairfield, Connecticut; the independent bookstore, Collected Works, in Santa Fe; the Tiburon Public Library; and, along with other published alumni of the Squaw Valley Writers’ Workshop, in Olympic Valley, California. For my full schedule and venue links, click on the EVENTS tab.

See you soon, I hope.

Friday, December 3, 2010 at 10 a.m.
Santee Branch Library
9225 Carlton Hills Boulevard
Santee, CA 92071
619-448-1863

Wednesday, December 8 at 7 p.m.
Borders Bookstore-Fairfield, Connecticut
1499 Post Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
203-256-1619

Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Beverly Public Library
32 Essex Street
Beverly, MA 01915
978-921-6062

Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Borders Bookstore-Back Bay-Boston
511 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
617-236-1444

Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 2 p.m
Collected Works Bookstore
202 Galisteo Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505-988-4226

Tuesday, January 11, 2011, at 7 p.m.
Bookworks
4022 Rio Grande Boulevard NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
505-344-8139

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 7 p.m.
The Regulator Bookshop
720 Ninth St.
Durham, NC 27705
319-337-2681

Friday, January 21, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Borders Books-Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Rosemont Shopping Center
1149 Lancaster Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
610-527-1500

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Belvedere-Tiburon Library
1501 Tiburon Blvd.
Tiburon, CA 94920
415-789-2665

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Prairie Lights Books
15 South Dubuque Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
319-337-2681

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 5:30 p.m.
Community of Writers at Squaw Valley
Published Alumni Readings
Olympic Valley, CA 96146
530-583-5200

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Reading at Upstart Crow in San Diego

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

My Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir reading on Wednesday night at Upstart Crow felt like a homecoming, with my sister Adrienne and brother-in-law Paul there, as well as pals from every part of the years I lived in San Diego.

The photo here is of me with my dear friend from high school in New Jersey, the actress Julia Fulton, who lives in Southern California; below, I’m with my former neighbor and fellow bicylist Marcia Banks, with Julia in the background. I’m grateful to Marcia for helping me set up the Upstart Crow reading by introducing me to managers Carola Esquino and Bobbie Bagel. The bookstore is charming–check it out next time you’re at Seaport Village. 

Jae Patron and Zeke Mazer (above ) were two of several Crown City Cyclists who attended the reading. Jae and Zeke and I have ridden many, many miles together so it was particularly wonderful to share this new chapter in my life with them and other members of the CCC. Pictured below are the fabulous Synthia Malina and Jini Archibald, like me, moms to two children and former staffers at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; and Samantha Goldstein, fellow adoptive mom and creator of the blog, Little Dragon Fruit. Thanks to everyone for coming!

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Interview on “San Diego Living”

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

One of these days I’m going to remember to bring my camera everywhere. Because today as I waited in the Green Room at San Diego’s channel XETV to tape a segment for “San Diego Living,” scheduled to run the Friday morning after Thanksgiving, I could have taken photos of the show’s other fascinating guests: a 10-year-old boy playing “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” on an electronic keyboard, a gray-bearded grandfather wearing an aloha shirt with a surf board tucked under his arm, and the lovely woman from a public relations agency there to talk about “Shopping on Black Friday.” Her advice: Stay home and order online.

Of course, I may be the only person in the United States who doesn’t know how to use her cellphone camera, or carry a Blackberry or other hand-held device. While everyone else in the Green Room checked email, posted on Facebook, and Tweeted, I was left to review my notes, all the while trying not to watch the monitor showing the guests being interviewed “live,” which only would have made me more nervous.

Everyone at XETV was professional and fabulous, from the parking lot attendant to the receptionist to the Producer Tiffany to my segment host, TV reporter Renee Kohn. Can you tell I’ve never been interviewed about myself and my book on television before? Yes, I’ve spoken on camera about museum events and exhibition openings, but always as someone in the background, and for 25 seconds or less. This was five minutes about me and my family, and adoption, and Guatemala, and Mamalita. The subjects about which I am more passionate than anything else.

Thanks to Renee’s expert reporting skills, the interview went well. She asked good questions about adoption and our process, and listened closely to my answers. In our conversation, I managed to include the information that, worldwide, some 145 million children live without homes; in the United States, more than 100,000 children in foster care are waiting to be adopted. What I forgot to say was that countless studies by pediatricians and psychologists prove that children do best when growing up with a family. Next time…

Renee ended our interview by announcing that on Friday, December 3 at 10 a.m., I’ll be at the Santee Public Library in East County, San Diego, reading from Mamalita. With luck,  some viewers who saw the piece and live in the area will stop by to hear more. Later, I can post photos from the event. I just hope somebody brings a camera.

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Mamalita Book Launch at Book Passage

Monday, November 15th, 2010

The Mamalita Book Tour got off to a great start on Saturday night at Book Passage in Corte Madera. The bookseller who hosted the evening estimated the crowd around 140 people. Friends from every part of our lives showed up: writing groups, classes, book clubs, school, work, even a few moms from Mateo’s kindergarten bus stop.

Linda Watanabe McFerrin set the evening’s tone with a warm and wonderful introduction. Linda is the founder of the Left Coast Writers, a Book Passage group to which I belong, and a friend and teacher to many in the Bay Area writing community. As Linda later said, “The room was filled with love.” The generous spirits of Linda and her husband, Lowry, added to that feeling.

In the “Acknowledgments” section of my book, I thank Joyce Maynard as “my teacher, mentor, and friend.” Joyce is all those things to me, and to the many other writers who have attended her workshops and classes. I was so happy Joyce and I could celebrate the book’s publication together.


My friend, Kallie, was there with her daughter Maya. As some of you who read my blog know, Kallie and I met while fostering in Antigua in 2003. She and Maya traveled to Guatemala this past summer with Olivia and me as we revisited sites important to our families. Kallie’s mother and two sisters came to the book launch too, as did her lovely niece, shown here with Maya and me.


I felt especially privileged when other adoptive parents came up to tell me how much they related to the emotions of our story, if not the actual details. One adoptive mom, Meredith, whom I know only through her blog, drove up from Central California so we could finally meet in person. (Meredith, thanks for coming; can’t believe we both forgot to take a picture!)


My book launch would not have been complete without representation by the Book Passage-sponsored Writing Mamas and my Friday night writing group, the Shrinks. By the time I remembered to take a photo, several members of each had slipped away. So sorry—next time!

The Mamalita Book Tour is off to a terrific start. Thank you, everyone.

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“Mamalita” Book Tour goes to Bryn Mawr. “Mamalita” now in San Diego Public Library

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

I grew up at the Jersey shore and went to college in Delaware, which is why I’m so happy I get to read from Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir at the Borders Bookstore in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Many of my friends still live in the area, and already have promised to come. If you’re reading this, I hope you’ll consider attending, too!

Here are the details:
Friday, January 21, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Borders Bookstore–Bryn Mawr, PA
Rosemont Shopping Center
1149 Lancaster Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
610-527-1500

My other wonderful news is that my friend, Penny (the San Diego librarian who arranged for me to read at the Santee Branch on December 3, 2010, at 10 a.m.) just informed me that Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir is now catalogued into the San Diego library system and will begin to circulate. Over the course of my lifetime, I have spent countless hours in libraries—in Mamalita‘s “Acknowledgments” section, I even thank my local Marin County system for “quiet space and needed resources”—so I’m delighted and honored to know that my book is part of San Diego’s permanent collection.

If you live in San Diego, and haven’t yet read Mamalita, get thee to your local library and check it out. (Afterwards, please buy multiple copies for everyone you know!)

Looking forward to hitting the road soon, seeing old friends, and meeting new ones.

The Mamalita Book Tour:

Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera, CA 94925
1-800-999-7909

Please join me for my Book Launch reading at Book Passage.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Upstart Crow Bookstore
Seaport Village
835C West Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92110
619-232-4855

Reading and signing in San Diego.

Friday, December 3, 2010 at 10 a.m.
Santee Branch Library
9225 Carlton Hills Boulevard
Santee, CA 92071
619-448-1863

Reading in San Diego’s East County.

Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Writing Mamas Salon
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera, CA 94925
1-800-999-7909

Reading and signing with fellow Writing Mamas Cindy Bailey, Jennifer Gunter and Dawn Yun.

Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Beverly Public Library
32 Essex Street
Beverly, MA 01915
978-921-6062

Reading on Boston’s North Shore.

Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Borders Bookstore-Back Bay-Boston
511 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
617-236-1444

Reading and signing books in Boston.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011, at 7 p.m.
Bookworks
4022 Rio Grande Boulevard NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
505-344-8139

Reading and signing in Albuquerque.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 7 p.m.
The Regulator Bookshop
720 Ninth St.
Durham, NC 27705
319-337-2681

Reading and signing books in Durham.

Friday, January 21, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Borders Books-Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Rosemont Shopping Center
1149 Lancaster Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
610-527-1500

Reading and signing books in Philadelphia area.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Prairie Lights Books
15 South Dubuque Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
319-337-2681

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November is National Adoption Awareness Month

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

Happy National Adoption Awareness Month! When Seal Press decided to publish my book, Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir, in November, I was thrilled. While writing the book, my hope was that our experience could contribute in some small way to the dialogue surrounding adoption. What better time to publish than in the month dedicated to the subject? As it turns out, the book was released in mid-October… Close enough!  

On November 1, the U.S. State Department held a briefing on international adoption-related issues with Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs. Ambassador Jacobs answered questions regarding the implementation of the Hague Treaty; adoptions from Ethiopia, Haiti, Nepal, and other countries; as well as the currrent situation in Guatemala. 

The entire briefing is worth reading and watching.  Ambassador Jacobs’ comments regarding Guatemala, quoted below, reiterate the State Department’s commitment to resolving the unfinished cases (the “Guatemala900”) that date from the Hague Treaty shutdown, in December 2007. I join the many Americans who are still hoping for resolution for those families soon.

Regarding adoptions in Guatemala, Ambassador Susan Jacobs said:

“In terms of the [Guatemalan] pilot project, every time we asked for details about it, there weren’t any. So it turned out there really wasn’t a pilot project to which – in which we could participate. And in looking at the procedures and regulations that had been put in place, not very much had changed since adoptions had been shut down. So we are trying to work with the Guatemalan Government to help them set in place proper regulations and procedures, and at the same time, close the cases that are in the pipeline. There are hundreds of cases that need to be resolved, so we’ve asked them to focus on that.”

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The “Mamalita” book tour goes to Durham, NC and Iowa City

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

One of the best outcomes of publishing a book about adoption is hearing from and connecting with so many other people in the adoption community. Today I received an email from a woman I met in Guatemala City in 2002. Reading Mamalita brought up many memories for her, and she wanted to let me know about her strong reaction. For both of us, sharing our experiences felt healing.

That’s why I’m so excited to add two new venues to the “Mamalita Book Tour”: I’ll be at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, NC on January 19, and at Prairie Lights in Iowa City on Tuesday, June 28. I’m honored to be reading in these outstanding independent bookstores.

And please remember my Book Launch at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California, on Saturday, November 13 at 7 p.m.

The Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir Book Tour:

Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera, CA 94925
1-800-999-7909

Book Launch! At Book Passage, Corte Madera.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Upstart Crow Bookstore
Seaport Village
835C West Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92110
619-232-4855

Reading and signing books in San Diego.

Friday, December 3, 2010 at 10 a.m.
Santee Branch Library
9225 Carlton Hills Boulevard
Santee, CA 92071
619-448-1863

Reading and signing books in San Diego’s East County.

Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Writing Mamas Salon
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera, CA 94925
1-800-999-7909

Reading and signing books at Book Passage with fellow Writing Mamas Cindy Bailey, Jennifer Gunter and Dawn Yun.

Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Beverly Public Library
32 Essex Street
Beverly, MA 01915
978-921-6062

Reading and signing books on Boston’s North Shore.

Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Borders Bookstore-Back Bay-Boston
511 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
617-236-1444

Reading and signing books in Boston.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011, at 7 p.m.
Bookworks
4022 Rio Grande Boulevard NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
505-344-8139

Reading and signing books in Albuquerque.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 7 p.m.
The Regulator Bookshop
720 Ninth St.
Durham, NC 27705
319-337-2681

Reading and signing books in Durham.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Prairie Lights Books
15 South Dubuque Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
319-337-2681

Reading and signing books in Iowa City.

Hope to see you at one of these venues soon

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“Mamalita” now in a bookstore near you

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

Yesterday morning I heard from my friend Paula that my book, Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir, was in stock and on the shelf at our favorite local indie bookstore, Book Passage in Corte Madera, California. As soon as I got the kids off to school and did everything else that needed to get done before I could do anything as self-indulgent as go look, I grabbed my car keys and drove over.

The bookseller at the store was very nice and pointed me to the table in front where the appealing cover of Mamalita might catch the eye of someone standing in line on the way to the cash register. (Thank you, Book Passage!) After that, he directed me to the “Parenting” section, where my book was shelved with other books about adoption: Susan Caughman’s You Can Adopt, Janis Cooke Newman’s The Russian Word for Snow, and Scott Simon’s recent Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other. Very good company, I’d say.

One of my goals in writing Mamalita was to tell a real story about adoption, and in doing so, to contribute something lasting to the conversation about the subject. The thought was subconscious, but strong:  “This is what happened to us. What does our experience tell us about the experience of international adoption?” My book existing on the shelf is the first step to our story, and the story of others like us, being heard.

Please forgive me if I’m a little too excited to see Mamalita, finally, out in the world. It’s my first book, and I’m not a young writer bursting onto the scene. As the Book Passage bookseller said, when he saw me tearing up, “Publishing your first book is like giving birth.”

So I’ve heard. Or, for many of us, adopting your first baby.

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Publishers Weekly calls MAMALITA “harrowing,” “moving,” and “deftly handled”

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

This morning, my agent, Jenni Ferrari-Adler of Brick House Literary, and my publicist at Seal Press, Eva Zimmerman, sent me the fabulous news that Publishers Weekly reviewed Mamalita in its current issue, and called it “harrowing,” “moving,” and “deftly handled.” Thank you for sharing, Jenni and Eva. You made my day!

For information on how to order your own copy of Mamalita, click on the “BOOK” tab above. Publication date remains November 1, although some suppliers are delivering early.

You can read the full Publishers Weekly review here:

Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir
Jessica O’Dwyer, Seal, $16.95 trade paper (256p) ISBN 978-1-58005-334-1
O’Dwyer’s harrowing and moving journey to adopt a Guatemalan baby offers a look into one person’s experience in the frustratingly convoluted process of adopting from unscrupulous “facilitators.” O’Dwyer had gone through an early divorce and menopause at age 32 before marrying Tim, a divorced dermatologist over 50. They put together an adoption dossier and found an L.A. agency that promised a quick adoption while cutting the bureaucratic red tape. Intent on adopting a certain “Stefany Mishell” (they fell in love with from her online photo), the desperate couple soon discovered that the agency’s methods were dilatory and sloppy, neglecting the important legal paperwork, such as filing the requisite DNA test, and using shady notarios (private attorneys), so that in the end the promised six-month adoption extended over a year. Moreover, O’Dwyer’s occasional visits to Guatemala, where she met Stefany’s foster family and spent a weekend with the baby at the Camino Real hotel in Guatemala City, turned into a permanent residency, as she moved to a city north of the capital, Antiqua, to live with Stefany (now Olivia) until family court finalized the adoption. Dealing with the greedy foster family, managing the baby’s early separation anxiety, navigating the middlemen and interminable waiting are all deftly handled in O’Dwyer’s somber tale. (Nov.)

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