Back to college

In case you were wondering where I've been/ why there have been no posts for two weeks, I've gone back to Vermont College of Fine Arts to work on my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and was in Vermont at the two week residency there.  This is a low residency course where we attend lectures from 8:30 in the morning to dinnertime and Readings in the evenings.  Then go home to write, write, write for 5 months.

Now, you're probably thinking, Hey. She's retired.  She's a published writer.  Why the heck is she going back to college to learn how to write?

Well, like most of the people taking this course, I want to learn to write better.  At least half of the third semester class -- my current classmates -- are already published, including one of my favorite writers, Lisa Papademetriou.  Look her up on Facebook (link here = Lisa Papademetriou) or her website.  

So, how was my college adventure?
It was a wonderful two week residency. (all the rest of the course is done at home with me in email contact with my Advisor and responsible for turning in 5 packets of work.  The first packet?  A draft of my Critical Thesis.  (yikes!)

Well, the weather wasn't the usual balmy Vermont weather.  It was cold the first week and I found myself wearing practically everything I brought to keep warm in the evenings. (I now live in Southern California.)  Then the weather flip-flopped and it became close to 90 degrees with hazy, hot, and humidity.  Ack!  The same weather we used to have when we lived in the Baltimore, Maryland area.  Hot and sticky.  Yuck.

I stayed in Martin House with a great group of third semester students and was able to participate when they revealed their class name -- Allies in Wonderland -- where we all dressed up representing different children's books.  I was Professor Minerva McGonagall, complete with a feather in my witch's hat.  (wearing my daughter's college graduation gown plus that wonderful Professor McGonagall hat)

One of the lectures so inspired my friend Jean Gralley that she skipped lunch and spent the afternoon in her room above mine, writing, writing, writing.

Being a third semester student (there are four semesters to this course), I spent a lot of time in the thesis room, reading and deciding what to request the administration to send to me to print out at home.

Now I'm home and busy doing research and playing around with the molding of my thesis.  More about that later.

Setting up a story

Looky, Looky!
Writer Barbara O'Conner has done a great two-part post about how to begin your story -- with examples -- on her blog, Greetings From Nowhere.

It was a setup (part 1)
It was a setup (part 2)
enjoy

75th Anniversary of the Caldecott Award

Here's a link to an article in the Horn Book Magazine about the celebration held last week in Chicago for the 75th Anniversary of the Caldecott Award for best illustrated book of the year(s).

I went to something similar -- a celebration of picture book artists -- some years ago at ALA and learned a lot.  This one sounds as if it was even more fantastic.

Happy Fourth of July

I hope you will be able to find fireworks on display somewhere near you.

(added later)
Wonderful fireworks, which we saw for free with no hassles by walking a quarter mile to the edge of High Bluff with 13-year-old granddaughter, two-year old grandson and daughter Jennifer Lawrence and her husband, Michael. 
While we were watching them, the clouds gradually lowered covering the top half of the higher explosions. Weird. 
Our view included not only those fireworks at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, but four other productions on beaches north of us, along with reflections of flashes from a display to our right, further up the San Dieguito valley.

Social Media got you confused?

Social Media got you confused?
Here's a quick explanation by the Idea Lady, Social Media Explained by Cats.

Good heavens, she also has a post about promoting your own blog.

Things you need to know about Agents

Although this blog is written by a group of agents for mostly adult books, it's still chock full of good info about working with agents and what to expect.  Click on over to the Books & Such Literary Agency blog.

The American Library Association Meeting is this weekend!

This weekend publishers and librarians are converging in Chicago to celebrate books and reading.

 There's a huge exhibits area where publishers show off their newest books, where librarians and "normal people" like authors and illustrators can browse this display along with the librarians who will be buying these books for their public. There are meetings and lectures about programming and library buildings and best practices for library administration.

 (Booksellers have their own convention in late May or early June where they hold meetings and browse the publisher's displays. It's called BEA.)

And book discussions. (at the end of the conference a list of the best books of the year will be issued, called Notable Books.)

And book celebrations.
The huge banquet for the Newbery and Caldecott winners where they get awards and give speeches.
The luncheons honoring other authors or celebrating impressive librarians.
And the exhibits.  (can you tell I love the exhibits?)

Here's a write up about this convention by an Harold Underdown written when he was an editor at Charlesbridge, giving the publisher's view of the ALA convention.

Can you tell I wish I was there?
Yup,  I wish I was there.

The 2013 Newbery Medal winners being honored Sunday evening are:

2013 Winner

The One and Only Ivan

written by Katherine Applegate, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers

2013 Honor(s)

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon

by Steve Sheinkin and published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press

Splendors and Glooms

by Laura Amy Schlitz and published by Candlewick Press

Three Times Lucky

by Sheila Turnage and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group

The 2013 Caldecott Medal winners being honored Sunday evening are:

This Is Not My Hat

illustrated and written by Jon Klassen, published by Candlewick Press

2013 Honor(s)

Creepy Carrots!

illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

Extra Yarn

illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Green

illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and published by Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press

One Cool Friend

illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group

Sleep Like a Tiger

illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company