Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page D01

Turning 90, She Traces Activism To 1938 Trip To Germany a striking number and a grand milestone. But 90 seems to be more a preoccupation of the people around Miriam Butterworth than it is her own. And why should it be, says the West Hartford peace activist, political organizer and incessant blazer of trails who turns 90 Mondayand will be feted Sunday at the Quaker Meeting House, where at least 100 guests are expected for a celebration planned by her children. got a lot of good thoughts to be says Butterworth, eyes bright as blueberries, hands wrapped around a hot mug of tea in the sunlit sitting room of her home near the town reservoir. Ireally find I think much about age.

And maybe Ninety. When she hears it, she thinks frail, decrepit and a host of other adjectives that describe a woman who starts her summer mornings with lake swims, who was climbing New Mount Moosilauke until just a few years ago and who stands most Saturdays in West Hartford Center, waving an anti-war sign, as she has with a crew of regulars for the last six years. But she mind the fuss. In fact, one suspects she might even relish it. Because all this forced reflection is a good excuse to rethink all the good memories, to retell all the best stories over a life that, so far, she says, have liked very in some ways been a Forrest Gump life a comparison that Butterworth draws herself, For Miriam Butterworth, Life Means Being Involved By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ COURANT STAFF WRITER GO TO D5 ROSS TAYLOR THE HARTFORD COURANT MIRIAM BUTTERWORTH, a liberal political activist for 70 years, turns 90 Monday.

LIFE 4 10 THE HARTFORD OWN: RUBIT! A NATURAL ALTERNATIVE TO HAND BALMS, D3 SAVVY SHOPPER: NEEDLEWORK SUPPLIES ON SALE IN VERNON, D3 10am MUSICALE: MUSIC FROM GERMANY WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2080 BOULEVARD, WEST HARTFORD 7pm DEZRON DOUGLAS JAZZ QUARTET COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER 50 CHAPMAN PLACE, EAST HARTFORD ONLY WATCH FOR THE LANDSCAPING As Toby Barlow points out, epic poetry all but died out some time ago, and there been any hint that coming back. So for someone who works in advertising (he handles the Ford Motor Co. account), choice of free verse for (HarperCollins, his debut novel about werewolves in modern-day Los Angeles, seems a less than savvy marketing move. He even had trouble persuading friends to read it. a buddy hands you a 300-page poem, you say, got laundry to he says.

I told people, working on an epic poem about werewolves in Los it kind of gets them rolling their eyes and heading for the Despite questions about placement in stores horror? poetry? pets? been going gangbusters (as epic poems go these days). Reviews have raved about its swift, noirish pace, and the cover boasts approving blurbs from writers David Mamet and Nick Hornby. The woman who answered the phone at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison called it and, perhaps more important, pointed out that you forget reading a poem. Epic poetry started as a way for pre-literate societies to pass on stories.

So why did Barlow choose it? It goes back to his days at St. College in Maryland, where he became fascinated by both the tales of Homer, Ovid and Virgil and comic books by Quakers and he says, they were verboten at home). He calls his book a of Homer and The result is such lines as: By WILLIAM WEIR COURANT STAFF WRITER 300-Page Modern Poem? Get Out! And About WerewolvesInL.A. GO TO D4 a slew of young female celebrities who should probably invest $22.50 for a copy of Pamela Would Audrey which arrives in bookstores this week. Instead of being photographed for the gossip sheets looking drunk or flashing body parts that ought to be kept hidden, the Britneys, Parises, Lindsays and Mischas of the world would do well to consider how a real lady like Audrey Hepburn conducted herself.

the gist of guide to living a thoughtful, mannered Hepburnian lifestyle. Find yourself in a sticky social jam? Simply ask yourself, would Audrey The answers whether they be about dating, dressing, raising a family or volunteering should all come with the perfect style and effortless grace that was Audrey trademark. Keogh has mined the power of iconic women before. The author of and Keogh is well versed in the near-mythical feminine charms of the likes of Hepburn and Jackie O. But more interesting is the title of new book, which is a simple question that has prompted dozens of titles.

In the 1990s, pop culture witnessed a Would Jesus trend that came with a rubber wristband to remind Christians to follow the teachings of Jesus in their daily life. Would Jesus also became a book. certainly not the only book that uses the familiar question (substituting a popular figure in the place of Jesus). book is only one example of an ongoing would (fill in the blank) literary genre. Here are some other examples: WWDo? Would Buddha by Franz Metcalf The author, a Buddhist spirituality expert, applies Buddhist teachings, practices and rituals to modern dilemmas.

What would Buddha do about credit-card debt? Or about road rage? Buddha has the answer. Would Jackie Do? An Inspired Guide to Distinctive by ShellyBranch and Sue Callaway Whether she was a Bouvier or a Kennedy or an Onassis, Jackie was always seen as a rare creature of impeccable style and taste. Even years after her death, Jackie casts a long shadow over a social world that is badly in need of her unerring sense of decorum. Would Buffy Do: The Vampire Slayer as Spiritual by Jana Riess You thought was just about a hot teen chick snuffing out the undead? Riess looks at the moral message and finds examples of familial bonding, deep friendship, altruism, self sacrifice and personal spirituality that run through the show. Would Jefferson A Return to by Thom Hartmann Founding Father lit had a good run for a while.

In his look at what Thomas Jefferson wrought, the author shows why democracy, the most universal form of government, works. Would Wonder Woman An Guide to the Working by Jennifer Traig and Suzan Colon We all have bulletproof bracelets and lassos of truth, but we can take a few helpful hints from a helpful superheroine. This book outlines secrets to acing your job interview and moving up the corporate ladder by channeling your inner Wonder Woman. Would MacGyver True Stories of Improvised Genius in Everyday by Brendan Vaughan Anyone who watched the TV show marveled at the way the resourceful secret agent got himself out of jams by using everyday objects. The authors have rounded up 45 true stories celebrating the MacGyverian use of improvised genius to solve everyday problems.

Would Aristotle Do? Self-Control Through the Power of by Elliot D. Cohen What would we do without the reasoning of those Greek philosophers? Cohen, a professor of philosophy and medical ethics, demonstrates in simple language how you can use rational philosophy for self improvement. Reason works! Would Murphy Brown How the Women of Prime Time Changed Our by Allison Klein From Mary Richards to Maude to Carrie Bradshaw, most popular female characters have reflected the reality of the lives of everyday women. Iconic characters like Murphy Brown, Roseanne and Ally McBeal, it seems, have a lot to teach us. The list goes on: Would Sipowicz Race, Rights and Redemption in NYPD by Glenn Yeffeth; Would Walt An Story About the Design and Construction of Walt Disney by D.

M. Miller; Would Gandhi by Pummy Kaur; Would Confucius Wisdom and Advice on Achieving Success and Getting Along with by Evelyn Berthrong. Contact Greg Morago at courant.com Advice Book Industry Making Hay With Takeoffs Of Would Jesus By GREG MORAGO Courant Staff Writer IN JUST FOUR HOURS and without spending a dime, redesigner Jan Weinstein gives Marian living room a stylish new look. Find out how in AT HOME COMING FRIDAY.