Maria's Journal

Katrina Shawver is an experienced writer, blogger, speaker, and author of the award-winning HENRY: A Polish Swimmer’s True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America. She spent fifteen years researching WWII, Poland, Auschwitz, and the Holocaust and is the recipient of the 2018 Polish Heritage Award from the Polish American Congress of Arizona. A reader at heart, she loves curling up with a good book and a glass of Merlot by her side. For more information, visit katrinashawver.com . How long have you been writing?  My accidental writing career began in 1996. I penned a letter to the editor of the Arizona Republic newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona, and in it I complained about their coverage of schools. Six months later they called me up and asked me to write a regular column in a new community section. I did that for eleven years until the paper downsized. I met a lot of interesting people along the way. A chance meeting in 2002 changed the direction of my life. I met an eighty

Three facts about Fourth of July 4 you may/may not know: 1. Independence Day is really longer than a day July 4 is the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but not all 56 eventual signers signed that day, few others signed the original a few days later on July 8 th . Most members of the Second Continental Congress did not sign the Declaration of Independence until August 2 nd . 2. Why red, white and blue? The common story is that the colors represent purity and innocence (white), hardiness and valor (red), and vigilance, perseverance and justice (blue). The colors of the flag, however, may simply have been chosen because it was designed after the British Union Jack. 3. Why the fireworks? Fireworks on the Fourth of July is a tradition dating back to 1777, the first anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife that he wanted Independence Day to be celebrated with para