“Fiery Hope” is the name of a book and the name of a singing group. Eveline MacDougall, who helms both enterprises, will appear today (Thursday, Oct. 24) at 10 a.m. at the Greenfield YMCA to launch the book.
The singing group was born three decades ago in Wendell, the book explains, when MacDougall sent out a call to the community to join her in singing songs of South African freedom.
During that time of apartheid, her call drew a huge response. That one evening of song led MacDougall, then a 23-year-old musician and activist, to found the Amandla Chorus.
This group went on to sing songs of national and international awareness and to appear with such human-rights luminaries as Pete Seeger and Desmond Tutu. It has also performed in prisons, for the elderly, and for schoolchildren. Last year the group was renamed “Fiery Hope.”
MacDougall’s new book, “Fiery Hope: Building Community with the Amandla Chorus” (Haley’s, 284 pages, $22.95), is less about the chorus than about the woman who leads it. It is a memoir, but not in the conventional sense. “Fiery Hope” presents a series of short vignettes of MacDougall’s life.
MacDougall, who lives in Greenfield, begins with her parents — working musicians who taught her the rewards of close harmony and close family. She describes her early awareness that the world was a place that called upon individuals to stand up for their beliefs.
She identifies moments with the chorus that reinforced her belief in the power of music to bridge differences between people.
Perhaps most touchingly, she dwells on relationships she has forged over the years, particularly with local activists Wally and Juanita Nelson. The pair became surrogate parents to MacDougall.
The overall effect of “Fiery Hope” is like that of a concert of songs. The structure of the concert isn’t apparent at first. As the songs follow each other and intertwine, however, they build a pattern of feeling.
MacDougall’s words are interspersed with photos of her life and the chorus, along with charming visual headings and illustrations. Overall, the words and the images convey a sense of brightness and joy.
I emailed MacDougall to ask what she plans for today. Her response echoed the enthusiasm she displays in the book.
She explained that the morning will feature a bit of reading from the book, short musical interludes (“fiddle, and a bit of singing”), a question-and-answer session, homemade cookies and copies of the book for sale.
She added, “Attendees will be invited to help themselves (gratis) to homemade stationery featuring pithy quotes from people featured in my book (e.g., Nelson Mandela, César Chávez, Malala Yousafzai).
“One of my not-so-secret missions is to encourage people to engage in good old-fashioned correspondence. If someone writes to a loved one — then and there — and addresses the (also handmade) envelope, I WILL PUT A STAMP ON IT and mail it for them!”
Tinky Weisblat is the award-winning author of “The Pudding Hollow Cookbook,” “Pulling Taffy,” and “Love, Laughter, and Rhubarb.” Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.