PSBBF Newsletter

The Board of the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation has just released its newsletter with a message to Friends of PSBBF that reads, in part:

We are excited about activities and accomplishments of the past two years, and for the amazing opportunities at the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace that await us in the future.  The attached newsletter details those accomplishments and opportunities.

As you will see, the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation Board of Directors has begun a renewed commitment to the Birthplace and we would like for you to be included in our transformation.  Our new individual membership levels have something for everyone.  To become a member or to support the Foundation, simply fill out the membership/donation form and return it with your dues and/or donation.

Seeking Used Copies of THE EXILE and FIGHTING ANGEL

We recently placed an order for some of Pearl S. Buck's novels in paperback to offer for sale in the gift shop, and they've already arrived. They will certainly make and attractive display, with their bright covers, but I was disappointed to find that you can no longer order new copies of The Exile or The Fighting Angel, the two books that most directly talk her parents' lives in West Virginia and the time she herself spent at the Birthplace.

It seems the books are no longer in print.  That is unfortunate.  I am reading the The Exile now and finding it very interesting.  So much so that as soon as I've finished this biography of her mother, I will proceed to that of her father,  The Fighting Angel.  Of course from our perspective, these are also the books it makes the most sense for us to stock.  Many of the stories we tell on our tour come directly from them.

2014: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Birthplace

In this 1970 photo Pearl Buck begins the restoration of her home by knocking out a piece of porch railing of her Birthplace while back West Virginia for an environmental seminar.  Four years later we held out grand opening on May 4, 1974.  Sadly, Pearl died at the beginning of March in 1973, so she didn't get to see the opening, but it must have already been clear the house would indeed be successful as a gateway to "new hopes, dreams and ways of life" as she wished it to be. 

The project was and has continued to be a community endeavor.  In the coming months we'll post photos and stories of that effort in this blog.  Everyone involved with the Birthplace, from the moment a commitment was made to save the home to today should feel some sense of pride in the collaborative endeavor.

May 4, 2014 will mark the 40th Anniversary of our opening, and we think it deserves to be celebrated.  Unfortunately, that porch railing that Pearl S. Buck is knocking taking a whack at in the picture is once again in need of repairs and painting, as is the entire house.

Birthplace Foundation Vice President on Writing Events and the Birthplace

In this week's issue of the Pocahontas Times, Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation Vice President Jolie Lewis uses her regular column "The Manuscript" to focus on writing, and how the legacy of Pearl S. Buck is still being used to help cultivate new talent, today.

The column gives some interesting detail on the program of several upcoming events such as the Pearl Buck Birthday Celebration, and the Writers Workshop and Blueberry Workshop.  It also talks about our new collaboration with West Virginia Writers, an association that promotes and supports writing and writers throughout the state.  This partnership resulted in

1) the presentation of two workshops inspired by Pearl Buck's writing at the West Virginia Writers annual conference, and 2) the announcement of winners in a brand-new category of the West Virginia Writers contest titled the Pearl Buck Award for Writing for Social Change.

For an account of the workshops and of the awards announcement, continue reading the story at the website of the Pocahontas Times.  A list of winners of the Pearl Buck Award is available here. Click on the link WVW Winners 2012 and download the pdf.

Article by Intelligencer Librarian Rayna Polsky

Intelligencer writer Rayna Polsky recently shared a post on her visit to the Pearl Buck Birthplace. She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and just happened upon the Birthplace while driving through. Bucks County is where Pearl lived out the later years of her life after returning from China. I posted a link to the article below. Also, to learn more about Pearl S. Buck International in Bucks County, PA, you can go here: http://www.psbi.org

THE ARTICLE:

"From the Archives: Serendipity Doo-Dah"
http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/news/intelligencer/from-the-archives-serendipity-doo-dah/