Authors, authors, and more authors in Philly in February

My friend, Linda Trice, sent me this announcement:

 This will be especially exciting for parents, educators 
and librarians: 

theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org

 Walter Dean Myers, Jerry Pinkney, Javaka Steptoe,

 E.B. Lewis and Linda Price will be among the

 authors and illustrators who will be participating

 in the African American Children’s Book Fair in

Philadelphia on Saturday Feb. 4, 2012.

The fair is 1-3 PM.

It is free.

There will be games for children, giveaways, short readings

and of course book signings.

NBC will cover the event.

This is the 20^th year of the fair. 

Click on “The Brown Bookshelf’ to read about the history 

of the fair and the challenges, obstacles and triumph

of the one woman who saw her dream become a success.

Linda's book, Kenya’s Word (Charlesbridge Publications) 
can be bought at the fair. 

It can always be ordered from any bookseller. 

Please ask your State Legislators to Support Libraries

Although the link in this post is to Maryland's call to action, I encourage you to contact your own state legislator.

January 25th - February 1st - Ask State Legislators to Support Libraries

Each year, members of the Maryland library community participate in Maryland Library Legislative Day. This annual event is an opportunity to advocate for libraries in Annapolis. The Senate and House of Delegates declare the day as Maryland Library Day, visits with legislators are conducted and the day culminates with a reception. This is a great opportunity to thank legislators for their past support of libraries, increase awareness about services that libraries provide to their constituents, promote the value of libraries and encourage support for all types of libraries.

Rest in Peace, Carolyn Reeder

A wonderful historical fiction author has died, Carolyn Reeder.  Click on the link to see her books which have won many awards, including the Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction.

Learn as if you were to live forever

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever." Gandhi


And people wonder why I'm back in college, taking graduate courses in writing.  Now I have a suitable response.

Watching the ALA Media Awards on Monday

On Monday, the American Library Association announces the winner of their awards. Various committees have been meeting all year long, by email and in person, choosing the best of various types of books and audio Visual versions of books. (Thus the award ceremony is called the Media Award Ceremony.)

I've actually been in the room when these were announced and I have to tell you that the tension grows tighter and higher as they are announced, leaving the major awards of Caldecott and Newbery for last.  One year one of my own books was in contention for one of these awards and I was sitting in the meeting room, on pins and needles until I gave myself a good shake, telling myself that my editor, who was also at the media awards, would have told me if I had won. (another one of her books did win.)

For years, the minute the award ceremony ended, librarians would rush out of the room and fight over the pay phones in the hallway so that they could, 1) order more copies of the winners and 2) tell their staff at their workplace what the winners were.

Nowadays, everyone is cool.  There are companies who will instantly order X-many copies of the books for your library system AND the winners are posted on the ALA website an hour after the announcements. Some librarians are either Tweeting the announcements or posting the info on their blogs the minute they happen. So all the librarians attending this event have to do is remain in the room and casually discuss the winners and hash over the ones that should have won. (in their opinion)

Recently, the award ceremony has been streamed over the Internet. Last year, the whole student body (and faculty) of Vermont College of Fine Arts gathered in a meeting room and watched the streaming announcement as it happened.  So exciting. Why?  Because I WAS SITTING NEXT to ONE of THE WINNERS! Rita Williams-Garcia, one of our faculty members, won the Corretta Scott King award plus also a Newbery Honor, in addition to her National Book award for One Crazy Summer. 

If you want to watch it on this coming Monday, here's the info:

For those of you who will not be in Dallas on Monday, you can watch the award press conference here, at least until it crashes due to traffic overload! If and when that happens, you might find the Twitter feed more useful.
 All this is supposed to begin at 7:45 a.m. MT, which would be 8:45 for east coasters, 5:45 for west coasters, etc.


I hope your book/ media wins!

Nonfiction Monday -- a Craft of Nonfiction Storytelling Workshop

Information was sent to me about a great workshop put on by the Highlights Foundation:


The Craft of Nonfiction Storytelling

     "There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories." -Ursula K. Le Guin

     It's not enough to have the facts. You have to tell the story. Balancing both is the challenge of any nonfiction manuscript, and it doesn't just happen. Research has to be vetted. Stories have to be compelling and accurate. Together, facts and narrative must capture the hearts and imaginations of young readers. Sometimes, you just can't do it alone. You need a trusted reader. An experienced guide. A helping hand.

     For twenty-seven years, the Highlights Foundation has been fulfilling its mission of improving the quality of children's literature by helping authors and illustrators hone their skills. The Whole Novel Workshop, launched in 2006, expands its offerings this year with a program specifically designed for nonfiction. During our week-long Nonfiction Narrative Workshop, May 20-26, you'll have the chance to learn the craft of nonfiction storytelling with our award-winning faculty, including Carolyn Yoder, Susan Campbell Bartoletti, and Elizabeth Partridge. (I know these people and recommend them highly.)


You'll gather with other dedicated writers, talking the talk, discussing your questions, and learning the subtleties of what makes a good manuscript a great book. You can enjoy all this, along with the quiet tranquility of your own cabin and the kind of farmhouse hospitality that makes you feel right at home.

     During the workshop, your full manuscript will be read and critiqued by one of our faculty, you'll have time to discuss your goals and vision for the story, and you'll leave with a revision plan that will clarify and polish the text. We'll also give you support as you prepare your pitch, query, and synopsis to ensure the manuscript is given full consideration by agents and editors. Get the help you need to tell the facts and the story. Join us for the Whole Nonfiction Narrative Workshop.

     To find out more, contact Jo Lloyd at 570-253-1192, e-mail Jo at jo.lloyd@highlightsfoundation.org, or visit www.highlightsfoundation.org to request an application. 

     To view more 2012 Founders Workshops, which take place near Honesdale, Pennsylvania, please visit www.highlightsfoundation.org.

     Please feel free to share this information with others who might have an interest or to include the information in blog posts or through other social networking forums.


The Highlights Foundation is a public, not-for-profit 501©3 organization. We dedicate our efforts to connecting, nurturing, and inspiring children's book writers and illustrators.



For links to other blog posts about children's nonfiction check out the list at The Swimmer Writer blog.

Semester 3 Reveals their name

For those of you who wondered about the strange design I put on the blog last week, all now can be revealed. Although I was not able to be at Vermont College this week for the January residency, I still want to give a cheer for my classmates because they revealed their class name today.
Here's the YouTube link to the video they used as part of their presentation.

The class name is Dystropians -- a take-off combination of the writer's term "Trope" plus the predictions about Dystopia scheduled to begin in this year of 2012.

We are the DYSTROPIANS: Writers of the Apocalypse!

The other part of the presentation had the whole class up on stage wearing black hoodies, which they took off to reveal awesome black tshirts with the saying, Dystropians -- We Survive! on them. (plus a fantastic writers swiss army knife full of pens and markers and a flash drive instead of knives, etc.)

I wish I had been able to be there.  I wish you-all had been there to see it.
-wo