Letters to my granddaughter

August 21, 2008

Today is my agent's birthday. I have a theatre agent here Tonda Marton who tries to sell my plays. I am very lucky because in New Orleans for instance you have agents to sell houses and cars and insurance but very few if any literary agents to sell books. One thing I like about New York is it is so BIG and there are people like Tonda who devote their lives to selling the works of artists. This year all of my plays that I have written for the past 18 years were published in 2 books and licensed by Samuel French, Inc, the biggest publisher of plays in the English speaking world. It's like a dream for me because years ago I came to NYC as an actress and bought so many scripts published by Sam French so the idea that all my plays on Louisiana and beyond are published here, it's like a miracle.

Ruby Rose I want you to know that dreams do come true. Bad things like Katrina do happen but also great gifts occur. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. But mostly the Lord giveth.

You are a blessing in my life and New Orleans has a great future when young people like you are being born there.

I heard today that your cousin Sophie is going to a French immersion school in New Orleans. Sophie is 4 and this is a public school Since her father is Spanish, she will now be speaking French, English, and Spanish. Wow. This is what makes New Orleans such a great melting pot.



August 20, 2008

second letter to Ruby Rose:

It is nearing august 29th and as you don't recall that is the day 3 years ago that Katrina hit. I am wondering what the weather is like there and remembering that my parents used to have a thermometer about a ruler's length that predicted storms. It would say fair, rainy, stormy, hurricane. And when the pendulum went to hurricane we left the Gulf Coast by car for the city of New Orleans (thinking it was best to leave a house on the water. That house with plenty of electronic warning of Katrina was leveled by 30 foot waves in 2005.



I have a granddaughter who is one year's old and she lives in New Orleans and she never knew New Orleans like I did when I was girl because she is a post Katrina New Orleans Lady.

I'll writer you each day my memories Ruby Rose so you can experience the lush beautiful city that I knew as a girl and also some of the horrors that I also knew living in that decadent but charming city.

First of all I'm sitting here with a new friend from the Ukraine. I said Russia and she quickly corrected me. She has a long braid like your grandmother used to wear at night for she had hair that went to her waist. My friend Vlada is a romantic and I told her to be a New Orleans lady that was a prerequisite. All of my daughters and your mother especially have long beautiful hair. Good luck.

8-20-08 Your grandfather Bob Harzinski's birthday!
I'll tell you his age if he lets me.