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On Saturday, April 24, I am involved in a very exciting event in St. Peters, Missouri with a writing group I belong to–Saturday Writers. Every year, we sponsor free writing contests for kids and teens; and this Saturday, we hand out the awards. Basically, we have a short story/poetry contest for third and fourth graders in St. Charles, Lincoln, and Warren counties (in Missouri) and a short story contest for teenagers in the same counties. This year, we had 129 entries for the elementary students and close to 100 for the teens. How exciting! But what’s even more exciting is when I get a call or e-mail from parents or teachers, telling me how excited their students or children are to have received first place or honorable mention or even the participation award. These students wrote pieces from their hearts, took them through to their final drafts, entered them for someone else to read, and then felt validation (I am assuming) when they are awarded something for their efforts. And I have to hope that in this bunch of kids and teens, we are creating some life-long writers with Saturday Writers writing contests for kids!

I remember a writing contest I entered in second grade. Is it what led to my love of writing now? The writing contest was to write a cheer for our school mascot–the Dressel Dragons. I wrote one, turned it in at the office, and the student body voted on it. (I can’t ever imagine putting my writing through a vote now–but back then, what did I know?) Do you want to hear my award-winning, first-place cheer? I can still remember it!! Hey kids, listen here./ We’ve got a school that’s hard to beat!/ And we’ve got teachers who are super neat!/ So come on over and stomp your feet./ Yay! Dressel Dragons, yay! So, what do you think? The point is I entered a writing contest for kids, actually won, and today I can’t imagine doing anything else besides writing with my life.

As teachers and parents, we often see or receive notices of writing contests for kids, and we just kind of push them aside. Have you ever thought: We don’t have time for this writing contest. My kids don’t like to write. How will these students ever be able to write 1,000 words? I guess my point is that although you can’t do every writing contest that comes your way and neither can your students, it would be great if we gave them the opportunity to enter a few throughout the year–possibly in different genres. Work them into your language arts curriculum. Look for writing contests in the summer when you want your children/students to practice their skills. We just never know what getting an honorable mention certificate might do for a child’s self-confidence or even future.

Here are some contests to check out. Please read all the guidelines and rules yourself before entering your students or children into these contests:

*Amazing Kids Contests
* Creative Communication: Your Writing Contest Headquarters
*The Betty Award

If you know of any writing contests for kids in your area or nationwide, feel free to leave a link or description in the comments. Thanks!

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No matter how you came to this blog post today, by chance,

I believe in Good Karma.

FYI: February 15 through 20 has been designated Random Acts of Kindness Week!
Googling left me thinking the Acts of Kindness Foundation was behind the designation.
No matter the Who, though, or even the How: I’m smiling and paying kindness forward to you.

I’d purchased the Spinellis’ book fully intending to use it as a journal-writing tool with my Young Writers.
The review blurb highlighted the book’s simplicity. In a single page entry for each day of the year, the Spinellis
(1) share a quote from a children’s book, referencing the title and author;
(2) reflect meaningfully on the quote;
(3) make a “today I will….” promise that relates to that reflection.
The February 17th quote?
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Schools around the country will be celebrating National Young Readers Week from November 9th to the 13th.

Parents, grandparents and homeschoolers can do the same. Have reading contests. Encourage your children to read aloud to the family. Make lists of your favorite books. Be creative.

SIX REASONS TO READ WITH YOUR CHILDREN

1. Good readers will do better in other subjects, too.

2. Reading aloud to each other is comforting and creates a bond between parent and child.

3. Reading encourages the imagination as your mind sees the pictures that are not on the page.

4. Reading makes it possible to travel and have experiences through books that may otherwise be out of reach.

5. Reading is a quiet, peaceful endeavor. There are too few of those today. You can read almost anywhere if there is enough light, even under the covers with a flashlight. ;o)

6. Reading makes pleasant memories for a lifetime. I still have wonderful memories of my teacher reading The Little House Books, and White Fang to our class.

**Yesterday I signed my new book, A Horse Of Course at the local bookstore. In addition to signing books and meeting and talking to people, I had an opportunity to encourage a young man who wrote a book he wants published. I told him to checkout Guardian Angel Publishing.  They sometimes publish books by children. I also received a note, entirely unexpectedly, from an acquaintance I hadn't seen in quite awhile. She wanted to bring her children to the signing but was going to be out of town. She mentioned that her young daughter has decided she wants to be a writer. It was a delightful afternoon.

**I was surprised to receive an envelope with two copies of The Friend magazine. The November issue has my poem, Say Something Nice, in it.

**Another surprise when the children's librarian of our Josephine County Library asked me to come read my book to the children at an event this weekend.

What do you like to read? How do you encourage your children to read?

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     I began a new Young Writer's workshop this past weekend with some middle schoolers who are pretty sophisticated writers. Excited? You bet I was! These kids were ready for some serious writing work. I passed out composition books and pencils.
     "We are going to keep writer's journals," I announced.
     Silence. Expressionless faces.
     Oops. I recognized my error. In our local school system, journals are used to strengthen writing skills, and focus the student's attention to the subject at hand. Every single day.  By middle school, they are journaling five or six times a day, as they move from classroom to classroom.
      I know that teachers have specific testing goals to meet in spelling, grammar and punctuation. Creative writing?
      Not so much.
      I don't know how our school district fares on standardized writing tests, but I do know one side effect of daily classroom journaling; fear and loathing of "journaling."
     Back to my polite little writers, whose enthusiasm I squashed in the first five minutes by using the "j" word. I backpeddled rapidly.
     "OK, not really journaling," I said. "More like um...um..."
     Great. I'm the writer, and I  can't think of the right word for what I wanted them to do with those composition books.
     "Blogging?" my teenage assistant suggested.
     "Um...no." For one thing, there are no computers available for the workshop.
      I wanted to say "diary," but that's not right either.  Diaries show you just how boring your life is. A day-by-day chronicle of my life reads like the old Cheech and Chong comedy routine about "What I Did on My Summer Vacation." To paraphrase, "The first day, I got up, I got dressed, I ate breakfast. Then I went downtown to look for a job. Day two, I got up, I got dressed, I ate breakfast...."
     In my childhood diaries, I wrote whatever I was thinking or feeling at the moment. Writing them comforted me. I might also add that I was an only child and didn't have to worry about a sibling digging through my inner musings.
     But I digress.  My Young Writers were still waiting for me to say the magic word.
     "Let's notebook," I said.
     Nobody flinched at my use of a noun as a verb. Encouraged, I made up some more "writerspeak." I knew I couldn't use the "p" word, either. (That would be "prompt.") Prompts leave me staring at an empty screen or page, feeling frustrated at my inability to cough up creativity on demand. But I am good at finishing sentences...both my own and those of other people.
     "Finish this sentence," I said.  "Just write the first that you think of.  No hard thinking allowed. Sometimes I wonder...'"
    Scribble scribble scribble.  The writers finished, and looked at me for further wisdom.
    "Now keep writing about that until I tell you to stop. If you can't think of anything, just keep writing 'I can't think of anything to write'.  Sooner or later you will come up with something."
     Yes, this is just another way of re-packaging a "free write." Say "free write" to me and watch me do a Wile E. Coyote, freezing in mid-air, just before i plummet off the creative cliff. Free writes are just a little
too "free" for me, and for most students that I encounter. There should be boundaries. That's boundaries...not walls. Less is more.
     Since I do the exercises along with my students, I wrote the first thing that came to mind....I wonder what it would be like to vacation in space? From there I rambled on about a cruise ship-like space vehicle, with room service and a gift shop that sold t-shirts that said "My parents went to Saturn and all I got was this crummy t-shirt."
     My workshoppers were considerably more serious. Their "wonderings" were about Big Life Issues. Just as I hoped, by the end of the allotted five minutes, they had moved from personal "wondering", to conjecture, which is the step before diving into fiction.
    "Let's do another one," the group chorused. OK, maybe they didn't chorus, but they were certainly having fun. While I never insist that anyone "share with the group" (or even with me, privately) if they don't want to, this group wanted to.  So we shared, and did more open ended prom...um...sentences.
     I've never had so much fun with a writing workshop. At least not one I was leading!
     By the end of the afternoon, each writer had several pages of raw writing, compost for future projects, and the bare bones of a short story.
     And I will never have to use the "j" word again.
     We are "notebooking."

     Writing Workout

     The point of "composting" is not just to give the writer material for future use; it helps to engage the hand and brain simultaneously. That's trickier than it sounds, since most of us are so used to writing on a computer, mindlessly adding, deleting and Spell-checking. As my students complain "My mind works faster than I can move a pencil." Ah ha! That means you have to slow down, and think while you are writing. (Thinking--that undervalued writing skill!)

 Here are some of the open ended prompts I used. The second part of the part of the prompt is always "now keep writing." (Usually for five minutes, depending on the group.)

My favorite food is....   Describe without using the sense of sight.

If I could invite one person to supper, famous or not, living or dead, I would invite.....(I know; this is just a variation of the "who do you admire most?' prompt, but this seems to work better, creatively speaking.)

When I was five, my favorite toy was....

I really wish that...

What really makes me laugh is....

The one thing I could really live without is....
(or)
The one thing I can't live without is...

If could be someone else for a day it would be...


I'd love to hear your open-end prompts. (Sorry, no prize involved here. I'm just interested in hearing from
you.)


What I'm Reading.
Adult Non-fiction: Anne Frank:  The Diary, the Life, the Afterlife by Francine Prose.
YA Fiction:  Purple Heart by Patricia McCormack, Comfort by Joyce Moyer Hostetter,


Mary Ann

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The Blue Pencil Online seeks to publish the best literary work in English by young writers (ages 12-18) around the world. Submit queries to Allan Reeder: [email protected].

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The North Shore Writers' Association (BC) invites entries for their 13th Annual Writing Contest. First prize: $100 plus publication. Length: Fiction and nonfiction -- 2000 words max; Poetry -- up to 3 poems per entry, 40 lines max. Open to all Canadians. Entry fee: Adults $15 and Youth (13-18) $5. Deadline: April 30, 2009. More details...

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In case you can't read the sign, that's my name at the bottom!

Last month, I was asked to present Young Author writing awards at Corydon Intermediate School (4-5-6 grades) in Corydon, Indiana (Southern Indiana, in case you're wondering). Despite having a lot of fun going back to my hometown and being included in an event that is near and dear to my heart-young writers and readers-it was also a little strange because CIS used to be the old high school.

Hate to tell you how many times I attended basketball games, played volleyball, sat through boring school assemblies, or danced at post-basketball game sockhops in that same gym!

Never, in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd ever stand on that gym floor, in front of people-filled bleachers and have to talk! Yikes! Quite an experience.

I also had the privilege to speak to my dear friend, Barbara Smith's 4th grade class. I spent almost an hour answering questions about my series, writing in general and just having fun...in the same room where I sweated through (barely passed) Algebra I!

Barbara (we played together as kids and went to high school together) saw the irony, too. We had a good laugh over the strict atmosphere of that same class. In fact, she frequently mentions our old Algebra teacher to her students and tells them if they aren't quiet, Miss Eskew's spirit just might have some choice words for them!

I'll post more pictures of my visit in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, "neener-neener-neeeeeeener, Miss Eskew! I spoke for an hour in your classroom, and lived to tell about it!

Mary

If you want to check out my series, go to Quake
or, my website: Mary Cunningham Books

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MEDIA RELEASE | 11 March 2009

 

A foot in the digital door for Western Sydney’s young refugees

 

Young refugees from Western Sydney will enhance their digital media skills to run their own arts enterprises through an impressive new project, titled Create Media! to be managed by Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE).

 

Supported by the Westpac Foundation, Create Media! aims to train and mentor a group of young participants to develop their own creative ideas, and turn them into business ventures. Ultimately, the project will select a group of participants to develop one new-media enterprise to be hosted and developed at ICE.

 

‘The Westpac foundation believes in enabling life long learning and education leading to employment, as well as encouraging youth leadership and empowerment, through Create Media!, young people of refugee background will use the latest technology to tell their own stories, collaborate with other artists and find long term financial sustainability’ said Dr. Gianni Zappala, Executive Officer of the Westpac Foundation.

 

Create Media will deliver targeted training and mentorship to participants as they develop creative ideas, digital media skills and become business savvy. The training will be supported by a work-experience and mentorship program, components of the training will be accredited, giving participants a heads-up for further study.

 

The key aim of the project is to support the emergence of a new media enterprise, led and managed by young refugees.

 

‘We want to give people the skills and ambition to turn their interest into income,’ says project coordinator Gary Paramanathan. ‘Participants need to learn how to actualise their creative ideas, and also how to present and sell them. At the end of the project, participants will have the chance to pitch to a selection panel, and the successful project will be hosted and funded at ICE through a long-term mentorship.’

 

ICE is at the forefront of presenting Western Sydney culture to the world. For over 20 years it has trained and assisted artists from Western Sydney, especially those from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds.

 

ICE is currently recruiting young people from a refugee background who have lived in Australia for less than 10 years, currently reside and/or study in Western Sydney, aged between 16-30, and have a demonstrated interest or experience in digital media.

 

For further information on the project please contact Gary Paramanathan on, ph: (02) 9897 5744 or email [email protected]

Applications close 5pm 6^th of April, and can be downloaded at www.ice.org.au

 

 

 

 

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At a recent school visit in Georgia, a bright, confident 5th grader came up to me after my presentation and said, "I just want you to know, I'm going to be a famous author." No qualification to her statement, no hesitation, no "maybe's." Just flat out, positive fact.

I think my answer back was, "I have no doubt." And, I didn't. Later, I tried to decide if in her statement, she was simply stating a fact; wanting to give me an "FYI," or if she was issuing a challenge. I'm kinda leaning toward the challenge. "Just wanted you to know, I'M going to be a famous author, so enjoy your time in the spotlight while you can."

I still smile when I think about her. When I was in the 5th grade, I was trying to figure out how to keep from showing a mouth full of teeth that were far too big for the rest of me! Or, wondering whether I'd be chosen to play in the elementary school's lunchtime softball game.

Although the enthusiastic young reader in the picture isn't my new-found competition, she is an avid reader of "Cynthia's" Attic". And, who knows? With her quiet confidence, I have no doubt she will grow up to be an author, doctor, inspiring educator or maybe even President.

To all the young authors out there. Bring it on! I love it. I love the fact that maybe...just maybe my books have inspired you to write. There is no higher compliment.


Quake Books - Inspiring young writers!

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When Miss Jill Santopolo invited me to create an "Extras" supplement for Undercover, my novel about a rising young poet and her escapades, I thought a while before concluding that I wanted to tell Elisa's' going-forward story through a letter and a series of new poems. Elisa's story didn't end for me just because I happened to stop writing it. She had always kept growing up in my mind—I'd find her in my imagination, I'd see her out in the streets—and creating the Extras gave me a chance to put down some of where she's traveled.

Yesterday, when I returned home from teaching the next generation of young writers, the Extras were here in my electronic mailbox, waiting for a final review. The timing was Jill-like—creating an intersection between the poet I'd conjured (and partly been) and the poets and writers I'd just left in a light-filled room on the second floor of a coffee shop.

Here is Elisa, then, from the letter that introduces her new book of poems. Undercover, with its Extras, will be available as a paperback in May.

I've gotten interested, I'm saying, in all the ways that language bruises itself. In things that bump and collide. The past against the present. The want against the need. The truth against the lie. The weird against the regular. The smell of red against the color of a song. Poems do not explain, but they do suggest. They mean the most when they buck up and buckle.

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Elora Writers' Festival invites entries for their 6th annual writing competition. Prizes: $100, $75, $50 (Adults). Age categories: adult, teen (13-19), junior (12 and under). Submit: Short story/personal essay (2000 words), poetry (75 lines max), or one-act plays. Entry fee: $10. Open theme. Deadline: May 8, 2009. More details...

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Hi all,

I put together a list of sites for young authors. Hope you find it helpful:

http://sillybooks.net

Literacy is contagious. Catch it here. You'll find animated books, children's music, puzzles and games that entertain kids while promoting child literacy.

http://apolloslyreco.tripod.com/apollosjuniormuses

Publishes poetry, stories and reviews written by children.

http://www.kidsbookshelf.com

Publishes stories, poetry and reviews by kids.

http://www.launchpadmag.com

Online magazine that publishes poetry, fiction and artwork by children under 12.

http://www.aaronshep.com/youngauthor/index.html

Tips for young authors.

http://www.stonesoup.com/send-work/

Publication that publishes writing and artwork by children under 13.

http://youthfulwisdompress.com

This publisher considers short fiction and novels by young authors ages 13-18.

http://www.fivestarpublications.com/kidscanpublish

Kids, you can get your stories, poems, editorials, articles, photography or cartoons published - free of charge - for all the world to read by entering pieces in Kids Can Publish University's monthly contest.

http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/angeltoangel.htm

Publishes children’s picture books written & illustrated by children under 12.

Other sites for young authors:

http://www.planet.eon.net/~bplaroch/indexb.html

http://www.loriswebs.com/youngpoets

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Deadline extended. FieldReport invites submissions of true life stories for the "world's largest prize for a single piece of writing." Grand prize: US$250,000; monthly prizes of US$1,000; US$25,000 scholarship awarded to best submission by a teen from 13-17 years old. Length: 2000 words max. Stories must be true -- winning pieces will be fact-checked -- telling the true story of something the author saw, did, or lived through (called a “FieldReport”). 21 categories. No entry fee. Deadline: December 31, 2008. More details...

Skeptical? Read news stories from the Guardian, Time Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

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The Blue Pencil Online, a literary magazine to be launched by the Writing and Publishing students at Walnut Hill School (US), seeks verse, narrative fiction, and plays from international writers ages 12-18. Submit queries to Allan Reeder, Head of Studio Publications: [email protected].

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The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick invites entries from young writers for the Sheree Fitch Prize for Fiction. First prize: $150. Open to writers aged 14-18. Length: 4000 words ma. Entry fee: $5. Deadline: November 14, 2008. More details...

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Mere Literary Festival (UK) is accepting fiction entries for their 2008 Competition. First prize: £300. Submit stories 2500 words max. Junior competitions: 11 and under and 12-16. Entry fee: £5; £1.50 for Juniors. Deadline: July 7, 2008. More details...

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ON SPEC Magazine seeks stories and poetry from young Canadian writers aged 15-23. Accepts speculative fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Open to Canadian writers between the ages of 15-23 years of age. Payment: up to $180 plus contributor copies. Deadline: May 31, 2008 More details...

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Pandora's Collective (BC) invites entries for their annual poetry contest. Submit poems 40 lines max. Prizes: First (adults) $100; first (teens) - $70; first (children) - $40. Entry fees: Adults - $5/poem; Teens (14 to 19) - $4/poem; Children (13 and under) - $3/poem. Deadline May 15, 2008. More details...

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Elora Writers' Festival invites entries for their 5th annual writing competition. Prizes: $100, $75, $50 (Adults) and $75, $50, $25 (Teen and Junior). Age categories:adult, teen (13-19), junior (12 and under). Submit: Short story/personal essay (2000 words) or poetry (75 lines max). Entry fee: $10. Theme: A Harvest of Words. Deadline: May 2, 2008. More details...

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