Chautauqua, Part One

First things first: Anna is now married! Her wedding on Saturday was absolutely beautiful, so touching, perfect. She and Bruno wrote their own vows, and I swear--there wasn't a dry eye in the place. So romantic and joyous. I'm sure there will be pictures later...(I have yet to upload mine).

I apologize for the late post, but after a travel day on Sunday that started at 2:30 in the morning and ended with a 12:30 pm arrival (10 hours!), I'm now in Chautauqua, NY for the Highlights Writers Workshop. It's a week-long program at the Chautauqua Institute, and even though I've only been here a day an a half so far, I absolutely love it. It's such a idyllic setting. My hotel room overlooks the lake, and this morning I woke up early enough to see the sun rising over the water. It's a gated, walking community with lots of amphitheaters and parks and gardens. There are little brown bats flying around eating all the bugs (as opposed to Little, Brown editors), and most of all, there are passionate, friendly, and excited children's book enthusiasts.

Sunday afternoon Jerry and Eileen Spinelli gave a fun, playful talk at a chicken cook-out--they basically interviewed each other. Some little tidbits I learned was that Eileen consistently beats Jerry in Scrabble, and that Jerry's slippers at home are 20-years-old. These are things about authors that we need to know!

This morning Peter Jacobi gave a detailed informative speech about how our work need to soar. His mantra that we repeated after him at the end:

Fly, Oh Thought of Mine, on Golden Wings.

I met with four authors one-on-one for 30 minutes, going over pages I had read and critiqued ahead of time, and in the afternoon, after sitting in on Patricia Lee Gauch's workshop on Conflict and Tension, and then Stephen Roxburgh's on Plot, I gave my first of two talks, From Slush to Contract. It's a talk I've given several times before, but as usual I tweaked and specialized it for the audience. I think it was well-received...

And tonight I've just returned from a lovely dinner where Candace Fleming told her own Chautauqua success story. She first came as an attendee 16 years ago, and has now published 22 books with more on the way.

I'm absolutely loving this conference, and so far, would highly recommend it to authors. I believe it's pricey, but they do offer scholarships and grants. And people come from all over the world--so far I've met writers from Ecuador, Turkey, Japan, and Israel.

Tomorrow morning the legendary Patricia Lee Gauch is giving a keynote, and then I meet with my remaining three authors. Everyone meets with their faculty member twice during the week, which I think is a great format.

And so, with that, I bit you all good night. More next week!

POETRY FRIDAY: Anniversary by Cecilia Woloch

On July 19th, my husband and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. I was a lucky girl. I met my husband in high school. We started dating when we were fifteen. My Mike is a great husband and father, a wonderful friend and brother, and a fabulous cook. We’ve been together for nearly fifty years!

I’ll be away in Maine next Friday—so I thought I’d post a special anniversary poem this week.


Anniversary
by Cecilia Woloch

Didn’t I stand there once,
white-knuckled, gripping the just-lit taper,
swearing I’d never go back?
And hadn’t you kissed the rain from my mouth?
And weren’t we gentle and awed and afraid…

You can read the rest of the poem here.

Here is a picture of Mike and me that was taken recently at the wedding

of the son of two of our best friends.

At Wild Rose Reader, I have two original acrostics: CRAB and CRICKETS. I also have a recommendation for a book of summer acrostics by Steven Schnur.

At Political Verses, I have a poem about the resignation speech of Alaska’s Governor entitled Sarah Palin’s Swan/Duck/Goose Song.

Jama Rattigan has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.

Chinasprout Promotion

Did you miss the free bookplate offer from my online booklaunch? Don't worry! You can still get an autographed book!


Chinasprout is offering 10% off copies of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon which will include this special bookplate that I made & autographed for them:



So get a book while supplies last. And don't forget to take a photo with it! Remember:
Go and post your photos!

final fish?

Long-time readers of my blog posts may remember when I was tormented by fish (from this post and this post)--images of fish seemed to swimming in my subconscious, popping up at me randomly and incessantly, as if reminding me that I needed to make a fish book. I thought I had exorcised them when I wrote Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, where a goldfish's voice is finally heard. That, I thought, would be the end of my bizarre fish sightings.

But I was wrong. Today, in the mail, I received this mysterious package:
Strangely, it seemed to be for no one and from myself (but I didn't send it, at least I don't think I did).

Inside is a small white box that contains a....


What?

Yes, it's some kind of fish pin--a real fish encased in resin, then made into a pin.

Accompanying this box is a card that is addressed to "Megan" from "Judith." I don't know a Megan (spelled this way) or a Judith. And who is Andrew? A husband? Son? Boyfriend?



Very curious! Very mysterious! It's like a beginning of a novel! Perhaps it is some sort of sign, a message that there are more fish wanting to be set free from my subconscious. That another fish book is in my destiny.

Or that I just opened Megan's birthday gift from Judith. Sorry, Megan!

Going to the chapel, er, field with an oak tree...

What wedding is complete without 6 giant bunny heads?



Gettin' hitched this weekend... see you on the other side (with pictures)!

Sneak Peek at Spring 2010

We had our Focus meeting a few weeks ago where we presented to our Sales, Marketing, and Publicity teams our Spring/Summer 2010 list for the first time. I thought I'd give you all a sneak peek of my (and Connie's) titles:

picture books:
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney.
This is a title that I'm handling for our editor-in-chief during her maternity leave, and it's been a real honor to work on this beautiful book with such an amazing team. This is a nonfiction picture book about the momentous Greensboro, South Carolina Woolworth's lunch counter sit-ins that started on February 1, 1960. Next year will be the 50th Anniversary of this historic moment that helped spur on the entire Civil Rights movement.

Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
A hilarious, wacky book that pits Shark against Train in increasingly silly scenarios. Shark and Train play basketball, go bowling, play hide-and-seek, have a burping contest, and more. Who do you think wins, and who are you going to root for, Shark or Train?

Look! A Book! by Bob Staake
This is another project I'm handling for our Editor in Chief. Bob Staake is an award-winning author/illustrator of over 40 books who also has numerous New Yorker covers to his name. This is a fun seek-and-find book in the tradition of Where's Waldo, but with an innovative format using die-cuts on every page.

Board books:
Boy of Mine and Girl of Mine by Jabari Asim, illustrated by LeUyen Pham*
These are two board books that are companions to the adorable Whose Knees are These and Whose Toes are Those by the same team. The text in these two bedtime board books is fun and lyrical, and LeUyen's illustrations are absolutely brilliant. I can't wait to give these books as gifts to my friends with babies!

Middle Grade Fiction:
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same by Grace Lin
This isn't really Middle Grade, but it falls between MG and picture book, so this is where we slotted it. This is an early reader, 48 pages, full color throughout, about two irresistible twins named Ling and Ting. They look exactly alike, but in reality they're very different. This is an exciting new format for Grace, and one that we haven't published much before either, but it's an absolutely beautiful, adorable book. Was Ling named after me? You'll have to ask Grace. :)

Moonshadow: The Rise of the Ninja by Simon Higgins*
A fun action adventure set in ancient Japan, and written by an expert of Japanese swordplay. This book was first published in Australia. This is a little more light and commercial that my usual books, but I loved the humor, the action scenes, the little bit of magic, and the historic setting. And although the main character is a boy, he encounters a girl ninja spy along the way, so there's plenty of girl power here as well. And who can resist ninjas?

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins by R.A. Spratt, illustrated by Dan Santat*
This is my assistant Connie Hsu's second acquisition, but I wanted to include it here because it's so frickin AWESOME. This is Mary Poppins meets Babe with the wicked sense of humor of Roald Dahl. This is the story of three kids and their nanny--who just happens to be a pig, and a wonderful adventurous, stylish one at that. Oh, and she has an insatiable love of chocolate. Here's a character sketch of Nanny Piggins in her former life as a circus pig.

Young adult fiction:
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
This is a debut urban fantasy set in New Zealand and steeped in Maori lore. What impressed me most was the sharp, fresh voice and the kick-ass main character. It's deliciously creepy, sexy, scary, funny, and full of adventure, Maori fairies, monsters, and of course an epic battle. We already have endorsements from Holly Black and Libba Bray, the latter who says, "Mark my words, Karen Healey is going to be a big star." I believe it.

Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick
When I first read this novel, I was on the subway, and I was right in the middle of a very tragic, heartbreaking scene that resulted in snot and tears running down my face--pretty embarrassing. But people who know me know that I'm a sucker for books that make me cry, and this was love at first sight for me. This book is Juno meets Stargirl--Juno for it's fresh, spunky voice, and Stargirl because of its message of optimism and hope.


Stay tuned for these books next Spring/Summer!

*books Connie took the editorial lead on

Psychoanalysis: An Elegy by Jack Spicer

I think it's about time to build an ark in my backyard. We've had nearly forty days of rain in a row. Everything I touch is damp! I hope we see a little sun here for the holiday weekend is over!

Psychoanalysis: An Elegy
by Jack Spicer

What are you thinking about?


I am thinking of an early summer.
I am thinking of wet hills in the rain
Pouring water. Shedding it
Down empty acres of oak and manzanita
Down to the old green brush tangled in the sun,
Greasewood, sage, and spring mustard.
Or the hot wind coming down from Santa Ana
Driving the hills crazy,
A fast wind with a bit of dust in it
Bruising everything and making the seed sweet.
Or down in the city where the peach trees
Are awkward as young horses,
And there are kites caught on the wires
Up above the street lamps,
And the storm drains are all choked with dead branches.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

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At Wild Rose Reader, I have an original “tortoise” acrostic and reviews of two pictures books with fables written in verse.

At Political Verses, I have poems from Frances Richey’s book The Warrior: A Mother’s Story of a Son at War. The post also includes a video of Richey and her son speaking with Jeffrey Brown on the Online NewsHour Poetry Series.


Tabatha A. Yeats has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.