The US and Her Queen

I have just come back from ten days in the States where I was born, bred, educated and moulded into the proto-version of what I am today. Tomorrow starts the four day Jubilee weekend back here in Britain in what I now call home. More than enough has been said already about the pros and cons of these festivities, but what I want to briefly muse on today is the way America reacts to the Royals.  Quite simply, they love them. Despite the fact that the entire history of the country and the reason for its very existence is all about breaking away from not only the English monarch, but also the entire idea of monarchy in general, it seems to me that today Americans have thrown all those sentiments aside and embraced the Queen and her family with both arms. From what I can tell, it seems as if Americans love the Queen even more than her own subjects do. It's very strange.  Over the last two weeks, American tv has been full of documentaries about the Royal Family, news reports on the lead-up to the festivities, day-time tv slots dedicated to ideas for baked goods in honour of the big event. There are even going to be street parties with big screen tvs and barbecues. It's mind-boggling and I wish I could come up with some reasoned exegesis on the cultural implications for all this, but I can't. All I know is that when I decided to move to London, notable lefty family members shook their heads in disdain over the fact that I was leaving our hard-earned constitutional republic and heading off to live under the yoke of such a feudal institution as a monarchy. (Okay, so the Queen hasn't any power any more, but she's still there, her influence is omnipresent and, God knows, we who live as her subjects pay to keep her.)

But actually, leaving my family and certain pockets of "New England" aside, most Americans love Queen Elizabeth and her crazy family. They love Wills and Kate. They adore Harry. They have completely adopted Fergie (remember her?).  And Diana? Forget about it. My friends have asked me to buy Jubilee memorabilia for them, and their tongues were nowhere near their cheeks when they asked. It is almost as if there is a mass longing for what might have been; for an adolescent fantasy of princes and princesses, palaces and horse-drawn carriages. Remember the American Revolution? I'm not sure many Americans do.

Now don't get me wrong, I like a good parade as much as the next guy. I actually love all the spectacle and pageantry -- it's more like living theatre than anything I know.  And I will admit to being one of thousands standing in the crowd outside Buckingham Palace to watch the latest couple's "big kiss." But I've chosen to live here.  My tax money goes to support the Royals, so I'm determined to at least get the occasional party out of it. But as far as my fellow Americans' national obsession with the monarchy goes...I just don't get it.

ABC's Katie Couric and you-know-who

I'm Not Getting Older....

...I'm getting happier, and psychologist, Laura Carstensen, explains why below (or here). Thanks, TED, and Happy Birthday to me.

This Week's Events

I'm back on the road, back in my old hunting/haunting grounds of Boston, Connecticut and New York. And first stop Boston. It's been a bit weird this time. I have flown in to do two writing-related events and am playing tourist in this city which has been my US base for my entire adult life. But I am here this time without my husband, without any kid, and staying in a part of town that I haven't been in for years. I arrived from wintry London into summery Boston, and decided to take a walk along the harborside. As my mother used to say, "if this was in Europe, we'd take a picture." So I did.

Monday, I headed out via commuter rail to the lovely suburban town of Lincoln where I talked about A Clash of Innocents and my work in Cambodia at the Lincoln Public Library. I love speaking at libraries. I love the camaraderie, the sense of community, and the instant connection I feel with the people who come to see me. And at Lincoln I had the extra treat of discovering an absolutely beautiful library in a gorgeous building full of  stained-glass and great architectural features. Alas, the rains came and I wasn't able to take the photos I had wanted to take, but here's one view from the town website.

Tuesday was time for something completely different. The London poet, Ruth O'Callaghan, and I have been planning for a long time to do some joint readings, and we decided to do our first one here in Boston. Because of the wonders of the internet and Facebook, I had come to know of the Boston poet, Doug Holder, and he invited Ruth and I to appear on his local public access tv show called Poet To Poet Writer To Writer. This was definitely a first for me. I've done several radio interviews, some taped and some live, but live television is something else entirely. But it was fun. Doug asked Ruth and I lots of interesting questions which led to a lively discussion, and then both Ruth and I read some of our poems. I read a few from my book, Her Life Collected, but then I read a new and very different style of poem which is one of the first ones to grow out of my Cambodia experiences. A bit gutsy of me to try it out on tv, but Doug encouraged me and it seemed to go well. I have the tape of the interview and when I get home I'll put it up on You Tube for all to see.

And now I have a day off before I head to my big college reunion -- I won't tell you what number reunion it is :-) -- where I'll be taking part in two events. Neither of them are open to the general public, but there are bound to be lots of old friends in the audiences and I can tell you now, I'm already a bit nervous. But more on that later.