Decemberfacets2017 web

FACETS

December 2017

The magazine for women.

Trevillyan carries on the family tradition Bertha Bartlett spoke to the ‘king in men’ Faaborg tragic family story

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The magazine for women.

Editor MARGO NIEMEYER

Publisher SCOTT ANDERSON

Contributors BRIANNE ANDERSON JERRI HEID RONNA LAWLESS TANVI RASTOGI CHRISTINA ROBINSON DANIELLE ZIEGLER

Tribune Editor MICHAEL CRUMB

Photographs RONNA LAWLESS NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR FACETS IS A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF GATEHOUSE MEDIA IOWA HOLDINGS.

ADVERTISERS To advertise in Facets magazine, contact Tiffany Hilfiker at (515) 663-6973 PHONE (515) 663-6923 ADDRESS 317 Fifth St. Ames, IA, 50010 EMAIL mniemeyer@amestrib.com ONLINE www.amestrib.com/sections/ special-sections/facets

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n this issue you will find tradition, storytelling, family history and the importance of literature and reading at a young age. All of these separate topics come together to form a life-long curiosity and, hopefully, a respect for the past.

When passing down traditions, or being the one to pick them back up after a generation has set them aside, digging in the history and process can be so much fun. You can learn so much.

Another interesting section that I am very excited about is the history of youth literature. Ames Public Library youth staff have provided a history and importance of children’s books from board books to young adult literature.

I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I do.

Above: Ames Public Library Little Theater. Photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar/ GateHouse Iowa On the cover: Daphane Trevillyan, owner of Stop and Smell the Flours/Photo

by Ronna Lawless/GateHouse Iowa

FACETS • Table of contents literature 5

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Books for Infants and Toddlers:

A Look at the History of Board Books

What do you read?

The picture or the words

Children’s literature

Easy to Read, Juvenile Fiction, Juvenile Nonfiction

11 History of Young Adult Fiction

12 Nancy Drew

An ideal role model for today’s girls (and boys)

14 Bertha Bartlett

‘Speak to the king in the man’

storytelling 20 Ames Public Library’s Little Theater

A one-of-a-kind treasure

tradition 22 The recipes that tell us the story of out ancestors 24 Untold family stories

‘Streaming eyes and broken hearts’

community 28 Good Company

Presents winter concert “Light and Joy”

savor 29 Mediterranean Barlotto

This one-pot meal marries risotto magic with a good-for-you grain

30 A quinoa cake

One that can win skeptics over

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The history and importance of

YOUTH LITERATURE A

mes Public Library Youth Services staff discuss the history of books for children from board books to young adult literature.

All youth books, including board books, picture books, fiction and nonfiction, and graphic novels, help children learn — everything from motor and speech skills, how things work, and critical thinking to compassion, understanding and, ultimately, how to be human.

Ames Public Library youth services staff: front row, from left, Emily, youth library clerk, Tanvi, young adult librarian, and Brianne Youth Services librarian; second row, from left, Danielle, youth services librarian, Jill, youth librarian assistant, Jerri, Youth Services manager; Chris, youth library assistant and Rosie, youth library assistant; third row, Anastasia, youth library assistant; not pictured, Ben, youth library clerk.

PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/GATEHOUSE IOWA 4 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2017

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Books for Infants and Toddlers:

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A Look at the History of Board Books

hen my children were born, many people gave me board books, or books with simple storylines and hard pages. These books have been much loved by my son and daughter. By loved, I mean that they have been chewed on, sat on, drooled on, and of course read together. We’ve read all of ours multiple times and checked out many from the Ames Public Library, where I work and select the board books for purchase.

Here at the Ames Public Library we suggest using board books for babies and toddlers up until about the age of three. As a parent, it’s so nice not to have to worry that my 17 month old is going to rip a page in a library book (like she did with a book recently checked out by her older brother).

In fact, some of the earliest baby books were actually made of cloth, starting in the early 1900s. They were advertised as being hygienic because people could wash them easily (at least as easily as they did anything without a washing machine). It was then that they started to add interactive components to books, like putting buttons in a book as the wheels of a train. My daughter loves books like this, such as “That’s Not My Kitten” by Fiona Watt.

By the Second World War, however, cloth had started to be rationed, and books more like the ones we know today came into vogue.

A board book that we received as a gift for one of my children was in fact published right before the United States entered World War II. “Pat the Bunny” by Dorothy Kunhardt is still a favorite for many. Perhaps some of the great-grandparents of today were among the first to play with this classic board book.

Soon after the start of the Baby Boom, books for babies and toddlers grew rapidly in popularity. People were having big families and perhaps also had a little more extra money to spend on books for their babies, especially if those books couldn’t be ripped in half.

Just like today, many board books were simply smaller copies of previously published

books. This doesn’t always work though. Some books, such as my own personal favorite when I was a toddler, “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown, really do make both fabulous picture and board books. But great board books really focus on writing for the younger audience, with fewer words and simpler stories.

Some favorite characters, like “Llama Llama”

by Anna Dewdney, have their own easier board books that are a lot of fun.

Some authors thought that board books deserved their own stories and characters.

This is where we got such classics as “Hippos Go Berserk” by Sandra Boynton and “All Fall Down” by Helen Oxenbury in the 1970s and 1980s. Both are still fantastic choices and wonderful authors.

As a parent and a librarian, I look for books that are fun to read which both of the above authors are. I also make a point of looking for multicultural books, both to buy for the library and for my children to read. Oxenbury’s board

BY DANIELLE ZIEGLER Ames Public Library Youth Services Librarian

books almost always include children of many different cultures. Other board books to look at with multicultural characters include “My Heart Fills with Happiness” by Monique Gray Smith, a Canadian indigenous author, or books like “American Babies”, which shows many of the different cultures that American babies belong to.

Board books are still available in many of the same ways as always. You can get them in hard cardboard form, cloth books or even in plastic to go in the bath. However, books for our youngest readers are changing even now.

You can buy books called Indestructibles that are made of a paper like material that cannot be ripped or chewed apart. They’re even washing machine safe!

Board books have changed over time, but one thing hasn’t changed; They are a lot of fun to share with the kids in your life, whether you pick yours up from the Ames Public Library or if you are gifted them.

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BY JERRI HEID Ames Public Library Youth Services Manager

What do you read, the

?

PICTURE or the WORDS M

y childhood memories include reading aloud to my mom or reading aloud to myself.

My favorite book at this age was a little golden book, “Muffy Goes to Kindergarten.”

I occasionally still get my original copy off the shelf and reread it. All those same wonderful feelings come rushing over me as they did when my mom first read it to me.

Children’s literature, specifically for our youngest, is relatively new in the United States.

Hardworking adults and children lacked the time to read aloud. Printing technology for publishing books was not fully developed resulting in lack of availability and affordability. Reading stories aloud did not mean picture books like those we have available today; it meant stories without pictures that targeted an adult’s interests.

What are American picture books? A picture book is defined, according to “100 Years of Children’s Books in America,” as when: “the text and illustrations are on every double spread and equally balanced; a developing story line, with action and suspense; simple language with strong characterizations. It is a story through which text and pictures are intended to be read to a child but could also be enjoyed by children who can read. Published in 1928, Wanda Gag’s “Millions of Cats” is a leading early example.

Variations of picture storybooks also include concept picture books. Quoting the same source, a conceptual picture book’s definition is “where the idea is more important than any character and leads to a patterned presentation leading to subsequent books.” Again, Wanda Gag played a major part in her creation of her “ABC Bunny.” Historically this is the first notable conceptual picture book. Gag’s books have survived the test of time and are still published and enjoyed by children today. Although books by Wanda Gag are still available and the quantities of picture books published are in the thousands, the path to the present was not an easy journey.

The first English immigrants brought children’s literature with them from their native country. These stories were not child-centered. Most children were needed to work. School was not an option. Available books were for upper class children. Even then, books were didactic in nature or stories were intended for an adult audience.

Much stayed the same until after the Civil War when education became more important and a universal curriculum was established. Changes slowly began.

Fast forward to the early 1900s, child labor laws were proposed to prevent children from working so many hours. White biases and Puritan ideals continued to be the norm in children’s books. The industrial revolution assisted the changing world of publishing. Avantguard authors such as Beatrix Potter and Rudyard Kipling challenged the world of picture book stories. Potter wrote a conventional story with animals but instead of keeping them in a safe setting and portraying typical childhood behavior, she placed her characters on the edge of danger.

Kipling’s illustrations featured expressive and deliberate use of modern design. Both authors used the traditional adult focused language. Mother Goose rhymes were introduced and although the rhythm and rhyme were fun for children to hear, their meanings were directed to the adult reader.

As children slowly became identified as separate individuals, their behavior was studied with the whole child in 6 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2017

literature mind. Political times were reflected in stories and rhymes. And another avant-garde author came to the forefront of children’s literature — Dr. Seuss and his first book “And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street.” This story did not feature well-adjusted children in well-adjusted families but provided examples of families struggling to connect in the rhythm of verses and cartoonish drawings. Margaret Wise Brown invited children to participate in her creation of “A Noisy Book.” Virginia Burton’s “The Little House” and “Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel “portrayed a world becoming bigger due to the new found technology.

Growing school and library markets resulted in mass market books. Golden Books arrived on the scene with “The Pokey Little Puppy” in 1942 at the huge cost of twenty-five cents.

It was one of the first of twelve Little Golden books that were cheap enough for the masses to purchase. They were colorful and fulfilled an important need during wartime when there were few toys.

For the first time librarians began playing a major role in children’s publishing. Anne Carrol Moore, pioneer children’s librarian and critic in New York City, determined the success

(and failures) of many children’s authors. She stood against the impact of progressive education on education with children’s literature that Margaret Wise Brown’s books offered. “Goodnight Moon,” published in 1947, was the quintessential example of a picture book.

Humor was introduced in the 1940s. Social attitudes changed so quickly in the 1960s that books were soon outdated due to the attitude reflected in the story. School libraries were gaining in popularity which resulted in public and school libraries being the targeted consumer market for children’s publishing houses.

The previous taboo topics of death, birth, religion, sex, divorce and drugs were now found in literature. Informational books were published and featured topics of interest that introduced the reader to the subject through text and illustration.

Folk art consumed many picture books through the 60s and 70s but the stories still continued with adult focused storylines and no kid appeal. Authors were challenged to find a balance of text, pictures and overall book design that was pleasing to all ages. Flesh and blood African-American characters came to life such as Ezra Jack Keats’ Peter in “A Snowy

Day.” Reflective stories with roots of fears and delights were introduced by Maurice Sendek’s Max in “Where the Wild Things Are.” Eric Carle engaged the child with his collage illustrations while Leo Lionni told a story through his art.

During the 80s and 90s Americans were still trying to achieve the American dream. To succeed, two income families with daycare needs and health care expenses emerged. School enrollments declined resulting in fewer school libraries. The whole language movement was reinforced by Jim Trelease’s “Read Aloud Handbook.” Technology allowed changes in illustration techniques such as photography. Joanna Cole introduced subject matter such as giving birth through her popular informational books in the Magic School Bus series.

History has always molded what we read to our children. In the 21st century we challenge the publishers to continue reflecting the culture and use cutting edge technology. Today their challenge is celebrating diversity. Picture books are popularized by today’s customers, the child and the parent. What comes next?

Only the future holds that answer.

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BY BRIANNE ANDERSON Ames Public Library

History of Easy to Read, Children’s Juvenile Fiction, Literature Juvenile Nonfiction

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have been blessed with three young children who have all developed a love for reading. There is nothing better than sitting down with a lap full of wiggly kids who are just as eager as you are to hear a new story. My oldest daughter is just gaining confidence as a reader and it is delightful to see her step into the storyteller role with her siblings.

Learning to read is challenging, but it helps that every week I bring home new books from the library for her to try and explore.

How wonderful to have so many amazing children’s books right at our finger tips.

Although reading has been around for centuries, “Children’s” literature has not.

For many years, books were expensive to produce so they were published for adults who had the time and funds to make use of them. The first novel that established itself in the realm of children’s interests was Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.”

Published in England in 1865, it was originally intended for an adult audience and wasn’t highly regarded even then until the sequel, “Through the Looking Glass” was released and children started flocking to it.

The year 1900 was a turning point in American history in regards to children’s literature. Our country was on the path for meteoric progress throughout the next century both in industry and social norms. The Industrial Revolution brought an opportunity to manufacture large quantities of books, accessible to the general public for the first time, as well as identifying a new market to sell them — the burgeoning middle class. Up until this point, those children who survived infancy were considered part of the work force and helped bring food to the table whenever possible. Unless you were in the upper class, most children worked as many hours a day as their parents.

Going to school and learning were a luxury most couldn’t afford.

As child labor laws were established and a solid middle class was formed, children entered the school system in mass numbers and parents soon began supporting their learning with books and reading at home. Even then, most stories intended for children were long chapter books full of fantasy and adventure. L. Frank Baum’s 8 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2017

“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” captured children’s interest from the start, although adults often had mixed reviews. Jack London’s “Call of the Wild” and A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” series both helped establish a profitable market in writing for children on which publishers quickly capitalized.

By the 1950s, publishing for children was well-established and the release of the Soviets’ Sputnik space capsule launched the race for Americans to stay “on top” of the world’s power structure. Education became a primary concern and the focus turned to expanding knowledge in science and technology. The publishing world followed the trend and the number of new nonfiction titles for kids exploded.

As education became a priority in the 1950s, so did

literature the desire for a primary reader that was new and innovative. The traditional Dick and Jane books served a purpose, but the time had come for a new textbook. Theodore Seuss Geisel (AKADr. Seuss) was commissioned to write a textbook using words from a list of 300 sight words for beginning readers. The first two words on the list were “cat” and “hat”, and thus “The Cat in the Hat” was imagined and created. Completely monumental in its simplicity, rhyme, nonsensical approach, and attractiveness to children, Dr. Seuss’ work soon became the standard upon which all future beginning reader books strived to achieve.

To this day, Alice continues to discover her rabbit hole with every new generation of readers, and children are still cutting their teeth with Dick, Sally, and the unbelievable antics of The Cat in the Hat. Even though publishing for children is now a multi-billion dollar industry, the foundations that Dr. Seuss and others put in place continue to lead our children through a world of discovery and imagination. I cannot wait for my daughter to discover Alice in Wonderland, but until then, I delight in the opportunity to share with her other amazing beginning reader stories and smile every time she shares that excitement with others.

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HISTORY OF YOUNG ADULT FICTION U

nlike children’s literature, which has enjoyed its place in libraries for over a century, Young Adult fiction (typically classified as literature written for young people between the ages of 12 and 18) is relatively new. If you were born in the 1980s, like me, it would have been lucky, but not impossible, to locate a slim YA collection at your local library. If you were born in the 1950s or 60s though, well, tough luck — you had to jump right from “Winnie the Pooh” and “Stuart Little” to “Jane Eyre,” “Of Mice and Men,” and other works of adult literature like generations of readers before you. YA fiction is so young, in fact, that the Michael L. Printz Award — which annually honors the best book written for teens — was founded in 2000.

Compare that to the practically ancient first Newbery Medal for best contribution to children’s literature, which was awarded in 1922.

It’s not that teen protagonists were nonexistent in fiction.

“Little Women,” featuring four sisters between the ages of 12 and 16, and “The Red Badge of Courage,” about an 18-yearold soldier fighting with the Union Army, are both 19th-century novels that chronicle the lives of young people who overcome challenges and inner conflict as they take their first steps into adulthood. Catcher in the Rye, now recognized as canon in Young Adult literature was originally published in 1951 as a work of adult fiction.

Still, it wasn’t until the late 1960s and 70s — when social changes and upheavals like the sexual revolution, civil and women’s rights, and the Stonewall riots transformed formerly taboo topics into stories blasting into every tv-owning family’s home — that Young Adult fiction was finally added as a subcategory under the Children’s literature umbrella.

Suddenly, adults were recognizing that children don’t magically become grownups. Instead, they turn into teenagers who experience struggles unique to their age group as they mature into adulthood. S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders (1967), often celebrated as the first YA book (though it kind of wasn’t; see above), addressed themes of violence and class inequality. The prolific Judy Blume, meanwhile, tackled religious confusion, first relationships, and that universal rite of passage: puberty. It’s unsurprising that teens flocked to books that were written with their own development, fears

BY TANVI RASTOGI Ames Public Library

and joys in mind; nor is it surprising that the uptick in books published for teens — which often touched on topics adults felt were controversial — was followed by a surge in censorship and calls for book bans, a trend that still continues.

(Blume’s “Deenie” (1973) was challenged for references to masturbation; several decades later, Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” (2007) would be challenged for the same reason, among others.)

YA books technically existed when I was a teenager in the mid-90s, but I largely bypassed these and went straight from “The Baby-Sitters Club” to authors like Kurt Vonnegut and Amy Tan — partly because YA fiction was still finding its feet, but also because there were few YA books that reflected my life as a first-generation Asian-American (hence the interest in Tan’s books, which explore this experience well and were, for me, a revelation). For nearly all of YA literature’s existence, publishers focused on stories whose protagonists were white, straight and able-bodied; minority characters, if they appeared at all, were typically relegated to the background.

This finally began to change noticeably in — wait for it — the 2010s, as authors and readers began crusading for stories that reflect the diversity of young people. As a librarian, this means I can send a kid who struggles with being the only Mexican person in their class home with a book whose main protagonist shares that experience. It means there’s a story — more than just one, even. — about a transgender teen that I can not only slap into the hands of the transgender teen standing before me, but also slip to the young person who’s still figuring out that their LGBTQ peers are as worthy of dignity and respect as, well, everyone else.

Most youth books, regardless of type or genre — children’s mysteries and realistic fiction, YA dystopian, supernatural, and romance — have something to say about the world and life and its challenges, and how young people see and navigate these. All youth books, including board books, picture books, fiction and nonfiction, and graphic novels, help children learn — everything from motor and speech skills, how things work, and critical thinking to compassion, understanding and, ultimately, how to be human.

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BY LINDA FAIRSTEIN Special to the Washington Post

BOOK WORLD:

Why Nancy Drew is an ideal role model for today’s girls (and boys)

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henever asked what prompted my interest in either of my careers — fighting crime or writing crime — I have always credited my passion for both to my preadolescent devotion to the teenage sleuth who inspired me twice over: Nancy Drew.

I had been a voracious reader as a child, but my memories of discovering a charismatic teenager and her posse of friends who returned in book after book to take on the evil forces in River Heights marked my initial awareness of continuing characters in a series of novels. I admired everything about Nancy — how intrepid she was in her efforts to set things right, her loyalty to her father and her pals, and her bold manner of taking on mysterious situations to right wrongs, even when adults scoffed at her plans.

I loved the storytelling, too. As I grew older, I dreamed of writing tales about a protagonist — a strong woman in a nontraditional role — who might capture a reader’s imagination the way Nancy had captured mine. I wanted, also, to do justice.

I was a member of the last all-women’s class at Vassar College, where I had gone to study literature, clinging to that idea of becoming a writer. Upon The Secret of the Old Clock. PHOTO BY GROSSET & DUNLAP/HANDOUT/WASHINGmy graduation in 1969, I TON POST 12 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2017

literature started law school at the great University of Virginia — one of about 15 women in a class of 340 students. There were few women role models at the bar and on the bench anywhere in the country when I started practicing law in 1972, the seventh woman on the legal staff of Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had recently been created, but that didn’t stop the legendary D.A. from telling me that the prosecutorial job he reluctantly hired me to do was “too tawdry” for a woman of my educational background. He said that I could expect to spend a good deal of my time in the law library rather than the courtroom.

Fortunately, that didn’t prove to be the case.

Nancy Drew was my fictional role model throughout most of my youth. I was more fortunate than she in some ways. Nancy had lost her mother when she was 3 years old.

She was devoted to her single dad, but they were living in a town rife with crime. I had both loving parents — it was my mother who read to me every night before I went to sleep — and Mount Vernon, N.Y., seemed a much safer place than River Heights. But I did envy Nancy the blue roadster and the steady partnership of Ned Nickerson. That was true until I found my real-life colleagues — mostly guys in the early days — in the D.A.’s office, and we started to solve cases with the great men and women of the NYPD, riding in unmarked black cars on our way to crime scenes. I didn’t leave home with Nancy’s trusty flashlight, but there was plenty of her moxie driving my desire to do the right thing.

I smile whenever I hear an accomplished woman mention Nancy Drew — who made her first appearance in 1930 — as an inspirational figure. Former justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote about being pulled away from Nancy’s exploits to do more serious work on the family ranch; Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg responded to the young woman’s adventurous nature and her daring; and Justice Sonia Sotomayor — who has described reading as her “rocket ship out of the second floor apartment” in a South Bronx housing project — admired Nancy’s character and her courage. Hillary Clinton, too, is a fan, respecting how smart and brave Nancy was, also her ability to multitask: taking care of her dad’s house, keeping up with her schoolwork and solving capers on top of it all.

Laura Bush also loved reading Nancy Drew mysteries.

Though the Nancy Drew books have been updated to eliminate racist stereotypes, they

Digging for Trouble. PHOTO BY DIAL BOOKS/HANDOUT/WASHINGTON POST

suffer from a striking lack of diversity. The folks in River Heights were all white, and the bad guys were always foreign and usually dark-skinned or swarthy. And yet the appeal of the girl detective — she was originally penned as an 18-year-old and later adjusted to 16 - remained widespread. My friend Faye Wattleton spent her preadolescent years in Nebraska, an African-American child whose mother pastored an all-white church. Wattleton told me that Nancy’s “indomitable independence, fearless inquisitiveness and determination to get the job done — never forgetting to ‘freshen up’ her appearance — was a bridge, from multiple layers of isolation to imagining the power of challenging the conventional in order for good to triumph over evil.”

For me, both dreams that emerged from the pages of Nancy’s adventure have come true. I have spent 45 years as a lawyer, fighting for justice for women and children who have been victims of violence. And I have written 21 mysteries — two of them for young readers — in which my protagonists, one a prosecutor and the other a 12-year-old sleuth, channel the character and courage of a fictional heroine. I never wanted to imitate Nancy Drew in either career. But I ached to run along beside her, and that has been a run well worth taking.

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BY RONNA LAWLESS GateHouse Iowa

Bertha Bartlett could ‘speak to the king in the man’

Bertha Bartlett’s class photo is one of the oldest Story City High School graduation photos in the Story City Historical Association’s collection. Bertha’s daughter, Frances Bartlett Kinne, said the Class of 1905 was upset when a man joined the class in the 12th grade. Pictured are, back row, left to right, Inger Grotness, Carrie Larson, Bertha (Olson) Bartlett, Alonzo Donhowe, Edith Ericson, Martha Gravdahl; front row, Ellen Jorgenson, unknown name, Ms. Hagen (teacher) and Neah Paulsen. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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ertha Bartlett was more than the namesake for Story City’s public library. Born in June of 1888, in her 100-plus years of life, she managed many impressive achievements.

Bartlett was 16 when she graduated from high school and immediately began her teaching career in rural schools near Story City, according to her daughter Fran Kinne.

“As if it were Homer describing the adventures of Helen of Troy, Mother often related her stories to me in an amusing and masterful manner,” Kinne wrote in one of the many books she’s authored. “One school was five miles from town, and it was fortunate her high energy made it possible for her to walk that distance and teach all day.”

Bertha had never ridden a bicycle, but she saved her money for months and bought one. One day she pedaled along on the muddy road to a country school.

“Disaster struck,” Kinne wrote. “Mother found herself in the ditch on the very first day, ruining her carefully ironed dress and the bicycle as well. She walked the rest of the way, never again to attempt to bicycle.”

Bertha (Olson) Bartlett was born on Flag Day in 1888.

“When my brother and I were small we were convinced the flags were flying high celebrating Mother’s birthday,” Kinne said.

That would not be hard to imagine, given the trailblazer that Bartlett was. She was a hard worker, teaching second

literature grade and working at the Story City Herald newspaper office after school and on weekends.

She volunteered at the municipal library, as did many other people in the community, but she was the first paid librarian there. Retiring from the library in 1964, she worked 43 years as a librarian in Story City.

Bartlett was the first woman to serve on the local school board; she was the first woman to be president of that board. She was the first Republican Committee Woman.

“And the list of ‘firsts’ goes on and on,” Kinne said.

But perhaps her most important achievements weren’t what she attained for herself, but what she helped others attain.

“Mother was a trail-blazer, and because of her record I only considered it natural for women to compete in the professional arena,” Kinne said. “Years later, Dr. Franklyn Johnson appointed me Dean of the new College of Music and Fine Arts, the first woman in such a position in the U.S. and very likely in the world.

“I did not consider myself a pioneer, as mother was there before me, paving the way for me to follow.”

Kinne follows in her mother’s footsteps as a trailblazer.

Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne has piled up a list of accomplishments and firsts that continued even as she celebrated her 100th birthday this year. She was the first American to be awarded a doctorate after World War Bartlett, page 18

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The book tree has become a holiday tradition at the Bertha Bartlett Public Library.

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The Bertha Bartlett Public Library in Story City is located at 503 Broad St. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

II from the University of Frankfurt, Germany; was inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame; earned doctorates in three disciplines; has five honorary doctorates; was the first woman university president in Florida; the first female serving as president of a Rotary Club; and just recently was the oldest person to give a commencement address.

She donated a large portion of the funds that built the current library building.

“I like to say that Fran took her mother’s accomplishments and put an exclamation point on them,” Taylor said.

Some of Bertha Bartlett’s biggest achievements could be the effect she had on young people in the community.

“When discussing issues which today might be categorized as glass ceiling resistance to efforts of achievement and accomplishment,” Kinne wrote, “Mother would quote a Norwegian proverb: ‘Speak to the king in the man, and the king will come forth.’”

Bartlett had a knack for finding the

spark in young readers, who might not consider themselves to be readers.

“Many people have given her credit for changing their lives,” Taylor said. “She could stand at the door of the library and see someone who might be a bit of a hoodlum, and she’d say, ‘I’ve got a book I want you to read.’”

The kids were afraid to tell her no, so they would take the book home and read it, and when they returned it, she would suggest another title.

A former Story City student, Barry Benson, who became an editor, columnist and author, wrote a tribute to Bartlett, which she shared in one of her books.

“Mrs. Bartlett was always a good guy to thousands of patrons (including onetime street urchins like my brother Steve and me) who today are never without a book.

“We developed a life-long love of reading and learning because of Bertha Bartlett’s contagious dedication to books and education.”

“Many people have given her credit for changing their lives.

She could stand at the door of the library and see someone who might be a bit of a hoodlum, and she’d say, ‘I’ve got a book I want you to read.’”

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storytelling

PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/GATEHOUSE IOWA

BY CHRISTINA ROBINSON Youth Library Assistant

Ames Public Library’s Little Theater — a One-of-a-kind Treasure

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id you know that Ames Public Library’s Youth staff, in addition to their many other duties, also do window cleaning? On any given day in Ames Public Library one may see children and adults alike stopping to peer into the window of the Little Theater. That is the name given to the large oak display case that features a miniature diorama highlighting a children’s book. You will find the Little Theater just as you enter the Youth area. And yes, the window is wiped down at least once daily. Children like to get up close and personal. Youth Services employees love it when they do.

The Little Theater has a rich history with Ames Public Library. It started with Letha Marion Davidson, Library Director, 1929-63. Ames Historical Society states on their website, “The productions illustrating a scene in books for children were begun in 1929 by Letha Davidson who had simply pushed some books out of the way to provide a display area — Ms. Davidson had the display case built for that purpose in 1939.”

It has been a feature of the Youth area ever since. An employee of the Library at the time of the Little Theater’s inception, Anita Tuttle, stated that Ruth McCaveny or Mrs. McC (who was married to the night watchman) worked with L. Davidson to create the very first scene. Early photos show curtains and 20 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2017

a valence on the front of the window. It is unclear when those were removed.

In December 1965 Adele Figura took over the creation of scenes. As the Library’s Display Artist, Figura’s artistic talent appeared throughout — on signage, bulletin boards and the Little Theater displays. Figura was adept at creating these beloved scenes, using pastels and watercolors for the backgrounds, often applied to the backside of wallpaper. She collected artificial trees and plantings for backgrounds, dollhouse furniture for indoor scenes, and a multitude of raw materials or household items to make that which she couldn’t find ready-made. Though some dolls or characters were loaned to the Library for the purpose of the Little Theater, Figura often created them from scratch using clay, paper maché, and fabric. The scenes were changed out about every two months, and sometimes more often. The children loved looking in the window of the Little Theater to see what new story was represented. Many have described it as “magical!”

With the 1985 expansion and remodeling of the Library, the Little Theater received a place of prominence. The intention was to keep this tradition as a treasured feature of the children’s area, according to Carol Elbert, Youth Services Director

storytelling at the time. It was placed in the alcove entering Youth Services.

A step stool designed specifically for this use was placed right at the base. This allowed the littlest of children a good view of the window.

With Figura’s retirement in 1993, several more employees had their hand in creating the miniature scenes. Amy Sengbush is credited for at least one, until Shelley (Countryman) Hart filled the position of display artist and took on the Little Theater duties. Some of Figura’s scenes were still reused for the next few years. Hart and Sheryl Fricke, senior library assistant in the youth department, began alternating the creation of scenes. They also continued Figura’s more recent tradition of creating larger signs to accompany the scene within the display case. Sitting on the top of the Little Theater, these signs left no question as to what book was being featured. They were a work of art themselves.

When Fricke moved away in 1999, Chris Robinson was hired as a part-time library assistant for Youth Services. Robinson and Hart, worked together, then also began alternating the creation of the Little Theater displays. With Hart’s display duties increasing, the two of them realized early on that Hart had the talent and passion for the 2-dimensional signs sitting on top, while Robinson really loved the three-dimensional aspect of the scenes themselves. When Hart left the Library in 2003, Robinson took over all Little Theater responsibilities.

In 2012, Ames Public Library went through another renovation/addition. The Little Theater was moved to storage on East Lincoln Way in Ames for the duration of that project. Once

again, architects were asked to find it a place of prominence.

The ReNewed Library opened September 2014 with the Little Theater positioned just as you enter the youth area. By this time it was in need of some cosmetic repair. The display case was hauled away again. Due to its size, this was no easy feat.

Repairs were made, the wood was cleaned and refinished, and LED light strips were installed, replacing the original incandescent bulb system. Colored lights of some sort were still desirable as they help set the mood of the scene.

To this day, Robinson still develops the miniature scenes for Ames Public Library’s beloved Little Theater. The invention of polymer (bakeable) clay for characters and objects has opened up a world of possibilities. Cupboards in the “Graphics” room upstairs are filled with furniture, objects, backgrounds, bases, paper and materials, all at Robinson’s disposal. And of course there are multitudes of books to choose a scene or story from.

Ames Public Library believes the Little Theater is unique; a one-of-a-kind treasure. Library staff members feel it not only introduces children to the joy of reading, but helps with early literacy skills, too. On any given day you’ll hear children counting objects, searching for various items, learning new vocabulary, and exercising their narrative skills while telling the story.

Many have expressed a desire to play with the contents. L. Davidson was wise in having the window installed to separate those little hands from the scenes.

Next time you’re in the neighborhood of Ames Public Library, be sure to stop by and take a look into the world of the Little Theater. You never know what “magic” awaits!

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tradition

Winter-themed cake pops were made by Daphane Trevillyan, owner of Stop and Smell the Flours. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BY RONNA LAWLESS GateHouse Iowa

The recipes that tell us the story of our ancestors T

here are many ways to pass along the story of family. There are stories that are literally told and retold. There are also songs and games and hobbies and vacation spots that thread a story from generation to generation.

And there is food.

Something as basic and homey as a slice of pie can offer more than a tasty treat. It can carry on a storyline that winds through decades and generations of ancestors in their kitchens and at their tables.

Daphane Trevillyan, of Kelley, is the owner of Stop and Smell the Flours, a home-based baking business.

She’s also a full-time Realtor, but through her catering business, she carries on a story she first learned in the kitchen of Nancy Clarke, her maternal grandmother.

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Nancy Clarke was well-known for her pies — especially three types: banana cream, coconut cream and French silk. Since her death in 2008, it has fallen on other members of the family to recreate the pies.

And there was also toffee made in that grandmother’s kitchen.

“Grandma made a lot of toffee, and she would always invite me over to help her make it,” Trevillyan said. “I would sit in a chair and watch her in her process. That’s something I want to pass on to my own kids someday.”

Daphane’s mother, Maribeth, does not love cooking and baking, but she did foster her daughter’s hobby when she was young and started to compete in the Iowa State Fair.

Trevillyan has been competing at the fair for about 20 years.

tradition Daphane Trevillyan with her sister Buphie.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Daphane also encourages her sister, Buphie, who has special needs, to enjoy making tasty treats.

“Buphie loves to be the sugar cookie decorator,” Daphane said with a chuckle. “She loves the mess. When we would help Grandma, she would like to chop the nuts for the toffee. The louder she could be when she chopped, the better she liked it.

“Now when we make things together, we try to keep it simple — things like pretzels with melted chocolate chips, things where there aren’t so many steps.”

Part of Trevillyan’s business is offering baking and decorating classes for youngsters.

“We do birthday parties and events like that, where we take cupcakes or sugar cookies and the kids can decorate them,” Trevillyan said.

Younger kids, ages 5 to 8, tend to especially enjoy these parties, she said. She teaches them about the basics of mixing frostings and using different decorating tips.

“I’ve also taught some baking classes, and the parents of some of those kids have told me how they just bake up a storm now,” she said.

This baking education can have a positive impact on young people.

“It’s amazing how many people get to college and barely know how to boil water,” she said. “My generation just doesn’t know what our mothers and grandmothers knew.”

Learning to cook and bake when she was a child was a growing experience for Trevillyan and she thinks it can be that for other kids.

“I think it helps this generation learn to cook and bake,” she said.

“It’s important to put those video games down and learn something that’s going to sustain you. Even as a youngster, you can start to learn to cook and bake.”

Stop and Smell the Flours (Facebook page @smelltheflours), has grown busier than Trevillyan expected. “It’s taken off!” she said.

“We have a huge referral base. I am really thankful for that.”

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tradition

Photographs of the two-story home of Johannes and Marie Faaborg after the Dec. 24, 1916, explosion. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

UNTOLD FAMILY STORIES:

BY RONNA LAWLESS GateHouse Iowa

‘Streaming eyes and broken hearts’

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tradition On the morning of Christmas Eve, the family could smell gas and called a local electrician. He arrived and worked on the gas plant; declaring it fixed, he accepted an invitation for coffee, a Danish tradition that takes place several times a day, especially anytime there is a visitor.

T

here are some family stories that don’t get told. Or if they are told, they are spoken in soft voices, with few details — maybe because we don’t want the dead to hear us repeating them. Or maybe because our voices can’t hold up under the sadness of the words.

My family has a story like this — a tragic holiday story. It’s a tale that has held my imagination and emotions captive for most of my life. It happened 101 years ago this Christmas.

I’ve spent many hours pondering the fates of my ancestors, to the point that I’m often struck by the random nature of tragedy.

For no particular reason, some get hurt, some get buried and some walk away unscathed. What chair you choose at the dining table can determine the rest of your life.

When I was very young, I met two of my father’s aunts who had survived.

They both lived in a nursing home in Elk Horn when I met them. The visit was especially noteworthy because they both had wooden legs, and my parents instructed me not to mention them during our visit.

I wondered why they had wooden legs. How did they walk with legs like that? What had happened to their real legs? So many questions. But even then, which must have been 60 years after the tragedy, the answers were vague whispers and downcast looks that told me to stop asking questions.

Aside from those two great-aunts, I didn’t ever meet any of the people who gathered at my

great-grandparents’ house on Christmas Eve, 1916.

The day of the tragedy I’ve come to think of as The Explosion.

I didn’t ever meet my Bestamor, my Danish grandmother, Astrid Arnvig Faaborg, my father’s mother.

But I’ve studied photos of her, and I think if I’d known her, we would have been close. She was a night owl.

She was a lover of books and art, both of which have my heart.

She was on the Danish girls’ gymnastics team that competed in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. It was the first time women were allowed in that event.

As a young woman, Astrid emigrated to the United States. She left behind a loving family who lived in some comfort. She

took off on an adventure to the States, where she taught church school. Eventually she met my Bestafa, Simon Faaborg, who also died before I was born. Astrid became a farm wife and mother in rural Kimballton.

Astrid was pregnant with my dad’s oldest sister, Inger Marie, on the day my family’s tragedy took place. Her morning sickness made her and Simon late for a family gathering. It was nausea that may have saved their lives and allowed them to eventually have a family with five children, the youngest of which is my father Otto. My dad was named after one of the youngest and bravest of the explosion victims.

It was Christmas Eve day FAABORG, page 26

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tradition

Photographs of the two-story home of Johannes and Marie Faaborg after the Dec. 24, 1916, explosion. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

FAABORG continued from page 25

and the family was gathering at the home of my great-grandparents, Johannes and Marie Faaborg, Danish immigrants, who had settled in Audubon County and broke the prairie to farm its rich soil. They had a two-story home in rural Kimballton; newspaper accounts called the house “lovely” and “beautiful.”

It would be more than two decades before power poles strung with electric wires would connect to all the rural homes in Audubon County. A couple years before the Christmas of 1916, my great-grandparents had an acetylene gas plant installed to provide electricity to lights and other things in their home.

I learned this story because when I was a teenager, some of my relatives created a family history book that detailed the lives of Johannes “John” Faaborg and his descendants. In that book, there are several newspaper reports of the Faaborg explosion.

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On the morning of Christmas Eve, the family could smell gas and called a local electrician. He arrived and worked on the gas plant; declaring it fixed, he accepted an invitation for coffee, a Danish tradition that takes place several times a day, especially anytime there is a visitor.

The odor of gas was detected again, and the electrician ran to the basement. But moments later there was a terrible explosion.

The complete front page of the Audubon Advocate on Jan. 4, 1917, was devoted to the tragedy.

“Seventeen people, all relatives, except two, had assembled at the Faaborg home to celebrate the Christmas holidays,” the article stated. “It was about 10:30 in the forenoon while the family and visitors were assembled around the table partaking of luncheon preceding the regular dinner that the accident happened. In the twinkling of the eye the festivities were changed from joy to mourning.”

tradition A loud explosion lifted the house from its foundation, collapsing the walls and casting the entire structure into a “conglomerated mass in the basement with the roof of the building on top burying the occupants completely among the debris.”

The telephone system sent an alarm throughout the community, and soon many people were on the scene to help. A makeshift hospital and morgue was created at a neighbor’s home.

Two of those seated at the table — the electrician, John Nielsen, and Ida, a daughter of Johannes and Marie — were killed instantly.

My great-grandmother Marie, who was 49 years old, lived a short time, along with her 7-year-old granddaughter Christena. News accounts state that Marie, despite being terribly wounded, spent much of her last bits of energy praying aloud for the safety and health of her family.

The work of the community members was difficult, physically and emotionally, as they attempted to retrieve the dead and the injured from being trapped in the basement.

“Men and women worked with streaming eyes and broken hearts,” the Audubon Advocate wrote.

John and Marie’s 8-year-old son Otto was the fifth fatality. He survived at the Atlantic hospital for a few days despite terrible injuries.

“It is said the little boy was heroic in spite of his injuries and complained but little with the pain and when the end came there was many an eye blinded with the scalding tears of grief,” the Advocate reported.

People who survived were injured in various degrees — burns, broken bones, amputations of feet and lower legs, splinters of wood in eyes and flesh. One person, a family friend named Erik Thor, was thrown clear of the debris and was uninjured.

Each in their own caskets, Marie, Ida and Christena were given a mass funeral at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kimballton.

The Faaborg family book

“It happened a year ago when one of the sons was away from home at Christmas time for the first time. The family members were all seated at the table, including a guest. The name of the absent son was inadvertently mentioned by the guest. This proved to be too much for the family and they all wept softly. There are many who would call this sentimentality. ... I would call it deep love, such as the world has no abundance of. It shows the spirit that existed in this home.” compiled by my relatives includes the newspaper accounts, but it also includes the pastor’s sermon at that funeral service. Pastor Aage Moller offered a lovely description of my great-grandmother Marie and of the family in general.

And one of his comments makes me understand more fully why this tragedy is not a story spoken easily of in my family.

“It happened a year ago when one of the sons was away from home at Christmas time for the first time,” Moller said. “The family members were all seated at the table, including a guest. The name of the absent son was inadvertently mentioned by the guest. This proved to be too much for the family and they all wept softly.

There are many who would call this sentimentality. But, we who are familiar with the family know that they do not take pleasure in a public display of emotion. I would call it deep love, such as the world has no abundance of. It shows the spirit that existed in this home.”

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community

Steven Hoifeldt, Robyn Dennis ,Kris Magel, Kitty Fisher, Miriam Takle, Cathy Van Brocklin, Karla Tebben, Heather Botine, Maggie Davis, Mary Richards, Amy Zmolek, Susan Gant, Nancy Clough, Melanie Brown, Pat Sauer, Dee Dolley, Barb Evenson, Carolyn Riedel, Ellen Rasmussen, Connie Bates, Sarah Ryan, Laurie Hoifeldt, Pauline Miller, Cosette Scallon, Cynthia Marten, Leslie Kawaler, Doris Nash, Mary Pepper, Jenny Johannsen, Greta Muller Levis, Laura Teske, Emily Paull and Peggy Faden. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BY GOOD COMPANY

Good Company presents winter concert

“Light and Joy”

A

mes-based women’s choral group Good Company will present its annual winter concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, at St. Andrews Church, 204 Colorado Ave., Ames. Tickets are $12 in advance from Good Company members or $15 at the door.

The holiday theme this year is “Light and Joy.” The evening will include works and styles to appeal to a range musical tastes — including variations on familiar Christmas songs such as “Sing We Now of Christmas,” as well as classic works including “Magnificat Quarti Toni” by Palestrina and “Lift Thine Eyes” by Felix Mendelssohn, and contemporary works “O Lux Beatissima” by Joan Szymko and “The Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre.

This season, Good Company marks its 25th season.

To celebrate this milestone, the winter concert will feature photos and memorabilia from previous seasons — and focus on the many ways the group has fulfilled its outreach mission to serve the community through the years. The spring concert will highlight the many people who have participated in or contributed to the group, including audience members.

Director Steven Hoifeldt has directed the company 28 | FACETS | DECEMBER 2017

since its beginning in 1993. “For 25 years, Good Company has promoted harmony through both music and camaraderie among the singers,” said Hoifeldt.

“We stay fresh by challenging ourselves with new material and inviting new members into the group — yet we maintain consistency through the quality and musicality of our performances.”

Good Company — an auditioned group of skilled singers who take time from their professional lives to learn and perform challenging music — is one of few adult women’s choral groups in Iowa. Its programs enable the audience to experience the wide and varied repertoire available for women’s choirs. Members are experienced vocalists who enjoy making music in the company of friends. They are excited to share in the beauty of choral music while continuing to learn and grow as individual artists.

Learn more at GoodCompanyEnsemble.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ GoodCompanyAWomensChoralEnsemble For more information, contact Betsy Hickok, 515.450.6787 or betsy.hickok@yahoo.com

Mediterranean Barlotto Adapted from “Eat Your Way to a Healthy Gut: Tackle Digestive Complaints by Changing the Way You Eat, in 50 Recipes,� by Dale Pinnock (Quadrille, 2017).

Ingredients 1/2 large red onion 3 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt 1/2 medium zucchini 1/2 medium yellow squash 1 whole roasted red pepper (from a jar) 8 sun-dried tomatoes (vacuum-packed, preferably) 1 1/2 cups pearl barley 4 1/2 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth 2 cups no-salt-added canned crushed tomatoes and their juices

Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving (optional) Steps Mince the onion (about 3/4 cup) and garlic; together is okay.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the onion and garlic. Add a three-fingered pinch of the salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened, stirring as needed.

Meanwhile, trim the zucchini and squash halves, then cut them each into thin rounds.

Coarsely chop the roasted red pepper. Cut each sun-dried tomato in half lengthwise.

Stir the pearl barley into the skillet; cook for a minute or two, then add the zucchini,

squash, roasted red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring to incorporate.

Add about one-quarter of the broth; cook for a few minutes, then stir in a half cup. Continue in the same gradual cook-andadd manner to use a total of 2 1/2 cups of the broth.

Add the canned tomatoes and their juices; once the liquid returns to bubbling at the edges, taste the barley to check for doneness. If it seems a little chewy or firm, gradually add some or all the remaining broth, cooking until the pearl barley plumps and thickens the mixture like a risotto. Taste and season with more salt, as needed.

Divide among warmed bowls; top with the cheese, if using, and serve right away.

savor

BY BONNIE S. BENWICK Washington Post

Mediterranean Barlotto.

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY/ WASHINGTON POST

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Savor

Quinoa cakes with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY/WASHINGTON POST

BY JOE YONAN Washington Post

A quinoa cake

that can win skeptics over

A funny thing happens every time I see a new quinoa recipe. I think: Maybe this will be the one!

You know, the one that ultimately persuades me to make this protein-rich grain (technically a seed) part of my weeknight rotation. Sure, I’ve dabbled here and there, and as a self-confessed quinoa skeptic, I’ve come to know which ways work best for me and my palate. Mostly, that has consisted of combining the quinoa with a larger grain, toasting it for a topping or putting it in soups and stews.

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Previously, one of my favorite recipes was a quinoa and barley cake; the presence of that larger grain made up for the little stick-in-your-teeth quality that sometimes bugs me so much about quinoa. But when I saw another recipe for quinoa cakes in the new America’s Test Kitchen book, “Cooking at Home With Bridget and Julia,” I knew I had to try it, because I was confident that Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison wouldn’t possibly steer me wrong.

savor This is one of Davison’s recipes, and the secret is all the good stuff she adds to the cooked quinoa, not only to hold it together (there’s bread and egg for that), but also to flavor it: sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, Parmesan and more. There’s a good dose of chopped baby spinach leaves to give it more color and heft, too.

After forming the mixture into patties, you refrigerate them for at least an hour to help them firm up, making them easier to pan-fry. They’re still a little delicate to flip, but it’s nothing a flexible spatula and a little room in the skillet can’t manage, and the result is, they get nice and crisp on the outside.

Davison includes a recipe for a cucumber-yogurt sauce to go with them, but I took an easier route and just dolloped plain Greek yogurt on top. The next day, when I went back for leftovers, I realized just how good a recipe this is: The cakes are even better cold, which makes them that much more versatile. I think I found the one.

QUINOA CAKES WITH SPINACH AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES 4 servings MAKE AHEAD: The cooked quinoa can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before making the cakes. The assembled cakes need to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day in advance (to firm up). Cooked, they can be refrigerated for up to 1 week; reheat them in a low-temperature skillet or oven, if desired.

Adapted from “Cooking at Home With Bridget and Julia,” by Bridget Lancaster, Julia Collin Davison and the editors at America’s Test Kitchen (America’s Test Kitchen, 2017).

Ingredients 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of their oil 4 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped (white and green parts) 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 cups water 1 cup pre-rinsed quinoa 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk, beaten together 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice (from 1 lemon) 2 ounces (2 cups) baby spinach, chopped

2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (1 cup) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 cup regular, low-fat or nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt, for serving Steps Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat the tablespoon of oil from the sundried tomatoes in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the scallions and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the water, quinoa and salt. Once the water starts bubbling, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the quinoa is tender, 16 to 18 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let the quinoa sit, covered, until the liquid is fully absorbed, about 10 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let it cool for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, tear the bread into large pieces. Pulse them in a food processor about 10 times, or until coarsely ground.

Add the beaten egg/yolk and the lemon zest; pulse about 5 times, or just until the mixture comes together. Transfer to the bowl with the cooled quinoa and stir it in, along with the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, spinach and cheese, until thoroughly combined.

To divide the mixture into 8 equal portions, use a spatula to first press it evenly into the bowl, then “cut” it into 8 wedges, scooping each one out as you work.) Pack each portion firmly to form a 1/2-inchthick cake that’s about 3 1/2 inches wide.

Arrange them on the lined baking sheet as you work. Cover and refrigerate the cakes for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Gently lay in 4 of the cakes and cook until well-browned on the first sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a flexible spatula to gently turn them over; cook until golden brown on the second sides, 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer them to a serving platter and tent with aluminum foil (to keep them warm). Return the skillet to medium-low heat and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and remaining 4 cakes.

Serve with yogurt dolloped on top, or on the side.

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