Anne of Green Gables Exhibit at the Mitsumasa Anno Art Museum

The Mitsumasa Anno Art Museum in Japan is currently holding an exhibit on Anne of Green Gables. In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery's birth, the exhibit celebrates how Anne Shirley lived a bright and positive life despite facing many hardships. L.M. Montgomery's story brought joy and strength to readers around the world.

Alongside the Anne of Green Gables exhibit, the museum has a second exhibit featuring "German Forest" landscape paintings.

The two exhibits opened on September 4, 2024 and will run through December 2, 2024. The museum is located at Wakuden no Mori, 764 Tani, Kumihama-cho, Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture 629-3559.

Official Website
Mitsumasa Anno Art Museum

Image credit:
Artwork featured at the Mitsumasa Anno Art Museum.

Created September 13, 2024.
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New Memorial Bench Placed at The Site of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Cavendish Home on World Suicide Prevention Day

Yesterday, a memorial bench was placed at The Site of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Cavendish Home in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day. You can watch a video of the unveiling at CBC News. Several people are interviewed, including Philip Smith (former chair of the L.M. Montgomery Institute), Julia Ramsay (Canadian Mental Health Association - Prince Edward Island Chapter), and David Macneill of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Homestead Site.

The bench was placed in recognition of those we have lost to suicide, and it provides a place for reflection and healing. It is located under the old apple tree that Montgomery wrote about in her journals and next to the homestead where she grew up. L.M. Montgomery died by suicide at the age of 67. She and her husband both faced mental challenges throughout their lives.

Inscribed on the bench is a quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: "Dear old world, you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you."

It is a fitting memorial at a meaningful location. I hope the bench promotes more openness and communication about suicide.


Image credit:
Screenshot of CBC News Video.

Reference:
Bench at L.M. Montgomery homestead unveiled on World Suicide Prevention Day. (2024, September 10). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6505973

Created September 11, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Marilla Cuthbert and Darth Vader

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

Marilla Cuthbert and Darth Vader fell in love. They adopted a young orphan named Anne Shirley, and even though she was not a boy, they decided to keep her. Anne grew up to be the most powerful Jedi of all, entirely because she was a girl.

Well, not really, but that's what I imagined earlier today when I saw a photograph of Colleen Dewhurst, who played Marilla Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables, and James Earl Jones, who gave voice to Darth Vader in Star Wars. This photograph was taken when these two talented actors starred in a production of Hamlet in 1972 in New York City's Central Park. Colleen Dewhurst played Gertrude and James Earl Jones played Claudius.


Image credit:
Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. (1972). Colleen Dewhurst and James Earl Jones in publicity for the stage production Hamlet. Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c91c5430-1183-0130-f059-58d385a7b928.

Created September 10, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Retelling by Nosy Crow Classics

L.M. Montgomery's classic story Anne of Green Gables was adapted for young readers by Katherine Woodfine and illustrated by Isabelle Follath. Published on September 3, 2024 by Nosy Crow, the retelling is 96 pages long and geared toward children ages 7–10.

This is the third book in the Nosy Crow Classics series. The series also includes Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows abridged by Lou Peacock and illustrated by Kate Hindley and Animal Tales from India: Ten Stories from the Panchatantra by Nikita Gill and illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat.

Here's a look inside the book that shows an illustration of Anne Shirley and the text at the end of Chapter 1 and beginning of Chapter 2. I think the illustrations are really charming.

Here is the book's description from Nosy Crow Classics:

When a spirited and imaginative 11-year-old orphan named Anne moves to Avonlea, she can’t wait to see the home she’s always dreamed of. And it’s perfect! Green Gables is a beautiful farmhouse, set among the summer flowers of Prince Edward Island.

But Anne quickly realizes her dream is too good to be true. There has been a terrible mistake and her new family—gentle Matthew and his stern sister Marilla—were expecting someone quite different. With her cheer, her imagination, and even her mischievousness, Anne is a welcome breath of fresh air . . . but will she succeed in enchanting Matthew and Marilla? One thing’s for sure, there is never a dull moment when Anne is around.

Featuring high-end finishes, including a foil-inlaid cloth binding, textured jacket, and ribbon bookmark, Anne of Green Gables is a timeless gift book for every child to enjoy and treasure. Listen to the free Stories Aloud audiobook— just scan the QR code on the back cover to hear the story read aloud!

Image credit:
Cover of Anne of Green Gables by Nosy Crow Classics.

Purchase and read Anne of Green Gables by Nosy Crow Classics:


Created September 6, 2024.
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William Shatner on Anne of Green Gables

I have such fun discovering Anne of Green Gables fans around the world. Sometimes, they are even out there in the far reaches of the galaxy.

William Shatner is a Canadian actor best known for portraying Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek. He has had a long career as an actor, author, musician, and director, and in 2021, he flew into space in real life in a Blue Origin capsule.

Yesterday, I learned that he's a fan of Anne of Green Gables through an amusing exchange on Twitter/X.

@AaronBillard asked William Shatner: "@WilliamShatner Have you ever been invited to play Anne of Green Gables? I feel like there’s more to explore with that character. It needs the Shatner treatment."

@WilliamShatner responded: "In my heart of hearts I cherish the day Matthew and Marilla invited me to stay I even thought they had ordered a boy."



He clearly knows Anne of Green Gables well. In searching through William Shatner's Twitter history, I learned that this isn't the first time that he has mentioned Anne Shirley.

On August 11, 2020, @ABlenkey wrote to William Shatner saying: "Just recently followed you and I’m glad I did. You are like a breath of fresh air in this echo chamber nightmare called twitter."

@WilliamShatner responded: "I’m just like Anne of Green Gables ...don’t tell Marilla!😝"



On December 5, 2019, @MartissJ wrote to William Shatner asking for help to save the Anne with an E TV series: "@WilliamShatner help?! #reneweannewithane #SaveAnneWithAnE"

@WilliamShatner responded: "But if you call me Anne, please call me Anne with an 'e'. - Anne Shirley 😉👍🏻"



Going back a little farther in time, on January 3, 2017, one of the Property Brothers @MrDrewScott tagged William Shatner saying: "Which celeb should I do a fun social collab with next? @davidblaine @HaylieDuff @WilliamShatner"

@WilliamShatner responded with a roll eyes saying: "🙄 What makes him think we want to "collab" with him?"

@MrDrewScott responded: "I read your diary. I know all your secrets😉"

To which, William Shatner retorted: "Diary? Who are you Anne of Green Gables? 🙄"



I could probably find more instances of William Shatner mentioning Anne of Green Gables if I kept digging for them, but I'm already convinced that he's a true fan.


Reference:
William Shatner's Twitter/X Account

Image credits:
Left: Photograph of William Shatner by Santiago Felipe/Getty from People Magazine.
Right: Photograph of Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © Sullivan Entertainment.

Created August 29, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill

Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill is a children's book by Catherine Little and beautifully illustrated by Sae Kimura that was published by Plumleaf Press on August 1, 2024. Set in Toronto after WWI, the book tells the story of a young girl named Anne who loves her local library and books by L.M. Montgomery. Anne grows excited when Montgomery visits her town.

The book is 32 pages long and geared toward children ages 6–10. Catherine Little is a teacher and writer, who lives in Toronto, Ontario. While reading L.M. Montgomery's journals, she learned that Montgomery had once visited her neighborhood in Toronto. This knowledge inspired her to write this book. Sae Kimura is an artist and illustrator who is from Japan and moved to Toronto in 2011.

Here is the book's description from Plumleaf Press:

Growing up in the shadow of the Great War, Anne finds comfort in her neighbourhood library, where she loses herself in books, often imagining herself as part of the story. She particularly loves the books of L.M. Montgomery — and her imagination really takes off when she learns her beloved author is in town.

Image credit:
Cover of Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill by Plumleaf Press.

Purchase and read Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill:


Created August 28, 2024.
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Summer in the Land of Anne

Summer in the Land of Anne is a children's book by Elizabeth Rollins Epperly and illustrated by watercolor artist Carolyn M. Epperly. Elizabeth Rollins Epperly was the first female president of the University of Prince Edward Island, and she founded of the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the university. She has published many scholarly books on L.M. Montgomery’s writings as well as her scrapbooks and photography. She expanded into writing about L.M. Montgomery for children with Summer in the Land of Anne, which is her first children’s book.

Here is the book's description from Acorn Press:

Six-year-old Elspeth’s mother has a surprise in store for her daughters. She’s taking Elspeth and her eleven-year-old sister on a surprise vacation. When she starts reading Anne of Green Gables aloud to the girls, they catch on–they’re going to Prince Edward Island!

Elspeth proudly dons her Anne hat on the ferry, ready to explore the Land of Anne. Although she knows she’s really visiting Lucy Maud Montgomery?s house, she feels like she recognizes everything from the books and is thoroughly enchanted. At first devastated that Montgomery’s first house was torn down by Montgomery’s uncle, Elspeth sees signs of life–chipmunks living in the old cellar.

Elspeth’s imagination is ignited. No longer satisfied with pretending to be Anne, Elspeth is instead inspired to become more like Montgomery: famous writer Elspeth of Cavendish, writing about the world she loves.

Summer in the Land of Anne is a celebration of the books we love and all the ways they inspire us.

Image credit:
Cover of Summer in the Land of Anne by Acorn Press.

Purchase and read Summer in the Land of Anne:


Created August 13, 2024.
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Royal Canadian Mint Unveils New Coin Celebrating L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables

Today, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a new $1 coin that celebrates L.M. Montgomery as Canada's literary icon. The unveiling took place in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island at the Green Gables Heritage Place, the location that inspired L.M. Montgomery's most famous novel Anne of Green Gables. The release celebrates the 150th anniversary of L.M. Montgomery's birth in 1874.

This coin is the first circulation coin to honor an author. The new loonie will be entering circulation across Canada tomorrow June 27, 2024.



The Royal Canadian Mint launched a beautiful webpage today to announce the coin. It includes biographical information on L.M. Montgomery, the beautiful collages featured in this post, as well as information on the coin's artist and design.

According to the Royal Canadian Mint website:

"Not many Canadian authors have captured the hearts and imaginations of readers quite like L. M. Montgomery. Through her beloved stories and characters, the creator of the internationally-acclaimed Anne of Green Gables has transported millions of readers, over many generations, to the little province she called home.

One of Canada’s most enduring and endearing cultural figures, Montgomery is an icon who continues to impart a lasting impression. This year, we honour her brilliant imagination and exceptional talent with a commemorative $1 circulation coin—a tribute to her life’s work."

The coin's artwork is by Brenda Jones. She's an artist from Prince Edward Island who has a connection to Anne of Green Gables. According to a "fun fact" posted on the Royal Canadian Mint website, her grandparents owned the Green Gables house.

The coin features an image of L.M. Montgomery holding a fountain pen, with a manuscript and inkwell nearby. Below her portrait is her signature and cat icon. To the left is an image of Anne Shirley looking towards patchwork quilt fields representing Prince Edward Island.


It's a beautiful coin. I can't imagine they'll remain in circulation long. Anne fans might just pocket them all.


Official Websites:
L.M. Montgomery Literary Icon at the Royal Canadian Mint
Behind the Design: L. M. Montgomery Commemorative $1 Circulation Coin

Image credits:
Images and collages by the Royal Canadian Mint.

Created June 26, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Annethology: A Collection of Kindred Spirits Inspired by the Canadian Icon

The Annethology: A Collection of Kindred Spirits Inspired by the Canadian Icon is a collection of short stories by ten Canadian writers who take Anne Shirley on new adventures. The collection was edited by Judith Graves and Robin Sutherland.

Judith Graves, who describes herself as an L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables "fangirl," had once written a short story about Anne being a cyborg. Writing this story gave her the idea of creating an anthology of stories. In an interview with the CBC, Graves says, "I pitched the idea of what if it wasn't just my little Anne story? What if we got a whole bunch of authors writing and taking Anne on these wild new adventures?" Graves invited writers to contribute with the following guidelines: "the main character had to be named Anne with an E and was adopted by an older couple."

The book includes stories by Paul Coccia (Leon Levels Up), Hope Dalvay (Welcome to Camp Fill-in-the-Blank), Matthew Dawkins (Until We Break), Natasha Deen (Key of Nira Ghani), Judith Graves (Retribution series), Shari Green (Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess), Mere Joyce (Oracle of Senders series), Deirdre Kessler (Lobster in my Pocket), Susie Moloney (The Thirteen), and Susan White (The Year Mrs. Montague Cried).

Graves notes that, "Very much this anthology will rock some people's world, I think. But I think the underlying theme of everything, all the stories … was a nod to L.M. Montgomery's work and a hearkening back to those themes of finding yourself, belonging, being quirky but that's OK — being your own person and finding your people who may not be related to you."

Here is the book's description from Acorn Press:

Who is YOUR Anne?

Join ten of Canada's top young adult fiction writers as they set Canada's favourite red-haired orphan, Anne Shirley, on brand new adventures. With its futuristic settings, cybernetic beings, ghosts, mysterious books and boxes, and racial and sexual diversity in its cast of characters, The ANNEthology offers serious "scope for the imagination" for all readers.

2024 marks the 150th anniversary of L.M. Montgomery's birth and the 30th anniversary of Acorn Press, Prince Edward Island's longest-running traditional publishing house. What better way to celebrate these milestones than publishing a collection of stories inspired by the Island's (and one of Canada's) most beloved authors?

Sure to include something for everyone, this is a must-have collection for Anne of Green Gables fans.

The book launch for The Annethology took place yesterday at The Guild in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. What do you think of the concept of The Annethology? Will you read it?

Image credit:
Cover of The Annethology: A Collection of Kindred Spirits Inspired by the Canadian Icon by Acorn Press.

Reference:
Ross, Shane. (2024, June 22). Anne with an Edge: New anthology will 'rock some people's world:' This is not your grandmother's Anne Shirley. CBC. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-annethology-green-gables-judith-graves-1.7243762

Purchase and read The Annethology: A Collection of Kindred Spirits Inspired by the Canadian Icon:


Created June 24, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables in Fukuoka

While traveling in Japan, among several personal quests, I wanted to find signs of Anne of Green Gables. I wasn't sure if I would spot her, but I did. I managed to find Anne Shirley in Fukuoka.

I was spending some time in JR Hakata City, a giant mall with a major train station hub at its core. While there, I visited the Bandai Namco Crossstore. The place was kind of mesmerizing, with a giant Pac-Man video game and lots of toys and other games. One section of the store had hundreds of capsule machines. You drop 400 yen into a machine, turn a lever, and receive a random toy from a selection of toys pictured on the machine. I walked around a bit, wondering if I might spot a machine featuring World Masterpiece Theater toys, and I found one pretty quickly.

The machine contained five toys, and among them was an Anne of Green Gables (Akage no An) model. It took a bit of trying, but I got the toy I wanted.



Above, you can see the model out of its capsule. Little Anne Shirley is waiting at the Bright River Station. She's not in PEI though. She's actually waiting with me at the Hiroshima station on a bullet train to Tokyo. We're keeping each other company.

Image credits:
Photographs by World of Anne Shirley.

Created May 30, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Megan Follows on Playing Anne of Green Gables

Megan Follows is known for playing the outspoken, imaginative and talkative Anne Shirley in the 1985 TV miniseries Anne of Green Gables, which was based on L.M. Montgomery's novel. In December 2023, Follows reminisced about how playing Anne Shirley changed her life in a podcast conversation with the CBC's Tom Power. In the introduction to the podcast, Power mentions how the conversation made him rethink Anne of Green Gables and consider how radical the story was then and how relevant it still is today. I loved their conversation. Give it a listen!

Sometimes actors dislike being identified with a particular role, but not Megan Follows. She expressed gratitude about playing Anne Shirley and emphasized how great it was to play a character that was "a girl that got to express rage." When asked about her relationship with the character, Follows responded, "I love Anne...She and I have a great relationship. We're tight. We're bosom buddies. I think she's an extraordinary character, and uhm, I always felt incredibly grateful to have played her and to have been introduced to a strong-willed, female-driven story where you got to be number one from the point of view of a story." Often, Follows reflects, women are the appendage in stories and not the backbone or driving force. In contrast, Anne has a driving force to belong and to be seen for herself, and Follows believes that this is what resonates with people.

Megan Follows delved back into L.M. Montgomery's stories in preparing to record an Emily of New Moon audiobook a few years ago and then to direct a new Audible Anne of Green Gables audiobook featuring Michela Luci, Catherine O’Hara, Victor Garber, and Sandra Oh. Follows remarks that her deep dive back into the stories allowed her to discover "the subversiveness of the text." She had previously understood Montgomery's humor, but now she observed her way of pointing out hypocrisy through Anne. Follows feels that the power of the character scares people.

Follows sees Anne's compulsive talking as coming from a dark place where Anne chooses to go toward the light, not out of naivety, but for her own survival. As an example, she mentions how Anne planned to sleep in a cherry tree at the train station. She believes that Anne came up with this idea for safety, but that Anne focused on the beauty of the blossoms because she was terrified to be abandoned and alone in the world. Follows says that Montgomery used poetry because children don't actually speak this way.

Follows also reflected on her amazing experiences working with Colleen Dewhurst (Marilla Cuthbert) and Patricia Hamilton (Rachel Lynde). She discussed how Richard Farnsworth (Matthew Cuthbert) was only available for six days of filming, so she worked very long hours with him to film his scenes. Later, she did scenes with a grip stand with a hat on it as a stand-in. Follows also talked about the raspberry cordial scene with Schuyler Grant, who played Diana Barry. They were giving Grant glasses of watered down grape juice or Ribena, and she really did get sick after filming the scene multiple times. Follows briefly mentioned that her heart always smiles for Jonathan Crombie and that they laughed a lot.

Power asked Follows about her audition for Anne. Strangely, the day after her audition, her tape disappeared, and she had to redo her audition at the last minute. Follows mentions that there was another actress who was the first choice for Anne Shirley and that she had to fight for the role. Luckily, she had advocates at the CBC and someone at PBS who believed that she was the right fit for the role.

Later, when asked about how the success of the miniseries affected her, she reflected that she is grateful that she did a good job playing Anne, and that she has received a tremendous amount of goodwill because of the character and how much the character and writing mean to people.

Toward the end of the conversation, Follows talked about how she is currently developing a limited series on the life of L.M. Montgomery, her legacy and the power of her writing. I can't wait to hear more.


Image credit:
Photograph of Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © Sullivan Entertainment.

Reference:
Megan Follows: Playing Anne in Anne of Green Gables and bringing the story to a new generation. (2023, December 15). Q with Tom Power. CBC Arts & Entertainment. Retrieved from: https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/megan-follows-playing-anne-in-anne-of-green-gables/id256943801?i=1000638664483

Created May 24, 2024. Last updated August 26, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Crochet Doll

Last summer, I purchased an Anne of Green Gables crochet doll on Etsy from Zeylum's store. I thought the doll would a cute companion for my Anne of Green Gables books. It turned out that the Anne Shirley doll I was sent was different from the product photos.

Here's the product photo from Etsy:



My doll has much shorter braids, no bangs, and less hair. It has a higher forehead and less rosy cheeks. Its hat has also a different shape and has differently colored flowers. I much prefer the wide brimmed hat with the yellow, pink, and blue colored flowers in the product photo.

It's a bit disappointing. If you're thinking of purchasing one of these Anne Shirley dolls, then you might want to keep in mind that your doll may look different from the pictures online.

Image credits:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley and product photo from Etsy.

Created May 22, 2024. Last updated June 4, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com