Warm Rain

I Remember Warm Rain is The Telling Room's first anthology, and I remember when my friend, Gail, handed it to me. I was in the early stages of writing Out of Nowhere and driving between Brunswick, Lewiston, and Portland to meet and interview kids who had arrived in Maine after their families fled war zones. While there's no substitute for actually sitting with a person and hearing his/her story over many hours and many cups of tea, not everyone has that opportunity. Or privilege.

You can do it here, with this book. Fifteen teenagers from around the world share their coming-to-America stories, and each is unique and honest. Here's the summary:

Fifteen students, from countries such as Somalia, Iraq, Sudan, and Iran are represented in our first anthology, I Remember Warm Rain. In it, you meet Ali killing hyenas and Arunda speaking to his father by phone after ten years of believing he is dead. You meet Kahiye, revealing his first experience of snow, and Stella doing something once forbidden to her, playing a game she loves: soccer. These rich stories were written as part of The Telling Room's yearlong Story House Project, a multi-media initiative built on the collaborative efforts of local artists, writers, filmmakers, sound technicians, teachers and the 15 young storytellers who bravely told their tales of leaving home in hopes of finding a new one in America.

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