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GC Alumni love
On Saturday I had the great privilege of sharing my passion for Edith and her story with fellow alumni of Grinnell College in person for the first time. They had come from all over the country and world back to this special place that sits at the center of everywhere (as Grinnellians like to say).…
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First illustrations
The last few weeks have seen some great progress on the book front. The Kickstarter campaign officially ended on May 10, but it takes a couple of weeks before all of the funds get processed and deposited into my account. Now that those funds are in had, I’m more easily able to pay the illustrator…
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Walking in her light
This is the power of her attention and regard, and all of you in this room who have had the honor and the joy of speaking with Mrs. Renfrow Smith have experienced this light on you. Grinnell College President Anne Harris, April 26, 2023 In a lovely room in Chicago’s Brookdale retirement community, a group…
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Preorder now from Pioneer Bookstore
I am thrilled to say that the Grinnell College Pioneer Bookstore is now offering a preorder option for the book! The Bookstore Manager, Cassie, has been super helpful and great to work with. Even though the book won’t be out until sometime next fall, I have people who are asking if they can reserve a…
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My head is spinning! So much joy and gratitude.
The last week has been a whirlwind. A week ago I was feeling overwhelmed and daunted by all that was happening and needed to get done. Today, I stand in awe and gratitude. I had set the Kickstarter launch for April 10, not remembering that it was the Monday after Easter weekend (we generally host…
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Let’s fund this thing!
The Kickstarter page is now live and accepting backers. I have been so encouraged by the number of people who have offered words of support and encouragement. Now the main thing I need is help in spreading the word. If you are inspired by Edith and are excited to see this book become a reality,…
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Figuring out Kickstarter
Maybe you are like me and are not super familiar with Kickstarter. I had contributed to a few projects through their platform before, but figuring out how to create a campaign has been quite a learning curve. Unlike some other sites like GoFundMe, which allow you to simply make a contribution to a cause, Kickstarter…
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Connecting with the Illustrator
When I started to think about doing this book, it was finding an illustrator that loomed as the biggest challenge. I wasn’t even sure where to start. So like many Grinnell alumni, I posted about it in the alumni Facebook group asking for advice. Among the responses was one who said they had a housemate…
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Ripple effect
There is a small group of us who have been dreaming of widespread awareness of the Renfrow story for several years. Dan Kaiser started researching the Renfrow family around 2014 for his Grinnell Stories blog. It was because of him that I first made contact with Edith and was able to scan dozens of her…
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Kickstarting a new venture
Asking for money is just always awkward, at least for me! But making this book a reality is going to take more money than I have to spend on it, so I find myself venturing into the world of Kickstarter, an online funding tool. The way Kickstarter works is you have to define your project…
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The Renfrow Story 