What Spill?

“That’s just not the kind of thing we want to carry,” said the manager at the gift shop at a local chain of restaurants in the Gulf Shores, Alabama area. She was referring to my illustrated kid’s book, The Gulf Oil Spill Story. Kids love it, school librarians and teachers do as well. So what’s with this manager? I read between the lines—we don’t carry oil-spill related anything—but thought perhaps I was exaggerating.

Gulf Shores hosts the National Shrimp Festival each year. This year a group of environmentally aware and concerned citizens want to march in the parade to show support of the Gulf and to let people know that the oil spill is still a serious concern here. The City of Gulf Shores is DENYING THEM A PERMIT. How can they do that? These are not violent people. They simply want others to know and remember what continues to happen to the environment here and stop pretending like the largest oil spill in US History didn’t happen here.

The Grand Festival of Arts and Books was in Fairhope, Alabama. The book portion was sponsored by Page and Palette, a local bookstore who is heavily involved in the community. They invited me to participate in their celebration of locally-authored children’s books. Page and Palette and the staff there are educating, informing and encouraging people to be aware of what’s happening in their community by inviting authors that share environmental messages with kids.

I understand that merchants do not want tourists to have images like this in mind when planning vacations. I know they want to increase revenue and make more money every year. That’s how our economy functions in the take-as-much-as-you-can-get-at-any-cost economy. Is it too much to expect from business owners to also have a conscience? To care about telling the truth? To actually use an event like the spill to educate their customers?

I have a friend in Gulf Shores. Eydie and her husband own <em>Printing Zone and have my books for sale in their shop. She has been dedicated to helping get my work into the community and school there. She’s standing up for the beautiful environment because of her love of nature and her concern. My childhood friend, Leslie Flowers, has my books for sale in her hair salon in Magnolia Springs. She cares, too.

It’s people like Eydie and Leslie and businesses like Printing Zone and Page and Palette that make a difference in the world. Teachers that care, librarians that care…you all are my heros! Writers like me and other independent writers depend on compassionate, caring, environmentally responsible and aware businesses, schools and individuals to help get the Work out into the world.

I’m weary of mayors, tourism boards and businesses here on the Gulf Coast who fear the truth, who think that if tourists know the truth they’ll stop coming here and who are working diligently to deny that the oil spill ever happened. These are the same officials who last year refused to close beaches, where children were routinely playing in crude oil, because as the Orange Beach mayor stated, “There’s no law against stupid.”

I envision there being room for profit and truth. What about you?

To order my children’s book on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill that happened on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida please visit my web site OR buy it locally at Printing Zone, Page and Palette or Magnolia Hair Center.