Mary Jo Maichack's expressive voice and musicality bring this creative story set in the time of Dickens's London a special charm and intrigue.

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#		Title	Length	Sample
1		Missing the Muffin Man	36:38

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Description

A lonely 10-year-old girl,
a missing street vendor,
body snatchers,
the famous nursery song--
Listen to them come together in the thronging streets of Victorian London in this enchanting original story from award-winning Minstrel Storyteller Mary Jo Maichack, "a consummate artist"--Northampton Center for the Arts


Holyoke, MAMaichack Arts announces the release on June 21, 2006 of a new audio CD, Missing the Muffin Man, a short story of historical fiction recommended for ages 8 and older. Musician and storyteller Mary Jo Maichack of Holyoke has written and narrated the tale, set in Dickens-era London.

This is no fairy tale. This is about real street sellers at a time when London was bursting at the seams with people and noise. said Maichack. Most of us know the cute little nursery rhyme, but the real story has a dark side.

There are eye-witness accounts of the lives of street vendors, called costermongers, (from costards, ribbed apples known in Shakespeares time) in books of 1851 and 1862 by Henry Mayhew: London Labor and the London Poor and Londons Underworld. These massive social surveys were so vivid and precise, Dickens himself used them in constructing his novels. Maichack also turned to them in constructing her story.

A myriad of vendors hawked every imaginable ware in Londons streets, which were so noisy, an act of Parliament was passed to make it easier to throw some of the street criers in jail. The thousands of muffin men used to roam the suburbs, keeping their muffins warm in flannel-lined baskets on their heads. Just like todays ice-cream trucks, they announced their arrival with bellshand bells.

The 37-minute story, while based on historical fact, also presents an imaginative idea as to how the traditional childrens song could have been invented. When the muffin man fails to appear at the home of the storys protagonist, a lonely 10-year-old girl named Ginny, she and her terrier get lost seeking him in the dangerous lanes near Drury Lane Theatre. The story is an overnight adventure in which Ginny is kidnapped by body snatchers and meets a street-gang boy named Six, who helps her, as does her love of singing.

Anyone who has enjoyed the tunes from street musicians, say, in Bostons T, and found them missing after the law blocked their appearances can relate to Missing the Muffin Man. And if one wants a view of life devoid of a social safety net, 19th-century London is it. Much as today, the homeless are told to keep moving on the streets where they live.

It amazed me to realize that the real muffin men were itinerant tradesmen, such as sellers of fish or lace. While the nursery song is a light-hearted ditty, their lives were intense and stressful, said Maichack. But it was fun to meld this history with imagination. I chose the point-of-view of a child who loves the muffin man who visits her home, and cant stand it when he goes missing, so young listeners as well as old can identify with the time and place and enjoy listening. The tale offers details of the many street cries and activities in Covent Garden market.

Ms. Maichack has performed some 3,000 shows of storytelling and music since 1989. Her career was launched by her one-year stint as childrens librarian at Springfields Mason Square Library and her life-long practice of singing, fiddle and guitar. She has performed at festivals, schools and libraries from San Francisco to Venice, Italy. In her first job, she sold confectionsat Dunkin Donuts in 1970. Her husband and business partner in Maichack Arts, Gregory John Maichack, teaches pastel and portraiture at the Museum School in Springfields Quadrangle, and across the state. He painted an original pastel portrait for the CD cover. The story was recorded by local musician Jim Armenti, who also adds street crier voices and the famous hand bell central to the story. And, for good measure, the CD jacket includes a recipe for English muffins, 19th century style, by baker Thaddeus Pinckney of Luvins Muffins.

You can order the CD directly from Maichack Arts: EmJay7@aol.com/ www.MaryJoMaichack.com. They are $12 each, or 2 for $20, plus shipping and handling.