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Like Stymie? Enjoy reading the outstanding work of our contributors? Have a knack for giving feedback and making good decisions (at least good editorial ones)? Then we might have a job for you (by job we mean unpaid volunteer role full of glory and accolades and complimentary beverages). Then shoot an email with your credentials and reason for interest to:

stymiemag AT gmail.com (Change AT to @, no spaces)
Subject: Nonfiction Editor Vacancy.

Note: this role unfortunately does not include much in the way of glory, accolades, or complimentary beverages... if only.

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As promised, here are some other suggestions for making a difference, passing on kindness and serving others.

1. ANIMAL SHELTERS often need volunteers to walk dogs. Rescue organizations could use foster families to care for pets or to provide donations for pet food and supplies.

2. VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS such as the WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT welcome volunteers for fund raising events, or to help vets write a resume.  http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org

3. You can READ TO SENIORS in a nursing home or assisted living facility, help them with basic computer skills, play games and share hobbies as well.  Many seniors are lonesome and would really welcome spending time with children.

4. During holidays, you can visit a local cemetery to clean and maintain headstones that look neglected…especially those of veterans.

5. PICK UP LITTER and recyclables at your neighborhood park or playground.

6. See someone sitting alone at a table or on a bench?  Say hello and if possible, buy them a cup of coffee or a soda.

7. SMILE AND GREET those you meet. You never know when a thing as simple as a smile and kind greeting may have a huge impact on a person’s day.

8.  And finally, if you have gently used books that you no longer want, there is a wonderful organization that will make sure they go to children who need them.  Visit http://www.firstbook.org

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New literary journal called Blue Lyra Review is currently open for Fall & Spring submissions. We are an online journal but we will print an annual best-of issue. beginning Dec 2013.

Our aim is to bring together the voices of writers and artists from a diverse array of backgrounds, paying special homage to minorities including Jewish writers and those from communities that are historically underrepresented in literary magazines.

Profits earned from this will be donated to the charities listed on our Web Site.

You can submit poems, nonfiction, fiction, artistic images, or translations through Submittable.

Nonfiction:
We’re interested in 500 – 4,000 word (maximum) personal essays, memoirs, creative non-fiction which have a strong story at its core, and where the author shows up on the page with passion, a personal stake, or meaningful reflection. Sorry, but essays over 4,000 words will not be reviewed. We are open to all topics but are especially interested in nature- or Jewish-oriented pieces. Make sure your submission has your contact information (name, address, phone number, email) on the attached (brief) cover letter ONLY. Please do NOT have any identifying information on any page of your submission except the cover page!

Poetry:
While poetry is full for issue 1.2, please begin submitting for Spring issue 2.1! Whether narrative or lyrical or experimental or prose poetry, we are simply looking for something that moves us. Please attach 3-5 poems at a time in a single file with a .doc, .docx, or .pdf extension, and put your name and poems in subject line (Silverman – poems). Don’t send just one poem unless it’s a long poem (more than three pages). We want to get a sense of your style as a writer, and one poem is not enough to do this. Make sure your submission has your contact information (name, address, phone number, email) on the attached (brief) cover letter ONLY. Please do NOT have any identifying information on any page of your submission except the cover page! Type the titles of your poems, separated by commas, in the Title box.

Fiction:
The most important thing is that it needs to be based more on truth than experimentation for experimentation’s sake. It can be light or it can be serious, but for it to be worthy, it must reflect life, with some fundamental human idea. Fiction should be organic and natural, and accept its premise (whatever it may be) without a wink or a nod. We’re currently looking for works that thrum on all cylinders and that are confident in a unique way. We’re interested in solid stories with weight, regardless of length (anywhere from 200 to 7,500 words). Send your submissions in .doc or .docx format with your contact information (name, address, phone number and email address) on your (brief) cover letter. Please make sure that you put the word count on the first page of the submission or in the cover letter! Please do NOT have any identifying information on any page of your submissions except the cover page. You may submit 1-3 micro pieces, but any pieces 500 words or longer must be submitted alone.

Translations:
We are looking for translations that read as if they were originally written in English, rather than as "translations." We especially prize translations that "honor" the music of the original text. In addition, translators should choose poems of high literary merit. We consider previously unpublished translations of poetry from any language. Submissions should include 3-6 poems, and should include both the original and the translation. Biographies of both the author and translator should be included in a cover letter, as well as a short paragraph on the process of translating these particular poems and/or why this particular author was chosen. Translators are expected to have acquired copyright permission to publish (online and in print) the original poems, if they are not in the public domain, BEFORE submitting.

Simultaneous submissions to other literary journals are okay, but please do not send more than one submission until you have received a response to your first submission.

Send original, unpublished material only.


JOB OPENING: We are looking for a web editor and copy editor—hopefully a Web & Copy Editor rolled into one to manage layout, fix any problems that arise, and add post content (poetry, nonfiction, art, fiction, interviews, etc.) for each issue, as well as to maintain the website (keep information up-to-date). After the web editor receives the content to add to the website, we hope he/she can accomplish this within 2 week time frame with issues being released 3 times per year.

If a candidate is talented and ambitious and would like to revamp the web design, that is welcome (but not necessary). This, like all positions here are volunteer positions.

Qualifications:
**Some HTML knowledge preferred.
**Must have done web editing in some capacity before. We use WordPress for our website. It’s pretty easy. We are not married to this and would be open to change.
**Must be fairly good at grammar and formatting.
.
Application Materials:

**A very brief letter explaining your past experiences editing and designing websites with any links to websites you’ve worked on in the past.
**Send all application materials to:

 bluelyrareview(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @ in sending email). Put “Web/ Copy Editor Position” in the subject line of your email.

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Weave Magazine is a bicoastal literary organization and print publication committed to showcasing a diverse collection of established and emerging voices. We are looking for positive, self-motivated individuals who ascribe to Weave's ideals of community and diversity. Preference will be given to those who are committed to representing marginalized voices (ie: women, ethnic/racial minorities, LGBT, etc). Collaborative people who enjoy being compensated with food, hugs, and issues of Weave are especially encouraged to apply.

We are currently accepting applications for:

-Managing Editor
-Design Editor
-Event Coordinator

More info about each position can be found here.

Applicants must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Interested parties can email a CV/Resume and cover letter to
weavezine(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @)

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SUBJECT: Call for Workshop Leaders / Volunteers: Dzanc Day 2011

Last year, Dzanc Books held its first annual Dzanc Day, consisting of forty creative writing workshops held in twenty different states. Thanks to the generous donation of our workshop leaders’ time and talents, Dzanc Day raised thousands of dollars to help support our charitable endeavors, including our Writer in Residence Program, which places professional writers into classrooms to provide creative writing instructions to public school students who could not otherwise afford the opportunity.

This year, Dzanc Day falls on Saturday, April 9, 2011, and we hope you’ll consider leading a workshop in your home city. Some of you participated last year as well, and we hope you’ll accept our thanks for the previous donation of your time and talent, and that you join us again this year, for what promises to be an even better event.

For those unfamiliar with last year’s efforts, we’re looking for volunteers to organize a writing workshop on a topic of their choice. Sessions should last a minimum of two hours (for which participants will be charged $30 each) but longer sessions are certainly possible as well. This workshop can be organized around any creative writing topic you’d like: fiction, poetry, non-fiction, journalism, or memoir. You might wish to run a workshop centered on a particular genre, a more generative session built around writing exercises, or a seminar about topics related to editing or publishing. You can lead a workshop on your own, or team up with friends and fellow writers in putting together your workshop. Just to make sure we don’t
have any miscommunications along the way, one person should be designated to serve as the official contact person for the event.

We’re happy to help you refine your ideas for your workshop, so please feel free to contact us if you’d like to discuss the possibilities. For this year's Dzanc Day, Matt Bell will be our lead contact, with Steven Gillis and Dan Wickett helping coordinate logistics. Feel free to also contact Matt directly at:

matt(at)dzancbooks.org (replace (at) with @ in sending e-mail).

The first step in volunteering to be a Dzanc Day workshop leader is to fill out this online form.

The form will ask for your name and contact information, the location that you propose holding a workshop at, your bio (and the bios of anyone else you’re planning on having as co-leaders), and the type of workshop you propose to run (a short paragraph description would be great). If you're unsure of a suitable venue in your city, just let us know and we'll try to help you find one. In the additional information field, if you could, let us know what type of contacts you have within the area in regard to reaching writers that might be interested in such a workshop.

Once we have an idea of who would like to participate and where these workshops will be held, we’ll be in further contact to begin promotional efforts, including providing whatever help we can in promoting your particular event locally. If you feel it might take you some time to gather the information necessary to fill out the form, feel free to email to let us know you're interested in participating.

Again, we thank you for volunteering your time and helping us to raise funds for efforts such as our Writers in Residence Program, individual workshops, public readings, the Best of the Web series, and the Dzanc Prize, which recognizes a single writer for both literary excellence and community service. Dzanc could not possibly do all the wonderful things we're trying to organize and bring to the public were it not for your ongoing support.

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RACE FOR THE CURE. The online auction of snowflake ornaments painted by children's book illustrators has started. The first round of ornaments being auctioned are on the block until 11/23/2007 (EST, I think).

This is a chance to donate for a good cause and get a unique and beautiful remembrance in return. I encourage everyone to check it out, and bid, if you can.

You can see some of the snowflake ornaments featured in my earlier blog post, but the full assembly is at the Robert's Snow link .http://www.jimmyfund.org/eve/event/roberts-snow/view-snowflakes-online.html

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The online auctions for Robert’s Snowflakes begin today. The snowflakes are decorations created by children’s illustrators, and proceeds from the sales go to cancer research. So you can purchase an original, one-of-a-kind holiday keepsake AND support a worthy cause at the same time. There are some beautiful snowflakes created by illustrators, some illustrators whose work you may recognize.

You can look at all the snowflakes, and place a bid, here.

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It's time for auction one! Can you stand it? Check out the links to the previews of the snowflakes, and start the bidding, folks!

Julie Fromme Fortenberry at Your Neighborhood Librarian

Sharon Vargo

Abigail Marble

Marion Eldridge at Chicken Spaghetti

Chris Gall at Through the Studio Door

Annette Simon at Check It Out and Deo Writer

Rolandas Kiaulevicius at a wrung sponge

Paige Keiser at Your Neighborhood Librarian

Tracy McGuinness-Kelly at Sam Riddleburger's blog

Jeannie Brett at cynthialord’s Journal

Peter Emmerich at Loree Griffin Burns: A Life in Books

Anna Dewdney at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Erik Brooks at Bildungsroman

Joan Waites

Patrick Girouard at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Yuyi Morales at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Jennifer Thermes at Through the Studio Door

Liza Woodruff at Check It Out

Ilene Richard at Something Different Every Day

Molly Idle at The Shady Glade

Leanne Franson at Just Like the Nut

Anni Matsik at A Sound From My Heart

Inga Poslitur

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It's time to start bidding on the Robert's Snow Snowflakes!

Here are the links that showcase the snowflakes for Auction One!

Julie Fromme Fortenberry at Your Neighborhood Librarian

Sharon Vargo

Abigail Marble

Marion Eldridge at Chicken Spaghetti

Chris Gall at Through the Studio Door

Annette Simon at Check It Out and Deo Writer

Rolandas Kiaulevicius at a wrung sponge

Paige Keiser at Your Neighborhood Librarian

Tracy McGuinness-Kelly at Sam Riddleburger's blog

Jeannie Brett at cynthialord’s Journal

Peter Emmerich at Loree Griffin Burns: A Life in Books

Anna Dewdney at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Erik Brooks at Bildungsroman

Joan Waites

Patrick Girouard at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Yuyi Morales at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Jennifer Thermes at Through the Studio Door

Liza Woodruff at Check It Out

Ilene Richard at Something Different Every Day

Molly Idle at The Shady Glade

Leanne Franson at Just Like the Nut

Anni Matsik at A Sound From My Heart

Inga Poslitur

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Poetry Friday is here and with it my last feature of a Robert’s Snow snowflake and artist. These weeks have been a tremendous feast of visual delights and creativity. I can’t get over how beautiful each snowflake is. Just like a real snowflake, no two are alike and this one, “Titania’s Flowery Bed” is no exception. It’s based on Victorian lullaby and it features a sleepy little fairy.

Today, I’m featuring Elizabeth Sayles, who has illustrated more than 20 books for children. Her latest book is "The Goldfish Yawned" (Henry Holt) and it is the first book that she wrote as well as illustrated. It is a winner of the Bank Street College Best Childrens Book, 2005. She also illustrated "I Already Know I Love You" written by Billy Crystal which was a NY Times #1 best selling picture book.



Her Titania made me think of Shakespeare and A Midsummer Night’s Dream so my Poetry Friday offering is Elizabeth Sayles, her magical snowflake and Shakespeare. Makes a nice trio, doesn’t it?

Liz was kind enough to send me a long email telling me all about what inspired her snowflake, how she came to Robert’s Snow and a bit about herself.

“My Snowflake -- Titania's Flowery Bed -- was inspired by a book that I just illustrated called "Mother's Song." It is a Victorian lullaby and many fairies have found their way into the art. Some are fishing for pearls, or dancing on a spider's thread, or escorting the Queen over the River bridge. This little fairy seemed to fit pretty well in the snowflake, which is actually a flower. "Mother's Song," which was adapted by Ellin Green, will be published in Spring '08 by Clarion Books.




The fairy, somehow wound up looking an awful lot like my daughter, Jessica. I see it now when I look at it, but was not aware of it when I was painting it.

I usually work in pastel... but I have been incorporating acrylic paints in my work lately and this snowflake was mostly painted using acrylics.




In the summer of 2005 Grace had asked me to do a snowflake for the first Robert's Snow auction. I was so impressed by her, and her concept and energy. Most of us are paralyzed when someone we love is sick, at least I am. I can only think of how to get through the day, but Grace put all that anxiety into hopeful action. So I was happy to do it. Last year I was too busy, so I was more than happy to do it again this year, especially in light of the fact that Grace lost her husband in August.



One of my favorite books is "Five Little Kittens" (a New Public Library 100 Books for Reading and Sharing Selection) My artwork has been on display at the Society of Illustrators in NYC, The New York Public Library, The Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, Every Picture Tells a Story gallery in Los Angeles and Chemers Gallery in Orange County, CA. I am an adjunct professor of Illustration at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.”



Liz Sayles is one busy woman! Along with all her work, she has a website and a blog that feature her delectable art. snowflake and others at the Robert's Snow online auction. . I fell in love with her work and it’s dreamy, soft feel.

Getting to know about artists like Liz and discovering their art has made this experience a joyful and fulfilling one. Please visit the Robert’s Snow Online Auction and bid often for these selfless and thoughtful pieces of themselves the artists share. Each snowflake, the work creating them and the stories behind them are worth far more than will ever be fetched at auction.

Poetry Friday's round-up is at the place it began, Big A, little a.

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Joyful is the word that comes to mind when I look at Akemi Guitierrez’ work. Her sketches and paintings are filled with joy and such an amazing exuberance. I start smiling and keep smiling for a long while after visiting her colorful and happy website which is filled with fun things like The Curio Corner which features a monthly quiz, a Book Nook, her gallery, Animal Crackers and more. If you're having a down day, swing by Akemi's site - it's sure to put a smile on your face.



Akemi is the illustrator of such fun books as The Pirate And Other Adventures of Sam & Alice and The Mummy And Other Adventures of Sam & Alice which are both published by Houghton Mifflin Co.; What the Elephant Told and A Nap in a Lap are published by Henry Holt & Co.; and Three Little Bears published by Candlewick Press. She has a new book coming in 2008 entitled I'm Just Like My Mom/ I'm Just Like My Dad to be published by HarperCollins.

Akemi Gutierrez has been illustrating and writing children's books for seven years, and is currently working on her seventh book. Akemi lives in northern California with her husband Ed. She has won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award for two of her book illustrations: “Three Little Bears” and “What the Elephant Told.”s: “Three Little Bears” and “What the Elephant Told.”

Her story about what brought her to Robert’s Snow is a touching one and her snowflake is filled with that joy and exuberance that he brings to his paintings. I love the idea of an ice skating pirate named Dead-Eye Dirk, don’t you?





Here are Akemi’s words about her involvement with Robert’s Snow and a bit about her snowflake.

Dear Gina,

Thanks so much for writing & thinking of me for your blog!

I first heard about the Robert's Snow event from my editor at Houghton Mifflin in 2004. It sounded like such a great idea and a wonderful cause, I really wanted to get involved. My brother passed away in 2000 from cancer so this charity felt especially close to my heart. After contacting Grace, I painted a snowflake for the first auction and the following two. I strongly believe in all the good that can come from people working together, such as the artists & coordinators of Robert's Snow and plan to participate in this charity as long as they'll have me.

When I was designing this year's snowflake, I thought back to my first (and only) attempt at ice skating. There's just 2 kinds of people that shouldn't be on ice skates: pirates & me. So it seemed like a good chuckle to put my pirate "Dead Eye Dirk" on the same slippery skates that I once wore. I think he's better at skating than I was, and it helps that he's properly distracted from the icy peril by the sweets at hand.

I hope this was helpful to you! Thanks again for writing & I hope this year's auction is another big success!

Happy Autumn,
Akemi

Isn’t she nice? I just want to give her a big hug! Akemi's snowflake is adorable and like each of the snowflakes I see, I want it. It’s not every day you can have a pirate skating on a snowflake.
So bid, bid, bid! Let's help to make this the most successful Robert's Snow ever. Many, many thanks to all the wonderful illustrators that gave of their time to create these beautiful works of art.

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Diana Magnuson's snowflake was highlighted in the beginning of November. For more information on the snowflake auction, Robert's Snow, go here.

Diana agreed to an interview, so here is some additional insight into Diana's work, her process, and her snowflake. She reveals what the faerie is holding; and she gives the best answer, ever, to my stock question: what is your pop culture area of expertise!

Liz B: I blog not just about books; but about how important story is in our lives. What children's book or children's book illustrator has most inspired you?

Diana: Gennady Spirin inspired me. The Russian trained artists have amazing compositions.

Liz B: How did you get involved with Robert's Snow?

Diana: They contacted my online writers/illustrators group (PicBookArts) and asked for volunteers.

Liz B: What inspired your snowflake?

Diana: I wanted to do something 3-dimensional and love drawing fairies, elves, trolls...and stuck an earring of mine on there as I lost the other one.

Liz B: Could you tell us something about your most recent book, Home on the Range?

Diana: It hasn't really got a strong story line as it's an American heritage song. I had photos from Dayton Hyde's ranch in the Dakotas that rescues mustangs for the background. He actually grew up in our house by Lake Superior. He's a writer. The illustrations show a non-traditional family on a cattle drive. It's quite subtle but the little boy is learning to ride throughout.

Liz B: I also blog about pop culture. What is your "pop culture" area of expertise?

Diana: Mind-body health, organic foods, tai chi.....

Liz B: Thanks, Diana!

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As you know if you've been visiting any children's book blogs for the past few weeks, Robert's Snow is an online auction that benefits Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over 200 children's book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates. The snowflakes will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to cancer research. You can view all of the 2007 snowflakes here. Jules and Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have found a way for bloggers to help with this effort, by blogging about individual illustrators and their snowflakes. The idea is to drive traffic to the Robert's Snow site so that many snowflakes will be sold, and much money raised to fight cancer. The illustrator profiles have been wonderful so far - diverse and creative and colorful. And there are lots more to go.

Here's the schedule for Week 5, which starts Monday. As previously, this early schedule links to the participating blogs, instead of to the individual posts. You can find links to the posts themselves, and any last-minute updates, each morning at 7-Imp. Jules and Eisha have also set up a special page at 7-Imp containing a comprehensive list of links to the profiles posted so far. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa's post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.

Monday, November 12

• John Nez at ChatRabbit


• Liza Woodruff at Check It Out


• Jane Dippold at Just Like the Nut


• Mike Wohnoutka at laurasalas

Tuesday, November 13

• Cynthia Decker at The Silver Lining


• Cecily Lang at Kate's Book Blog


• Jane Dyer at Whimsy Books


• Gutierrez at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos


• Lee White at Please Come Flying

Wednesday, November 14

• Philomena O'Neill at Jo's Journal


• Maggie Swanson at Chicken Spaghetti


• Timothy Bush at Here in the Bonny Glen


• Peter Emmerich at Loree Griffin Burns: A Life in Books

Thursday, November 15

• Yangsook Choi at What Adrienne Thinks About That


• Laura Jacques at cynthialord's Journal


• Mary Newell Depalma at Wild Rose Reader


• Leanne Franson at Just Like the Nut

Friday, November 16

• Mary Haverfield at Your Neighborhood Librarian


• Lisa Kopelke at Lisa's Little Corner of the Internet


• Salley Mavor at ChatRabbit


• Greg Newbold at The Longstockings


• Elizabeth Sayles at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos

Saturday, November 17

• Paul Brewer at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy


• Aaron Zenz at Jo's Journal


• Wendy Edelson at What Adrienne Thinks About That


• Joan Waites at Chicken Spaghetti

Sunday, November 18

• Giles Laroche at Book, Book, Book


• Annie Patterson at Check It Out


• Teri Sloat at The Miss Rumphius Effect


• Annette Heiberg at Lisa's Little Corner of the Internet


• Wade Zahares at Wild Rose Reader

Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

See also the following note from Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader:

Note to Blog Readers about Blogging for a Cure: When Jules of 7-Imp put out her call in September for bloggers to interview/feature artists who had created snowflakes for Robert’s Snow 2007 at their blogs, a number of artists had not yet sent in their snowflakes to Dana-Farber. As time was of the essence to get Blogging for a Cure underway, we worked with the list of artists whose snowflakes were already in possession of Dana-Farber. Therefore, not all the participating artists will be featured. This in no way diminishes our appreciation for their contributions to this worthy cause. We hope everyone will understand that once the list of artists was emailed to bloggers and it was determined which bloggers would feature which artists at their blogs, a schedule was organized and sent out so we could get to work on Blogging for a Cure ASAP. Our aim is to raise people’s awareness about Robert’s Snow and to promote the three auctions. We hope our efforts will help to make Robert’s Snow 2007 a resounding success.

thanks to Jen Robinson for writing this post and doing all the code!

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It's been fun following, Blogging for a Cure 2007 with over 70 bloggers highlighting many of the beautiful snowflakes created by children’s book illustrators as part of Robert’s Snow: for Cancer's Cure. You can still visit the handful of artists featured each day, and get to know each one of them up close and personal. Remember you can bid on your own original art snowflake while helping to fight cancer.

Today I have the privilege of featuring another author and illustrator and snowflake creator Chris Gall! (You can read about the first artist I featured here.) This is a special privilege for me since Chris is one of the illustrators I find my inspiration in. He is one creative guy with a keen eye for detail. Chris Gall is a direct descendant of Katharine Lee Bates author of America the Beautiful, the classic poem and anthem. He has worked with clients all over the world including Time, Newsweek, Money, and National Lampoon, to name just a few. Be sure to visit his website!



First let me congratulate you for being selected in this year's Original Art Show at the New York Society of Illustrators. How many times before have you made it into the show?

I was just in New York for the show. It was great fun! My publisher, Little Brown, threw a party. They don’t usually do that. New York is the place to be if you are in illustration or publishing. All three of my books have been in the show. Although only one illustration is displayed, the jury makes their decision on the book as a whole.

How did you become involved in Robert’s Snow and what was your inspiration for your snowflake, “Dinoflake”?

I got a call from Grace Lin. I knew it was for a good cause but at the time I didn’t know a lot about the project, after some checking I found it was a great conglomeration of illustrators. For my snowflake I wanted to do something different, that’s the way I approach all of my art. So I went with something in contrast to the expected imagery, yet not too random, Santa Dino!

Who had the most influence on your work?

As a kid, no question, Maurice Sendak. My grandmother was friends with him. She owned a small bookstore and he would visit. I would get gifts and signed books from him. As an adult I would have to say my influences come form Chris Van Allsburg and David Wiesner.

What is your all-time favorite picture book?

Where the Wild Things are.

How did the project for your first book, America the Beautiful, come about?

After spending a long time as a commercial illustrator, doing magazine and editorial work it became dry, not so rewarding. I decided I wanted to do children’s books. Even with success as an illustrator elsewhere, it’s hard to break into publishing, so I was looking for a pitch. Something that would interest a publisher. My family kept asking me to illustrate America the Beautiful-I am the great grand-nephew of Katharine Lee Bates—the poem’s author, and after 9-11, I felt the need to do just that. So I put together a proposal and sent it to friends, who sent it to friends, until it ended up in my agents hands. I still have that agent today.

Are the original hand written lyrics on display now?

The family has one of the hand-written copies of the lyrics.

You are the writer and illustrator for your last two books. For you, which comes first, the pictures or the words?

The manuscript first. Always. The industry is biased toward the story not the art. You have to have a strong story. They buy the manuscript. I will include some sample art along with the manuscript when I send it.

You have such a unique style, tell us a little bit about your illustrative process.

I start with thumbnails, sketches, layouts, tracings, and composition. I spend the most time on composition. Then I do a black and white engraving on clay board, kind of like a woodcut. Then it’s scanned and colored in Illustrator. 75-80% of the color is done on the computer. I might then use Photoshop too to move elements or make any changes.


There’s Nothing to do on Mars is due to be released early next year. This book seems like it will help fill the void in picture books for boys, do you have more like it planned for the future?

Yes! I definitely want to fill that void. Early in my career I walked into a bookstore to research the current state of pictures books, and I couldn’t find much that I (with my 7 year old hat on) wanted to actually read. I was determined to create books that I would like if I were a young boy. Of course, girls are always welcome too!

With such a busy schedule, do you still find time to do stand-up comedy? (You curious readers can see what I’m talking about on his bio.)

Oh, I retired from that four years ago. I toured, I was in an improve group, but it was too exhausting. It’s a serious business! But it did give me public speaking experience. If you’re used to dealing with 300 drunk, rowdy, chain-smoking strangers on a late Friday night—all of whom are convinced they are funnier than you are—then entertaining a few 3rd graders is a piece of cake.


Thank you Chris for letting us get to know more about you! His Grandmother was friends with Maurice Sendak, how cool is that! As a special treat I will be giving away a copy of Dear Fish to one lucky reader of this blog. That's right! Just post a reply on this post and your name will go into a drawing. The winner will be selected on the first day of the auction. (You can find the auction details here.)





All images © 2004 - 2007 Chris Gall.

Be sure to check out the other snowflakes being featured today:

Sunday, November 11

• Tim Coffey at The Silver Lining
• Elizabeth Dulemba at sruble's world
• Amy Schimler at Please Come Flying

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As you know if you've been visiting any children's book blogs for the past few weeks, Robert's Snow is an online auction that benefits Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over 200 children's book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates. The snowflakes will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to cancer research. You can view all of the 2007 snowflakes here. Jules and Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have found a way for bloggers to help with this effort, by blogging about individual illustrators and their snowflakes. The idea is to drive traffic to the Robert's Snow site so that many snowflakes will be sold, and much money raised to fight cancer. The illustrator profiles have been wonderful so far - diverse and creative and colorful. And there are lots more to go.

Here's the schedule for Week 4, which starts Monday. As previously, this early schedule links to the participating blogs, instead of to the individual posts. You can find links to the posts themselves, and any last-minute updates, each morning at 7-Imp. Jules and Eisha have also set up a special page at 7-Imp containing a comprehensive list of links to the profiles posted so far. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa's post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.

Monday, November 5

• Ana Alter at The Longstockings



• Laura Huliska Beith at Just One More Book!!



• Cece Bell at Jo's Journal



• Denise Ortakales at cynthialord’s Journal

Tuesday, November 6

• Carol Heyer at The Shady Glade



• Joe Kulka at ChatRabbit



• Steven James Petruccio at Blog From the Windowsill



• Carol Schwartz at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup

Wednesday, November 7

• Jeff Ebbeler at Sam Riddleburger's blog



• Scott Magoon at Just One More Book!!



• Connie McLennan at The Shady Glade
  
  
• Julie Paschkis at the excelsior file

Thursday, November 8

• Genevieve Cote at a wrung sponge



• Linda Graves at Your Neighborhood Librarian



• James Gurney at Charlotte's Library



• Matt Tavares at Please Come Flying

Friday, November 9

• Susan Kathleen Hartung at Wild Rose Reader



• Mary Peterson at Brooklyn Arden



• Annette Simon at Check It Out and Deo Writer



• Melanie Watt at Whimsy Books

Saturday, November 10

• R.W. Alley at at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup



• Jeannie Brett at cynthialord’s Journal



• Daniel Mahoney at Paradise Found and Great Solutions to Team Challenges



• Amy Young at Kate's Book Blog

Sunday, November 11

• Tim Coffey at The Silver Lining



• Elizabeth Dulemba at sruble's world



• Chris Gall at Through the Studio Door



• Amy Schimler > at Please Come Flying

Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

See also the following note from Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader:

Note to Blog Readers about Blogging for a Cure: When Jules of 7-Imp put out her call in September for bloggers to interview/feature artists who had created snowflakes for Robert’s Snow 2007 at their blogs, a number of artists had not yet sent in their snowflakes to Dana-Farber. As time was of the essence to get Blogging for a Cure underway, we worked with the list of artists whose snowflakes were already in possession of Dana-Farber. Therefore, not all the participating artists will be featured. This in no way diminishes our appreciation for their contributions to this worthy cause. We hope everyone will understand that once the list of artists was emailed to bloggers and it was determined which bloggers would feature which artists at their blogs, a schedule was organized and sent out so we could get to work on Blogging for a Cure ASAP. Our aim is to raise people’s awareness about Robert’s Snow and to promote the three auctions. We hope our efforts will help to make Robert’s Snow 2007 a resounding success.

Much thanks to The Miss Rumphius Effect for the above post & all the linking.

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Where to find this week's Illustrators. (Be sure to come back here this Sunday for an Up Close and Personal interview with Chris Gall!)

Monday, November 5

• Anna Alter at The Longstockings
• Laura Huliska Beith at Just One More Book!!
• Cece Bell at Jo's Journal
• Denise Ortakales at cynthialord’s Journal

Tuesday, November 6

• Carol Heyer at The Shady Glade
• Joe Kulka at ChatRabbit
• Steven James Petruccio at Blog From the Windowsill
• Carol Schwartz at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup

Wednesday, November 7

• Jeff Ebbeler at Sam Riddleburger's blog
• Scott Magoon at Just One More Book!!
• Connie McLennan at The Shady Glade
• Julie Paschkis at the excelsior file

Thursday, November 8

• Genevieve Cote at a wrung sponge
• Linda Graves at Your Neighborhood Librarian
• James Gurney at Charlotte's Library
• Matt Tavares at Please Come Flying

Friday, November 9

• Susan Kathleen Hartung at Wild Rose Reader
• Mary Peterson at Brooklyn Arden
• Annette Simon at Check It Out and Deo Writer
• Melanie Watt at Whimsy Books

Saturday, November 10

• R.W. Alley at at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup
• Jeannie Brett at cynthialord’s Journal
• Daniel Mahoney at Paradise Found and Great Solutions to Team Challenges
• Amy Young at Kate's Book Blog

Sunday, November 11

• Tim Coffey at The Silver Lining
• Elizabeth Dulemba at sruble's world
• Chris Gall at Through the Studio Door
• Amy Schimler at Please Come Flying

And remember to stop by 7-imp too! Each day they will be featuring an artist who created a snowflake, but didn't have it finished when Blogging for a Cure started.

Just around the corner: Bidding for the snowflakes in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift and supports an important cause.

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...Kristi!
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read about the fabulous Adam Rex!!!

Please head on over to the Robert's Snow auction site and decide what you want to bid on!

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....Kristi!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read about the fabulous Adam Rex!!!

Remember to head on over to Robert's Snow and bid, bid, BID!!!

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I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween. This is the 18th day of the Robert's Snow Blogging for a Cure internet blizzard and I am so proud to be a part of it.


Tonight, us Aztec dancers and Latinos will be celebrating Dia de Los Muertos (see post below to find out where I'm dancing). Dia de los muertos is a very special day for us danzantes (the proper term for an Aztec dancer). On this night, we honor our ancestors, the people we loved who have died. We believe that they have moved on to another world and on this night, they come and visit the earth and the families they left behind. For danzantes, each dance is a prayer. The steps of the dance all tell stories and thank the Creator for what we have in this life.

Our costumes symbols show our family line of all who have come before us so we are literally dancing and praying with our ancestors. They are with us in the dance. The copal smoke that burns during the ceremony sends our prayers up to the sky. The night is filled with magic, we build altars of fruit and flowers, we make our departed ones favorites foods, sugar skulls are lovingly created and placed on altars along with the muertitos made of paper machier. I bake, like so many other women the traditional pan de muertos. Music and poetry and stories fills the air. I think that Victoria Jamieson's whimsical and beautiful snowflake Jerry Performs Carmen fits right in with el dia de los muertos as does this whole battle against the cancer that has taken so many of our loved ones to Mictlan - the land of the dead.



Victoria's snowflake shows an ice skating, ice dancing really pig performing Carmen. You all know we love pigs here at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos. Carmen just happens to be one of my favorite operas. The fact that I'm featuring the night before Day of the Dead and Jerry is dancing on ice skates strikes me as uncannily coincidental. I think Jerry is dancing his own prayer for a cure.



I had the great pleasure of chatting with Victoria Jamieson via email and found out some really neat and interesting things about this very talented, gracious and lovely artist. I hope you find her snowflake as wonderful as I do.

Here's a little bit about Victoria.





I was born in Havertown, Pennsylvania, and my family moved to Tampa, Floria when I was twelve. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of
Design in 2000, I'm now settled in Brooklyn, New York, where I work as a
freelance illustrator, as well as a designer at Greenwillow Books. My first
published illustrations will be in bookstores in February, in "The Gollywhopper
Games", by Jody Feldman (Greenwillow Books).

It took me a little while after graduation to realize that I wanted to be a
children's book illustrator. I traveled around for a bit, working as a portrait
artist onboard a Carnival Cruise ship. If you want to practice drawing facial
expressions, drawing portraits for 8 hours a day is a good way to do it!

Later on, I went to Australia to study Museum Studies, but characters and story
ideas kept following me! Actually, a trip to a "Sheep Fashion Show" in Sydney
planted the seed for "Bea Rocks the Flock", to be published by Bloomsbury in 2009.

Now I am happily pursuing other stories that have been nesting in my brain over
the years. I absolutely love illustrating children's books. It's exciting for me
to develop characters and their environments in my head, and then to create a
tangible record of my imaginings in a painting.

Thank you so much for contacting me to be part of the Robert's Snow blog-a-thon!
It's such a beautiful project, and I'm honored to participate along with so many
of my heroes (ie, children's book illustrators!) Like many others, I'm sure, I
first heard about Robert's Snow through the Blue Rose Girls blog, and Grace Lin's
blog. I'm not a scientist or a doctor, so this was a good way to use the skills I
actually do have to help in the fight against cancer.

The inspiration for my snowflake mainly came from the fact that I L-O-V-E ice
skating, to a degree that sometimes seems at odds with my daily life. After years
of staring wistfully at the Olympic skaters on TV (not to mention such fine
cinematic events as "Ice Princess" and "The Cutting Edge), I took my first ice
skating lessons last winter. Like Jerry on my snowflake, I did not let my very
evident lack of skill interfere with my excitement for each class. I can relate
to someone like Jerry, who does not let something like "talent" stand in the way
of his passion! I am proud to report, after 12 weeks of lessons, I am now able to
spin & even do a little jump (although I think it is called, literally, the Bunny
Hop).

My first self-authored children's book will be published by Bloomsbury in 2009.
It features a sheep, Bea, who is also not content with the hand life has dealt
her. I enjoy creating characters who I can relate to-- like Bea, I have had my
share of sometimes scary adventures, bad haircuts, and questionable fashion
advice. I look forward to creating many more characters throughout my career!

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

I don't know about you but I can't wait to read Bea Rocks the Flock!

To find out more about Victoria Jamieson, check out her website here.

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As you know if you've been visiting any children's book blogs for the past few weeks, Robert's Snow is an online auction that benefits Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over 200 children's book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates. The snowflakes will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to cancer research. You can view all of the 2007 snowflakes here. Jules and Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have found a way for bloggers to help with this effort, by blogging about individual illustrators and their snowflakes. The idea is to drive traffic to the Robert's Snow site so that many snowflakes will be sold, and much money raised to fight cancer. The illustrator profiles have been wonderful so far - diverse and creative and colorful. And there are lots more to go.

Here's the schedule for Week 3, which starts Monday. As previously, this early schedule links to the participating blogs, instead of to the individual posts. You can find links to the posts themselves, and any last-minute updates, each morning at 7-Imp. Jules and Eisha have also set up a special page at 7-Imp containing a comprehensive list of links to the profiles posted so far. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa's post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.

Monday, October 29

• Dan Santat at Writing and Ruminating



• Joanne Friar at The Longstockings



• Alissa Imre Geis at Wild Rose Reader



• Diane Greenseid at Just One More Book!!



• Sean Qualls at Brooklyn Arden

Tuesday, October 30

• Ann Koffsky at Book Buds



• Bill Carman at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy



• Gretel Parker at Finding Wonderland



• Matt Phelan at A Year of Reading



• Stephanie Roth at Writing with a broken tusk

Wednesday, October 31

• Shawna Tenney at Kate's Book Blog



• Adam Rex at Booktopia and Welcome to my Tweendom



• Mo Willems at MotherReader



• Rolandas Kiaulevicius at a wrung sponge

Thursday, November 1

• Karen Lee at sruble's world



• Diana Magnuson at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy



• Melissa Iwai at Brooklyn Arden



• Victoria Jamieson at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos



• Molly Idle at The Shady Glade



• Meghan McCarthy at A Fuse #8 Production

Friday, November 2

• Tracy McGuinness-Kelly at Sam Riddleburger's blog



• Sarah Kahn at Kate's Book Blog



• Sylvia Long at Whimsy Books



• Jeremy Tankard at the excelsior file



• Holli Conger at Please Come Flying

Saturday, November 3

• Susan Miller at Your Neighborhood Librarian



• Ellen Beier at What Adrienne Thinks About That



• Hideko Takahashi at The Silver Lining



• Judith Moffat at Jo's Journal



• Wendell Minor at Wild Rose Reader

Sunday, November 4

• Joy Allen at Check It Out



• Robin Brickman at Greetings from Nowhere



• Lauren Stringer at laurasalas



• Nancy Wallace at In the Pages . . .

Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

See also the following note from Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader:

Note to Blog Readers about Blogging for a Cure: When Jules of 7-Imp put out her call in September for bloggers to interview/feature artists who had created snowflakes for Robert’s Snow 2007 at their blogs, a number of artists had not yet sent in their snowflakes to Dana-Farber. As time was of the essence to get Blogging for a Cure underway, we worked with the list of artists whose snowflakes were already in possession of Dana-Farber. Therefore, not all the participating artists will be featured. This in no way diminishes our appreciation for their contributions to this worthy cause. We hope everyone will understand that once the list of artists was emailed to bloggers and it was determined which bloggers would feature which artists at their blogs, a schedule was organized and sent out so we could get to work on Blogging for a Cure ASAP. Our aim is to raise people’s awareness about Robert’s Snow and to promote the three auctions. We hope our efforts will help to make Robert’s Snow 2007 a resounding success.

*******

Thanks to Jen Robinson for putting this post together; she wrote and coded it, and I just tweaked it so it would work in blogger. Man, it's nice when the content creates itself...or is created by others. Thanks, Jen!

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Just around the corner: Bidding for the snowflakes in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift and supports an important cause. Check then out!

Add a Comment

As many of you know, bloggers all over the kidlitosphere have been posting about the upcoming Robert's Snow auction. Amazingly talented illustrators have painted snowflakes, which will be auctioned off during 3 consecutive weeks, and all of the proceeds will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Booktopia and Tweendom will proudly show-case Adam Rex! Adam has graciously agreed to answer some burning questions, and I will be giving away a brand spanking new hardcover copy of The True Meaning of Smekday to a lucky reader!

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As many of you know, bloggers all over the kidlitosphere have been posting about the upcoming Robert's Snow auction. Amazingly talented illustrators have painted snowflakes, which will be auctioned off during 3 consecutive weeks, and all of the proceeds will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Booktopia and Tweendom will proudly show-case Adam Rex! Adam has graciously agreed to answer some burning questions, and I will be giving away a brand spanking new hardcover copy of The True Meaning of Smekday to a lucky reader!

Add a Comment

I've been wanting to post on this for a while but hadn't gotten organized enough to find the links so I can send you in that direction. Author-illustrator Grace Lin began Robert's Snow several years ago in honor of her husband Robert Mercer, who recently passed away after a long battle with Ewing's sarcoma. Children's book illustrators decorate snowflakes which are then auctioned off, with the proceeds going to benefit cancer research. 

There's a big children's book blog event going on now, Blogging for a Cure, in which many blogs are mentioning featuring the snowflakes and illustrators of Robert's Snow to raise awareness. I've been away from reading blogs for the last couple of weeks, though, and don't know all the details, so I send you to Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast to find out everything.

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