, also known as YARN. The site
recently asked me to contribute an original short story and also posed three interesting questions during a brief Q and A. Here's one of them, along with my answer:
The other part of the equation is power. If you’re perceived as a powerful outsider thanks to race and/or class and/or gender, your story is going to be told and heard differently. Are you going to commandeer space on the shelves and displace a story that could be told by a less powerful “insider"? Or is there room in the global library both for your version and hers?
On the other hand, I don’t believe in setting up some kind of “right-ethnic-credentials” apartheid in stories. Who gets to decide who writes for whom, anyway? We’re all essentially outsiders when we write fiction, right? Otherwise, we’d be writing memoir. Let’s represent lots of races and cultures in our stories as the setting and plot demand.
Bottom line—cross cultures boldly, but humbly.
and scroll down past my short story to read my answers. And leave a comment on their site, would you? Because here's the rest of YARN's mission statement:
As a big fan of PaperTigers, I'm delighted to share the news about the recently launched Spirit of PaperTigers Project, an initiative to promote literacy and books that encourage empathy and understanding.
The Project will select a set of books, donate them to schools and libraries in areas of need, and report responses of children from all around the globe. (For details on how to get a set, visit the PaperTigers site.)
The 2010 Book Set is fantastic. Check it out:
Written and illustrated by Lynne Barasch. Lee & Low, 2009. Ages 4-8.
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Who shall be our next National Ambassador for Young People's Literature?
Vote in my sidebar for the names most commonly suggested on Read Roger, the blog of Roger Sutton, editor-in-chief of the Horn Book.
Mr. Sutton was invited to help choose a successor for the current ambassador, Jon Scieszka. In a nutshell, the selection committee wants a person like this:
An author or illustrator of fiction or nonfiction books
U.S. citizen, living in the U.S.
Excellent and facile communicator
Dynamic and engaging personality
Known ability to relate to children; communicates well and regularly with them
Someone who has made a substantial contribution to young people’s literature
Stature; someone who is revered by children and who has earned the respect and admiration of his or her peers
I'm traveling again but I'll be checking in to see your votes. For the poll, I gleaned the names most often suggested in response to the blog post at
Read Roger and listed them in no particular order. (Not only is this poll unauthorized, it's unscientific, too! But fun, right?)
There's no guarantee that any of these people would accept the job even if offered it. I left off Shannon Hale and Cynthia Rylant, for example, because commenters mentioned they didn't travel, and Daniel Pinkwater opted himself out. Am I missing anyone else? Let me know and I'll add them.
Vote, steal/copy/modify the poll and put it on your blog, and head to
Roger Sutton's blog to add a new name or echo somebody else's choice. I'll be back out on the Fire Escape on 8/13. Enjoy the fleeting days of summer 2009!
Hinting at a future of low-cost regional gatherings, a group of bookish folk who weren't at Book Expo America connected via Twitter at Porter Square Books on Sunday 5/31 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We exchanged books and social media tips, made new connections, and enjoyed the cozy ambience of one of the finest independent booksellers in the Boston area.
One of the organizers, agent Lauren MacLeod of the Strothman Agency (@BostonBookGirl), shared some interesting findings on trends in Middle Grade and YA fiction. With her permission, I'll be summing up her talk tomorrow on the Fire Escape.
Track us on twitter via hashtag #BostonBEA.
Some of the BostonBEA participants: from left to right, back row: John L. Bell, Brendan Halpin, Delia Cabe, Lauren MacLeod, Marie Cloutier, Laya Steinberg, Anindita Basu Sempere. Front row: Mitali Perkins, Kathleen Benner Duble.
Lauren MacLeod (center, back) leads a discussion on trends in YA and MG books.
Anindita Basu Sempere, Joan Paquette, John L. Bell, and Brendan Halpin share books and tips.
Most of you know I microblog about YA and children's books on twitter. I post timely links there, and bit.ly allows me to track which are the most useful to my followers. Here are five recent tweets pointing to links garnering at least a hundred clicks each:
The @bridgetzinn auction is heating up. I got outbid on the cookbook. For now. My book launch consult is going for $250: http://bit.ly/twSUF
Top ten SF/Fantasy novels for teens published in the last 12 months (picked by ALA Booklist's Gillian Engberg) http://bit.ly/sOHd9
Four debut YA novelists face the music with reviews in Publisher's Weekly: http://bit.ly/ESV02
Survey of tweens and books from @ypulse: 42% borrow books, 35% buy from bookstores, 3% from Amazon. More results here: http://bit.ly/llHAv
List of YA bloggers on twitter: http://bit.ly/iGjVE
Most authors have little to do with book jackets. It's strange because a good cover can spur sales while a boring cover can kill your book, especially when it comes to teen readers. Not to mention the fear of an artist usurping power by representing a character differently than the author imagined, or adding stuff to the plot that simply isn't there.
But a novel is a collaborative process from start to finish, and authors have to trust editors, art directors, designers, and artists with book covers. While they might seek input from us, the final decision isn't in our hands.
Melissa Walker (rgz diva and author of the VIOLET series) interviewed me about the jacket of SECRET KEEPER (pictured in the sidebar) as part of her Cover Stories series. Here's an excerpt:
"My editor asked for input, and I told her that there were a glut of covers set in India with girls peeking over veils or around sarees ..."
To discover new designers and see a gallery of cover art, visit
The Book Cover Archive (
hat tip: Kathy Christie Hernandez). Ben Pieratt of
General Projects and Eric Jacobsen of
Whisky Van Gogh Go maintain the archive and an interesting
blog about covers. Here's their list of other places to visit for even more about book covers:
"Stories are powerful allies as we seek to raise a generation of compassionate children. I distinctly remember the moment when I grasped the beauty of sacrificial giving. I was nine years old and befriending Sara Crewe in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Little Princess for the first time ..."
Read the rest of my essay, Stories Can Shape a Child's Heart, in PaperTigers' February issue, a compilation of reviews, articles and interviews highlighting a "growing global awareness of the power of children to change the world."
Don't miss Children as Change-Makers: On and Off The Pages by Aline Pereira, and the interviews with author Katie Smith Milway about her book, One Hen: How One Small Loan Made A Big Difference and Jan West Schrock, author of Give a Goat and advisor to the charity Heifer International, who describes a childhood filled with inspirational stories of giving.
Photo courtesy of Uncultured via Creative Commons.
It's the last day to be added to the great V-day Indie-Author-Illustrator New England book party site. 110 authors/illustrators and 35 bookstores have joined already (I've got a few more that came in to add), but after 5 p.m. today EST you're on your own if you want to arrange a local bash on Valentine's Day. Feel free to use the nifty personalizable .pdf poster created by generous media maven Deborah Sloan.
Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles in New England, reserve this in your iPhones, blackberries, or desk calendars: pick up a signed literary Valentine for that beloved kid or teen on February 14, 2009, from 10-12 a.m., at a cozy bookstore near you.
Looking for a children's tale in Farsi, or a picture book for that Mongolian neighbor across the street? Check out the International Children's Digital Library, a growing source of free multilingual children's literature.
Tired of generic "African" children's books that don't mention particular cultures or countries? Check out Africa Access, a nonprofit founded in 1989 to help schools, public libraries, and parents improve the quality of their children's collection on Africa.
The Africa Access Review Database contains over 1000 annotations and reviews of children's books written by university professors, librarians, and teachers, most of whom have lived in Africa and have graduate degrees in African Studies.
And this November 13-16 in Chicago during the Teachers' Workshop at the annual meeting of the African Studies Association, Africa Access will present the 2008 Children’s Africana Book Awards, established in 1991 by the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association to encourage the publication and use of accurate, balanced children’s materials on Africa in U.S. schools and libraries.
This year, Ifeoma Onyefulu is the winner of the Best Book for Young Children award for Ikenna goes to Nigeria (London, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2007). The book focuses on Onyefulu’s son Ikenna and photographs his visit to his mother’s Nigerian homeland.
Honors for Young Children go to Kathleen Mariarty and Amin Amir for Wiil Waal (St. Paul, Minnesota Humanities Center/Somali Bilingual Book Project, 2007), a bilingual presentation of a folktale about a 19th century Somali sultan.
Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie are the winners of the Best Book for Older Readers award for Aya (Montreal, Drawn & Quarterly, 2007), a graphic novel that offers an insider’s view of teenage life in a lively Abidjan neighborhood.
Honor Book winners for Older Readers are Henry Aubin for Rise of the Golden Cobra (Toronto, Annick Press, 2007), a novel set in ancient Kush and Egypt, and Ishmael Beah for A Long Way Gone (New York, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007), a recent war story and autobiographical account of a child soldier in the civil war in Sierra Leone. (Read Slate's overview of the controversy surrounding this memoir if you're curious.)
If you, like me, couldn't make it to Portland, Oregon for the second annual children's and YA book bloggers' conference, you can do the next best thing -- tune into a plethora of diverse blogging voices as they dish about the weekend.
News Flash: The conference is coming to the East Coast next September, organized by the one and only
Mother Reader.
News from the award-winning PaperTigers website ...
After our July/Aug literacy focus, we now make way for Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of the cultures and traditions of US residents who trace their roots back to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. There are all sorts of events happening throughout the country, and right here at PaperTigers you will find lots of great features and children's books to help you make the most of it - in your classroom, library or at home.
Interviews
Highly-acclaimed author Pam Muñoz Ryan talks about her heritage, her new book, Paint The Wind, and her commitment to writing good stories, no matter the theme.
Bilingual coordinator of youth services at the Houston Public Library, Rose Zertuche-Treviño talks about the joys and challenges of her work, and offers some advice for those considering a career in children's librarianship...
David Diaz's fiesta-inspired colors lend themselves to a variety of media, styles and themes.
My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez by Monica Brown, illustrated by Raul Colón (Luna Rising, 2007), celebrates the childhood of a little boy with a big imagination who grew up to become one of the world’s best loved storytellers. The book describes some of the experiences that shaped the writer’s early life, and the people that influenced him, such as his beloved grandfather, Nicolas, who had a giant dictionary filled with many words.
Personal Views:
My Childhood Readings: A Short List to Grow On
by Yuyi Morales
Heritage Apartment
by Juan Felipe Herrera
We, Latinos by F. Isabel Campoy
Book Reviews:
Check out the new reviews from PaperTigers, Resource Links, CCBC and Books for Keeps. In addition to them, we have compiled a celebratory list of previously featured titles that relate to Hispanic Heritage by way of theme, author or illustrator.
Lists & Links:
Here you will find a wide range of reading lists, annotated resources and links to online material. And for even more inspiration, take a peek at how we celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month in 2006 and 2007. There's plenty of pride, information and fun to be gained from going deeper into this celebration. So dive in, and have fun!... and hop on over to our blog, too, as we continue the fiesta of "Hispanic Heritage Month" through October 15.
I was getting irritated by the political squabbling that's commandeered most of my online groups, listservs, and forums. I've always relished the freedom to disagree as a sign of a healthy system. After all, as was recently noted by the moderator of child_lit:
...People need to accept and be prepared for forceful argument because children's texts are at the center of significant cultural debate about weighty matters, such as how we relate to our culture and how we define ourselves as human beings.
So why are these particular arguments bothering me so much? Maybe because they're defined by contempt. I feel like a child forced to dine with parents who despise each other and are doing their best to triangle me into their destructive relationship. It takes a lot of energy to sit still and say nothing, and leaping into the fray feels like a no-win solution.
In the children's literature world, we need clear guidelines for appropriate online practices when it comes to forums, listservs, blogs, social networks, and comments. Some venues are suitable for fiery freedom of expression (child_lit, for example); others aren't (yalsa-bk clarified a "no-politics rule," creating a new forum for librarians eager to discuss this election with each other):
Over the last several weeks, there has been considerable discussion and many questions raised about the constraints imposed by federal law on ALA as a nonprofit charitable organization. On the other hand, there has also been considerable interest in having a forum available where ALA members could freely discuss political topics and the current election in relation to library issues.
ALA, because of its 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, is expressly and absolutely prohibited by the U.S. Internal Revenue Code from engaging in "political speech." This means that ALA resources, including electronic discussion lists, blogs and wikis, cannot be used for "the support of, or opposition to, a candidate for public office". Political speech is different from "lobbying," which seeks to influence legislation or regulation (ALA continues to lobby aggressively for libraries within federal guidelines).
For more information about the IRS prohibition on political speech by 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations, as well as links to additional information, please see the Marginalia blog posting.
To this end, the ALA-APA Board has authorized the creation of an ALA-APA Forum discussion list to discuss mutual issues of interest to librarians and other library workers, including political issues and candidates. This list is open to ALA members and others. Subscribe to the APA Forum here.
Now that's clarity. So out here on the Fire Escape, let me make the rules clear: anything goes, but with respect. By all means express yourself, but leave your contempt inside.
Presbyterians Today, the periodical of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is offering a new Bible study series by MaryAnn McKibben Dana focusing on children’s literature:
This 10-part series explores biblical themes in familiar titles as well as some recent books "destined to be classics." Books marked with an asterisk (*) have been made into films and may be showing in theaters or available on DVD. 
In this second installment in the classic Chronicles of Narnia, the Pevensie children return to Narnia and take up the struggle to assist Caspian as he reclaims Narnia in the name of Aslan, a lion who serves as the Christ figure throughout the series.
A lonely preacher’s kid finds a sense of belonging through the companionship of a scruffy stray dog and various other colorful characters in her small Florida town.
The sixth volume in the Harry Potter series, this book explores the evil Lord Voldemort’s tragic past. Harry comes to terms with his destiny — to fight Voldemort in a battle in which only one will survive. The film adaptation of this book is due to be released in November 2008.
The followup to L’Engle’s classic A Wrinkle in Time, this book has Meg and her friend Calvin O’Keefe racing against time to defeat the Echthroi — sinister, mysterious beings who threaten to tear the universe apart.
Unlucky Stanley Yelnats finds himself sentenced to hard labor at a Texas juvenile detention center. The boys are forced to dig holes in the desert, day after day. But what are they looking for?
A classic tale of friendship and imagination by Presbyterian author Katherine Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia chronicles the unlikely relationship between Jesse Aarons and his new neighbor Leslie Burke, the mystical land of Terabithia that unites them and the real-life tragedy that rocks Jesse’s world.
Sixteen-year-old Jude finds her world turned upside down when her mother receives a fellowship to study for a year in Czechoslovakia. This book sensitively explores themes of adolescence, identity and mental illness, all against the backdrop of Prague at the end of the Cold War.
This book is set in a pseudo-utopian society in which Sameness is the ideal and strong emotions are all but eradicated. Jonas, a 12-year-old boy, receives an unusual assignment — to become the sole Receiver of Memory, the only one who knows the people’s history and all that came before.
Ten-year-old Lucky lives with her father’s ex-wife after the untimely death of her mother. Her favorite pastime, eavesdropping on 12-Step meetings, inspires her own plucky search for a Higher Power — though she’s not sure what that is. The story explores family and faith with wit and grace.
Poor Holling Hoodhood is the sole Presbyterian in his seventh-grade class. His Jewish and Catholic classmates all leave school early on Wednesdays for religious instruction, while Holling is stuck with his teacher, who he’s sure is out to get him because she makes him read Shakespeare. The horror! This poignant and humorous book is set in 1968.
Discussion guides (grades 5–8 level) will be available online. Download a
free sample study guide for
Prince Caspian, one of the books in the beloved Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, now a major motion picture.
Some of you Fire Escape visitors might not know that before I became a mommy-slash-writer, I taught political science and international relations as a visiting professor at Pepperdine University.
My biggest challenge was standing at the board struggling to explain economic principles to my increasingly befuddled students. If only I had known back then what I know now — that kid lit can be used to teach almost anything.
Yana Rodgers, director of the Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, sent me this nice review of Rickshaw Girl published on EconKids, a rich (pun intended) site featuring children's books that teach economics. Here's the site's mission statement:
This website provides teachers, parents, and volunteers with ideas for using children's literature to introduce economics to children. This site also reviews new books from leading publishers and makes selections for Book of the Month and Top Five categories. Unlike many of the existing websites on economics education, EconKids focuses on younger students in elementary school.
Did you know that children's books, for example, can teach the following economic concepts?
- Barter
- Capital Resources
- Child Schooling and Work
- Entrepreneurs
- Goods/Services
- Human Resources
- Innovation
- Interdependence
- Markets and Competition
- Money/Banking
- Natural Resources
- Opportunity Cost
- Producers/Consumers
- Saving
- Scarcity
- Unemployment
Over 80 authors, editors, illustrators, booksellers, and librarians are protesting the decision to stamp book covers with a sign stating that the contents are for readers aged 5+, 7+, 9+, 11+ or 13+/teen. Listen to their excellent reasoning:
Each child is unique, and so is each book. Accurate judgments about age suitability are impossible, and approximate ones are worse than useless.
Children easily feel stigmatized, and many will put aside books they might love because of the fear of being called babyish. Other children will feel dismayed that books of their ‘correct’ age-group are too challenging, and will be put off reading even more firmly than before.
Age-banding seeks to help adults choose books for children, and we're all in favour of that; but it does so by giving them the wrong information. It’s also likely to encourage over-prescriptive or anxious adults to limit a child's reading in ways that are unnecessary and even damaging.
Everything about a book is already rich with clues about the sort of reader it hopes to find – jacket design, typography, cover copy, prose style, illustrations. These are genuine connections with potential readers, because they appeal to individual preference. An age-guidance figure is a false one, because it implies that all children of that age are the same.
Children are now taught to look closely at book covers for all the information they convey. The hope that they will not notice the age-guidance figure, or think it unimportant, is unfounded.
Writers take great care not to limit their readership unnecessarily. To tell a story as well and inclusively as possible, and then find someone at the door turning readers away, is contrary to everything we value about books, and reading, and literature itself.
Reminds you of the nuances between our cultures when it comes to principles like the public good, individual liberties, and authority. I can't imagine the possibility of such a top-down decision being made by our publishers here, can you? At least, I hope not. You may declare your own dissension
here -- it doesn't seem like UK citizenship is necessary.
I was amazed by the cloud of tags automatically generated on my Library Thing author page. I'd love to be defined by this cyber stream of consciousness:
acculturation adoption american ar art artists Bangladesh blogging campaign chapter book charity chick lit children's children's literature christianity daughter daughters election elections family fiction friendship fun gender gender roles girl girls grade 4 grade 5 grade 6 identity immigrants india Indian integrity jfic love multicultural new fiction painting politics poverty presidents read realistic realistic fiction responsibility romance social responsibility South Asian tbr teen teen fiction tween Washington DC white house ya young adult young adult fiction
From Skipping Stones Magazine comes an announcement about their annual awards, bringing more good news for Rickshaw Girl:
The 15th Annual Skipping Stones Honor Awards recognize 26 exceptional books and teaching resources. Together, they encourage an understanding of the world's diverse cultures, as well as nature and ecological richness. The selection promotes cooperation, nonviolence, respect for differing viewpoints, and close relationships in human societies. We present these great books to you as the summer season stretches before us. It's a time of year when many travel to explore new places in the world, or to revisit meaningful ones. Reading books is another way you can explore cultures, places and even other time periods. The winners are featured in our summer issue. Welcome to the wonderful world of words! 
Download the official
press release here.
Multicultural & International Awareness Books:
One City, Two Brothers by Chris Smith, illustr. Aurélia Fronty. Barefoot Books; www.barefootbooks.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-1-84686-042-3
When The Shadbush Blooms by Carla Messinger with Susan Katz, illustr. David Kanietakeron Fadden. Tricycle. www.tricyclepress.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-1-58246-192-2
Armando and the Blue Tarp School by Edith Hope Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson, illustr. Hernán Sosa. Lee & Low; www.leeandlow.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-1-58430-278-0
I Remember Abuelito: A Day of the Dead Story / Yo Recuerdo a Abuelito: Un Cuento del Dia de los Muertos by Janice Levy, illustr. Loretta Lopez. Albert Whitman; www.albertwhitman.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-0-8075-3516-5
The Best Eid Ever by Asma Mobin-Uddin, illustr. Laura Jacobsen. Boyds Mills Press www.boydsmillspress.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-1-59078-431-0
Romina's Rangoli by Malathi Michelle Iyengar, illustr. Jennifer Wanardi. Shen's Books; www.shens.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-1-885008-32-9
Sky Sweeper by Phillis Gershator, illustr. Holly Meade. Farrar, Straus & Giroux; www.fsgkidsbooks.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-0-374-37007-7
One Hen by Katie Smith Milway, illustr. Eugenie Fernandes. Kids Can Press; www.kidscanpress.com. Picture Book. Ages 7 and up. ISBN: 978-1-55453-028-1
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins, illustr. Jamie Hogan. Charlesbridge; www.charlesbridge.com. Ages 7-10. ISBN: 978-1-58089-308-4
Great Peacemakers: True Stories from Around the World (Teacher's guide available) by Ken Beller & Heather Chase. LTS Press; www.greatpeacemakers.com. Ages 12-80. ISBN: 978-0-9801382-0-7
We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin by Larry Dane Brimner. Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills Press; www.boydsmillspress.com. Ages 10-15. ISBN: 978-1-59078-498-3
Chess Rumble by G. Neri, illustr. Jesse Joshua Watson. Lee and Low; www.leeandlow.com. Ages 11-15. ISBN: 978-1-58430-279-7
Jeannette Rankin: Political Pioneer, a biography by Gretchen Woelfle. Calkins Creek/ Boyds Mills Press; www.boydsmillspress.com. Ages 11-17. ISBN: 978-1-59078-437-2
Tasting The Sky: A Palestinian Childhood, a memoir by Ibtisam Barakat. Farrar, Straus & Giroux; www.fsgkidsbooks.com. Ages 11-15. ISBN: 978-0374-35733-7
The Teen Guide to Global Action: How to Connect with others to Create Social Change by Barbara A. Lewis. Free Spirit; www.freespirit.com. Ages 12-17. ISBN: 978-1-57542-266-4
A Shout in the Sunshine, a novel by Mara W. Cohen Ioannides. Jewish Publication Society; www.jewishpub.org. Ages 12-17. ISBN: 978-0-8276-0838-2
Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives, ed. by Sarah Cortez. Piñata Books; www.artepublicopress.com. Ages 13-18. ISBN: 978-1-55885-482-6
The Ocean in the Closet, a debut novel by Yuko Taniguchi. Coffee House Press; www.coffehousepress.org. Ages 15 to adults. ISBN: 978-1-56689-194-3
Nature and Ecology Books:
Nature's Yucky! 2: The Desert Southwest by Lee Ann Landstrom & Karen I. Schragg, illustr. Rachel Rogge. Mountain Press; www.mountain-press.org. ISBN: 978-0-87842-529-7
River Song with the Banana Slug String Band by Steve Van Zandt, illustr. Katherine Zecca. Dawn Publications; www.dawnpub.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-1-58469-093-1
The Bee Tree by Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn, illustr. Paul Mirocha. Cinco Puntos Press; www.cincopuntos.com. Picture Book. ISBN: 978-0-938317-98-2
The Inuit Thought Of It: Amazing Arctic Innovations by Alootook Ipellie with David MacDonald. Annick Press; www.annickpress.com. Ages 9-12. ISBN 978-1-55451-087-0
The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon. Scholastic Inc.; www.scholastic.com. Ages 8-13. ISBN: 978-0-439-02494-5
Teaching and Parenting Resources:
2008 World Diversity Calendar, Orison Publishers; www.worlddiversitycalendar.com. This interfaith, multilingual calendar belongs on every classroom wall! ISBN: 978-0-9763800-5-4.
What Kids REALLY Want to Ask: Using Movies to Start Meaningful Conversations -- A Guidebook for Parents and Children Ages 10-14 by Rhonda A. Richardson, Ph.D. and A. Margaret Pevec, M.A. VanderWyk & Burnham; www.vandb.com. ISBN: 978-1-889242-31-6
My Imaginary Friend by Shirley Ann Povondra and Kathryn Andrew. Llumina Kids; www.llumina.com. For parents and educators to read with children. ISBN: 978-1-59526-669-9
Author Jama Rattigan (DUMPLING SOUP) is presenting a wonderful series on her blog (which is appropriately titled Alphabet Soup), featuring recipes from children's book authors and illustrators. Check out this enlightening interview with Fusion Stories author Grace Lin (YEAR OF THE RAT), who shares her recipe for gingerbread cupcakes with candied ginger icing. YUM!
Afternoon workshop. Fantasy and World Building. Leda Schubert.
I'm sitting in the back trying to keep my blogging low-key, next to writing buddies Wendy Nystrom and Mordena Babich (who knows the correct pronunciation of Rick Riordan), both in my critique group, both authors of excellent stories in the fantasy genre. Leda gets started (I did ask her permission to live-blog, and she graciously gave it, so relax and read on. Here's a disclaimer, though: these are rough notes, they don't include Leda's precise words, and the quotes are incomplete.)
What is the wrong reason to write fantasy? Because it's what's selling. The right reason? It is the best way to tell the story only you can tell. We're born with the need for story.
Leda goes over the classic book, Harold and the Purple Crayon. Study this book! It shows all that's right about fantasy, she says. The heart-stopping moment of fantasy is when you wonder if it's going to be okay. If you scare yourself as you're writing, you're doing your job. Sometimes as you write you don't know where you're going.
Motivations? We want to believe that something exists outside of what we see.
Where to begin? Read, read, read. Take notes. Hard analysis. Develop a list of things to look for. What kind of world has this author created? What are the elements? Are there moments when you're jarred out of the fictive world of fantasy?
After you've read the books, turn to folklore and mythology. Try retellings and re-imaginings. We all have stories we're "doomed to write."
Know story structure. Discover the myth of the hero all around the world.
Fantasy is not escapist literature. It is a journey in instead of out. "Myth may not be real," says Susan Cooper, but it is true. "Fantastic conditions must speak to our real one," said Lloyd Alexander.
Leda recommends The Tough Guide To Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones. "It's a hoot," says Leda, making us laugh with a couple of quotes she reads aloud.
She explains Jane Yolen's three types of fantasy: earthbound, evens in our world with possible magical events (Borrowers), faerie (a secondary world like Earthsea), tourist fantasies where an earth traveler passes into another world or time (Narnia).
Leda also pulls from Jane Langton's The Weak Place in the Cloth. In fantasy literature, the cloth is either stretched, punctured, invisible and permeable, or unpunctured, but we're on the other side. The cloth can divide now from then, life from death (ghost stories), or finite present from infinite future (science fiction).
Leda's getting to the fundamentals now, explaining in detail how to create a fantasy world, and ends by saying that the work in this rich genre is still too much in the hands of white men. That's changing, but slowly. We need new voices, especially non-Western ones. We are part of this change.
Here I am in the ballroom of the Crowne Hotel in Nashua (9 a.m.), waiting to hear NESCBWI's keynote speaker for our annual conference. The place is packed with 500 eager writers and illustrators -- a more diverse crowd than in years past, but still mostly white, middle-aged, and female.
Conference director Francine Puckley is introducing the cadre of hard workers who pull off this huge conference. Sitting next to authors Tanya Lee Stone (A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl) and Sarah Aronson (Head Case), who are BFFs, and trying not to miss MY writing buddy, author Karen Day (Tall Tales).
During the intro to Laurie Halse Anderson, we learn that her new YA/MG novel Chains is due out in October.
Laurie starts by showing us her tattoo, and tells us to get one in order to "frustrate the fifteen-year-olds in America." Her tattoo is the first word in Beowulf, which basically means "LISTEN TO MY STORY."
After hundreds of rejections and years, it dawned on her that she needed help, and she did the most significant thing in her life: she joined
SCBWI. Eventually, she started getting personalized, "quality rejections." Next came the phone calls.
"If you're not published yet, you are simply 'pre-published,'" she tells us.
Laurie's talk is about five keys to becoming a writer: time, space, art, craft, and permission.
The session is inspiring for wannabes, newbies, and burned-out oldies alike. Applause, and we're done.
My next update will be at 2:40, when I live-blog Leda Schubert's session "World-Building: Bringing Fantasy to Life," followed by Kevin Hawkes' closing keynote address starting at 3:50. Now I'm off to my own session!
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I'm leaning heavily towards finally making this attempt, though I haven't fully made my decision yet.
-Melly
www.BeautyandtheArmageddon.blogspot.com
Good for you! I think those pep talks are important and that you're stepping up is awesome!
I'll be participating but unofficially, not participating on the boards or even registering. I've done so in the past and more than once completed the 50K goal. This time I just want to do it all from the sidelines.