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THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, GIVE THE GIFT OF READING WITH CRICKET MEDIA’S “DOUBLE THE GIVING” CAMPAIGN

With Each Magazine Subscription Purchased, Cricket will Donate One to

a Child in Need in Partnership with Two Award-Winning Literacy Charities:

Libraries Without Borders and Parent-Child Home Program

Visit DoubletheGiving.com and Join a Charitable Movement

Guaranteed to Spark a Lifetime Love of Reading!

McLean, VA (November 7, 2016) — This holiday season, Cricket Media, and its award-winning family of ad-free kids magazines including BABYBUG, LADYBUG, SPIDER and CRICKET,invite gift-givers to  double the reading and double the joy with their new “Double the Giving” Campaign.  Throughout this November and December, any gift-giver purchasing an annual print subscription to one of four different Cricket publications will also deliver the gift of reading to a child in an underserved community through two award-winning, charitable partners: Libraries Without Borders and Parent-Child Home Program, both 2016 Library of Congress Literacy Award Winners.

Since 1973, the magazines in the Cricket family have sparked curiosity, inspired creativity and opened worlds of possibility in kids ages 3-16.  Simply stack a year’s worth of one of Cricket’s magazines in front of a child, and they’ll see months of great stories and interactive features; adults will see a lifetime foundation of literacy and learning.  But many children do not have access to these experiences, and Cricket wants to help.

Beginning today, generous gift-givers seeking to give the life-long gift of reading are invited to visit DoubletheGiving.com.  There, they’ll have the opportunity to join a movement guaranteed to spark a lifetime love of reading through Cricket’s “Double the Giving” Campaign, Through the purchase of specially-discounted subscription bundles to BABYBUG (ages 6 mos.-3), LADYBUG (ages 3-6), SPIDER (ages 6-9) or CRICKET (ages 9-14) for $29.95 (regularly priced at $33.95), gift-givers can select between two charitable organizations to receive another 9-issue annual print subscription.

Libraries Without Borders supports community development in 20 countries around the world through the promotion of literacy.  And, since 1965, the Parent-Child Home Program has been providing under-resourced families with the necessary skills and tools to help their children thrive in school and in life, developing school readiness in children with disadvantages by combining intensive home visits with weekly gifts of books and educational materials. Donated subscriptions through the “Buy One, Donate One” program will deliver BABYBUG, LADYBUG, SPIDER, AND CRICKET to families in more than 400 high-need, underserved communities throughout the United States, opening windows of possibility, creativity and wonder for thousands of children across the country.

“Our mission at Cricket is for our magazines to be read and enjoyed by as many families as possible,” said CEO Stephanie Sharis.  “Spreading the joy of learning is at the heart of this campaign. And with the help of generous consumers, it’s our goal to reach 10,000 new kids in underserved communities across the country, making for a very bright holiday season for all”.

About Cricket Media

Cricket Media is an education media company that provides award-winning content on a safe and secure learning network for children, families and teachers across the world.  Cricket Media’s 11 popular media brands for toddlers to teens include Babybug®, Ladybug®, Cricket™ and Cobblestone™.  The Company’s innovative web-based K12 tools for school and home include the ePals community and virtual classroom for global collaboration as well as In2Books®, an e-Mentoring program that builds reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Cricket Media serves millions of teachers, students and parents in over 200 countries and territories through its platform and NeuPals, its joint venture with China’s leading IT services company Neusoft. Cricket Media also licenses its content and platform to top publishing and educational companies worldwide.  For more information, please visit http://www.cricketmedia.com.

About Libraries Without Borders

Libraries Without Borders (LWB) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to facilitating the growth of libraries in the developing world. Currently active in 20 different countries, LWB recognizes that access to knowledge is a key factor in social and economic development. By facilitating the growth of libraries across the globe, LWB aims to provide the knowledge that is the engine of human development. Libraries Without Borders and Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF) form an international network of organizations working together to promote knowledge-based development in under-served regions of the world.

About Parent-Child Home Program

The Parent-Child Home Program supports under-resourced families in preparing their young children for school success, by combining intensive home visits with weekly gifts of books and educational materials.  Early-literacy specialists model good practices to educate parents about the importance of parent-child interaction, give them the tools needed to inculcate early literacy skills in their children, and encourage them to see themselves as active participants in their children’s educations.  In this program, community-based early learning specialists visit participating families twice a week for two years.  When families complete the program, the staff helps parents enroll their children in quality preschools or kindergartens.  The program has been replicated in 400 high-need communities in 14 states and in Chile, Canada, Ireland and Bermuda.

For those of you in the Chicago area, here’s a bit of happiness.  This Saturday I’ll have the pleasure of hosting artist Rebecca Dudley of the incomparable Hank Finds an Egg in my Literary Salon.  Here’s the long and short of it:

It only comes but once a year. But when it comes, boy howdy is it cool!

The press release below reveals everything you need to know, but I just wanted to add that the new website with its searchable capabilities is awesome.  Plus, I just saw this adorable El Deafo video and had to share:

Awwwww.

Now make your own!

Contact: James Kennedy
Phone: 773-351-7452
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.90secondnewbery.com
Online PDF for social sharing: http://bit.ly/2dONfEe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

90-SECOND NEWBERY FILM FESTIVAL OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

Festival for kid-made films enters its sixth year

CHICAGO, IL—The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival—an annual celebration of kids’ creativity in which young filmmakers create short movies telling the entire stories of Newbery Medal and Newbery Honor books in roughly 90 seconds—is now open for submissions for its sixth year. The deadline for entries is January 7, 2017 (special deadlines for San Antonio, TX (12/2/2016) and Asheville, NC (2/8/2017)).

The film festival was founded by children’s author James Kennedy (The Order of Odd-Fish) and screens every year to packed houses at libraries and theaters in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Boston, Portland, Minneapolis, San Antonio, and other cities.

Ever since 1922, the American Library Association’s Newbery Medal has been recognized as the most prestigious award in children’s literature. Standout honorees include Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, Louis Sachar’s Holes, and Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia. But according to Kennedy, “it turns out that any book, no matter how worthy and somber, becomes hilarious when it’s compressed to only 90 seconds.”

The goal, says Kennedy, is not for kids to create mere book trailers or video book reports. The challenge is to compress the entire plot of the book in under two minutes, often with a transformative twist. Past entries include Beverly Cleary’s Ramona and Her Father done in the style of a James Bond movie and E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web reimagined as a horror movie. Kids use many other styles as well, including claymation, puppet shows, musicals, silent films, and Minecraft. Filmmakers may adapt any Medal– or Honor–winning book. Participants should be under 21, but help from enthusiastic adults is allowed.

For the past six years, the best 90-Second Newbery movies have been shownat special-event screenings at venues such as the New York Public Library, San Francisco Public Library, Minneapolis Public Library, and elsewhere. These screenings are co-hosted by Kennedy and other children’s authors. This year, James will be joined at many screenings by Keir Graff, whose latest middle-grade novel, The Matchstick Castle, publishes on January 10. Graff, the Executive Editor of Booklist, is a frequent 90-Second Newbery co-host and collaborator.

The Chicago screening will be April 1, 2017 at 3pm at the Vittum Theater (1012 N. Noble).

More details may be found at www.90secondnewbery.com. The website features many of the videos received throughout the last five years, as well as further resources for teachers and filmmakers. To receive more information, or to schedule an interview with James Kennedy, call James Kennedy at 773-351-7452 or email him at [email protected].

SIXTH ANNUAL 90-SECOND NEWBERY SCREENING DATES

Updates to this schedule will be posted at http://90secondnewbery.com/events

January 21, 2017 – SAN ANTONIO, TX
Hosted by James Kennedy and Nikki Loftin (Wish Girl). At the Charlene McCombs Empire Theatre (224 E. Houston St., San Antonio, TX). 3 pm.

February 11, 2017 – TACOMA, WA
Hosted by James Kennedy, Doug Mackey, and Keir Graff. At the Tacoma Public Library (1102 Tacoma Ave S). 3-5 pm.

February 12, 2017 – PORTLAND, OR
Hosted by James Kennedy, Keir Graff, and Dale Basye (Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go series). At the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd.). Sponsored by Portland Community Media. 4:30 pm.

February 17, 2017 – OAKLAND, CA
Hosted by James Kennedy, Keir Graff, and Marcus Ewert (Mummy Cat). At Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library (5366 College Ave, Oakland, CA). 7 pm.

February 18, 2017 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Hosted by James Kennedy, Keir Graff, and Marcus Ewert (Mummy Cat). At the San Francisco Public Library main branch (100 Larkin Street) in the Koret Auditorium. 4-6 pm.

February 25, 2017 – MINNEAPOLIS, MN
Hosted by James Kennedy, Keir Graff, and Kelly Barnhill (The Witch’s Boy). At the Minneapolis Central Library (300 Nicollet Mall) in Pohlad Hall. 3-5 pm.

March 11, 2017 – NEW YORK, NY
Hosted by James Kennedy, Keir Graff, and a co-host TBA. At the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (5th Ave at 42nd St., New York, NY) in the Bartos Forum. 3-5 pm.

March 12, 2017 – BROOKLYN, NY
Hosted by James Kennedy, Keir Graff, and a co-host TBA. At Central Library (10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY) in the Dweck Auditorium. 2-4 pm.

March 19, 2017 – ROCHESTER, NY
Hosted by James Kennedy and Charles Benoit (Snow Job). At the Dryden Theatre at the Eastman Museum (900 East Ave, Rochester, NY). 2-4 pm.

April 1, 2017 – CHICAGO, IL
Hosted by James Kennedy and Keir Graff. At the Vittum Theater (1012 N Noble St.). 3-5 pm.

April 22, 2017 – ASHEVILLE, NC
Hosted by James Kennedy and Alan Gratz (The League of Seven series). At the Pack Memorial Library (67 Haywood St., Asheville, NC). 1-3 pm.

April 30, 2017 – BOSTON AREA
Hosted by James Kennedy and M.T. Anderson (Feed, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing) and Jack Gantos (Dead End in Norvelt, Joey Pigza Loses Control). At the Brookline Public Library (361 Washington Street, Brookline, MA). 2-4 pm.

Naturally you know what tomorrow is.

You don’t?  Doggone calendars.  You’d think they’d have the wherewithal to remember that October 21st is Ivy & Bean Day.  And now here’s the interesting part.  You heard it here first, folks, but Ivy & Bean are going to have . . .  AN ELEVENTH BOOK!!

Don’t believe me?  Hear it from Ms. Annie Barrows herself:

When I finished Ivy and Bean Take the Case, the tenth book in the series, I figured it was time to take a break from my girls. Why? Because ten books are a lot. Ten books are bigger than my head. Ten books are really heavy. Ten books are enough. Besides, I was writing a novel for grownups. I was busy.

When my novel came out and I toured for it, I couldn’t help noticing that grownup audiences are incredibly well-behaved.  No one falls out of her chair. No one pulls his neighbor’s hair. No one cries. No one has to go to the bathroom right now. No one asks me how old I am. But also: no one asks me what my favorite color is. No one wants to hear interesting facts about being eaten by squids. No one laughs so hard she has to go to the bathroom right now.

I missed kids.

One day when I was sick of the thing I was supposed to be working on, I wrote a scene about Ivy and Bean and one of those weird dolls that’s supposed to look like a real baby. I laughed and put it away.  A little while later, I wrote another scene, about quicksand this time. I laughed some more.  Eventually, it occurred to me that

(a)    I was having fun

(b)   I missed little kids

(c)    A lot of readers wanted another Ivy and Bean book

(d)   Why didn’t I just go ahead and write one?

So I did.

Sophie Blackall had her own two cents to add.

The number one question I get asked in school visits is, ‘WHEN will there be a new Ivy and Bean???’ For years, I have left behind a trail of frustrated second graders, shaking their collective fists. Finally I’ll be able to hold my head high and say, ‘Soon, my friends. SOON.’ You have no idea what a relief this will be. Plus I get to work with Annie and Victoria again. Which is so much fun it isn’t really work at all.

In the meantime, Ivy and Bean haven’t just been lying around eating candy. They are hard at work advocating for vaccination against measles and will be appearing in a hilarious (and informative) comic book, in association with The American Academy of Pediatrics and The Measles and Rubella Initiative. 375,000 copies of the books, Ivy and Bean vs. The Measles will be distributed to doctors’ offices across the country this Fall in English and Spanish language editions!

This is, insofar as I can tell, big news.  I have never, ever seen a publisher with the guts to take on immunization.  I mean, check out these posters:

So there you have it folks.  A new Ivy & Bean on the horizon and a very worthy cause.  Not too shabby for a Friday, eh?

Generally speaking, I tend to go whole weeks without a press release to my name.  Then I get a whole slew of them submitted in a single week.  So far I’ve one on Tuesday, one today, and probably one tomorrow or Saturday.  It’s a full life.  If the one on Tuesday was for librarians, the one today is for the up-and-coming children’s authors out there.  A little contest that’s part writing challenge, part money in your pocket.

Institute of Children’s Literature Announces Quarterly Contest

Awarding $1,300 in cash prizes and accepting entries through October 31, 2016.

This could be one way of finding a little extra cash for gifts come holiday time. All you have to do is pull out your shamrocks, jack-o-lanterns, or maybe a couple of heart shaped candies, and start writing. Then enter the Institute of Children’s Literature holiday-themed writing contest!

“For me, the most fun is announcing the winners of the $1,300 in cash prizes,” says ICL Director Katie Davis. “And I get to have that fun every quarter, since we have these contests four times a year.” The Institute awards five cash prizes divided into varying levels including $650 for the first place winner, $350 for second place, and $100 for third, fourth and fifth place.

The holiday-themed contest is for any holiday, so we’ve gotten some really fun submissions, says judge Nancy Coffelt, an instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature. “Every submission is judged on clarity, liveliness, potential in the market, since one of the things we do to help writers is get their work sold.” Nancy is the award-winning author of numerous picture books, including Big, Bigger Biggest, and Dogs in Space.

As part of the $19 reading fee, contestants are invited to join a free online lesson taught by the judge, and hosted by Katie Davis. (Non-entrants may join for a small fee of $7.) This contest’s lesson will be held on December 1, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.ET. That’s when the five winning entrants will be announced and then critiqued, so attendees can see how even a winning submission can be improved upon. Invaluable writing tips and tricks are shared. One attendee, Cynthia, said, “It was exciting to enter my first contest and to learn what is gleaned from the winner’s techniques. Great tips and suggestions!” The webinars also offer participants a sneak peak at the next contest and have a random drawing of a free critique, worth $99.

For more information or to sign up please visit:

instituteforwriters.com/holiday-writing-contest.aspx

About the Institute

InstituteforWriters.com

Since 1969 the Institute has taught over 470,000 students with a one-on-one customized method of instruction. Our faculty is made up of published authors and committed educators. Our school offers college level courses (and college credits) where students can learn to write. Our graduates include a poet laureate and a Newbery medalists and often our students get published before they even finish their course. And all of this is attainable right from the comfort of your home.

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This one’s for the school and public librarians.  Don’t let the title of this post fool you.  For all that this sounds like an award for authors  and illustrators, it’s actually a grant so that you can get some into your library.  On site.  In person.  Here’s the text, and it’s fantastic.  Maybe one of the smartest memorial awards I’ve ever encountered.

Have you always wanted to have a nationally recognized author/illustrator visit your library?

Then, please, apply for the 2017 Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Grants Administration Committee are now accepting online applications for the 2017 Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award.

This $4,000 award, made possible by an annual gift from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing in honor of Maureen Hayes, brings together children and nationally recognized authors/illustrators by funding an author/illustrator visit to a library.

Each applicant will be judge on the following:

• Reasons for the application. The applicant seeks to provide a visit

from an author/illustrator who will speak to children who have not had the opportunity to hear a nationally known author/illustrator. Reasons for applying could include: particular contribution; a special celebration, etc.

• Facilities. The appropriateness, both in terms of capacity and

accessibility.

• Administrative support. The organization and administrative

capabilities of the person or group submitting an application evident in the enclosed budget, and partially manifested in the presentation of the application itself.

• Cooperation with other organizations. The applicant must work

cooperatively with other types of libraries (academic, public and school) and bookstores within the local community to provide the author/illustrator visit, thereby also providing a broader audience.  The applicant must present the library’s educational goals, as well as evidence of how those goals apply to the local community’s educational goals.  The extent to which meaningful cooperation among various local or area groups would suggest an ability to share responsibilities of personnel, time, and money needed to cover local expenses.

• Author/Illustrator visit visibility. Emphasis on the presentation as a

distinctive event publicized to and open to all potential attendees in the area is a priority for each Award.

Applicants must be personal members of ALSC, as well as ALA members to apply.

Deadline for submissions is Nov. 1, 2016.

For more information about the award requirements and submitting the online application please visit the Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award Web page.

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/profawards/hayesaward

ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at www.ala.org/alsc.

Jennifer Mae Smith
Chair of the ALSC Grant Administration Committee

There was a time, oh best beloved, when BookFest (an annual book event with multiple panels, book discussions, speakers, and general camaraderie) was hosted by New York Public Library.  Then came the great upheaval of 2008 and its fate was up in the air until Lisa Von Drasek saved it by pulling it uptown to the Bank Street College of Education.  One cannot help but think of a ghostly Anne Carroll Moore glaring over at an equally ghostly but far more smug Lucy Sprague Mitchell when that occurred.  Ever since then Bank Street has firmly held the BookFest reins.  This is all to the good because this year’s fest, held on Saturday, October 22nd, is looking to be a doozy.  If you’ve a yen (and a physical proximity to New York City) then here are the details:

Join us for BookFest @ Bank Street 2016 on Saturday, October 22nd!

BookFest @ Bank Street is an event devoted to the celebration, discovery, and discussion of books for children and teens. This event, intended for adults, features luminaries from the children’s literature community. Authors, illustrators, editors, reviewers, and scholars will take part on panel discussions and breakout sessions, which allow participants a closer look at a specific genre or topic in children’s literature.

Tickets: $80.00 ››

9:00am – Arrive, register, and drink coffee

9:30am – Welcome

9:35 – 10:15am – “Reading with Pictures: Visual Literacy Yesterday and Today”
Panelists: Lindsey Wyckoff, Archivist, Bank Street College of Education
Francoise Mouly, Publisher, Toon Books and Art Editor, The New Yorker
Rudy Gutierrez, illustrator, Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey
Raúl Colón, author and illustrator, Draw!
Moderator: Leonard S. Marcus, children’s literature scholar and Honorary Degree holder from Bank Street College of Education

10:15 – 11:10am – “Artists and Illustrators Talk Visual Literacy”
Panelists: Laurent Linn, author and illustrator, Draw the Line
Hervé Tullet, author and illustrator, Let’s Play!
Angela Dominguez, author and illustrator, Mango, Abuela and Me
Jason Chin, author and illustrator, Gravity
Brian Pinkney, author and illustrator, Max Found Two Sticks
Christopher Myers, author and illustrator, My Pen
Moderator: Susannah Richards, Eastern Connecticut State University

11:10 – 11:25am – Break

11:25am – 12:25pm – “The Whole Book Approach: Reading Picture Books with Children”
Presenter: Megan Dowd Lambert

12:25 – 1:25pm – Book Discussions (DISCUSSION GROUP LEADERS AND BOOK LIST)

1:25 – 2:00pm – Lunch and Book Autographing

2:05 – 2:50pm – “Capturing the Action: Graphic Novels and Visual Literacy”
Panelists: Deb Lucke, author and illustrator, The Lunch Witch
Raúl Gonzalez, illustrator, Lowriders in Space
Jorge Aguirre, co-author and illustrator, Dragons Beware!
George O’Connor, author and illustrator, Olympians series
Moderator: Jesse Karp, Pratt Institute School of Information

2:55 – 3:30pm – Closing keynote: Pam Muñoz Ryan, author, Echo

3:30 – 4:00pm – Autographing in the lobby – books for sale from the Bank Street Book Store team

Oh, my stars and garters.  You lucky authors out there that have written books with math in them in some way are in for a treat.  The Mathical Book Prize is now accepting submissions from all comers, be they picture books, middle grade, or YA.  What is this prize of which I speak?  In its own words:

The 2017 Mathical Book Prize seeks both new and previously published titles that connect literacy to encouraging children in grades PreK-12 to engage in mathematical thinking!

Mathical Winners and Honor Books come from all genres and publishers, and include fiction, nonfiction, poetry and picture books, introductions to big ideas in science and technology, biographies of people around the world who loved math, and more.

Mathical Books aren’t textbooks or workbooks, but stories that include a wide variety of topics that build math literacy, encourage exploration, and inspire kids to see math as a way to interact with the world around them. For a list of previous winners and honor books, visit www.mathicalbooks.org.

The Mathical Book Prize is organized by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley, California, in partnership with the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), two of America’s largest professional educator associations.

Deadline for submission: September 22, 2016

• 2017 Mathical Book Prize Call for Submissions (PDF)

• 2017 Mathical Book Prize publisher title submission form (Microsoft Excel)

• 2017 Mathical Book Prize individual title submission form (web)

So get on this, people.  Math doesn’t get a lot of attention these days.  Let’s see what we can’t do to turn a little attention its way.

Photo credit Sonya Sones (who, coincidentally, did my author photo as well)

As I mentioned in my 2016 Day of Dialog round-up, Richard Peck was the kickoff speaker this year, just before Book Expo.  I was moderating the middle grade fiction panel that morning, so I got to hang out with Richard in the green room a little before the event.  Now I’ve met him in the past, but very briefly indeed (I think I moderated a table for him at a different Book Expo event years ago).  A little more recently I posted on this blog about the fact that actress Lena Dunham has a Fair Weather tattoo.  I was assured by Richard’s editor later that she sent Lena a signed copy of Fair Weather after reading my post.

In any case, long story short, Richard by all rights shouldn’t have remembered me.  The man meets hundreds of librarians monthly, and yet if he’d forgotten my face he faked it with aplomb.  “You reviewed my pocket square!” he declared, and indeed that does sound like me.  Story checks out.

When you listen to Richard speak, it’s not talking.  It’s not speechifying.  It’s pure oratory, in crisp, clean perfection.  It makes you long for a time when students were taught public speaking as an artform.  And now, you lucky ducks, you have a chance to hear him firsthand.  You see, Richard has a new book out.  The details, should you be interested, are:

THE BEST MAN by Richard Peck (on sale September 20^th; Ages 9-12; $16.99)

When Archer is in sixth grade, his beloved uncle Paul marries another man–Archer’s favorite student teacher. But that’s getting ahead of the story, and a wonderful story it is. In Archer’s sweetly naïve but observant voice, his life through elementary school is recounted: the outspoken, ever-loyal friends he makes, the teachers who blunder or inspire, and the family members who serve as his role models. From one exhilarating, unexpected episode to another, Archer’s story rolls along as he puzzles over the people in his life and the kind of person he wants to become . . . and manages to help his uncle become his best self as well.

And since Richard’s on tour for this book, you can see him yourself.  I don’t often post tour dates here, but I do make the occasional exception.  And Richard is worth seeing.

The dates:

Monday, September 19^th – DENVER, CO

6 PM

Tattered Cover

2526 E Colfax Ave

Denver, CO 80206

Thursday, September 29^th – BELLINGHAM, WA

4 PM

Village Books

1200 11th St

Bellingham, WA 98225

Friday, September 30^th – SEATTLE, WA

Time to Be Announced

Secret Garden Bookshop

2214 NW Market St, Seattle

WA 98107

Sunday, October 2^nd – DANVILLE, CA

11 AM

Rakestraw Books

3 Railroad Ave

Danville, CA 94526

Tuesday, October 4^th – PLEASANTON, CA

Time to be Announced

Towne Center Books

555 Main St

Pleasanton, CA 94566

Wednesday, October 5^th – SAN JOSE, CA

3 PM

Hicklebees

1378 Lincoln Ave

San Jose, CA 95125

Tuesday, October 18^th – NAPERVILLE, IL

7 pm

Andersons

123 W Jefferson Ave

Naperville, IL 60540

Wednesday, October 19^th –NORTHBROOK, IL

Time to be Announced

Book Bin

1151 Church St

Northbrook, IL 60062

Thursday, October 20^th – CHICAGO, IL

7 PM

The Book Stall

811 Elm St

Winnetka, IL 60093

Friday, November 4^th – Raleigh, NC

7 PM

Quail Ridge Books

4381-105 Lassiter at North Hills Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27609

Author Bio:

Richard Peck has won almost every children’s fiction award, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the Newbery Medal, the Scott O’Dell Award, and the Edgar, and he has twice been nominated for a National Book Award. He was the first children’s author ever to have been awarded a National Humanities Medal. He lives in New York City.

Me?  I spent it in Vermont. The rolling green hills.  The bears and red squirrels and little tiny insects that think your left nostril is a house and home.  The lovely company, particularly when you’re deciding the 2016 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winners.

Yup.  Alongside fellow committee members Roxanne Feldman and Joanna Long (she of the magnificent Vermont home) we put our heads together and came up with some stellar winners.

What’s that you say?  You’d like to know who those winners might be?  Nothing doing, sweet stuff.  You’re going to have to watch the live feed this coming Thursday at 11 a.m. EST like the rest of the world.  I’ll give you one hint though: I like these books.  I mean I really, really like them.

Stay tuned, faithful readers.  The live feed video is here.

Ach. I miss this award. I served on it once and suggested titles for consideration twice. Be sure to check out the honors as well. There are some surprises there that made me really happy.

THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNOUNCES

2016 CHILDREN’S HISTORY BOOK PRIZE

GOES TO PAM MUñOZ RYAN FOR ECHO

NEW YORK, NY – May 25, 2016—Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society, announced today that author Pam Muñoz Ryan will receive New-York Historical’s 2016 Children’s History Book Prize for Echo (Scholastic Press, 2015). The prize annually awards $10,000 to the best American history book, fiction or non-fiction, for middle readers ages 9–12. This year’s award will be presented by New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña on June 2 at 12:30 pm at New-York Historical’s Robert H. Smith Auditorium.

“We are pleased to present our 2016 Children’s History Book Prize to Pam Muñoz Ryan,” said Dr. Mirrer. “Echo is a richly imagined and structurally innovative book that reflects our mission to make history accessible to children through compelling narratives that allow them to develop a personal connection to historical subjects.”

Muñoz Ryan’s Echo beautifully weaves together the individual stories of a boy in Germany during the early 1930s, two orphans in Pennsylvania during the mid-1930s, and a Mexican girl in California in the early 1940s as the same harmonica lands in their lives, binding them by an invisible thread of destiny.  All the children face daunting challenges—rescuing a father from the Nazis, keeping a brother out of an orphanage, and protecting the farm of a Japanese family during internment—until their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.

“The theme of standing up to prejudice and injustice and how these struggles are intertwined in the lives of these children from different geographic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds resonated with our educator, historian, and student jurors,” said Jennifer Schantz, New-York Historical’s Executive Vice President & COO, who helps oversee the DiMenna Children’s History Museum. “The jury also felt this page-turner of a novel provided a great entry point for teachers and children to discuss intolerance that continues to exist today.”

The New-York Historical Society annually celebrates the work of an outstanding American history children’s book writer and publisher with the Children’s History Book Prize. The recipient is selected by a jury comprised of librarians, educators, historians, and families of middle schoolers. The three finalists for the prize included Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound by Andrea Davis Pinkney, I Don’t Know How the Story Ends by J.B. Cheaney, and My Near Death Adventures (99% True) by Alison DeCamp.

At the New-York Historical Society and its Dimenna Children’s History Museum, visitors are encouraged to explore history through characters and narrative. The Children’s History Book Prize is part of New-York Historical’s larger efforts on behalf of children and families. DiMenna regularly presents programs where families explore history together. At its popular monthly family book club Reading into History, families discuss a historical fiction or non-fiction book they previously read at home, share their reactions, discover related artifacts and documents, and meet historians and authors. New-York Historical’s work with middle school readers and their families is grounded in the belief that offering creative opportunities to engage the entire family helps young readers grow and thrive.

About the Author

Pam Muñoz Ryan is the recipient of the Newbery Honor, the Kirkus Prize, the NEA’s Human and Civil Rights Award, and the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for multicultural literature. She has written more than 30 books, which have garnered countless accolades, including two Pura Belpre Awards, the Jane Addams Children’s Boko Award, and the Schneider Family Book Award.

About the New-York Historical Society

The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.

About the DiMenna Children’s History Museum

The DiMenna Children’s History Museum at the New-York Historical Society presents 350 years of New York and American history through character-based pavilions, interactive exhibits and digital games, and the Barbara K. Lipman Children’s History Library. The DiMenna Children’s History Museum encourages families to explore history together through permanent installations and a wide range of family learning programs for toddlers, children, and preteens.

Press Contacts

Ines Aslan

New-York Historical Society

[email protected]

212-485-9263

We’re just hitting it out of the park now.  Fast on the heels of our last Salon with Jeanne Birdsall and N.D. Wilson (info below), this coming Saturday I managed to bring together the three kings of children’s book social media.  Behold!

If you’d like to watch the discussion live, tune in 2:00 CST here.  And if you live in the area, you simply have to come.  Never before have these three been interviewed at the same time by . . . uh . . me.  Or possibly anyone else (note to self: check if this is true).

Curious about Travis Jonker’s picture, by the way?  As I recall it was made for him by video and film director Michel Gondry.  You can read Travis’s piece about it here.  John’s is by Dan Santat.  I’m going to need to ask Colby who did his.

By the way, did you miss our last Salon last Saturday when Jeanne Birdsall and N.D. Wilson spoke on the topic of how their personal belief systems inform their writing?  Good news!  Not only did I record the, quite frankly, killer talk but the sound quality was a lot better than last time.  Here’s the timeline of the video:

• At 0:00 Nate is running a bit late but since it was a live feed I wanted to keep folks watching in the loop.
• At 2:36 Jeanne Birdsall and I have a finger puppet show as we wait for Nate to show up.  I have flashbacks to my sock puppet interview from 8 years ago.
• At 3:30 the talk begins.
• And at 12:45 I tilt the screen back a bit so that it doesn’t look like our heads are all scraping the ceiling.

Enjoy!

This is big. Maybe the biggest idea in the realm of children’s literature I’ve seen in years.  Possibly my entire career.  I don’t like using the term “gamechanger” but I can’t think of a better word in this particular case.

Okay.  So imagine, if you will, a new children’s book museum.  But where that term would usually invoke images of adult-centric locations, The Rabbit Hole is going to be immersive.  They’re bandying about the term “Explorastorium” which gets you a bit closer to what they’re doing.  Think of a children’s museum or an exploratorium, but instead of water tables and those blue bendy foam construction pieces you have kids bouncing in and out of their favorite books.  Imagine you literally walk into what appears to be scenes from the book itself.  You might have seen similar ideas done when museums do exhibits on famous authors of the past.  When NYPL did its “The ABC of It” exhibit you found yourself in The Great Green Room of Goodnight Moon.  And when there was a William Steig exhibit at the Jewish Museum of New York, you walked into a room where everything looked like it had been drawn by his hand.

But think bigger than that.

To get the full flavor, you need to sit down and read this article from The Kansas City Star: Rabbit Hole aims to make KC world capital of children’s books, top U.S. publishers sign on. From it you’ll get an inkling of what this space will be (watch the video there as well).  Otherwise how else are you going to hear about how this fall the folks behind the project are going to transform a city bus into the bus from “Last Stop on Market Street.”

An ambitious project set for the fall is the so-called Mobile Storybook. In cooperation with the KCATA, The Rabbit Hole crew would transform a city bus into the bus from “Last Stop on Market Street,” a 2015 Newbery and Caldecott winner by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson. The unveiling would coincide with the national conference of the Urban Libraries Council, giving The Rabbit Hole more exposure. The story would unfold along the route with digital animations on LED window glass, audio landscapes, and sculptures of characters inside the bus. As riders board the bus, they can pick up copies of the book to read along. They can also “check out” the books and return them at any public library. Cowdin hopes the magic bus will run on both a regular route and customized tours.

And I thought the Crossover float in Evanston’s 4th of July parade last year was impressive.  Sheesh!

Even as I read about the hopes and dreams going into this campaign (“permanent features such as, perhaps, a giant version of Mike Mulligan’s steam shovel, Mary Anne, rising out of a hole, or the forest from ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ where children can swing on branches with Max”) I am filled with an odd mixture of complete joy and incredible seething envy and jealousy.  It’s a good kind of seething envy and jealousy.  The kind where you suddenly want to be a part of this project so badly that you’ll do anything to make that happen.  Including giving money.

To make this space happen, an Indiegogo campaign is in the works.  Go to their site and you’ll see video after video after video about this space.  The one with the authors (Jon Scieszka, Brian Selznick, Kate DiCamillo, and more!) is particularly good.

Additionally, in this fundraiser you can purchase lots of fun things donated by many writers and illustrators, though any donation would be appreciated.

Guys, I don’t give money to anything.  But I’m going to give to this.  And I don’t usually tell you to give your hard earned cash to anything, but I think that this is important.

For more information, check out this interview Pete conducted with The Groove Juice Special Radio Hour For Children & Other Brave Souls.

Also be sure to check out the YouTube channel for The Rabbit Hole.  Great stuff there.

Today a co-worker pulled me aside and asked about our next Children’s Literary Salon.  She wanted to know how I was getting such fabulous stars, particularly since the next Salon (a week from this Saturday) will be featuring not just Penderwicks scribe Jeanne Birdsall but author N.D. Wilson to boot.  Add in the topic (a little non-Christian Humanism with your kidlit, anyone?) and you’ve got yourself a slam bang killer talk.  I told her that authors are generous people and Jeanne and Nate particularly so.  As ever, there will be a live feed of the discussion here and this time I’ll try using my own personal laptop so that we don’t have to worry as much about the sound quality.

Here’s more information:

Reprinting PW deal announcements is not what I tend to do.  Today, however, we’ve a rather extraordinary occurrence.  Some of you may know that my husband Matt Bird is a bit of a blogger and screenwriter in his own right.  Add the term “published author” to that description now.  Publishers Weekly has just announced Matt’s latest book deal.  In short:

Bird Shares the ‘Story’ With WD

Matt Bird sold world English rights to The Secrets of Story to Phil Sexton at Writers Digest. Bird, who has an M.F.A. in screenwriting from Columbia, runs the popular writing blog Cockeyed Caravan, which offers tips and instruction on narrative craft. Stephen Barbara at Inkwell Management represented Bird, and the book, which is subtitled Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers, is set for fall 2016. Barbara compared Secrets to such iconic screenwriting guides as Robert McKee’s Story and Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat, calling it the “21st-century answer” to those titles.

Lest you feel this is simply pure nepotism, I will point out that Matt’s book has much to say to you children’s and YA authors out there.  He speaks regularly on the podcast of editor Cheryl Klein and James Monohan (The Narrative Breakdown) and his advice on The Ultimate Story Checklist has been of particular use to those who write books for kids and teens (note that the link I just included starts with an image of Harriet the Spy).

For more information, see Matt’s post here.

Hurray!

It wasn’t too long ago that I was running the Children’s Literary Salon, a monthly gathering of topics presented to children’s literature enthusiasts, in the hallowed halls of NYPL.  Times change, people move, and lo and behold here I am on the outskirts of Chicago (if Evanston can really be designated as “the outskirts”) bringing you a whole new Lit Salon.  Yes!  It’s Children’s Literary Salon 2.0 and we’re doing it Illinois-style.  So if you happen to find yourself in the Midwest this coming Saturday, I’d very much like to interest you in the following program:

The Evanston Public Library presents on Saturday, January 9th at 3:00 p.m.:

“Bringing Books to the Border: Jeff Garrett and the Refugee Children of the Rio Grande Valley”

When 70,000 children crossed the southern border into the United States it sparked a humanitarian crisis.  And until July of 2014 the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Department was unable accept donations of kids books to these children.  When that changed, local bookstore owner Jeff Garrett of Bookends and Beginnings worked as part of REFORMA’s Children in Crisis Project, to help bring children’s books to the unaccompanied refugee children currently arriving in the Rio Grande Valley.  Speaking about his experiences, Jeff touches on many of the issues surrounding the border today and what we can learn from those who are working with refugee children every day.

This event will be held in the Community Room on the first floor.

No reservations necessary.

If you have any questions about this event, please email me at [email protected].

In preparation for the SLJ Pre-Game / Post-Game Show each year I try to collect all the Mock elections for Newbery or Caldecott or Printz or Sibert or Coretta Scott King or really anything that’s out there.  It’s mildly exhausting and you’re always bound to miss someone somewhere.  Last year I dutifully collected the Mocks in a post but it still seemed strange that I was the only one compiling them.  Happily this year ALSC is doing the work for me.  The following message was posted on several children’s literature listservs.  If you’ve a Mock Election coming up (or that has already happened) please note the following (and check out the huge amount of winners they’ve already posted!!).

Every year, libraries and schools around North America offer Mock Election programs in preparation for the annual Youth Media Awards.  These discussions are a great opportunity for children?s literature aficionados to gather and discuss a topic they love, and to learn more about some of the great, recently published books for kids.

A page is being developed on the ALSC Blog with as many of the results from this year’s Mock Elections as can be found. Check it out here. You can also find this tab on the homepage of the ALSC Blog.

If you are a library, school, bookstore, discussion group, blog, MLIS class, or other group of interested readers, we’d love to include the results of your mock elections of young people’s literature.  Send off the names of your mock winner and honor titles to [email protected] with other pertinent information you would like to share, including the name of your library, your city/state, a url to your library and/or Mock Election site, the number of participants, and a contact name & email for further information. We look forward to posting a wide variety of results!

Check back often to see what titles are being selecting in Youth Media Award Mock Elections, feel free to share this page widely, and stay tuned to find out the real winners as they are announced at the Midwinter Conference on January 11, 2016 in Boston.

Happy reading!  Happy discussing!

Mary

Mary R. Voors

ALSC Blog manager

This is the kind of award librarians should know about and don’t tend to. For anyone searching for good picture book readalouds, this list is invaluable. Read on:

Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy Announces 2016 CLEL Picture Book Awards Shortlists

Denver, Colorado, December 15, 2015 – Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL) announces the Shortlist titles for the 2016 CLEL Bell Picture Book Award. The CLEL Bell Picture Book Awards are a national award designed to recognize picture books that provide excellent support of early literacy development in young children.

The Shortlist includes 25 titles- five books in each of the five categories representing an early literacy practices: Read, Write, Sing, Talk and Play. Research shows that engaging children in these practices builds language skills and prepares children to become successful readers.

Winning titles, one from each category, will be announced on February 5, 2016. The shortlists are:

Read:

Books for Me! by Sue Fliess; illustrated by Mike Laughead (Two Lions), The Boy & the Book by David Michael Slater; illustrated by Bob Kolar (Charlesbridge), Where Are My Books? by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Duncan the Story Dragon by Amanda Driscoll (Random House), Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon (Sterling?s Childrens Books)

Write:

Around the World: Follow the Trail by Katie Haworth; illustrated by Craig Shuttlewood (Little Bee Books), By Mouse and Frog by Deborah Freedman (Viking Books for Young Readers), How to Draw a Dragon by Douglas Florian (Beach Lane Books), Inside this Book (are three books) by Barney Saltzberg (Abrams Appleseed), Knit Together by Angela Dominguez (Penguin Group)

Sing:

Hiccupotamus by Steve Smallman; illustrated by Ada Grey (Tiger Tales), Mother Goose’s Pajama Party by Danna Smith; illustrated by Virginia Allyn (Doubleday Books for Young Readers), Nose to Toes, You Are Yummy! by Tim Harrington (Balzer + Bray), Cock-a-Doodle-Doo-Bop! by Michael Ian Black; illustrated by Matt Myers, (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), Music Class Today! by David Weinstone; illustrated by Vin Vogel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR))

Talk:

One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck; illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail (Atheneum Books), A Fish to Feed by Ellen Mayer; illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu (Star Bright Books), Can You Whoo, Too? by Harriet Ziefert; illustrated by Sophie Fatus (Blue Apple Books), BAH! Said the Baby by Jennifer Plecas (Philomel Books), I Don’t Want to Be a Frog by Dev Petty; illustrated by Mike Boldt (Doubleday Books)

Play:

Tickle Monster by Edouard Manceau (Abrams), On the Ball by Brian Pinkney (Disney Hyperion), Bob and Flo by Rebecca Ashdown (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Little Baby Buttercup by Linda Ashman; illustrated by You Byun (Nancy Paulsen Books), Book-O-Hats: A Wearable Book by Donald Lemke; illustrated by Bob Lentz (Capstone Young Readers)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                CONTACT: Emma Walton Hamilton

[email protected]

Picture Book Summit 2015 Raises Over $7000 for

We Need Diverse Books

Event Featured Mac Barnett, Peter Brown, Andrea Davis Pinkney and Other Top Children’s Authors

New York, NY – The first annual Picture Book Summit, an international online conference for children’s picture book authors, raised more than $7000 for the nonprofit group We Need Diverse Books. The announcement was made at New York Media Works, the headquarters of Kidlit.TV – a sponsor of Picture Book Summit.

Picture Book Summit 2015 took place on October 3^rd, and featured keynotes from bestselling authors Mac Barnett, Peter Brown and Andrea Davis Pinkney, as well as workshops led by the co-founders and panel discussions with editors and agents. Hundreds of working and aspiring children’s book writers attended the event, logging in from six continents.

“We’re thrilled to be making this contribution,” said children’s book author and Picture Book Summit co-founder Emma Walton Hamilton. “We’d hoped to raise a significant amount, but attendance at the Summit exceeded our expectations – so our contribution was even greater than we’d hoped.

“We selected We Need Diverse Books as this year’s recipient because of the great work they’re doing bringing awareness to this important cause,” added author/illustrator and Picture Book Summit cofounder, Katie Davis.

The five founders of Picture Book Summit – including author Julie Hedlund, and Jon Bard and Laura Backes of Children’s Book Insider – are longtime colleagues and friends who joined forces to create a unique event to help working and aspiring picture book authors improve their craft and chances of publication.

In addition to Kidlit.TV, sponsors for Picture Book Summit 2015 included the Institute of Children’s Literature, the 12 X 12 Picture Book Challenge, Just Write Children’s Books, and Children’s Book Insider.

We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. The organization recognizes all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. According to WNDB president, Ellen Oh, the Picture Book Summit contribution will be used to support the WNDB in the Classroom program – an initiative that brings diverse authors and their books into Title One schools.

The 2016 Picture Book Summit is scheduled for October 1^st, 2016. For more information, visit http://picturebooksummit.com.

Emma Walton Hamilton (r) and Katie Davis (l) of Picture Book Summit present a donation to Ellen Oh (c-r) and Dhonielle Clayton (c-l) of We Need Diverse Books at New York Media Works on November 16. Picture Book Summit, the largest ever one day online picture book-writing conference, raised more than $7000 for the nonprofit.

SIMMONS COLLEGE AND LEE & LOW BOOKS

ESTABLISH NEW SCHOLARSHIP

November 1, 2015—New York, NY—The Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College and publisher LEE & LOW BOOKS have established a scholarship to increase diversity in the world of children’s literature. The new Lee & Low and Friends Scholarship will provide opportunities for students of color to enroll in the most prestigious children’s literature graduate program in the United States.

The scholarship initiative is a partnership between two organizations committed to diversity in children’s literature. LEE & LOW BOOKS is the largest multicultural children’s book publisher in the country and a leader in the movement for more diversity in the publishing industry. The graduate programs in children’s literature at Simmons College are dedicated to bringing a wide range of voices into books for children and young adults, and to providing students access to careers that diversify the field of children’s literature.

“Lee & Low is excited to be partnering with Simmons College to provide a meaningful way to address one of the most challenging obstacles in bringing more equity to publishing: the pipeline problem,” says Jason Low, publisher of LEE & LOW BOOKS.

Unpaid internships and costly graduate programs, combined with low entry-level salaries, are significant barriers for many hoping to work in publishing. The Lee & Low and Friends Scholarship will support students for whom the traditional entrances to publishing remain closed, and thus create a pathway for diverse graduate students to positions in which they can influence what and how children’s literature is created.

The $100,000 scholarship fund was created through donations from LEE & LOW BOOKS and Simmons College alumni. The first recipients will be chosen for fall 2016. “Children’s Literature at Simmons welcomes this collaboration with Lee & Low as we team up to create venues of access that lead to lasting change,” says Cathryn M. Mercier, Director of the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons. For more information, contact [email protected].

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AT SIMMONS COLLEGE: Established in 1977, the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature supports the advancement of the study of children’s and young adult literature through nationally recognized partnerships and graduate programs, including the nation’s
first Master of Arts in Children’s Literature and Master of Fine Arts: Writing for Children, as well as several innovative dual degree options. To learn more, visit simmons.edu/academics/graduate-programs/childrens-literature-ma.

ABOUT LEE & LOW BOOKS: Established in 1991, LEE & LOW BOOKS is the largest children’s book publisher in the United States specializing in diversity. Under several imprints, the company provides a comprehensive range of notable diverse books for beginning readers through young adults. Visit leeandlow.com to learn more.

Ach. You leave NYC, you deal with the consequences. No BookFest for me this year. Some of you, however, might be a bit luckier. It’s worth it.  I mean, did you see that they have Laura Amy Schlitz with Jeanne Birdsall in conversation?!?  Right there.  Here are the details:

Saturday, October 24, 2015

BookFest @ Bank Street 2015
Bank Street College Center for Children’s Literature
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (EDT)

BookFest @ Bank Street is an event devoted to the celebration, discovery, and discussion of books for children and teens. This event, intended for adults, features luminaries from the children’s literature community. Authors, illustrators, editors, reviewers, and scholars will take part on panel discussions and breakout sessions, which allow participants a closer look at a specific genre or topic in children’s literature.

Tickets: $75.00 ››

9:00am – Arrive, register, and drink coffee

9:30 – Welcome

9:35 – 10:15am – “Teachers as Writers”: Adam Gidwitz, Bank Street GS ’08, A Tale
Dark and Grimm, Elizabeth Bluemle, Bank Street GS ’98, Tap! Tap! Boom! Boom!,
and Cynthia Weill, Columbia Teachers College, Bank Street Writers Lab, Opuestos/Opposites.
Moderator: Leonard S. Marcus, children’s literature scholar and Honorary Degree
holder from Bank Street College of Education

10:15 – 11:00am – “Artists and Mentors: Book…Making…101″: Christopher Myers (Jake Makes the World; My Pen), Shadra Strickland (Bird; Please, Louise), Raúl Colón (Draw!), and Sara Varon (Robot Dreams; Bake Sale).
Moderator: Joe Rogers, Jr., Founder & Facilitator of Total Equity Now

11:00 – 11:15am – Break

11:15 – 12:15pm – “Young Women in the (Plot) Driver’s Seat”: Laura Amy Schlitz (The Hired Girl), Jeanne Birdsall (The Penderwicks in Spring), Kat Yeh (The Truth about Twinkie Pie), and Liz Kessler (Emily Windsnap and the Ship of Lost)
Moderator: Monica Edinger, The Dalton School

12:15 – 1:15pm – Book Discussions (Discussion Group Leaders and Book Lists)

1:15 – 2:00pm – Lunch and Book Autographing

2:05 – 3:00pm – “Pushing Narrative Boundaries in Teen Literature”: Tim Wynne-Jones (The Emperor of Anyplace), Beth Kephart (One
Thing Stolen), Daniel José Older (Shadowshaper)
Moderator: Vicky Smith, reviews editor, Kirkus Reviews

3:00 – 3:30pm – Closing keynote: Rita Williams-Garcia (Gone Crazy in Alabama)

3:30 – 4:00pm – Autographing in the lobby – books for sale from the Bank Street Book Store team

Folks, I don’t post a lot of Kickstarter projects here, but this one’s a little different. It’s an idea that’s near and dear to my heart and . . . well, I’ll let the title speak for itself.

Gaiman Kickstarter Video and Colfer Original Fiction Help Launch The Read Quarterly.

The Read Quarterly (TRQ), the magazine launching in January 2016 to discuss the culture of children’s literature, has today revealed its first issue cover and has announced that the magazine will contain an original four-part Eoin Colfer story, Holy Mary, to be published through the first year.

TRQ have also announced details of how to support the first issue of the magazine via Kickstarter and have revealed that Neil Gaiman has been instrumental in setting up that campaign, even recording a video for them to help push the crowd funding.

Sarah Odedina, one of the founders of the magazine, said “We have had such fantastic support since we announced The Read Quarterly.  We are excited by the Kickstarter campaign as we feel that its energy suits our magazine so perfectly. Support has already been flooding in from such luminaries as authors including Malorie Blackman and Neil Gaiman, publishers Neal Porter and Louis Baum and bookseller Melissa Cox. We look forward to growing our magazine to reflect the energy and drive that is so characteristic of the children’s literary scene around the world”.

To support the Kickstarter please go to www.kickstarter.com/projects/748565480/the-read-quarterly. Pledges for the project start at £20 and you will receive not only Odedina and Manning’s undying gratitude and the joy of supporting the project from the start, but also exclusive prints, bags and original artwork. From publication, the magazine will be stocked in bookshops and there is also a subscription service from issue two onwards.

If you are interested in stocking the magazine, please contact Kate Manning at [email protected].

Launching in January 2016, The Read Quarterly will be a forum in which global children’s literature can be discussed and debated. Created by children’s literature enthusiasts, each with a wealth of experience in the publishing industry, Sarah Odedina and Kate Manning, this quarterly magazine will provide an environment in which both writers and readers can share their enthusiasm, introduce new ideas and challenge old ones.

For media inquires, please contact:

Kate Manning

[email protected]

07833995777

MFA in Creative Writing and Literature

CONTACT: Emma Walton Hamilton
Stony Brook Southampton                                   [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2016 Children’s Literature Fellows Program
Now Accepting Applications from Aspiring Children’s Authors Worldwide

August, 2015. Southampton, NY. The Children’s Literature Fellows, a one-year graduate level certificate program sponsored by Stony Brook Southampton’s MFA in Creative Writing and Literature, is now accepting applications for 2016.

The year-long course of instruction—accomplished mostly in distance learning format—was developed by author and Children’s Literature Conference Director Emma Walton Hamilton, MFA in Creative Writing Director Julie Sheehan and YA author/faculty member Patricia McCormick to offer aspiring children’s and young adult authors a more affordable and flexible option than matriculation in a two- or three-year MFA program.

Because not all writers who want to complete projects have the time or the funds to complete a full degree program, the Children’s Literature Fellows do their work within a framework tailored to their needs. The program bears 16 graduate level credits, and is customized, affordable, comprehensive, and professionally useful. Twelve Fellows are accepted into the program per year. The Fellows work independently with award-winning, best-selling authors who serve as faculty mentors—such as Christopher Barton, Samantha Berger, Rachel Cohn, Donna Freitas, Cindy Kane, Megan McCafferty, Patricia McCormick, Margaret McMullan, Trica Rayburn, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Tor Seidler, Amy Sklansky, Emma Walton Hamilton, Ann Whitford Paul and Maryrose Wood—in a highly individualized curriculum that is primarily accomplished from home.

Twice a year, the Fellows come together as a cohort: once in July during the annual Southampton Arts Writers Conference and a second time in January for a special Publishing and Editing Conference, during which they study with visiting faculty such as Libba Bray, Peter Lerangis, Grace Lin and Dan Yaccarino – and meet with editors, agents and other members of the publishing industry.

During their year, each Fellow completes either one publishable YA or middle grade manuscript, or, for chapter and picture book writers, three to four separate manuscripts.

“There are very few programs like this out there for aspiring children’s literature authors,” says Walton Hamilton. “But children’s literature and YA are among the strongest and fastest growing sectors of the publishing industry right now, so this is valuable for writers on a number of levels. And thanks to the program’s distance learning format, aspiring authors from all over the world are able to take advantage of what it offers. We have participants in California, Arizona, Texas, Philadelphia, Florida—even Australia.”

She adds that the few places where graduate level programs like this are offered tend to be remote, while Stony Brook Southampton, with its satellite campus in Manhattan, is near to the heart of the publishing industry in New York City, and therefore offers more opportunities than most. In addition, the publishing industry tends to be closed to writers not represented by agents. The Editing and Publishing Conference and the access it provides are a key part of the program.

Picture book author Julie Gribble, a 2013 Children’s Lit Fellow, says, “Being a Children’s Lit Fellow is like having a guided tour of a city you’d always wanted to explore—you learn so much more than you could traveling about on your own!”

“The Children’s Literature Fellowship was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself,” says Florida-based middle grade novelist Janas Byrd. “It is a one-on-one mentorship with award winning authors who are also brilliant teachers.   As a middle school teacher and mother of two, time is a hot commodity. This fellowship allowed me the flexibility to write when it was most convenient for me. I finished and polished my novel in nine months, a feat that would not have been possible to accomplish on my own.”

Admission to the Children’s Lit Fellows program is highly selective, and the application process is now open and underway. The application deadline for 2016 is December 1, 2015.

For more information about the Stony Brook Southampton Children’s Literature Fellows program and the application process, go to http://childrenslitfellows.org or visit http://www.stonybrook.edu/mfa and click on Children’s Lit Fellows.