Learning card games, at any age or skill

I want people to have fun learning — I wanted to make it a fun learning experience.”

Donna Miller-Small, Co-author

For card and game players new and old, there’s now a book that dives into a game many may have heard of, but few know how to play. “Modern American Canasta: The Complete Guide,” was co-authored by North Bellmore resident, Donna Miller-Small, and offers readers a comprehensive, educational guide that walks any player — with any level of skill — through the youngest, classic card game.

Miller-Small is a Washington D.C. native, who grew up in Maryland before earning a degree in marketing at the University of Maryland, College Park. For 25 years, she worked in the fashion industry, before making a career change and become a master in reiki, a Japanese form of energy healing.

Coming from a game playing family, Miller-Small said about 15 years ago, she started teaching Mahjong and Canasta in libraries, two games that are very different from each other. Mahjong is a Chinese, tile-based game, first developed in the 19th century, while Canasta has its roots in Uruguay, and is a card game part of the rummy family.

Miller-Small teaches in various Long Island libraries, and throughout the coronavirus pandemic, even adapted to be able to instruct her students virtually. Something she prides herself in, she said, is the handouts she gives to her students. What she found, she went on, was that Canasta instructions don’t go beyond the basics, of the fun, yet challenging game.

“I looked and looked and looked, and anything that was in publication had rules from the ‘50s,” she said, “and this game has evolved over the years.”

For several years, Miller-Small said she considered writing a comprehensive guide herself, and when she decided the time was right, “the stars lined up,” and she met her co-author Dara Collins.

Collins, Miller-Small said, co-owns a Mahjong business, called Modern Mahjong. They connected virtually during the pandemic, and from there began working closely together.

Miller-Small said one day, she mentioned the idea of Modern Mahjong possibly expanding to encompass other games, like Canasta. “I said, ‘You should expand to modern Canasta — and there’s a book to be written,’” she recalled of her conversation with Collins. “She said, ‘Yes, I know. Let’s write it.’”

Previous co-authors hadn’t worked out, but Miller-Small said Collins sealed the deal, and really helped make the book come together. “She was the perfect writing partner,” she said. “We really compliment each other beautifully. We’ve been a really good team, and we both have strengths that we bring. It was the best partnership I ever could’ve imagined.”

They began working on the book together last spring, sometimes speaking with each other 3 to 4 hours a day while writing on a shared Google Doc.

“I think it was just fun also,” Miller-Small said. “I want people to have fun learning — I wanted to make it a fun learning experience. We had fun writing this book, and we wanted the book to be fun and engaging and creative.”

The book was sent to the press for printing just over a month ago, Miller-Small said, after they went through several rounds of editing, either by themselves, or with the help of family and friends.

“We kept editing and editing and editing,” she said. “Every time we thought we were finished, we felt we weren’t.”

Throughout the book, Collins and Miller-Small act like tour guides, she said. In a foreword, they wrote: “This guidebook will meet you where you are — whether first learning the game or fine-tuning your skills.”

The book coincides with the flow of the game, from set-up to dealing, to playing and scoring. The rules are listed, explaining their application, alongside amusing illustrations. And if there are any terms unknown to a reader, a glossary will clue  them in.

Despite the book being a teaching one, Miller-Small said the process of writing it was enjoyable because of her love for teaching and working with her students. “I love stories,” she said. “I love telling stories, and I love hearing stories.”

To learn more about Canasta, Mahjong and everything in between, visit ModernMahjong.com. There, those interested can also purchase a copy of “Modern American Canasta: The Complete Guide.”