The pumpkin theme usually comes to me like all the best ideas do: while doing something else, especially something that would make documenting that idea difficult. Driving, working on a deadline, taking a shower, etc. This year’s idea popped into my head while at a physical therapy appointment following hand surgery, the week after Dolly Parton died.

I can’t remember a celebrity loss that’s ever felt so profound. Dolly was the icon of resilience and generosity. She seemed to make her own light and transcend every obstacle. In 1995, Dolly created the Imagination Library in tribute to her father, who never learned to read or write. He told her it was her finest achievement. Each month, the program mails a book to any enrolled child from birth to age five. Since its inception, the organization has given away more than 300 million free books to kids in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. [More to come]