Author Archives: Rosanne Parry

A Book Partner for Last of the Name

One of my favorite parts of researching a historical fiction is finding books that will be a perfect partner for my work-in-progress. Books that illuminate an era near to the one in my story or books that explore the same events from a different lens. I am always grateful when my publisher makes room in the back of the book to recommend these book partners. The author notes in LAST OF THE NAME point to several books by Zetta Elliot, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Walter Dean Myers.

Sometimes a book comes along too late to be included but is nevertheless a perfect companion read. Streetcar to Justice: how Elizabeth Jennings won the right to ride in New York, by Amy Hill Hearth came out last year. It is non-fiction, set in New York city a mere ten years before the setting of Last of the Name. And it illuminates a little known bit of history.

Nearly everyone knows Rosa Parks but did you know that more than 100 years before the Rosa Parks sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, a woman named Elizabeth Jennings won the right in court for a black person to ride the public trolley in New York City. Hill’s well documented book is chock full of photographs which illuminate the condition of the streets of New York in the pre-Civil War era.

So many of the difficult racial, ethnic, and class issues we are facing today had their roots more than a hundred years ago. I hope both these books spark conversation and reflection on how we got to this moment, and inspire readers to move forward with ever greater understanding and compassion.

The League of Exceptional Writers–True That!

Non-fiction genius Susan Blackaby is the author of more than 100 books–most of them non-fiction. She’s genius at finding the fun in a stack of facts and making it all sing on the pages. She’ll talk to the league about making great non-fiction stories.

The League of Exceptional Writers is a free mentoring program sponsored by the Oregon Society of Children’s book Writers and Illustrators and hosted by the Cedar Hills Powell’s Bookstore. We meet every second Saturday at 2pm from October to May. Avid readers and writers ages 8 to 18 are welcome. Please share the poster below with your friends, your school and your library.

An Immigration Conversation with Comhaltus


One of the reasons I can write about the immigration of the Irish to America was the preservation of that history through music. Comhaltus (pronounced coal-tus) is an organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music. We are sponsoring an immigration conversation on Sunday afternoon April 7th at 2pm at the Hillsdale Public Library 1525 SW Sunset Blvd, Portland, OR 97239. We are going to share how we remember and honor our past and what that past might call us to in the future. Everyone is welcome to come and listen and share as they feel comfortable. Immigration touches us all. There will be refreshments and music.

A Book Party for Last of the Name

I’m so excited about the book party for Last of the Name because it will be as much a celebration of the perseverance of Irish culture as it is of the book. I’ll be joined by musicians and dancers and we will be meeting in the Annex next door to Annie Blooms Bookstore where you can order food and drinks from our neighbor restaurant Gastromania. I hope to see you there!

Annie Blooms Bookstore 7834 SW Capitol Highway Portland Oregon 97219 at 7pm on Tuesday April 2nd.

The League of Exceptional Writers–From Pages to Screen

Screenwriter Ryan Graves will share with the league how to take a story that’s already published and break it into scenes and then write like a screenwriter.

The League of Exceptional Writers is a free mentoring program sponsored by the Oregon Society of Children’s book Writers and Illustrators and hosted by the Cedar Hills Powell’s Bookstore. We meet every second Saturday at 2pm from October to May. Avid readers and writers ages 8 to 18 are welcome. Please share the poster below with your friends, your school and your library.