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This was a split session; one for writers, one for bloggers. I went to the blogger one, It's All About the Blog by Book Nut, Biblio File, Miss Rumphius Effect, and A Year of Reading.

A variety of things were discussed:

Book Nut: Participate in weekly memes (Sunday Salon, Weekly Geeks) and challenges to be a part of the bigger book blogging community.

Biblio File: Talked about how to get into reviewing for places like School Library Journal. She spoke about doing this by having that goal in mind; so in other words, if you have a goal and want to work towards it using your blog, be mindful of that goal.

Miss Rumphius: talked about Poetry Friday, NonFiction Monday, Timeslip Tuesday. Miss R also gave a shout out to doing round-ups the old fashioned way; not relying exclusively on Mr. Linky, but rather putting together a post with a sentence or two for each blog that participated and how they participated. She also mentioned the Carnival of Children's Literature.

A Year of Reading: championed co-blogging, as Year is two bloggers. Also discussed opportunities made available via blogging and blog connections, and mentioned how this in part led to her being on the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Notable Children's Books Committee. She has also written professional books about teaching for Stenhouse Publishers.

Some general discussion followed; seriously, some of my favorite parts about the whole kidlitcon is just the discussions that sprang up, over breakfast, breaks, lunch, after dinner. I got so caught up in the conversation I stopped taking notes. Long posts versus short posts, ratings versus no ratings, how much (or how little) plot summary.



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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

I was just having a run around the Kidslitosphere and, thanks to Trisha at The Miss Rumphius Effect’s What-Blogs-She’s-Been-Reading-When sidebar, I have just discovered this great blog for multicultural books - The Elephant Rag, which “features children’s books with voices from around the world.” Check it out!

For our new issue of PaperTigers, whose theme is Music in Children’s Books, Argentinian Mexican poet, Jorge Luján has written a very special Personal View, “Voices on the Air: Writing Poetry and Songs for Children“.

Here is an extract, in which he describes his relationship with poetry:

Poetry is a kind of vertigo for me. A challenge that frequently knocks me down, makes me feel trapped within my limits, and keeps me isolated from grace… but occasionally, drives me to horizons of astonishment, pleasure, and growth. I’m convinced that, if we are open to it, poetry can envelop us in a rare, subtle atmosphere. And poetry is not only to be found in poems, but is also present in the endless forms of nature or in the touching gestures, words and acts of people.

As a songwriter and a singer, I love the experience of the voice taking to the air like wings taking flight. Composing words and music together is a complex experience of joy and sorrow, but one which also implies building bridges between people.

I urge you to read the whole article. I found it very moving - and interesting too, for Jorge has introduced me to the work of some Latin American poets I’m slightly ashamed to admit I didn’t know…

This week’s Poetry Friday is hosted by Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect… Head on over!

Sally sent the link to this new video to us all by email - it made me laugh so much, I just had to try and put it onto the blog. I say try because I’ve never uploaded a video before but here goes…

BOOK BY BOOK: the making of a monkey man from Jarrett Krosoczka on Vimeo.

How exciting - hooray, it’s worked!

I love the way video is becoming more and more a way to promote new books: all these wonderfully imaginative authors create some pretty wonderful footage - and this has to be one of the best yet! It’s actually a spoof documentary made by picture-book writer Jarrett Krosoczka. There are lots of other authors/ illustrators in it and they must have had a lot of fun making it - spot the Blue Rose Girls, and the reference to Fuse #8, high in the celebrity stakes!

Jarrett unveiled it last week at the US SCBWI conference in New York, where he gave the opening address. In his blog posting about it he makes this very thought-provoking observation:

I was excited to hear Mr. Gantos speak. I would say I’ve never seen him speak, but that wouldn’t be a complete truth. I saw him speak when I was in the 3rd grade. He visited my school and I remember this clearly - he walked by my desk, pointed to my drawing of Rotten Ralph and said, “nice cat”. That had a profound impact on me.

Cloudscome has already picked it up, and she got it from Miss Rumphius Effect, who challenges us to name everybody before the credits roll…

I’m not sure this is quite the thing for those kids of an age to be reading the book, though - the irony was a bit wasted on my two and they were more inclined to take the whole thing literally… But silly me, of course Jon Sczieska pretends to be an answer phone whenever he doesn’t want to speak to someone!

Speaking of pirates… today we celebrate Poetry Friday with a sea song. Or the hint of one, at least.

“And silver the coins and silver the moon, / Silver the waves on the top of the sea…” starts Jane Yolen’s The Ballad of the Pirate Queens, an adventure that sings the history of Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, the only two women of the twelve pirates aboard the legendary Vanity ship, in 1720.

Jane Yolen never disappoints. Neither does Poetry Friday, today at Miss Rumphius Effect. This installment unveils priceless treasures, such as Sylvia Vardell’s reviews of new poems by Gary Soto and Pat Mora, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. So hurry up and check them out, mi hearties. They are worth their weight in gold!

Poet Janet Wong’s energy and dynamism really struck me when I interviewed her for our current issue on the main PaperTigers site and these qualities really come through in her recent interview with Elaine at Wild Rose Reader. It focuses on “her experience as a student in a master class on poetry taught by the late Myra Cohn Livingston, one of America’s foremost children’s poets and anthologists” – as well as being a great read itself, the comments that follow on from the interview have kept the discussion going…

Not only that, but Janet and Elaine have also invited readers of the interview to write their own poems including the words ring, drum and blanket, as this used to be one of Myra’s homework assignments. You can still join in – and if you need inspiration, you can read Janet and Elaine’s own offerings; there’s a great poem called Dragon Boat Festival by Diane Davis; and Cloudscome, Miss Rumphius Effect and Writing and Ruminating have all taken the challenge in wonderful and very different directions too.