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Thoughts, opinions, and ramblings about (broadly) children's literature from my perspectives as a writer, parent, and volunteer elementary school librarian. Oh yeah, and poetry of all sorts... with lots and lots of Fibs.
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On New Year's Day, the Cybils announce their list of finalists in all awards categories. The lists are always packed with great books, and I'm always excited when they're announced. In fact, you've seen my posts about it here every year (and met many of the nominated poets here, too).
My tremendous thanks to the first round Cybil judges, and a huge hat tip to the stupendously talented Mike Jung for nominating Fibs in the first place. Also, it's remarkably flattering to me to be in a group with the other nominated books and authors, so my virtual hat's off to them, too.
Finally, my thanks again to everyone who's been part of the journey and offered support and encouragement along the way. I am totally thrilled by the Cybils recognition, and I happy that I can share the moment with all of you.Add a Comment
I know I'll make choices that won't be the best. I know I'll spend time being tired and stressed. I see a full day when I'm sick in my bed. I'm sure I'll say things that I shouldn't have said. I know I'll play games. I'm sure I'll get hurt. I see tons of laughter and lots of dessert. I know I'll have good times. I know I'll have fun. I know I'll try new things I never have done. I see rain and snow and some gorgeous blue skies. I know I'll feel joy, love, pride, hope and surprise. Yet mostly I see a blank canvas of days That live to be filled in all kinds of great ways. I see all the stories that wait to begin. I see this year's promise. Now I'm diving in.
Happy New Year! May your 2014 be happy, healthy, and with just the right amount of dessert.
And if you want to get all the poems from here at GottaBook emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!
2013 was, as most years are, a very interesting year. Still, when I look back, I'd say the dominant theme was that The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. finally became a book. And for that I say, "Thanks, 2013!"
Wishing you all a happy, healthy New Year's Eve tonight and in years to come!
One Christmas thing around our house I'd change if I were able: I'd never put utinsels out upon the dinner table.
This is actually an old poem of mine that popped into my head this week utterly out of the blue. I took that as a sign that, silly though it is (or maybe because it is silly!), I should post it here for the last Poetry Friday before Christmas. And so... I have! (Feel free to draw some utinsels, by the way. :-))
By the way, if you want to get all the poems from here at GottaBook emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!
I was lucky enough to be asked to write a guest post at Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations blog... and it appeared just yesterday. In it, I talk about the journey to publication with The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. and talk about marketing, too.
I'm biased, but I think it's pretty good stuff. AND... on top of that, if you click over there, you can see the only known photo of my desk, complete with a dog! I hope you go check it out.
Pie! Pie! My word, I love pie. I've loved it since birth, and I will 'til I die. I love it in summer and winter and I Will eat it with whipped cream, or ice cream, or dry And with any filling that catches my eye (To date I've not seen one that I wouldn't try). Dutch apple and chocolate cream both make me cry. Blueberry, rhubarb, or pecan? I sigh. A slice is a gift that I just can't deny. A full pie is better, of course. I can't lie! So join in my toast with your fork raised up high - "Here's to the best food of all! Here's to pie!"
While pie is a big part of The 14 Fibs of Gregory K., the opening lines of this poem predate the first draft of the book, perhaps proving that old adage "write what you know."
Today's Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Robyn Hood Black over at her blog. Go check it out for gobs of poetry goodness (including a visit from the president of the Haiku Society of America!)
And if you want to get all the poems (and not the other posts) here at GottaBook emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!
I took another crack at some office unpacking/cleaning over the long weekend. My office is functional yet not fully put together after the move last year, ya see, and... well... I'd like to fix that.
Anyway, one of the things I did was put all the various drafts and notes of The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. together to be stored somewhere now that the book is out. (Did you know it's out? It is. It makes a great gift, I've heard, and who would lie to me about something like that?).
All I can say is... boy did I take a lot of notes! That's a full banker's box of notebooks and printouts and manuscripts from Arthur and others, too. And here I thought I did most everything online! It was fun looking back through it all, but I gotta tell you it's a nice bit of closure to be able to put the notes away.Add a Comment
Many years ago, at a screening of the movie Die Hard, there was a person a few rows behind me who, about 20 minutes into the movie when Bruce Willis is surprised by a bad guy, said very loudly and full of anxiety, sadness and surety, "It's all over now!" He totally believe what he said, too. You could tell.
Now screenwriter-moviegoer-me was sitting there thinking "dude, we're 20 minutes into the movie. It cannot be all over now!" And yet, throughout the film, each time something happened, that gentleman behind me was convinced that the end was nigh.
And you know what?
He loved that movie. And he experienced it exactly as the story was meant to be experienced.
Sometimes, I forget the sheer power of storytelling, and how grateful I am that others have mastered that art and that I get to enjoy it. Too often, I fear, I get caught up in the trappings - the fact that a movie has just started or that I'm only halfway through a book - rather than the experience.
I got a reminder of this yesterday when I saw the movie of Catching Fire. A few rows behind me were an older couple who clearly did not know the book at all. I like to think the male part of the couple was Mr.-It's-All-Over-Now.
The couple were talkers, and their comments were mostly those of discovery ("Oh, there's only one name they can pick from! It's gonna be her!") and of curiousity ("Is she dead? I think she's dead."). And they reminded me again that those who just let the narrative flow over them get a tremendously powerful experience.
The ability to lose ourselves in story is one that I'm grateful for. It is what powers my own writing, of course, and I need to remember to turn off the creator brain when I am reading or watching or listening. I need to stay connected to that power, and I'm grateful that I got a reminder of that yesterday.
And by the way, she wasn't dead. I knew that, of course... because I'd read the book. Yet I hope when I read it, I asked the same questions as that couple, even if I didn't say them out loud! Add a Comment
My friend and fellow author Chris Barton - who, in fact, led me to start blogging (which, in fact, led me to a book deal!) - has a newsletter that he sends out to subscribers for freeeee. In this coming month's newsletter, he's got a little interview of me AND is giving away a copy of The 14 Fibs of Gregory K.!
If you go to Chris's website and enter your email in the "win a book!" box, you'll get his Bartography Express and a chance to win me. Or my book (signed and personalized to the winner, by the way). Plus, ya know, Chris features lots o' good stuff so it's truly a win-win!
This poem makes everyone older - Like me, as I worked hard to birth it. Each moment you're reading Your aging's proceeding. This poem takes time... but it's worth it.
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Do I fear math? Did I have any Weird Wednesday-like traditions in my family? What did I learn from working with Arthur Levine? You can find all that out with a simple click!
Thoughts On the Morning After Halloween by Greg Pincus
March always comes in like a fierce, hungry lion, Roaring so loud that I quake. And now I remember That every November Comes in like a huge stomach ache.
I hope you had a wonderful Halloween evening and that you didn't eat too much candy. I was very, very good on the eating front... though we ran out of candy on the delivering end! Eeps!
And if you want to get all the poems (and not the other posts) here at GottaBook emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!
Be prepared To be scared. Ghosts and ghouls are haunting.
Mummies moan. Specters groan. You know it’s you they’re wanting.
Wolfmen howl. Goblins yowl. A shadow hides a grave.
Streetlights flicker. Heart beats quicker. It’s so hard being brave.
Flashing lightning, Far too frightening. You know you want to flee.
But don’t run. Just have fun. And bring candy home for me.
Happy Halloween! Thought I'd dust off an an early (circa 2006!) GottaBook poem for the occasion. May your day be full of treats and no tricks, whether you're celebrating a holiday today or not! (And feel free to give me some of those miniature Reese's cups, if you're in a candy mood. Thanks.)
And if you want to get all the poems (and not the other posts) here at GottaBook emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!
Luckily, The 14 Fibs makes a great gift, so this is your way to get an extra copy since I'm sure you already bought yours. Right? RIGHT? Whew. I thought so :-)
The new SCBWI.org website is up and running, and it's well worth checking out. And I don't say that because GottaBook happens to be one of the member blogs the site is featuring (though it is!). There are new features, the forums have been combined with Verla Kay's Blue Boards, and much more.
You should go check it out and click around a spell. Or, if you happened to be checking it out and ended up here... welcome, and I hope you click around a spell!Add a Comment
I'm rather excited about the trailer for the 14 Fibs of Gregory K., in large part because it has an amazing song by Andrew Huang at its heart. I wanted the book to have a theme song, and, well, it does! And due to the title, I guess I do, too. Check it out and let me know what you think:
By the way... it looks like 14 Fibs comes out next week on the 24th!
This book on anti-gravity will never make you frown. In fact, the only problem is you just can't put it down.
What's that you say? I'm not allowed a groaner (with science that is not 100% perfect, I suppose)? Of course I am! It might be the only one that's part of this week's Poetry Friday roundup (hosted over at Teach Mentor Texts), but you'll only know if you go check it out.
If you want to get all the poems hereabouts (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!
You remind me so much of one of my gifted boys. He loves coming up with groaners. He likes to write as few words as possible to get a laugh. I wish you and Matthew could meet. On my blog post today, he wrote the soft grandma poem. His favorite part to act out is the snore. http://reflectionsontheteche.wordpress.com
Hi nice post dude.. i remembered my friends when read this blog.. Thanks a lot for this remembrance.. I suggest you this dream of wicca queen book to get excitements.. try this..
So. Uh. My first ever copy of the hardcover, actual book of The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. arrived the other day. There was additional squeeing.
And then, as I figure all authors do, I explored the book. Thing of beauty it is! And look. LOOK!!! On the book itself... there is pie! It's engraved right in there. Isn't it delicious looking?
Nina Goffi did the design of the book for Scholastic, and seriously... the little details from cover to cover, inside and out, really make the whole experience better than it would be with just my words. Huzzahs to her, I say. Huzzahs!
(It comes out in a couple weeks now. WEEKS. For those of you who have been hanging around here for years, weeks is a much shorter time to wait. Check with your favorite bookseller today, I say!)
I read two dozen comic books. Three graphic novels, too. I understood the signs so wasn't eaten at the zoo! I read aloud each billboard as we drove on our vacation. The packages our food comes in? I read their information. I figured out which films to watch by reading their descriptions. I read a lot of magazines (and got a few subscriptions). I learned the rules of four new games by reading the instructions. I devoured five new joke books (though I skipped the introductions). I read the list of all the things I can't do at the pool. I even read the packet labeled "Welcome Back to School." I think I am a reader, though in class I get "those" looks... 'Cuz I didn't crack a cover of my summer reading books!
Ah, yes... summer reading. You know... let's not talk about that - let's talk instead about the fact that the Poetry Friday roundup is up over at Author Amok today! The roundup is purely happy stuff (as is, I've always believed, the very name Author Amok), so head on over and get your fill o' poetry goodies.
And if you want to get all the poems hereabouts (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!
Your poem reminds me of many little boys that I teach. They love to read, but only what they want to read. It can be tough to get them to trust me to offer good books. Glad you are back. Hope your summer was relaxing.
Yeah, at least they are reading! I have boys in my class reading car magazines, a book about soccer with lots of pictures, graphic novels online...whatever works!
LOVE this! My mom, who subscribes to your poems, forwarded it to me, knowing that I would love it! I'm saving it for the first week of school next year! (and the last week of school THIS year!!)
It is always cause for celebration when Nikki Grimes has a new book out... and she does now with Words for Wings. So, yeah, I'm celebrating. But more than that, I'm saying you really oughta check it out - it is, in her typical fashion, awesome.
This is a novel of poems - compact, emotional, funny, expressive poems - telling the story of daydreamer... and maybe writer?!?!... Gabby. It's hard not to root for Gabby, a character who we learn about through her own words. Suffice to say, I'd love to see more books about her.
Now, what struck me personally is how Words with Wings shares a few strong themes with my own book coming out - a kid who writes and a teacher who makes a difference. Maybe this is why it struck such a chord with me? Maybe. But I think it's honestly that the story is so well handled and so enjoyable that it couldn't help but strike a chord with me.
Have you read it? I'm curious what you think!
(this non-review stemmed from my enthusiasm from an advance reader copy, though the book is in stores now)
I'm lying if I tell you I'm not excited about the fact that The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. is coming out sooooooooon (let's call it October 1, shall we?). I mean, yeah, I am excited. Like a lot.
And so much fun stuff is gonna happen here and elsewhere in the weeks ahead - more blogging, new poems, a song for you, video(s), guests here at Gottabook who I want you to meet, perhaps even me elsewhere on other blogs, and, of course, surprises. Most of all, I hope - fun. And I am just so happy I get to share this stuff with y'all - you're like family, you know? In a good way, naturally!
I wish I could have a party wherever you live. Maybe some day. Still, for my LA area friends, here's a wee tease of something for sure: the afternoon of October 19 at the fab Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse. PARTY! OK, that's not really a tease, but it's not my formal announcement, either, I guess. Or it is. Just come if you can (and look for details soon).
I'll also be talking about ways you can get a signed book no matter where you live, figuring out ways to celebrate virtually, and, yes... MORE!
MORE! Though maybe fewer words in all caps. We'll see in time, I guess! More soon, but now I gotta book....
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While I don't talk about it much these days, I'm actually starting year nine of volunteer librarian-ing at my kids' elementary school. The last two years, the job wasn't much, as we frequently weren't able to get into our library space. As a result, this year... we're on the move!
The unfortunate part of the situation, besides actually physically moving the books, is that we're leaving a really wonderful set of rooms and downsizing. Still, having a room full of books you can't visit is, for me at least, in some ways more frustrating than not having books at all. So, we're packing up with the goal of also leaving a good collection behind in the original space and setting up our new, smaller-but-ours space, too.
We're lucky in that over the last eight years we've built a pretty solid collection and can create two viable collections. But geez... when there aren't duplicates of a book - particularly, I've noticed, a picture book - I do NOT want to leave it behind. I mean, some day a kid might pull Tell Me a Mitzi off the shelf, ya know?
Anyway, yesterday was particularly trying as I discovered that leaving any poetry book behind, even the many, many doubles (note: if you live on donations, you will get Shel Silverstein), was not something that was in my blood. It was an act of discipline to make choices, even knowing that we can access the books from either location. In the end, I admit it, I packed the poetry in a ratio that kept more of it with me.
And I'd do it again, too.
That said, let this be our secret, okay? Thanks. You're the best. (Oh, and all you amazing people who have donated books to the library or signed books when I've found you? Thanks again! All your books are staying with us, I guarantee!)
Packing books is THE WORST. I know that I don't have enough space to keep everything, and that Friend of the Library could use them so much more than I, but...
Yes, it's that time of year again - time to sign up to be on a Cybils panel! If you don't know the Cybils - the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards, well, it's also a great time to learn about 'em, I tell ya. You can even read about the early days before there was even an awards sticker that graces books....
If you blog about children's books (board book to YA) or children's apps, you're likely eligible to be a judge. And judging, I must tell you, is a lot of fun (and a great responsibility, cuz it's wonderfully serious business). I judged the poetry category for a few years and am still in touch with all my fellow panelists. Nuff said.
I have to admit this amused me greatly - email from Amazon suggesting that I, G. Pincus, might be interested in Greg Pincus' poetry collection The Late Bird:
Ah, yes - it's about time for the annual SCBWI Summer Conference which, I'm happy to say, takes place in my own back yard. Not literally, of course, because there's not room for 1000 there. But close enough that I can drive to and from every night, saving hotel fees and food charges and the like.
Sadly, this year I'm not a paid attendee (schedule, time, time schedule, etc.), but I'll be there a whole bunch, hanging out in the hotel lobby or out on the patio or just plain old milling about seeing friends old and new.
If you're there, please say hello! And look for tweets with the #LA13SCBWI hashtag to keep up to date on the Twitter talk. (Plus, SCBWI's team blog's blog is always a great read!).
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Lookin' good!
It looks great! Congrats,
Lee