I was on Facebook recently when one of my More than Fabulous , More than
Facebook friends Ms. Jo McDivitt of Hattiesburg, Mississippi
posted a picture of herself in one of the hundreds of amazing hats that
she owns and loves. This one though, was extra special.
To me, it was
THE hat ! It was THAT Hat ! I remembered it very well !
It was the hat (
or one almost exactly like it ) that she had on when I was first
blessed with making the acquaintance of this absolutely phenomenal woman
!
I was at one of my very first large book-signings with multiple
Mississippi authors.
It was an annual book-signing extravaganza held by
Main Street Books in Hattiesburg. There were some very popular, big
name authors in attendance. I definitely was NOT one of those big names
! I was one of about 25 authors there. My little book of southern
poems, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia, had just been published in
February (2008). The event was in December. I had the privilege of
being an invited author, riding on the coat tail of my dear friend John
Campell, the brother of the late, great blues legend "Little Milton"
Campbell who had published his book, Day Dreaming on My Cotton Sack,
several months before mine and was very instrumental in making my new
life as a published author a reality.
I wrote about that journey and
our longtime friendship in the foreword of my book.
Anyway, back to the storyline of Ms Jo McDivitt ......
I
was a wide-eyed new author who was simply excited to be in the
presence and listed alongside so many wonderful Mississippi authors. I
dutifully said my "spill" about my little
" book baby " to anyone who
would remotely listen or glance my way. One very distinguished
gentleman came over and listened very intently to me, asked me several
questions about the book and and purchased a copy. It might have just
been out of pity and to encourage a new author, but it was a sale! I
made several that night . He looked the book over and flipped
through a few of the poems. He then told me that I should definitely introduce myself and my book to Jo McDivitt. He said
that he was sure that she would be there sometime during the evening. He
said that he felt she would really be interested in the book and enjoy
the poems. He also shared with me that Ms. McDivitt was a writer /publisher of her own
newspaper,
Today Mississippi Woman.
That really made me ears perk up.
Even as a young author I knew that much of the success of a book
depended on good press and publicity, in whatever form. Maybe she
WOULD like my book and maybe she would write about my book in her paper
and maybe she could help more people find out about my little needle
in a haystack book. I was excited!
Then, I looked around, at the
almost standing room only crowd of people. With new faces coming and
going and standing in long lines, I wondered how in the world I would possibly know who she was since, this kind gentleman
was on his way to another engagement and would not be there to
introduce me to her. I said these thoughts out loud. A boyish grin
came across this very sophisticated face and I could have sworn that his
eyes glazed over in some type of wistful longing. He simply said.
"You'll know her." "She'll be the one in the big hat."
Again, I thought to
myself, I wondered how in the world he knew she would have on a big
hat and how he knew that I would know that it was her in that
hat.
It was cold outside, and as I looked around, I saw
that there were already several ladies inside that had on hats. This
time, though I did not voice my thoughts.
He seemed very confident in
the fact that I would know her when I saw her.
How right he was!. Maybe an hour later, this little, delicate waif of a woman came
floating through the door. It seemed almost like the heavens opened up
and a spotlight was shining down on her from above. She was an
amazing sight to behold!. People, mostly men, flocked around her like
flies. It sort of reminded me of that scene in Gone With the Wind when
all of the men and would - be suitors were flocked around Scarlet trying
to get her some tea or some cake ..or ANYTHING.
Ms Jo McDivitt
was indeed wearing a VERY BIG hat, almost as big as she was.
It was
big......and fabulous !!!!
I had to wait for the dust to settle to finally get a chance to approach her about my book.
It took quite a
while, because it seemed like she was, on the red carpet at the
Academy Awards. It was a book signing event and was suppossedly all
about the authors, but she was undoubtedly and- hands down the star in
the room !
To make a long story short, I met Ms Jo, I introduced my
self and my book . She bought a copy and promised that she would let me
know what she thought . A few months later I received a glowing review
in her Today's Mississippi Woman publication.(February 2009).
Since
then we have frequently been in touch and as I said we are Facebook
friends.
We share many interests and a passionate love for hats. I am
only a closet "Hat Lady" and a Hat Lady in training. I frequently buy
hats but rarely wear them in public. This baffles my Dear Hubby to no end. I just don't feel ready to do the Hat Lady thing justice. To me,
it is serious business!! I have been telling all of my
friends since I turned 40 that I planned to be a full-fledged Hat Lady
when I turned 50 ! That will be next year (February 2014)
Ms Jo wrote a comment to me on her fabulous hat post !
This
is my "Patricia Neely Dorsey hat-in-waiting" until you are fifty-or-so!
I just so happen to have an extra one because I knew it would be
difficult to find another?!
After a while following a few of my
excited comments she wrote:: "This hat has stopped traffic from
Manhattan to Potts Camp, MS! I WANT you to have one. Will you be fifty
in ten years?
If so, I will continue to dust the webs from its brim.
Deal completed."
Later on in the evening , she wrote:
It's way
past my bedtime but that did not stop me from dashing to the "hat room"
to place the "other" hat on VIP reserve. I think it will be delivered
prior to the fiftieth celebration! PND will let her glowing light
"shine" in this chapeau.
Woo Hoo !!! February 2014 ..It's on !!!!
I am going to be a real, full-fledged TOO FABULOUS Hat Lady just like her ...
especially in THAT hat !!! Just Wait And See !!!
OMG!!! Ms Jo MUST really LOVE me !!! Hat Ladies DO NOT just Willy Nilly give their hats away even if they do have TWO of same.
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~*~ Ms Jo McDivitt ~*~
THAT HAT ! |
About Jo McDivitt:
Jo McDivitt is a writer, newspaper publisher,
bookworm, publicist, gourmet cook and gardener. She was a stewardess
with United Airlines during the golden era of flying; a publicist at
Niki Singer, Inc., on Madison Avenue in New York City, and host of a
Memphis "morning and evening drive" talk radio show, "A Cup of Jo." Jo's
first newspaper column was published when she was fourteen-years-old.
She has continued to write product copy and features for a variety of
publications.
Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, in 1948, she grew up in the northern Mississippi town of Amory.
Jo is featured in the University Press
soon- to- be- released book:
Coming Home To Mississippi
The book is scheduled for release in April 2013.
Coming Home to Mississippi
Celebrations of homecoming by prominent Mississippians who made the return journey. In this collection, essayists examine their lives, their memories of
Mississippi, the reasons they left the state, and what drew them back.
They talk about how life differs and wears on you in the far-flung
parts
of our nation, and the qualities that make Mississippi unique.
 |
Cover artwork by Mississippi Artist - Wyatt Waters
|
"A woman's hat speaks, long before she
ever opens her mouth"
from "Crowns" The Stage Play
~*~
