Denver Book Babes Sponsor Opening Night Film for International Women's Festival

I'm honored to belong to a rollicking book club made up of wonderful, entrepreneurial, hilarious Denver women known as Book Babes. The book club established in Denver in 1987, is sponsoring the Opening Night film for Women+Film Voices, Denver Film Society’s six-day film festival. Opening March 8 and running through March 13, 2011, the film festival celebrates the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.

The Book Babes will sponsor Miss Representation, directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, one of many films—both documentaries and feature films. The festival also will include salons, and in-person guests focused on thought-provoking, inspirational stories of women from around the world.

Two members of Book Babes—Joanne Katz, and Lu Law—serve as Denver Film Society board members. A third Book Babe, Terri Garbarini, also is sponsoring another film through her Cherry Creek North namesake women’s fashion boutique, Garbarini.

Book Babes includes the following members:

• Meredith Carson: Works at the Denver Performing Arts Complex and serves as a music DJ Friday mornings on KGNU, 88.5 FM, 1390 AM. Meredith reads some of the books some of the time.

• Susan Erlich: LoDo Pioneer, Generalist.

• Terri Garbarini: Owner, Garbarini, a woman’s fashion boutique.

• Lee Goodfriend: Co-owner of Racines and Dixons Downtown Grill restaurants.

• Mimi Kaupe: Book Babes’ founder and an in absentia member in good standing, is a costume designer.

• Joanne Katz: Denver Film Society board member, owner of Three Tomatoes Catering, Cowtown Barbeque Catering
, and Three Tomatoes Steakhouse & Club at Fossil Trace.

• Lu Law: Denver Films Society board member and designer extraordinaire.

• Jennifer Macy, Esquire.

• Karen Means Moore: Owner of Djuna, an interior design/home furnishings store, and also Pilates Evolution, an SPX Fitness studio.

• Karen Roehl: An Abstract Expressionist painter with a studio at the Dry Ice Factory in RiNo.

• Carol Simpson: Owner, Fine Gardens landscaping.

• Me, Colleen Smith: Author of the acclaimed novel “Glass Halo,” founder of Friday Jones Publishing, freelance writer & graphic art director.

• Alice Sperling: Mostly retired from the P.R. business in Denver, and living happily-ever-after in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

• Deborah Williams: Miss Chief at Design and Image Communications. Deborah--to her credit--reads most of the books most of the time. For the occasion, Design and Image Communications created a new Book Babes logo, shown above.

National Read Across America Day Here At Friday Jones Publishing House

It's never to early to read to children. Or too late.

Happy Read Across America day!

My baby book indicates that one of my first spoken words was"book." Half a century later, I still give lip service to books. As a publisher, an author, a journalist, a ghost writer, a copy writer, and, of late, a blogger, Tweeter, Examiner, and Facebook aficianado, and moreover a reader, I bow to the written word.

Photo by Quincy Benton for Friday Jones Publishing

The image shows a volume from a set of books that enchanted my childhood. These books brought to bear an enormous influence on my creation of the design for "Glass Halo," my first novel.

When I began visualizing the art direction for my first novel, "Glass Halo," the book took shape in my mind's eye with strong influences from the Arts & Crafts Era. In particular, book designs by William Morris stood out for me. As I formulated my own ideal cover and page layouts, I researched artful books of the bygone era because I saw a similar passage: Just as the Arts & Crafts Movement responded to the Industrial Revolution, I responded to the digital age.

At Friday Jones Publishing, books are held in esteem. Our books bear the imprint of joy in the work.

Here's a link to the Presidential Proclamation on Read Across America day, from which I pulled this excerpt:

"Hidden in the pages of books are extraordinary worlds and characters that can spark creativity and imagination, and unlock the potential that lies within each of our children. Reading is the foundation upon which all other learning is built, and on Read Across America Day, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting America's next generation of great readers."

It's never to early to read to children. Or too late.