The FinNALA Newsletter
Volume 8, No. 1
Publication of the Finnish North American Literature Association
© March 30, 2015
www.finnala.com
Beth L. Virtanen, Editor-in-Chief
Sirpa Kaukinen, Assistant Editor
G.K. Wuori, QC Watchdog
© March 30, 2015
www.finnala.com
Beth L. Virtanen, Editor-in-Chief
Sirpa Kaukinen, Assistant Editor
G.K. Wuori, QC Watchdog
It’s time to Subscribe/Renew your Membership for 2015 in the
Finnish North American Literature Association (FinNALA)
The Perks of Membership:
· Receive online access to Kippis! Literary Journal
· Receive access to the FinNALA Facebook group
· Get announcements of what’s happening in the Finnish-North American literary community
· Get online issues of the FinNALA Newsletter
Membership Fee for 2015
· $20.00 US
By Mail
· Send your name and address and your membership fee in the form of a check or money order made out to “FinNALA” to the following address:
Beth Virtanen, President
FinNALA
P.O. Box 212
L'Anse, MI 49946 USA
Online
Use your credit card for online payment
· Click on Membership and submit payment with PayPal
· You don’t need a PayPal account—look for link to pay with your credit card.
We are on the web at www.finnala.com
--
Call for Submissions: Kippis!
Submissions are still open for the next edition of
Kippis! We are planning on having a
print edition for FinnFest 2015 so it’ll be a great chance to showcase your
work and gain fame, fortune, and a host of admirers. Or, at the very least, you’ll gain a great
deal of satisfaction. Send your stories,
poems, essays, memoir bits, and art work to gkwuori at hotmail dot com. We look forward to seeing your work!
--
Spring New Orphic Review in Print
The Spring, 2015 issue of The New Orphic Review has now been published. Entitled
“Dysnarrativia”, it contains historical fiction, murder mysteries, science
fiction and literary fiction. Last fall one of its contributors, Tyler Keevil,
won the $10,000 Journey Prize Award. Subscriptions, $30.00 per year, can be
sent to: Editor-in-Chief: Ernest
Hekkanen, 706 Mill Street Canada
New Edition of Dreambook (Unikirja)
from Fox Spirit Books
A new edition of K. A. Laity’s collection DREAMBOOK will
come out in April from Fox Spirit Books in the UK. Inspired by a wealth of
Finnish mythology, this new edition contains new stories in addition to the
original stories, poems and play that were in the 2009 edition released as
UNIKIRJA.
Laity won a Eureka Short Story Fellowship and a Finlandia
Foundation grant to complete the work on this collection immersed in the
ancient tales of the Kalevala and Kanteletar. She even visited the Astuvansalmi pre-historic
rock paintings to get in touch with the mythic past. The stories are both
modern and historic but they all engage with traditional tales of the past. The
collection ends with the play “Lumottu” which examines Finnish emigrants in
America in the early twentieth century.
Praise for the collection:
“You will want to savor every word,
every page and read this book over and over. The warmth and peacefulness these
stories bring to the reader feels like a big, comfortable blanket on a cold
wintry day” — The
Pagan & the Pen
“K. A. Laity’s efforts make Finnish
mythology and folklore relevant today in ways that resonate with the modern
reader. She mates myth and womanhood exquisitely. In short, her work is
fabulous.” — FinNALA
Fox Spirit Books [foxspirit.co.uk] offers a wide variety of
genre-breaking fiction and has been nominated for British Fantasy Society
awards.
--
Dettmann's Courageous Footsteps Debuts
Diane Dettmann’s debut historical novel, Courageous Footsteps, will be released in early May. It’s a story
about two teenagers who are imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp during
WWII. Surrounded by barbwire fences and the constant watch of armed guards,
Yasu and her older brother, Haro, struggle to accept the hardships of camp life.
As time passes, the confinement, strict regulations and humiliation force them
to make courageous choices that will change their lives forever. The following
excerpt is from the opening chapter.
Excerpt from Chapter
1 – December 1941
Wrapped in her robe,
Yasu scooted down the hallway with Kenta, the family’s loyal German shepherd,
at her heels. When her brother Haro joined them in the hallway, Kenta snuggled
up to his leg. With only one small bathroom in the house, the schedule was
tight. Seeing her chance, Yasu quickly slipped into the bathroom and beat her
brother at their morning competition—a daily challenge Haro enjoyed winning.
“Hey! No fair!” he yelled from the hallway.
Pleased to have
beaten her brother, Yasu quickly bolted the door, washed her face and combed
her hair. The minute she opened the bathroom door, her brother pounced on her.
At seventeen and two years older, he was always ready to take on his sister’s
challenges.
“Think you’re
pretty smart, huh? Well, I’ll get you tomorrow.”
She flashed her
brother a smile and wiggled out of his grasp. “We’ll see about that.”
The aroma of
hot chocolate swirled around the cozy kitchen as she slid onto the hard bench
of the breakfast nook. Kenta settled down on the tattered rug by the back door.
Her father, engrossed in the Los Angeles Times, paused and looked at his
daughter as she nestled in next to him.
“Good morning,
my sweet butterfly.” He had called her “butterfly”—a Japanese symbol of joy and
longevity—for as long as she could remember.
At ten o’clock
they walked to Sunrise Lutheran Church together. After the service they
returned home and enjoyed Mother’s delicious roast chicken dinner. As soon as
the meal was over, Haro retreated to his attic bedroom while Yasu finished the
dishes and then joined her parents in the tiny living room. She cuddled up next
to Kenta on the floor. As she stroked his heavy fur, she thought about her
sixteenth birthday just weeks away. She looked forward to sharing a hot fudge
sundae at Floyd’s Burgers with her friend Ruth. She had known Ruth since second
grade, and they did everything together. As she listened to the radio, Glenn
Miller’s trombone pulsed the catchy rhythm of “In the Mood.”
A panic-filled
voice broke through the music. “Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor! Early morning attack!
Thousands dead! Flames! Smoke! Relentless attack!”
Words of war
crackled through the fabric of the radio speaker until the music program
returned. The Sakamotos continued to listen as frequent updates to the
devastating attack on Pearl Harbor interrupted the Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller tunes on the radio. Yasu eased herself off the floor. When she sat down
beside her father, he gently held her hand. Worried about the horrific attack,
they sat in silence.
Finally Yasu
looked up. “Father, why did this happen?”
Mr. Sakamoto
leaned forward in his chair and shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Diane Dettmann’s the author
of Twenty-Eight Snow Angels: A Widow’s
Story of Love, Loss and Renewal and Miriam
Daughter of Finnish Immigrants. She has shared her writing at local author
events, festivals and international conferences in Finland and Canada. Diane’s
website: http://outskirtspress.com/snowangels
American Murder Houses
by Steve Lehto
Steve Lehto's American Murder Houses is a compendium of exactly that – houses around the country where murders took place. The book contains more than two dozen chapters – each one about a specific house – and photos. The houses that made the list are famous and notorious and most are ones people have heard of. Some are not as well known, but each still attracts attention, years or
decades later (and some, centuries later). The story of each murder is told, if we know who did it or why, and what the house has gone through since. I even include the addresses of each. The book was published by Berkley in February and is available nationwide.
decades later (and some, centuries later). The story of each murder is told, if we know who did it or why, and what the house has gone through since. I even include the addresses of each. The book was published by Berkley in February and is available nationwide.
--
Reflections of a Gloomy, Cold Summer Day
in Vehkajarvi, Finland
by Elsie Jaehn
Dark,
ominous clouds were hanging low in thickly clustered layers over the lake. It looked as though one could almost reach
up, grab hold of them and rent them apart to allow the warmth of the summer sun
to flow through upon the earth below.
Such was the greeting as we awakened on that 49-degree July morning deep
in the heart of central Finland.
As I held my
head in my hands looking out the window, while the fireplace sputtered to life
after being fed yet another offering of birch logs to keep the cozy cottage
warm, I wondered what I would do with this seemingly unattractive gift that had
been thrust into my lap. Two choices
were apparent: a) I could mope and gripe about the weather, or b) I could look
for the positive aspects of this day and allow it to evolve in a grand
fashion. I chose the latter.
After
dressing appropriately, including gloves (still can't believe it's July, and by
the way, what's this I hear about Global Warming?), I gathered up the bag of
garbage from under the sink and was off to the refuse station located about a
half-mile away on the main roadway.
I opted to
take the back way along the gravel road through the forest to get there. As I walked the length of path, I suddenly
realized that Nature was not at all displeased with the weather
conditions. Birds were trilling away
without a care in their little hearts; bless them. I rounded a bend and saw a neighbor's small
potato patch happily growing while surrounded by a rare and colorful
orchestration of summer wildflowers that waved receptively in the gentle breeze
that wafted through the air all around me. Farther along the path, I came upon
a few seemingly abandoned old farm buildings still vibrant and alive dressed in
their mottled red paint and white trim.
They seemed quite comfortable in their residence while lush foliage in
assorted shades of green cradled them in their embrace. I stopped often and marveled at Nature's
bounty. Thistle plants taller than I were ready to burst into deep purple
blooms once the sun would send forth its warming rays to break open their
swollen buds. But that was to be on
another day. Nevertheless, the promise
was there, and so it would happen eventually.
The silence
of my reverie was broken only by the rhythmic crunch of gravel under my feet as
I walked upon the forest path. Actually,
the sound enhanced my focus and concentration as I continued to drink in the
beauty all around me. Finally, I arrived
at my destination, dropped the garbage into one of the containers and continued
on my way along the roadway for a quarter of a mile or so before I turned down
yet another gravel trail that would take me back to the cottage.
I meandered
through the neighbors' barnyard and marveled at the huge rhubarb leaves and
then remembered how flavorsome was the rhubarb pie that I had tasted at their
home a week or so before. Farther along,
I stopped briefly to watch an ant colony busily working, as always, on the
enormous hill they had amassed over the years.
They didn't seem concerned at all about the weather conditions of the
day. The wild raspberry canes were
heavily laden with fruit that would ripen within the next four weeks or so—they
too didn't seem at all disturbed about the fact that the sun wasn't shining
today, and as I concluded my walk, I realized that I too had found beauty in
the seemingly imperfect day—it was perfect after all!
My heart was
happy and filled with joy, peace and contentment as I sat on the lawn swing in
my heavy clothing and gloved hands looking out over the lake where the dark,
ominous clouds still hung in thickly clustered layers just as I had left them a
couple of hours ago. May you too
continually find sunshine in your hearts no matter the weather conditions that
exist outdoors.__Elsie Jaehn
Contact the author at jaehn4 at aol dot com
--
Mountain Writers Series at Vie de Bohème
A READING & BOOK LAUNCH
with Kathleen Halme
April 15, 2015
Wednesday, 7:30 PM
Vie de Bohème on SE 7th & Clay
1530 SE 7th Avenue, Portland 97214
Suggested donation $5
Mountain
Kathleen Halme grew up in Wakefield, a post-mining and logging town in Michigan’s upper peninsula. She completed her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan, where her work was awarded the Hopwood Creative Writing Award. Her honors include a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in poetry, a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship in anthropology, and an Oregon Literary Fellowship.
--
Herring Odyssey
Text and Photo
Eero Sorila
While visiting Finland
I remembered something. A Finnish-Canadian friend named Erkki, had said many times; “ I miss Finn style pickled
herring.”
In a Helsinki grocery store I spotted a
shelf which was filled with herring jars. Among them I looked for the Matjes
label. Nothing else would do. Suddenly the right label stared at me and I
purchased five jars.
 |
| This Matjes herring jar experienced an adventure as it crossed the Atlantic, but the contents remained intact. |
My feeling of satisfaction rose instantly like pulla dough. I
knew how Erkki would enjoy this Finnish delicacy. Even if it was possible to
find the identical herring in North America,
its’ value soars to the Northern Lights when brought personally from Finland.
Carefully placing the jars into mittens, socks and other protective
clothing I felt that all was safe. The jars would have to survive the long
trans-Atlantic flight.
My backpack which was already filled with other goods looked and felt
like a massive hard boiled egg after the herring jars were added.
The inflated oddity was too large to fit
in the Finnair overhead shelf. Wrapped in a big plastic bag I hesitantly
lowered it unto a luggage conveyer belt by the check in counter. As if starved
for herring, it was devoured instantly.
Herring shower
In
hopes that all was fine, I picked up the backpack from the luggage carousel in
Vancouver Canada.
To realize that the backpack was emitting herring odour was a shock.
There was no time or interest on my part to ponder why. I made a fast exit from
the airport knowing that everybody would not react as favourably to herring
smell as people of Finnish background might.
Fortunately the odour remained confined
in my own car as I returned home from the airport.
The scary moment of opening the backpack at home was at hand. Like a
bursting cloud, the Matjes herring odour rose to the kitchen ceiling.
Clothing, magazines and a stack of books inside the backpack had received a
shower of herring broth. You can imagine the mess.
Most
probably the air pressure with vibration during the flight had opened four of
the herring jars.
When the herring odyssey was over, I was delighted to present one jar,
which had not opened, to Erkki.
The author of this story has published a
photo book with his sister Mirjam Rand. In the American Monuments you
will discover amazing stories behind the landmarks like the Statue
of Liberty, Grand Canyon and many more.
Orders@Xlibris.com 1-888- 795-4274
--
The Homely Vegetable
by Carol Van Der Woude
Some vegetables and fruits don’t
seem appealing. My first experience tasting an avocado came when my family bought
one from the grocery store—out of curiosity. It was not ripe, but we didn't
know that. It was hard, slippery and bland. I thought it was strange that
people ate avocados.
My second experience came when I
was on a short-term mission trip to Guatemala. A friend shared a ripe avocado
with me. It was an immediate hit. The taste and texture of the avocado was
delicious. Now I could appreciate it!
The rutabaga is a homely
vegetable. Have you seen a rutabaga in the grocery store? It is an ugly globe
covered with wax. I have purchased rutabagas to make pasties. My mother always
added rutabaga to pasties.
Often the checkout clerk at the
local grocery store would pause and stare at the waxed object, and then look up
and ask, “What is this?” And if she was being chatty, “What do you do with it?”
My response has been, “I am going
to make some pasties.” Everyone understands that in upper Michigan. But in
Illinois that comment can lead to more questions or a glazed look that informs
me that no further explanation is desired.
To my surprise I saw beautiful
gold and lavender roots larger than a giant beet at the Farmer's Market. The greens were still intact. This is a
rutabaga? Of course I bought one, and I found new uses for the rutabaga: adding
to mashed potatoes to give a sharper flavor, substituting it for the mashed
potatoes in my potato rolls, trying out recipes for rutabaga casserole.
Maybe I could grow rutabaga in my garden. My first
attempt at growing rutabagas didn't turn out so well. The roots were very
small. But the greens held stalks with pods of seeds. I collected the pale
beige pods containing tiny black seeds with plans for future planting.
Then I consulted a Rodale
gardening book*. I discovered important information. These plants should be
planted in mid summer; they grow best when they mature in cool weather. They
should stay in the ground through the first fall frost.
Many Finnish cookbooks have a recipe for rutabaga casserole.
Rutabaga is a popular vegetable in Finland because Finland has a short growing
season and the vegetable is well suited to that climate.
The
homely vegetable is like the ugly duckling. Rutabaga has become a favorite in
my kitchen and a connection with my Finnish heritage. I have plans for rutabaga
in my garden again this year.
·
M.
B. Hunt & B. Bortz, High-Yield Gardening. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1986.
Carol
is the author of Aliisa’s Letter. The novel is available for purchase on her
website: http://carolvanderwoudern.com.
Contact the author here: carolapv at aol.com
--
Stockholm
by Eila Savela
Tomorrow
is Sunday,
The first
day of the week.
Even so,
Don’t
seek out
Of the
way places—
The
cobbled streets
That
twist and
Dwindle
to one-way alleys.
Even
though
Crosscurrents
Shimmer
across the surface,
Fooling
the senses that spring is
Returning—
Don’t
forget—
It is
Sunday, eternal Sunday,
And you
without your best suit
Will come
crying to find
Why the
river turns so.
Six Solitary
Haiku
by Eila
Savela
I.
Elusive
blossom—
Unworldly
but not cloistered,
Wind-strewn
petals fall.
II.
With a
single mind,
Sparrows
flit in the hedges,
Ants
swarm in the streets.
III.
Sun-yellow
wheat field,
Blackbird
gleaming in the tree,
Strong
blue sky above.
IV.
Beach.
Sand. Foaming waves.
Seagulls
white and simple grey.
Flotsam
and deadwood.
V.
An
overcast mind
Sees
nothing but the surface,
Skips on
the water.
VI.
Give me
solitude
But
never isolation,
Not a
barren stream.
Contact
the poet at esavela10 at gmail.com
--
Hot Romp on the Beach
by Karen Rossi
(AKA Kaarina Brooks)
Dave
is helping his friend's volley ball team in a tournament—at a nudist beach!
There being aroused by a gorgeous woman presents a very real and visible
problem. How do the regulars deal with such an awkward situation?
Were
Dave and Barbara attracted to each other just because they were nude, or would
every magical thing have happened even if they'd been fully clothed?
Kaarina Brooks,
writing as Karen Rossi, has joined the growing number of grannies who write
erotic romances. Her novella, Hot Romp on the Beach, is one of four
stories in an anthology, Hot Encounters,
which was #57 on the top
100 Amazon list in Canada soon after coming out in March, 2015.
Kaarina also writes sweet romances and has just
completed a three-book series, Portraits of Love, which an editor
at Soul Mate Publishing has asked to see. Thumbs up for getting accepted!
Kaarina is also looking into self-publishing,
the hottest thing since the printing press in the publishing world.
--
WELCOME to the 75th Finnish Canadian Grand Festival and Nordic Fair 2015
June 26 – 28, 2015.
Finn Festival 2015 is organized by the
Finnish-Canadian community of Toronto, Ontario, in Canada, and expects a record
number of participants and visitors from far and near.
Finn Festival 2015 offers something for
every age. There are concerts ranging from
rock to traditional popular music, from folk to classical music, and from solo
performances to choirs. You can see two
Finnish theatre productions, folk dancing performances and art exhibits. You can attend lectures and religious
programs, stroll through the tori-market place.
There are programs for children.
You can dance the night away at three festival dances, including a gala
dinner-dance, as well as play a round of golf at the Nordic Golf Tournament.
Finn Festival 2015 is held in
conjunction with Nordic Fair, which showcases the history, culture, traditions,
as well as the modern life of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and
Sweden. Nordic Fair 2015 will only just
touch the surface on what Nordic cultures have to offer with beautiful crafts,
cuisine, fine goods and a great program on stage. This fair will truly showcase the best of our
heritage – June 26 – 28 at Mel Lastman Square in Toronto, Canada.
For more information on the events and
how to register, please visit www.finnfestival2015.com and www.nordicfair2015.com. Please email us your event ticket
reservations today.
Finn Festival 2015 will be your chance
to discover the “FINN in you” and immerse yourself into all things
Finnish. All this entertainment is not
to be missed! June 26 - 28 at Mel
Lastman Square and North York Memorial Hall.
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