KATHRYN ERSKINE: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Truth and authenticity shine through in the best fiction. Part of that truth comes from research, which enables writers to portray accurately the people, places and things in their stories. The more earnest writers are in their research--whether it is conventional or unconventional--the more believable and compelling their fiction will be.
On November 17, Kathryn Erskine will talk about the research she did for her novels, including her 2010 National Book Award winner, Mockingbird. She will speak as well about her current research for both historical and contemporary novels. Erskine is an instructor with the Writer’s Center and WriterHouse, a consultant and a frequent workshop presenter.
Time: 11:15–Social Hour; Noon–Luncheon
Place: Pier 7 Restaurant at the Channel Inn
650 Water Street, SW, Washington, DC
Menu: All choices $25.00
Regular: Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach, Herbs and Mozzarella, Couscous
Alternate: St. Peter's Fish with Fresh Tomato and Basil
Vegetarian: Greek Salad (Greens, Olives, Tomato, Feta)
Dessert: Apple Pie
Special Order: Steamed or Grilled Veggies, Fruit Cup for Dessert
IN THIS ISSUE
1. Barb Langridge's Inspiring October Program
2. Member News
3. Frostburg's Storybook Holiday
4. Fall Get-Together
MEMBER NEWS
Barbara Ann Porte will present a poetry reading as part of the IOTA Poetry series, hosted by Miles David Moore. The program will include readings by Ellen Cole and Kathi Wolfe, followed by open-mike presentations. It will be held Sunday, November 13, at 6 p.m., at the IOTA Club and Cafe, 2832 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington (two blocks from the Clarendon Metro stop). Street and garage parking is available and admission is free. For additional information please contact host Miles David Moore at 703-256-9275 or miles3855@aol.com.
Troy Howell's novel, The Dragon of Cripple Creek, was chosen for the American Booksellers Association's 2011 New Voices list. The list recognizes outstanding debut works for middle-grade and teen readers: http://news.bookweb.org/news/abc-new-voices-flier-promotes-outstanding-debut-works-middle-grade-and-teen-readers.
Erica Perl has abundant news to share. Her YA novel, Vintage Veronica, is coming out in paperback October 11, 2011, from Random House's lovely new Ember imprint, with the same gorgeous cover as the hardback. Erica notes, however, that as Betsy Bird discussed recently (http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2011/09/30/overweight-and-invisible/), the book's cover does not reflect the fact that it has a plus-size teen protagonist. Erica was interviewed recently by fellow Guild member Maria Salvadore for Reading Rockets, thereby joining their amazing video archive: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/perl/. Reading Rockets also featured Erica's book Dotty as the subject of a gorgeous back-to-school ecard (and lunchbox notes): http://www.readingrockets.org/content/e-cards/setup.php?photo_id=29.
Always eager to interact with readers and fellow writers, Erica presented her work in Vermont, at the Burlington Book Festival, along with Cynthia Lord, Kate Messner, Jo Knowles, Kara Lareau, Sarah Albee, Elizabeth Bluemle, Linda Urban and many other great writers (and lovely people!). And she spoke on a panel with Michael Buckley and Laurel Snyder at the SLJ Leadership Summit on the subject of authors using social media to engage their audience. Finally, a sixth-grade boy made her month by writing a glowing review of her middle-grade novel, When Life Gives You O.J.: http://www.booktrends.org/2011/09/review-when-life-gives-you-oj-by-erica.html.
Uma Krishnaswami spoke at the Ninth IBBY Regional Conference, sponsored by USBBY, October 21 to 23, 2011, in Fresno, Calif. Her session, titled Two Books, Two Forms, Two Storylines, One Worldview, addressed the creation of two of her books, the picture book Out of the Way! Out of the Way! and the middle-grade novel The Grand Plan to Fix Everything. Both stories convey themes of understanding and coexistence–one in an environmental context, the other relative to friendships spanning continents. Uma talked about crafting fiction, from idea fragments to completed books, while writing across borders of geography, nationality, culture and even politics.
Pamela Duncan Edwards's book Princess Pigtoria has been selected for the Bill Martin, Jr., Picture Book Awards List for 2012 (Kansas). Princess Pigtoria has also been given a Gold Award by the Oppenheim Portfolio and has been selected for the 2012 Mockingbird Award, for grades K-2, by the Abilene Independent School District, Texas.
Cynthia Grady's book of poems, I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery, will be released in January 2012, but the illustrator, Michele Wood, is exhibiting her work now. From November 26 through February 11, the paintings for the book will be on exhibit at Waterworks Visual Arts Center, in Salisbury, N.C. In addition, the poems are being put to music. Overseeing that endeavor will be Professor Phillip Burgess of Catawba College in Salisbury.
Fred Bowen's 17th book was published by Peachtree Publishers in August. Quarterback Season, a football story written in the form of a journal, received a very positive review in Booklist.
Joan Carris writes, "Howdy! My nice news is that all three Bed and Biscuit books, including the latest, Magic at the Bed and Biscuit (Candlewick 2011), are now available as audiobooks from Brilliance Audio. Y’all listen! "
Brenda Seabrooke's literary short story "Potiphar's Wife" will appear in the next issue of Kerem,Creative Explorations in Judaism, which is published by the Jewish Study Center Press in Washington, D.C.
FROSTBURG'S STORYBOOK HOLIDAY
Time: 11:15–Social Hour; Noon–Luncheon
Place: Pier 7 Restaurant at the Channel Inn
650 Water Street, SW, Washington, DC
Menu: All choices $25.00
Regular: Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach, Herbs and Mozzarella, Couscous
Alternate: St. Peter's Fish with Fresh Tomato and Basil
Vegetarian: Greek Salad (Greens, Olives, Tomato, Feta)
Dessert: Apple Pie
Special Order: Steamed or Grilled Veggies, Fruit Cup for Dessert
IN THIS ISSUE
1. Barb Langridge's Inspiring October Program
2. Member News
3. Frostburg's Storybook Holiday
4. Fall Get-Together
BARB LANGRIDGE: THE WONDER WAS CONTAGIOUS
by Fred Bowen
Barb Langridge is a woman who wears many hats. She is:
· a Howard County librarian
· a local Baltimore TV personality
· the host of Books Alive, a cable show that features children’s authors
· the keeper of A Book and a Hug, a website devoted to children’s books.
But most of all, Langridge is a tireless advocate of children’s books and the people who make them. She brought her boundless enthusiasm and broad knowledge of children’s literature to her talk at the October luncheon of the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C.
Langridge reminded everyone present that the work of writing children’s books, illustrating children’s books and connecting kids to those books is important. Especially now. Langridge said that children’s books and the sense of wonder they bring to their young readers serve as a crucial balance to today’s popular media culture--a culture that just this year chose to feature an interview with Snooki, the infamous bad girl of the reality show Jersey Shore, on the Today Show instead of the recent winners of the Newbery and Caldecott medals.
Langridge also took the Guild members on a quickie tour of her website, www.abookandahug.com. This website is a place where parents and other adults can find books for their kids, where kids can write reviews and where teachers and librarians can find in-depth interviews of authors to use in their classrooms.
On a personal note, Langridge interviewed me a year ago. Unlike most interviewers, she had clearly read all my books, knew my columns for the Post and had thought about them. The interview–it lasted more than 50 minutes–was by far the most comprehensive conversation about my work that I had ever experienced. It was fun, too.
Because whether she is on TV, interviewing an author or finding just the right book for a reluctant reader, Barb Langridge makes children’s books fun.
MEMBER NEWS
Barbara Ann Porte will present a poetry reading as part of the IOTA Poetry series, hosted by Miles David Moore. The program will include readings by Ellen Cole and Kathi Wolfe, followed by open-mike presentations. It will be held Sunday, November 13, at 6 p.m., at the IOTA Club and Cafe, 2832 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington (two blocks from the Clarendon Metro stop). Street and garage parking is available and admission is free. For additional information please contact host Miles David Moore at 703-256-9275 or miles3855@aol.com.
Troy Howell's novel, The Dragon of Cripple Creek, was chosen for the American Booksellers Association's 2011 New Voices list. The list recognizes outstanding debut works for middle-grade and teen readers: http://news.bookweb.org/news/abc-new-voices-flier-promotes-outstanding-debut-works-middle-grade-and-teen-readers.
Always eager to interact with readers and fellow writers, Erica presented her work in Vermont, at the Burlington Book Festival, along with Cynthia Lord, Kate Messner, Jo Knowles, Kara Lareau, Sarah Albee, Elizabeth Bluemle, Linda Urban and many other great writers (and lovely people!). And she spoke on a panel with Michael Buckley and Laurel Snyder at the SLJ Leadership Summit on the subject of authors using social media to engage their audience. Finally, a sixth-grade boy made her month by writing a glowing review of her middle-grade novel, When Life Gives You O.J.: http://www.booktrends.org/2011/09/review-when-life-gives-you-oj-by-erica.html.
Uma Krishnaswami spoke at the Ninth IBBY Regional Conference, sponsored by USBBY, October 21 to 23, 2011, in Fresno, Calif. Her session, titled Two Books, Two Forms, Two Storylines, One Worldview, addressed the creation of two of her books, the picture book Out of the Way! Out of the Way! and the middle-grade novel The Grand Plan to Fix Everything. Both stories convey themes of understanding and coexistence–one in an environmental context, the other relative to friendships spanning continents. Uma talked about crafting fiction, from idea fragments to completed books, while writing across borders of geography, nationality, culture and even politics.
Pamela Duncan Edwards's book Princess Pigtoria has been selected for the Bill Martin, Jr., Picture Book Awards List for 2012 (Kansas). Princess Pigtoria has also been given a Gold Award by the Oppenheim Portfolio and has been selected for the 2012 Mockingbird Award, for grades K-2, by the Abilene Independent School District, Texas.
Fred Bowen's 17th book was published by Peachtree Publishers in August. Quarterback Season, a football story written in the form of a journal, received a very positive review in Booklist.
Brenda Seabrooke's literary short story "Potiphar's Wife" will appear in the next issue of Kerem,Creative Explorations in Judaism, which is published by the Jewish Study Center Press in Washington, D.C.
FROSTBURG'S STORYBOOK HOLIDAY
Bundle up and head to Frostburg, Md., to join in the winter festivities at this year’s Storybook Holiday, Saturday, December 3, 2011! Start the day off with a breakfast, where elves will serve and entertain you (tickets sold in advance). Immediately after, join the elves outside to cheer on your favorites during the traditional Elf Olympics, followed by a magical parade down Main Street. Author Jerdine Nolen will be on hand to share her winter story with the community. Then, see City Place turned into a winter wonderland, filled with family fun activities. Throughout the day, elves will be hosting storybook readings, and these will be followed by the annual cookie contest. End the day by purchasing your ticket to watch the 1947 classic The Bishop’s Wife at the town’s Palace Theatre. For more information, please contact the Children’s Literature Centre at clc@frostburg.edu or (301) 687-3133.
Mark your calendar for a
FALL GET-TOGETHER
To celebrate one another
Guild members, spouses and significant others are invited to a pot-luck supper at the Chings' home in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Saturday, November 5
6:00 to 9:30 p.m.
RSVP to Edie (edie.ching@verizon.net)
or Peggy (peggyjack@aol.com)
Please specify the dish you'd like to bring to share.
TRYING SOMETHING DIFFERENT...
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| Guild members enjoy a tasty buffet lunch at the October 20 meeting, held at Bailey's Sports Grille, Arlington. |
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