I'm rewatching The Lost Boys. It's been quite a few years, but I'm crying once again. It's not just the remarkable turn of events. AB's words and the cast's acting...I don't know - I can just feel their pain/joy for life and through death. The magnificent dialogues cause me to write myself, but this miniseries has me not only write creatively, but read creatively. AB's script, of course, is poetic in heart as well as connections - lovely and lyrical. I also read the quiet moments. The actor's expressions are beautiful. Ian Holm's gazes are powerful (the one that really hits me is when he's looking out the window just upon Arthur's death). And the time passing. Wow. Just wow. The red hat, captain swarthy's hung on the trees, Porthos' absence, empty roots. Time changing things. When I watch young George (Barnaby Holm) look up at the sky and later Barrie notice George again, older doing the same, I am reminded of Anno Birkin's poem (which was actually read by Barnaby Holm on the audio version of Who Said the Race is Over?. It goes like this:

"I want to know permanent things.
The whole world is constantly changing
and dying and being born.
I wish I had thoughts that were
warm and were clear like the mornings.
These summer days have me in mourning dress,
touching my head to my sex to my breasts,
wishing for Westerly winds that
will bring me some fear in religion.
Let the spring of my faith now begin."

I could imagine the characters creatively reading themselves in this poem.

Helen Keller loved theatre. She felt vibrations with her feet, but also her Teacher (and other friends) would finger-spell to describe a production to her. I'm sure there's more to this (she would meet actors afterward for instance), but if you read her writings, you will find beautiful descriptions of different plays that she attended. Many deafblind people experience such form of arts as long as they have their rightful accommodations. For instance the lawyer/activist Haben Girma is deaf/blind, but is is part of a theatre group among other arts. It's a common misconception that people with hearing and seeing impairments can't experience the theatre.

My students and I were looking through some of Helen Keller's letters. We were actually searching for exchanges with Alexander Graham Bell, but in the dig, I stumbled across a familiar name - Maud Adams! I read this lovely note by Ms. Keller:

"My dear Miss Adams: I thank you for the pleasure you gave us last Thursday night. We were delighted to meet the most cleverest boy that ever was, and the sweet lady who makes him also the realest of boys. "Peter Pan"' is the loveliest fairy tale that I have lived in since my body grew up. My spirit avoids "the ignominy of growing up" as anxiously as did Peter, and so far I have successfully kept a home in Never-never-never Land. I hope my adult tasks and burdens will never cast anchor on me. Truly you and Mr. Barrie have given us to drink of the fountain which Ponce de Leon sought in vain. We can never forget the pleasant chat with you and Miss Boynton, and the roses which you put in our room shall always smell sweet. I am sending a picture for you and one for Miss Boynton, also a copy of my book. Mr. and Mrs . Macy send their kind regards to you and Miss Boynton. With best wishes, I am, Sincerely yours, (Signed) Helen Keller Wrentham, Massachusetts, December tenth"

I love finding connections between my favorite people, so a Barrie and Keller (she is one of my heroes) is a real delight! I know Helen Keller loved going to the theatre and I've enjoyed reading her responses to specific plays or just going to a play in general. I would have loved to discuss Peter Pan, novel or play with her!

I remember when this website was in another form, that Andrew Birkin had one tab for some other work or things related to his other work. For instance, the trials of Joan of Arc were on there. Also his Napoleon script. I read it years ago. It was brilliant and moving! Actually, some of my students are becoming so fascinated with Napoleon lately that I'm reading up on him so I can tell them plenty of stories. But how I'd love to transfer the spirit of the poet conqueror to them too as well as the facts (excuse me, the agreed upon fiction!).

Andrew, will you ever upload it again? I'm certain you are flooded with work for current projects now, but perhaps one day?

Wow, Brutus! Thank you so much for pointing those two editions out. I loved Hudson's picture of Peter blowing out stars. And I especially love the imaginative zig zag of lines in Blampied's. So glad they're on the database.

My first edition of Peter and Wendy (when I was 11 or so) came in the form of Raquel Jaramillo's PHOTO edition. She photographed children who actually matched the age of the characters. The pictures were lovely in their own gentle way (though it didn't capture the wonderful heartlessness of the original). Actually, that photographer went on to write the "Wonder" books under the name of RJ Palacio, which my kids rightly love. She's a talented artist and author. I don't think I know of any other photo edition of the book.

Nice. What ghostly pictures! Love them! It's terrific to see the various interpretations of Peter Pan via paintings and drawings.

I'm just starting to read these letters, and am very grateful for the effort and time that's gone in for sharing them. So glad they didn't go the way of Michael's. Looking forward to seeing Barrie and George's relationship grow, and to get a deeper understanding from Peter. Though I'm often moved by Michael and Barrie's relationship, I always admired George the most for many reasons I think my heart has forgotten. I'll be glad to discover those again. Thank you!

Just a little anecdote.

My students and I were watching "Modern Times" for History class yesterday. My course in American History goes from the Civil War to the Moon Landing or around there. Even though we have lots of fun, since we start at 1860, I tell my students at the beginning of the year that we'll get into dark and depressing stuff (slavery and war), I say, "Sorry, kids, nothing will really be funny again until Charlie Chaplin comes along". They don't know who he is, but we finally reached him today when we talking of 20s and 30s in all changes (and art's response!). There was such excitement: "Is this where things get funny, Ms. Grippo?" I was glad they remembered. I put Chaplin's movie on the tv screen, and the children laughed and laughed, but they also seemed to get the point of the societal and personal pain the Little Tramp was exploring.

Anyway, as we were watching it, one boy raised his hand and told me, "Charlie can really move! If he wasn't a grown up, he could play Peter Pan!" The others echoed, "Hey, yeah!"

They all love the Peter Pan stories I share with them (they don't know yet that Peter is almost always played by an adult), and they seem to understand the wild boy way better than I did at their age. I certainly agreed with this comment.

Then I seemed to remember Chaplin being mentioned in Andrew's book or was it Barrie being mentioned in Charlie's book (or was it both?). So as they watched the film, I quickly went on the database and found Nico's letter to Sharon Goode, and was delighted that my student was spot on! Barrie had wanted Chaplin to play Peter. That would've been something, I'm sure. I also enjoyed Nico's thoughts on Chaplin being one of his "greatest person" he met or "so called greats".

No real point or question to this post. Just love when we find an unexpected connection.