Highlights Foundation Offers Workshop in School Promotion

If you have the money, here is something that may be interesting to many of you.

This March, the Highlights Foundation is proud to present Life in the Spotlight: The Path to Successful School and Library Visits, Self-Promotion, and Press Interviews with Peter Jacobi.

Highlights Foundation promises to acquire "publicity techniques needed to promote your books, gain practice in public speaking and presentation skills, and participate in a real-life school experience" under the guidance of award-winning journalist Peter Jacobi.

The event takes place on March 10–15, 2009. For more information, see http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/FWsched_lifeSpotlight_09.html

Classes and other random things

So, I've decided to take a class with the Institute of Children's Literature on top of my six credits this semester at Chatham. The first set of materials arrived today and I'm really excited! The course is in writing for the magazine market, both fiction and non-fiction. I decided to take it because I've never had a class in writing for magazines before, and I really think it's the one area I need work in. Besides, I need a way to keep writing, publishing and making a little money while I'm waiting for my next children's book to be published by a big publishing house and become the next bestseller. ;-) I read over the instructions for the first assignment, and so far the course seems interesting and creativity-inducing.

I am about to embark on my very last semester as an MFA student. I need to finish my thesis and take one children's lit class, and then I will be done. It's kind of strange, and scary, that I'm only taking one class in the classroom and then I'll be expected to get a "big kid job."

In other news, I am writing again. I've started a brand new YA novel (just in time to have my life taken over by classes, therefore causing me to put the new project aside, as usual). I've also signed up for a workshop with Naomi Shihab Nye as part of a literary workshop at my school. Until recently, I wasn't even aware that Nye had published children's books. Kathy suggested that my thesis would be a good thing to submit, since Nye has poetry and YA experience. So, I did. . . and now in October we'll see how it goes.

Poetry Finale

So, I got a B in my poetry workshop. . .

I guess that was to be expected. Oh well, at least it was the very last poetry workshop I ever have to take. I can't say as I'll miss them, really. . .

Online support for children's writers

So, I was talking to an online friend of mine today about the lack of support for children's writing, especially online. Think about it for a sec-- there are online support and critique groups for poets, fiction writers, and every genre from Erotica to fantasy. . . so why aren't there any for children's writers? Neither one of us could name a single one. We children's writers are perhaps the most secluded, misunderstood, and least supported of all writers.

I took a quick look at the work listed as "children's writing" on Writing.com, and I was disappointed at what I saw. Most people have no idea what's popular in children's literature, don't realize that kids shouldn't be talked down to OR treated like adults, and are totally clueless about things like the importance of rhythm and rhyme. While I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about writing for children, I don't allow myself to work inside a bubble that prevents me from learning, either.

I guess I'm really lucky that I have great teachers who have published everything from picture books to YA novels and are willing to share their secrets and support their students. I'm also lucky that I have such close interaction with children that I know their language, what they like, and how to engage them. Those two things, I truly believe, put me ahead of a lot of others.

Kathy Ayres' wonderful picture book Up, Down and Around has been chosen as Pennsylvania's One Book for Every Young Child! Kathy is currently touring the state reading her book to children is daycares and libraries. I encourage everyone to check out this book from one of my favorite professors/children's writers. :-)

It's been awhile. . .

I have a gmail e-mail address that I use exlusively for this blog and writing-related projects. I haven't received an e-mail in it since March 2nd. My point? Nothing has been going on in my writing life. I've been stagnant, stuck, unmoving, for over a month. Not that I haven't been writing, because I have. It's just that when it comes to submitting my work, setting up my website, and generally promoting all things literacy, I've been lazy. Most of that is due to the fact that I've been getting things done for America and working my butt off. When I think about it, ALL I have been doing is promoting literacy. :-P And, in fact, I've been the total opposite of lazy. I just have too much on my plate to think about submissions right now. Putting in 50 hour weeks on a storymobile and doing service projects all over the city can take a lot out of you. I'm even a little behind on my thesis. Ack ack ack!

Ok, all calm now. Let's talk about what I've been writing-- The Thesis (as I will refer to it until it has at least a working title) is going well, if not a little slow. I'm also currently working on a short story about a mother and daughter traveling on the Titanic. Kathy listened to me read it and said "This feels like a novel." I almost died, because I know it does. And maybe it will be at some point. But not right now. I already have one started from over a year ago that I doubt I'm ever going to have the patience to finish, plus I have to concentrate on my thesis right now. The last thing I need is another novel coming my way. . .

Marc Brown, and a limo (no, not Marc Brown IN a limo)

This past Wednesday, my Writing Picture Books class took a field trip to Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA to hear Marc Brown speak. Marc Brown, if you don't know, is the highly successful author of the Arthur the Aardvark book series, which has turned into what must be a multi-million dollar coperation thanks to the PBS series and merchandising. Brown had a lot of important things to say about the state of early childhood literacy, which I could appreciate thanks to my position with AmeriCorps and Beginning With Books. I'm currently writing an article for the AmeriCorps newsletter based on Marc Brown's beliefs, which I may post here later.

My only disappointments about the reading were that he didn't give us time to ask questions and that it was so crowded that I couldn't wait in line for him to sign my brand new copy of Wild About Books. Wild About Books is a beautiful book about a lady who drives a bookmobile into a zoo. The animals eventually begin checking out books, then writing, and eventually they open their own branch of the library right there in the zoo!

And then there was the limo. We must be the only six people on earth who have ever shown up to see a children's book author in a limo. We're fairly sure Marc Brown doesn't even get limos. . . or if he does, they're certainly not for free with fully stocked bars. haha.

Experimentally Unexperienced

So, my goal this past week was to write an "experimental" poem, a poem written in whatever style is experimental to me. Basically, I've been trying to write a poem that goes against my usual style. It hasn't been too successful so far. It isn't so much that I don't want to play around with my style, it's just that I can't come up with a topic that I feel deserves it. Or, I can't come up with a form that's perfect for any of my topics.

So, after two false starts, I was laying in bed last night thinking when I came up with this incredibly complex, interwoven subject. I already had an opening stanza that I loved, so I started building off it. Basically, the poem is a series of numbered stanzas interweaving mother/daughter relationships with my current state as a 20-something girlfriend and the complexities of sexual relationships. Yeah. . .

It's still in fragments and I have until approx. 6:30PM to finish it. I don't know how "experimental" it is, but at this point I don't care much. . . I'm happy just to be writing something at this point, and the fact that it's something I really believe in is a plus.

I have nothing to say

Ok, so that's not entirely true. I have lots to say, but it's mostly coming out in the form of poetry this week. Since this blog is about my writing news, and I have no writing news at the moment, I have no new blog entries. I haven't submitted poetry anywhere. I haven't been published again. I haven't gone to any open mics or have been featured in any readings. In short, the writing life has been a little boring.

I have my first poetry workshop of the semester tonight. I am also taking a class on writing children's picture books, so that'll be an interesting challenge. In my last children's writing class, I started out writing picture books, decided it wasn't for me, and switched to the YA novel Ice Girl. Maybe being forced to write picture books will help me learn to like writing them.

I have also been thinking about my thesis project. I'm starting a semester late, but I want to get a head start. Just the thought of it is making me crazy. Right now, I'm thinking of running with Lauren Alleyne's title suggestion of Summer of No Fear.

A couple of days ago, I started a poem about a 30-something, lobster red man sunbathing in a Speedo in Mellon park. Perhaps I will share it when it's finished.

Update

I have been implored by my friend (and regular reader) Sarah to update my blog, so here it is!

I tend to get so far behind in blogging that I just don't feel like doing it because I know I'll never catch up. This is one of those times.

To briefly catch you up on the past couple of months:


The reading on the Southside was a great success!


This is me, looking all hot, being the poetry goddess God made me. I normally don't say I look hot, but that night I did. This was only the third time I read to a group that was not largely fellow English majors/MFA students, but something about being a featured reader put the needed pressure on me. I walked out of there feeling amazingly confident in my performance. And, I got an A in the class! (Thanks, Jim!)




I spent two weeks in Trinidad with three of my classmates, soaking up the culture and writing about it. Can you believe it? Not only do I have classes that MAKE me write, but I have classs that makes me travel, too! I had such an unbelievable time that I didn't want to come back. We even got to meet Trinidadian writers Merle Hodge (below), who let us swim in her lagoon, and Earl Lovelace (!), who gave us rum and coconut water upon our arrival.

Us with Merle Hodge. Back: Carolyne, Sarah, me. Front: Carmen, Ms. Hodge.

My summer classes are finally (thankfully) winding down, and then I'll have two weeks to relax before they start up again. I'll also be starting AmeriCorps soon (more on that later) and spreading my love of words and books all over Pittsburgh.

And, in other news. Please check out Mark's new website: http://www.markcbradley.net/ and even consider buying his new book Writing Poems in the Rain. I'll love you forever if you do. :-)

Actually, I already love someone forever.

Writing...

Well, since I haven't been working, I'm been writing. . .

With Mark's book coming out and everything, it's got me thinking a lot about getting a book of my own out into the world. No, I don't have a complete mansuscript done yet. But I have been working on that YA fantasy novel of mine for some time now. I know it won't be done for years, but I'd really like to try to get it published, and that incentive has got me working on it more lately. I have this habit of getting on a roll, writing a bunch of pages, and then leaving the manuscript sit for months before I pick it up again. So, I was very happy when I started my computer up and wrote over 1,000 words on it two days in a row! I hope this is the beginning of something great.

I've also been researching PublishAmerica, where Mark published his book, as a possible publisher for my YA novel. So far, I haven't seen any negative feedback on it, and Mark has had a good experience. I've also been looking at LuLu for a special project that may happen a lot sooner. (I'm not sure how many details I am going to include here.)

My summer classes start next week. I'm taking the Craft of Nature and Environmental Writing, a special topics course on performance poetry, and a trip to Trinidad, all of which I am sure will generate lots of new work!