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Greek gods and goddesses have been a part of cultural history since ancient times, but how much do you really know about them? You can learn more about these figures from Greek mythology by reading the lesser known facts below and by visiting the newly launched Oxford Classical Dictionary online.

The post Ten things you may not have known about Greek gods and goddesses appeared first on OUPblog.

By Matthew D. Tribbe

Today marks the forty-fifth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. To understand Apollo’s place in history, it might be helpful to go back forty-four rather than forty-five years, to the very first anniversary of the event in 1970. That July, several newspapers conducted informal surveys that revealed large majorities of Americans could no longer remember the name of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. This does not mean they forgot the event — few who watched it ever forgot the event — but it suggests that we need to reconsider what Apollo meant to Americans at the time, and what it can tell us about the history of the 1960s and 1970s.

Dave Eggers’s new novel, Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?, opens with a disturbed man peppering an astronaut he has kidnapped with questions about why the United States has not revisited the moon since the early 1970s. America, Eggers’s protagonist complains, is not living up to its promise — a failure seen clearly in its betrayal of the space program. This is a common complaint among the many Americans who yearn to return to an aggressive program of human exploration, and to whom it makes no sense that the United States called it quits after the Apollo program ended in 1972.

The truth is, sending men to the moon in 1969 did not make sense to a majority of Americans in the first place, let alone continuing with an ambitious effort to send astronauts on to Mars or permanent space colonies, as advocates urged. In fact, with the exception of a brief period following Apollo 11, poll after poll in the late 1960s revealed a public that disapproved of the high cost of the moon race, the rush to complete it before 1970, and the misplaced priorities it represented. Beneath all the celebratory rhetoric and vague notions that Apollo somehow changed everything was a realization that it really had not changed much at all. It certainly did not inaugurate any “new era” in history, as many assumed it would. Instead, Americans grew indifferent to the program shortly after the first landing, as the rapid dismissal of Armstrong from the national consciousness indicated. In 1970, the final three planned Apollo missions — what would have been Apollos 18, 19, and 20 — were cancelled, and few Americans complained.

What happened? Why didn’t Apollo even complete its original plan of ten moon landings, let alone fundamentally alter history? There are some obvious reasons. The Cold War, Apollo’s original impetus, had eased considerably by the late 1960s, and with the moon race won there was little interest in continuing an expensive crash program of exploration. There were also more pressing social issues (and a divisive war) to deal with at the time, eroding NASA’s budget and scuttling any ambitious post-Apollo agenda.

But there is another significant reason why human space exploration not only waned after Apollo but also why Apollo itself failed to have the impact most expected it would: cultural changes in the late 1960s undermined interest in the kind of progress Apollo symbolized. By 1969, the Space Age values that were associated with Apollo — faith in rational progress, optimism that science and technology would continue to propel the nation toward an ever brighter future — were being challenged not just by a growing skepticism of technology, which was expressed throughout popular and intellectual culture, but by a broader anti-rationalist backlash that first emerged in the counterculture before becoming mainstream by the early 1970s.

Space advocates in the 1970s envisioned a near future of Mars missions and permanent space colonies, like the one pictured here. With public and political support dwindling, however, NASA had to settle for the technologically impressive but much less ambitious shuttle program. Courtesy NASA Ames Research Center.

This anti-rationalism, and its penetration into mainstream culture, can be seen in the reaction to Apollo of one well-known American: Charles Lindbergh. Life — the magazine of Middle America — in 1969 asked Lindbergh to pen a reflection on Apollo. He refused, and instead sent a letter that Life published in which he claimed he no longer believed rationality was the proper path to understanding the universe. “In instinct rather than intellect lay the cosmic plan of life,” he wrote, anticipating not further space travel of the Apollo variety, but, in language reminiscent of the mystical ending of the contemporaneous 2001: A Space Odyssey, “voyages inconceivable by our 20th century rationality . . . through peripheries untouched by time and space.” “Will we discover that only without spaceships can we reach the galaxies?” he asked in closing, and his answer was yes: “To venture beyond the fantastic accomplishments of this physically fantastic age, sensory perception must combine with the extrasensory. . . . I believe it is through sensing and thinking about such concepts that great adventures of the future will be found.”

Lindbergh was far from alone with these sentiments, as evidenced by the overwhelmingly positive letters to the editor they drew. American culture by 1969 was moving away from the rationality that undergirded the Apollo missions, as Americans began investing more importance in non-rational perspectives — in religion and mysticism, mystery and magic; in meditation or ecstatic prayer rather than in shooting men to the moon; in journeys of personal discovery over journeys to other planets. Apollo was thrilling to most who watched it, but it failed to offer sufficient deeper meaning in a culture that was beginning to eschew the rationalist version of progress it represented.

So, why didn’t Apollo make a bigger splash? Why did it mark the end of an era of human exploration rather than the beginning? In short, “the Sixties” happened, and the space program has never recovered. It is entirely possible that, when viewed from its 100th or (if we last so long) 1000th anniversary, Apollo will indeed be considered the beginning of a space-faring era that is yet to come. In the meantime, understanding the retreat away from the Space Age’s rationalist culture not only helps us understand what happened to the space program after Apollo, but also what happened to the United States in that maelstrom we call “the Sixties.”

Matthew Tribbe is a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at the University of Connecticut, and the author of No Requiem for the Space Age: The Apollo Moon Landings and American Culture.

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The post Why we don’t go to the moon anymore appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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The Greek tragedies by the “big three” are so formal and often over-the-top to my modern-day ear that I enjoy poking a bit of irreverent fun at them. I was looking forward to doing the same with Euripides’ Orestes but it is such an interesting play that I have to take it seriously. Mostly. I read a fantastic translation by Anne Carson. My respect for her work continues to grow the more I read it. She really is top-notch and better than Robert Fagles in my opinion.

I imagine Orestes was probably the third play in the traditional three-play cycle and we just don’t have the others. But since the introduction doesn’t mention this, perhaps Euripides placed it differently in his play cycle. Oh, wait, Euripides has an Elektra too. So much for reading in order. Anyway, the story that comes before this play is the murder of Agamemnon by his wife Clytemnestra when he returns from Troy. Orestes who has been fostered out, returns and kills his mother. Now, in this play he suffers the consequences: the Furies.

But Euripides does something so totally unexpected and I would love to have seen how the audience reacted when it was performed at the Dionysian Festival in 408 B.C. Whereas others like Aeschylus, portrayed the Furies as actual women flying through the air relentlessly chasing Orestes and tormenting him, Euripides turns them into a psychological metaphor for guilt. Not that they weren’t before, but the Furies in this play are all in Orestes’ head, they have no physical manifestation. Apparently Euripides introduced into Greek theatre

a concern for the solitary inward self, for consciousness as a private content that might or might not match up with the outside appearance of a person, that might or might not make sense to an observer. He lived at a time when philosophers as well as artists were becoming intrigued by this difference between outside and inside, appearance and reality, and were advancing various theories about what truth is and where truth lies.

In Euripides’ story of Orestes, his sister Elektra and his best friend Pylades helped him kill Clytemnestra at the command of the god Apollo. Nonetheless, Orestes is still being tormented with the guilt of murdering his mother even though he did the right thing according to Apollo and according to custom that the son must avenge the murder of his father. But it gets complicated when the murderer is your mother and there is a law against matricide.

This then being a psychological situation with Orestes looking inward we get conversation like this:

MENELAOS: What’s wrong with you? What sickness wastes you away?

ORESTES: Conscience. I know what I have done.

MENELAOS: How do you mean?

ORESTES: Grief is killing me.

MENELAOS: She is a dread goddess. But curable.

ORESTES: And fits of madness. Mother madness. Mother blood.

It has only been six days since his mother’s burial. Though surprised by his grief and guilt, he is still expecting Apollo to come through for him and absolve him of his crime and madness.

The town has been holding the guilt-stricken Orestes and his co-conspirators captive trying to figure out what to do with them. Menelaus, Agamemnon’s brother arrives with his wife Helen and their daughter Hermione on the eve of the town taking a vote on whether or not Orestes and friends will be stoned to death. Orestes pleads with Menelaus to intercede for them but he pretty much claims he can’t do anything but that he will try anyway. Elektra, Orestes and Pylades start making a plan directed at the hateful Helen (“the weapon of mass destruction” she is called in the play by Pylades) who they see as being the one at fault for the mess they are in since she is the one who started the war and thus the whole chain of terrible events leading up to this moment in time.

We will miss your voice, which so often echoed our own.

Lauren Appelwick

The morning of June 9th, I and about 500 NYC elementary school students gathered at the Apollo theater to dance, gawk at rap music icons, and…learn about healthy eating. Hip Hop HEALS (Healthy Eating and Living in Schools) is a program that seeks to teach young people the rules for healthy living, ways to prevent heart disease and strokes, and curb the incidences of childhood obesity.

The showcase featured rap stars Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee, Artie Green, Chuck D (via video), Grandmaster Caz, Easy A.D., DJ Webstar and New York State first lady Michelle Paterson, among a number of student performers.

“You’re giving energy and you’re getting it back,” said Doug E. Fresh. “We wanna use hip hop as a positive tool to influence and enlighten.”

To the beats of Snoop Dogg, for instance, students were encouraged

If it’s deep fried and greasy
Drop it like it’s hot, drop it like it’s hot, drop it like it’s hot
If it’s high in calories
Drop it like it’s hot, drop it like it’s hot, drop it like it’s hot
If it’s rotting out your teeth
Drop it like it’s hot, drop it like it’s hot, drop it like it’s hot

“We believe it’s the music and cartoons that really are the heart and soul of the program,” said Stroke Diaries author and Harlem Hospital’s “Hip Hop Doc” Olajide Williams, MD.

Dr. Williams is the founder and director of the Hip Hop Public Education Center, which has also partnered with the National Stroke Association to develop the Hip Hop Stroke program. In a video, Williams says, “When I first saw the program that they had developed, I was very excited, I thought, ‘This has terrific potential.’ There was only one thing missing: in the program they had developed, there was no hip hop.”

So the Hip Hop Doc teamed up with Doug E. Fresh to produce a series of cartoons to further the mission. Each video features a rap song. Stroke Ain’t No Joke, <

Tonight’s the night!

Children’s author Lila Guzman will present a special teleclass for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club called “Avoiding Red Flags”!

Learn how to avoid the most common mistakes in your manuscript that send up red flags to editors!

The teleclass starts at 7:00 central time and will last for 55 minutes.

Members are invited to attend this LIVE teleclass, but the teleclass will also be recorded and members will receive a link to the recording tomorrow.

Join the club here!

Come on. You know you want to!

If you’re a children’s writer, is the children’s educational market for you?

Take the following quiz from Rita Milios to find out.

Answer each of the following questions as honestly as you can:

1. Are you an “information junkie?”

a) Definitely. I love discovering new information, reflecting on new ideas and broadening my scope of expertise.
b) Sort of. I enjoy discovering new information and ideas, but I value my own ideas just as much.
c) I really don’t care that much about information; I create mainly from my own imagination.

2. What does it mean to you to share ideas with children and shape their learning?

a) I view this as a big responsibility and therefore I feel the need to consider carefully everything that I write for them.
b) I recognize that a responsibility exists, but expect editors to be the ones responsible for the educational aspect of a writing project.
c) I really don’t feel any special responsibility; I just write what I write and let the market figure out how it fits.

3. How often do you write on assignment?

a) Often. Assignment writing is my main method of working. I enjoy it.
b) Only occasionally, but I would like to do more. I enjoy it.
c) Never. I prefer to make my own schedule and execute my own ideas.

4. How closely do you follow writer’s guidelines?

a) I realize that they are crucial; therefore I read them carefully and follow them exactly.
b) I view them as suggestions; if they fit my plan I follow them, but I feel free to adjust them as I see fit.
c) I really don’t consider these important; guidelines stifle my creativity, so I usually ignore them.

5. How much communication do you expect to have with an editor when you are writing on assignment?

a) I expect a fair amount of contact in the beginning, probably via guidelines and email updates, then less as the work goes on. But I do expect that I will be able to ask questions and have them replied to promptly.
b) I expect that an editor will be available to do a little “hand-holding” as I find my way through a project. If I have questions, I expect to be able to call an editor and get it answered right away.
c) I expect an editor to be train me (preferably via phone) in the specifics of a
project and to return all my phone calls promptly.

5. How flexible are you in working with editorial changes–project delays or crunches, changes in editorial direction, new components added to a project, etc?

a) I realize that changes in direction and new requirements are often a part of
such projects and I deal with them professionally-–doing what is asked as
promptly as possible, without complaining.
b) I realize that changes in direction and new requirements are often a part of
such projects and I try to deal with them professionally-, but I sometimes
feel obliged to let my editor know about my frustrations with such changes.
c) I feel that such changes are unacceptable and I will not make these kinds of adjustments. That is the job of the editor.

6. How comfortable are you with research and where do you find it?

a) Reputable research is vital, so I use only sources recognized as reliable (primary sources, academic materials, internet sites related to a college, institution or association that is regarded for its expertise in a field, etc.).
b) I recognize that reputable sources are important, and I use these; but I place equal value on more informal research such as blog posts and personal websites.
c) Google is the only source I ever need. I use whatever sites are returned as
the top sites in a Google search.

7. How important do you believe creativity is in education writing?

a) Creativity is extremely important. It is what separates great educational
writing from mediocre and is a expected by publishers today.
b) Creativity is helpful; when you have the flexibility to be more creative, it is good to incorporate it into the writing.
c) Creativity does not have much place in educational writing. Writing that is
mostly didactic and encyclopedic is perfectly acceptable.

8. Are you capable of (and enjoy) writing at various grade levels?

a) Definitely I can write equally well at a variety of grade levels, and I enjoy the challenge and creativity of such options.
b) I have written for at least a couple of different age levels and I am eager to learn the specific requirements for each grade level.
c) I only write for one age or grade level and do not want to add more.

9. Are you capable of (and enjoy) creating different kinds of materials–books, workbooks, quizzes, crafts, activities, flash chards, etc.?

a) I have created many of these in the past, and I know I can learn how to create others.
b) I have not done much of this kind of work, but I am willing and eager to learn how.
c) I never want to write anything other than the nonfiction articles or fiction
stories that I currently write.

10. How familiar are you with curriculum guidelines?

a) I know where to access different states’ curriculum guidelines, and have
used these for previous educational assignments.
b) I trust that I can find this information and am willing to spend some time learning how to use it in my educational writing,
c) What? This sounds too restrictive for me. I’m not interested in adhering to such guidelines.

****************************
Scoring: Give yourself 10 points for each “a” answer, 6 pints for each “b” answer and 3 points for each “c” answer. Total your score for all answers.

If your Total is 80-100 points, congratulations! You are definitely ready (or already on your way) to be an educational writer. You have the right combination of professional attitude, skills, knowledge, curiosity, and social responsibility to make a great children’s educational writer.

If your Total is between 60 and 80 points, good for you! You have the right attitude, curiosity and some of the skills and knowledge you’ll need to be a great children’s educational writer. You also have the willingness to learn and grow in your skills and knowledge in order to achieve your goal.

If your Total is between 40 and 60 points, you may need to work harder to accomplish your goal of writing for the children’s educational market. Look back at the questions you gave “c” answers to. Do these reflect an unwillingness to compromise or to be flexible? Do your answers indicate that you consider your personal independence as a creator of the utmost importance? If so, you may need to adjust this attitude and recognize that the requirements of educational writing, which is often based on assignments and detailed guidelines, is in its own way creative.

In addition, it can be very rewarding to work as a team player once in a while. If you can achieve this new perspective, you will be much more likely to make a good educational writer.

If your Total is less than 40 points, yikes! You have challenges ahead, should you choose to pursue the niche of children’s educational writing. Review the questions and suggestions in the above scoring and see if these may indicate to you some areas where you may wish to make adjustments. If not, then education writing may simply not be your cup of teas, after all.

*********************

To learn more about writing for the children’s educational markets, join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club today and attend a special LIVE teleclass today at 2:00 eastern time with
Rita Milios. Once you join the club, you will receive an email invitation to this event. Later, you will receive a link to a recording of this event so you can listen to it again any time you want.

This Thursday, February 28 , 2008, at 2:00 p.m. eastern time, the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club will offer another exciting and informative teleclass for children’s writers.

Rita Milios will present session 1 in the Writing for Children’s Educational Markets Series - The Lucrative Educational Market: Where Do YOU Fit In?

Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club today and find out on Thursday if writing for the educational markets is right for you.

When you join the club you will receive links to these other three teleclasses that were presented earlier this month:

Lila Guzman - Show Me the Money: Writing Biographies for Young Readers

Margot Finke - Picture (Book) Perfect

Simon Rose - Beyond Belief: Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy for Young Readers (part 1 of a 2 part teleclass)

Every month, club members are given the opportunity to attend 4 LIVE 55-minute teleclasses about some aspect of writing and publishing for children. Later, the links to these recorded classes are sent to all members, too.

Join the CWCC here.

This week’s teleclass for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club will take place at 7:00 central time. Author Simon Rose will be the instructor for Beyond Belief: Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy for Young Readers. This is part 1 of a 2 part teleclass conducted by Simon Rose.

To take part in the class tonight, join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club today, then look for an email this afternoon with the call in information you’ll need tonight.

To learn more about Simon Rose and his books for children, visit his website at www.simon-rose.com

This week’s teleclass for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club will be presented by children’s author Simon Rose. The teleclass will take place Thursday night, February 21, at 7:00 central time.

Join Simon Rose for part one of this two part teleclass which explores writing science fiction and fantasy for younger readers, covering such topics as imagining plausible technology, crafting realistic settings, character creation and effective time travel stories.

Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club and receive an email invitation to this event. You’ll also receive links to every teleclass this month, so you won’t miss out on anything, even if you join the club in the middle of the month.

To learn more about Simon Rose, visit his website at www.simon-rose.com.

This week’s teleclass for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club will be presented by children’s author Margot Finke. She’ll talk about what it takes to write a children’s picture book. Just look at what she’ll cover in this fun and informative teleclass:

PICTURE (BOOK) PERFECT

* Good grammar and punctuation
* Tight writing — use a few carefully chosen words to write a “big” story.
* The benefit of bringing powerful verbs into play.
* How to paint word pictures that will stick in a child’s head.
* How to write active paragraphs that easily translate into illustrations
* How to FOCUS on what is important to the story — and cut the rest.
* The art of crafting characters kids will identify with and root for.
* Develop a writing “voice” that is unique.

This LIVE teleclass will take place on Wednesday, February 13, 2008, at 4:00 pacific time.

To receive an email invitation to this event, along with any handouts needed for the class, join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club HERE.

Members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club are in for a real treat tonight with this teleclass at 7:00 central time.

To receive an email invitation to this teleclass (and a link later to a recording of this event), join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club NOW. Join here.

=============================================
Writing Biographies for Children: Show Me the Money

Biographies can be a strong revenue generator for children’s authors. What are the secrets to breaking into the field? What are the rewards and the pitfalls? How are biographies different from other non-fiction writing?

Join Lila Guzman, author of nine biographies, in a lively discussion of this specialized field.

=============================================

Points of Interest

1. Dead or Alive: special problems when picking a person to write about

2. Trusting your sources: Dealing with conflicting information/Doing research

3. Making it understandable to young readers

4. Word Count and the “Formula” for a children’s biography:
a. 5 chapters
b. Timeline
c. Biography (for kids)
d. Words to Know
e. Pronunciation Guide (To Spanish Words)

5. Getting permission/pictures.

6. How to get a contract.

Lila’s biographies (2nd-3rd grade level):

Famous Latinos (biographies of Cesar Chavez, Roberto Clemente, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Ellen Ochoa, George Lopez)

Forthcoming:

Mohammed
Moses
Jesus

Working on: Dr. Hector P. Garcia: Father of Latino Civil Rights

Lila Guzman, Ph.D.
www.lilaguzman.com
LORENZO AND THE PIRATE (Blooming Tree Press, Fall 2008)
LORENZO AND THE TURNCOAT (Arte Publico Press, 2006) ****WINNER: 2006 Arizona Authors Literary Award****
KICHI IN JUNGLE JEOPARDY (Blooming Tree Press, 2006)
MOHAMMED (Blooming Tree Press, 2009)

Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club and enjoy this week’s teleclass:

=========================================================
Writing Biographies for Children: Show Me the Money

Biographies can be a strong revenue generator for children’s authors. What are the secrets to breaking into the field? What are the rewards and the pitfalls? How are biographies different from other non-fiction writing?

Join Lila Guzman, author of nine biographies, in a lively discussion of this specialized field.

=======================================================

Points of Interest

1. Dead or Alive: special problems when picking a person to write about

2. Trusting your sources: Dealing with conflicting information/Doing research

3. Making it understandable to young readers

4. Word Count and the “Formula” for a children’s biography:
a. 5 chapters
b. Timeline
c. Biography (for kids)
d. Words to Know
e. Pronunciation Guide (To Spanish Words)

5. Getting permission/pictures.

6. How to get a contract.

Lila’s biographies (2nd-3rd grade level):

Famous Latinos (biographies of Cesar Chavez, Roberto Clemente, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Ellen Ochoa, George Lopez)

Forthcoming:

Mohammed
Moses
Jesus

Working on: Dr. Hector P. Garcia: Father of Latino Civil Rights

Lila Guzman, Ph.D.
www.lilaguzman.com
LORENZO AND THE PIRATE (Blooming Tree Press, Fall 2008)
LORENZO AND THE TURNCOAT (Arte Publico Press, 2006) ****WINNER: 2006 Arizona Authors Literary Award****
KICHI IN JUNGLE JEOPARDY (Blooming Tree Press, 2006)
MOHAMMED (Blooming Tree Press, 2009)

Wow! It’s February already!

Time to join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club if you’re serious about starting your own career as a published children’s book author.

This month, members of the club will be learning how to do the following:

1. Apply for assignments with educational publishers.

2. Create a professional resume.

3. Develop an author’s bio.

4. Write winning queries and cover letters.

Membership in the CWCC also includes four 55-minute teleclasses (one per week) providing instruction in some aspect of children’s writing. Teleclasses are led by our faculty members who are all successful, published children’s book authors.

Every Wednesday night, club members are invited to a manuscript critique telesession, where they can HEAR what needs to be done to improve their manuscripts.

All this and MORE each and every month for only $27.00 per month!

Don’t miss out!

Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club today!

Whether you’re a world-famous children’s author, or you’re just starting to write for kids, you need to have a blog.

Why?

Because a blog will do the following:

1) Help you get in the habit of writing regularly. And even the posts to your blog should be well-written with a little pizazz - which will be excellent writing practice and help you become a more disciplined writer since you’ll need to post to your blog at least 3 to 5 times a week.

2) Help you establish a readership. You’ll be providing readers with helpful and/or interesting information each time you post to your blog. Information people will begin to look forward to reading on a regular basis. If you’re an established children’s book author, children and adults who read your books will look to your blog to find out what’s new with you. They’ll want to know your current writing project(s), new books you have coming out soon, and information about author visits you might offer to schools, libraries, etc.

3) Help you establish yourself as expert in the world of children’s writing and publishing. Even before you are published, you can interview more experienced children’s writers and post these interviews to your blog or write reviews of new children’s books.

****************************

Need help creating your own professional blog?

Then join the Children’s Writers Coaching Club.

How do you create a resume for your freelance writing if you’re just starting to look for freelance writing assignments?

How do you develop an author bio when you haven’t published any books yet?

What do editors mean when they say they want to see writing samples or writing clips?

Find out the answers to these questions, and get the help you need to start your career as a freelance children’s writer when you become a member of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

And just look at this lineup of exciting teleclasses set up for coaching club members:

Thursday, February 7, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. central time
Lila Guzman presents: Writing “You Are There” Biographies for Young Readers

Wed, February 13, 2008, at 4:00 p.m. pacific time
Margot Finke presents: Picture (Book) Perfect

Thursday, February 21, 2008, time TBA
Simon Rose presents: Science Fiction and Fantasy for Young Readers - Part 1

Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, Rita Milios presents:
The Lucrative Educational Market: Where do YOU Fit In? Session 1 in the Writing for Children’s Educational Markets Series

Each of these teleclasses is recorded, so members can listen to them at any time.

Join the club here.

Bringing the Past to Life: Writing Middle Grade Historical Fiction, this week’s teleclass for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club will be presented tonight at 7:00 central time. The instructor for this class is Suzanne Lieurance, author of the upcoming middle grade historical novel, The Locket: Surviving the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (to be released in May 2008). Lieurance is currently completing a second historical novel for Enslow Publishers’ fiction adventure series.

********
Other CWCC News

Members of the CWCC enjoyed a manuscript critique telesession last night, where everything from picture book manuscripts, writers’ resumes, and nonfiction articles were critiqued. Today, members will receive a link to the recording of this session so they can listen to the critiques of their work even if they were unable to attend last night’s LIVE session.

Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club, here, and receive these benefits, plus many more, for only $27.00 per month.

Author Rita Milios has recently joined the faculty of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

Welcome, Rita!

Rita Milios, author and workshop presenter, is also a practicing psychotherapist, freelance editor and a former instructor for a national writing school. Rita has published more than thirty books, both fiction and non-fiction, for children, adults, teachers and counselors for publishers including Pearson, Harcourt, Rosen, Glencoe, McGraw-Hill and others. She also writes articles and educational supplements and test assessment materials for educational publishers focusing on science, social issues, language arts, health and character development.

Rita’s books for children include Anorexia and Bulimia, Discovering Positive Thinking, Sleeping and Dreaming. Many of Rita’s books appear on teacher recommendation lists.

Milios is a long-time member of SCBWI, the Association of Journalists and Authors and the National Speakers Association.

Click below to join the Children’s Writers Coaching Club with Rita<!--Begin--->

The Children’s Writers
Coaching Club


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We’re pleased to welcome children’s author Lila Guzman to the faculty of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

Lila Guzman writes children’s fiction and nonfiction, young adult novels, and adult-level short stories from her home north of Austin, Texas.

Guzman has won a number of awards, including Honorable Mention from the National League of American Pen Women, The National TCARABook Award, and the Arizona Authors Literary Award. She holds a Ph.D. in Spanish and a commission in the United States Navy.

Her published works include:

Green Slime and Jam (Eakin Press, 2001)
Lorenzo’s Secret Mission (Arte Público Press, 2001)
Lorenzo’s Revolutionary Quest (2003)
Lorenzo and the Turncoat (2006, Arizona Authors Literary Award)
Kichi in Jungle Jeopardy (Blooming Tree Press, 2006)
Famous Latinos Series (2nd-3rd grade biographies for Enslow Publishing, 2006): Cesar Chavez, Roberto Clemente, Ellen Ochoa, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, George Lopez.

FORTHCOMING WORKS:

Lorenzo and the Pirate (Young Adult Novel)
George Lopez: King of Latino Comedy (Middle Grade Non-fiction)
Mohammed (Picture Book)
Moses (Picture Book)
Jesus (Picture Book)

Every week, members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club are given the opportunity to attend a LIVE 55-minute teleclass about some aspect of children’s writing.

These teleclasses are always presented by successful, published children’s book authors and/or illustrators. Each teleclass is recorded, and the day after the LIVE teleclass coaching club members are sent a link to the recorded session, so they can listen to it whenever it is convenient for THEM.

This week’s teleclass - Bringing the Past to Life: Writing Middle Grade Historical Fiction, will be presented on Thursday night at 7:00 central time. The instructor for this class is Suzanne Lieurance, author of the upcoming middle grade historical novel, The Locket: Surviving the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (to be released in May 2008). Lieurance is currently completing a second historical novel for Enslow Publishers’ fiction adventure series.

Membership in the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club is only $27.00 per month.

Click here to learn more about the club and find out how to become a member.

The National Writing for Children Center is pleased to welcome author Simon Rose to the faculty of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

Simon Rose was born in Derbyshire, England. He graduated from university with a degree in history and has lived in Canada since 1990. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature of West Redding, CT.

The Alchemist’s Portrait, Rose’s first novel for young readers was published in 2003, followed by The Sorcerer’s Letterbox in 2004. Both have been nominated for several awards and continue to receive excellent reviews. The Sorcerer’s Letterbox was shortlisted for the 2005 Silver Birch Award in Ontario and the Diamond Willow Award in Saskatchewan. The Clone Conspiracy was published in 2005 and The Emerald Curse in 2006, both having received great reviews from adults and children. A fifth novel, The Heretic’s Tomb, was released in October 2007.

Simon Rose’s books are published in Canada, the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand and are available around the world. His novels can be purchased in the USA through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and many other online locations and also through local bookstores. Autographed copies may also be purchased at www.simon-rose.com

Rose’s first teleclass for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club will take place in February. More information about this teleclass will be available here soon.

The National Writing for Children Center

Children’s Author Margot Finke

Find out more about Margot Finke on Our Staff & Faculty Page.

Margot will be teaching a monthly teleclass for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club starting in February.

Her February teleclass will be:

PICTURE (BOOK) PERFECT

This teleclass will cover the following:

* Good grammar and punctuation
* Tight writing — use a few carefully chosen words to write a “big” story.
* The benefit of bringing powerful verbs into play.
* How to paint word pictures that will stick in a child’s head.
* How to write active paragraphs that easily translate into illustrations
* How to FOCUS on what is important to the story — and cut the rest.
* The art of crafting characters kids will identify with and root for.
* Develop a writing “voice” that is unique.

Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club today so you won’t miss any of Margot’s exciting and informative classes. Click the Coaching Club link directly below.<!--Begin--->

The Children’s Writers
Coaching Club


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Last night, members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club were given the opportunity to take part in a live teleclass with children’s author Margot Finke, where she explained how and what authors need to do in order to plan and present visits to schools.

It was an excellent teleclass. And, as usual, Margot provided plenty of good information, as well as three pages of handouts. Thank you, Margot, for a wonderfully informative and fun class!

If you missed last night’s teleclass, you can still get the link to this recorded class, as well as the handouts, when you join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club. As a club member, you’ll also receive a CD of this recorded event later this month.

Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club here.

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Members of the CWCC also receive weekly writing assignments every Monday morning. We try to make sure these are PRACTICAL assignments, and sometimes members are even able to sell a finished assignment to an appropriate market.

This was the case with club member, Sylvia C. Hall. She recently sold one of her weekly assignment to KC Parents magazine for their winter issue.

Congratulations, Sylvia!

Members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club are in for a special treat tonight.

Children’s author Margot Finke will be our speaker for a special teleclass about planning and presenting at school author events.

CWCC members can attend this live event and ask questions, make comments, and have fun as they learn from Margot.

The teleclass starts at 8:00 central time tonight and lasts for 55 minutes. Every member of the CWCC will also receive a CD of this recorded event.