One of my fondest memories as a teen volunteer at the West Regional Library in Plantation, Florida, was spending half of my shift on display. In the front check-out lobby, the librarians had erected a tiny makeshift room for a teenager. Very few mothers would have allowed the strewn popcorn, empty soda can, and ratty [...]
Archive for the ‘Cheering’ Category
Banned Book Week 2010 Preview
Posted in Cheering, Publishing, Writing on September 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Potpurri
Posted in Cheering, Publishing on September 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Young Adult Lit = Profitable Movie Let’s not touch the T-word. Instead, let’s talk about the hauntingly and beautifully sad Never Let Me Go (2005) getting released this fortnight. It’s one of those Brit indies and stars such talent as Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield (the new new Spiderman). Oscar bait? Perhaps. Three-hankie [...]
The Mockingjay Speaks
Posted in Cheering, Writing, tagged Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins on August 31, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Suzanne Collins spoke at the Wellesley, MA Free Library tonight. She had no commentary and took no questions. But the 100+ or so children and young adults did not care. They arrived in force. I saw at least two “District 12″ T-shirts; my friend saw a “Down with the Capitol” shirt. Fandom for books (or [...]
“Stories Can Change Hearts.”
Posted in Cheering, Publishing, tagged Mitali Perkins on August 19, 2010 | 1 Comment »
The declarative sentence that titles this post comes from Mitali Perkins, author of the newly published Bamboo People. I’ve always loved the power of simple declarative sentences after an Honors College professor gave us War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning to read. Though intended for two very different audiences, the two books share [...]
If It had to be Someone Else, I’m Glad it’s You
Posted in Cheering on June 10, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Months ago I sent in an entry to the Associates of the Boston Public Library’s Children’s Writer-in-Residence grant. With the generous stipend and office of one’s own, the magnanimous private donor is giving you a part-time job wherein you get a salary. For writing fiction. It’s the dream. It’s what makes saving away at a [...]
Success – S-U-C-C-E-S-S – Success
Posted in Cheering on June 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Tonight is the National Spelling Bee finals. Each year, children in elementary and middle schools (at least in public schools that I know of) compete to qualify for the Regional Bee, hosted by either a community organization, a newspaper, or an E.W. Scripps (formerly Howard Scripps from my own short-lived Bee days) company. Once they [...]
Kudos!
Posted in Cheering, tagged awards, PEN, Susan Bloom on May 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Last night I attended the PEN New England Children’s Book Committee (nee Caucus) presentation of the Susan P. Bloom Discovery Awards. The Committee bestows these honors upon unpublished authors of fiction and nonfiction for children based on entries of the first ten pages (or complete picture book text) of a manuscript. The winners receive some [...]
Chapter One
Posted in Cheering, Editing, Prompting, Publishing, Revising, Thinking out Loud, Works in Progress, Writing, tagged improper citation, random thoughts on April 9, 2010 | 2 Comments »
It was a dark and stormy night. So I stayed in and started a blog. Though I may travel into another dimension in my dreams. But you, grab a sandwich, book, and kitten and get in bed. That is perfection. This blog will not be. But it will be full of wit and whimsy and [...]
