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My path to becoming an author is . . . unusual.  Like most writers, I’ve loved books all my life.  Some of my earliest memories are of being bribed by the promise of a Golden Book if I would go to sleep in my own bed rather than my parent’s bed (I took the bribe).  However, as I grew up, a wide variety of books were not readily available to me.  Our small town didn’t have a library and neither did my elementary school.  What passed as our “library” was a small collection of books sitting on the bookshelf below the wide windows that ran the whole length of the classroom. 



Peter Rabbit was my favorite book, and was also one my Mama bought to bribe me.

Somewhere around the third grade I got a pink diary.  I’d like to say my diary entries were long narratives about my hopes and dreams that show a budding writer’s flair for the dramatic.  That is not the case.  In reality my diary entries are so sparse that the entire text of my five year diary could fit on a napkin, a cocktail napkin.   But when I look at that diary now, I do see the beginnings of an author—a nonfiction author.  Each diary entry contains the facts and does not include any extraneous information or fluff.  For example on one especially important day in history, July 20, 1969, I simply stated: “Dear Diary, the astronauts landed & are walking on the moon.”  It is simple, to the point, and has the sense of immediacy—not a bad start for a future nonfiction author.

My childhood diary shows an early glimpse into my future as a nonfiction author.  My straightforward recording of the moon landing came just one day after my confession that I dreaded facing my piano teacher (I hadn't been practicing.)

As an adult, my first career is as a Registered Radiologic Technologist.  Next I became a wife and busy mother of three children.  I read voraciously, but still had no thoughts of becoming a writer.  In fact, I would never have become an author if tragedy had not entered my life.  My youngest son, fourteen-month-old Corey, fell off of the backyard swing and died from a head injury.  Life as I knew it ceased to exist.  I was devastated, to say the least.  Ultimately I wrote an inspirational book about the Spiritual battle I faced after Corey’s death and how God brought me through it and back to Him titled Forgiving God.  It was the first book I’d ever written.



My first book, an adult inspirational book that deals with the death of my son, Corey.

After my first book was published, I began writing nonfiction books for young readers.  No classes.  No journalism degree.  No mentor.  I just started researching and writing.  Along the way I joined SCBWI, went to writer’s conferences, and learned all I could about children’s publishing.   I listened to the old writer’s adage that says “write what you know” when I chose X-rays as the topic for my first book in this genre.  That book, titled The Head Bone’s Connected to the Neck Bone: The Weird, Wacky and Wonderful X-ray, was awarded the SCBWI work-in-progress grant and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG).  When that book was finished, I wondered if I could do it again.  I could.  The next two books, Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium and In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry were also published by FSG.   Then came The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon published by Carolrhoda, Tech Titans by Scholastic, and my newest book Fourth Down and Inches: Concussion and Football’s Make-or-Break Moment also with Carolrhoda.  

My nonfiction books for young readers.

Since libraries fill me with awe and appreciation, I’m thrilled to know that my books are in library collections all over the world.  In some ways I’ve come full circle.  I began as a child with no library access and I became a nonfiction author who has done research in some of the finest libraries in America including Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Boston Athenaeum.   

Doing research at the library at Harvard.

I didn’t plan to become a writer or a public speaker.  But the twists and turns of life have turned me into both, and they are a good fit for me.  I love the challenge of researching a topic I know nothing about.  I love to write about ordinary people who have done extraordinary things.   I love to capture the imagination of a live audience and take them on a journey as I share with them the amazing things I’ve learned about the subjects of my books.   And as an added bonus, researching my books has given me incredible life experiences that I will always treasure.  I’ve visited Marie Curie’s office at the Radium Institute in Paris and sat in her chair, behind her desk.  I’ve stayed on the grounds of George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon and watched the sunrise over the Potomac River while standing on the piazza.   I’ve looked into the faces of men and women who were saved from the Nazis by Varian Fry and listened to their personal experiences.  I’ve wept with the parents of teens who lost their lives as a result of concussions.  I’ve presented programs in a wide variety of venues including C Span 2 Book TV, Colonial Williamsburg, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the U.S. Consulate in Marseilles, France, teacher conferences, workshops, and at many schools.
 
Now I’m honored to join this amazing group of women known as TeachingAuthors.  It will be a whole new adventure and I’m looking forward to it.

Carla Killough McClafferty
www.carlamcclafferty.com

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By Chloe Foster

We have seen an abundance of Very Short Introductions (VSI) authors appearing at UK festivals this year. Appearances so far have included at Words by the Water festival in Keswick, Oxford Literary Festival, and Edinburgh Science festival. The versitility of the series and its subjects means our author talks are popular at a variety of different types of festivals. First up, Words by the Water:



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  The perfect scenery to accompany a day of VSI talks at the Words by the Water festival

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  The beautiful backdrop to the Words by the Water festival in Keswick

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  Richard English is introduced before his talk on Modern War

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  Robert Eaglestone at the signing table after his talk on Contemporary Fiction at Words by the Water in Keswick

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  Klaus Dodds gets on his Geopolitics soapbox at Oxford Literary Festival

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  Keith Grint captures the crowd with his talk on Leadership at Oxford Literary Festival

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  Jonathan Herring's soapbox on Family Law at Oxford Literary Festival

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  Jamie Woodward's soapbox on The Ice Age at Oxford Literary Festival

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  William Allan's Classical Literature Soapbox at Oxford Literary Festival

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  The backdrop to Edinburgh Science Festival

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  Russell Foster prepares for his talk on Sleep at the Edinburgh Science Festival

Later this month, we’ll have talks from VSI authors at Chipping Norton Literary Festival on the 26th and 27th April. This is followed by a series of talks at Ways with Words festival in Devon on the 12th July, Kings Place festival in London on the 14th September, and Cheltenham Literature festival from 3rd -12th October.

The Very Short Introductions (VSI) series combines a small format with authoritative analysis and big ideas for hundreds of topic areas. Written by our expert authors, these books can change the way you think about the things that interest you and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Grow your knowledge with OUPblog and the VSI series every Friday, subscribe to Very Short Introductions articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS., and like Very Short Introductions on Facebook.

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The post Very short talks appeared first on OUPblog.

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The popular Very Short Introductions series is due to publish the latest in their ever increasing list of titles. Root Vegetables: A Very Short Introduction is to be written by Professor John Onions and publish in October this year.

Have you ever wondered why root vegetables are as popular as they are today? The Very Short Introduction will take the reader through a history of planting, growing, and eating them as well as delving into the economic and social aspects of this humble food.

The demand from the public for a short introduction to this subject was so high that it was decided a VSI to root vegetables must be commissioned. Andrea Keegan, series editor, explains “The interest in root vegetables cannot be underestimated. As well as the obvious health benefits of root vegetables, there is interest in their history and their provenance. Taking a global look at the many varieties of root vegetable, this Very Short Introduction will explore all aspects of this fascinating subject, including the relationship of the root vegetable to the leaf vegetable, the sea vegetable, bulbs and stems.”

The title will sit along other essential subjects such as Globalization, Microeconomics, Physical Chemistry, and English Literature.

April Fools! We hope we haven’t disappointed you too much. Although Root Vegetables: A Very Short Introduction is just a bit of April foolery, there are many other topics covered in the Very Short Introductions series.

The Very Short Introductions (VSI) series combines a small format with authoritative analysis and big ideas for hundreds of topic areas. Written by our expert authors, these books can change the way you think about the things that interest you and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Grow your knowledge with OUPblog and the VSI series every Friday, subscribe to Very Short Introductions articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS, and like Very Short Introductions on Facebook.

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Image credits: (1) Root z05 pastinaken by Zyance CC-BY-SA-2.5 via Wikimedia Commons (2) CarrotDiversityLg. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

The post OUP to publish Root Vegetables: A Very Short Introduction appeared first on OUPblog.

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As Women’s History month comes to a close, we wanted to share an important debate that Simon Blackburn, author of Ethics: A Very Short Introduction, participated in for IAITV. Joined by Scottish feminist linguist Deborah Cameron and feminist psychologist Carol Gilligan, they look at what we can do to build a more feminist language.

Is our language inherently male? Some believe that the way we think and the words we use to describe our thoughts are masculine. Looking at our language from multiple points of views – lexically, philosophically, and historically – the debate asks if it’s possible for us to create a gender neutral language. If speech is fundamentally gendered, is there something else we can do to combat the way it is used so that it is no longer – at times – sexist?

What do you think can be done to build a more feminist language?

Simon Blackburn is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. Until recently he was Edna J. Doury Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, and from 1969 to 1999 a Fellow and Tutor at Pembroke College, Oxford. He is the author of Ethics: A Very Short Introduction.

The Very Short Introductions (VSI) series combines a small format with authoritative analysis and big ideas for hundreds of topic areas. Written by our expert authors, these books can change the way you think about the things that interest you and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Grow your knowledge with OUPblog and the VSI series every Friday, subscribe to Very Short Introductions articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS, and like Very Short Introductions on Facebook.

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>Subscribe to only philosophy articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS.

The post Is our language too masculine? appeared first on OUPblog.

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As teachers, whether we are in kindergarten or high school, we tell our class, "you need to make sure you have a strong introduction" when we encourage them to write. But such a broad statement isn't instructional and, if the students don't already have the tools to do that, they are lost.

Over my years of teaching children to write (ages 7 through 18) and 46 years of personal experience with the craft, I've discovered that there are lots of methods for creating effective introductions. Here's a few "tools" students can add to their toolbox to help their introductions (in essays, papers, narratives -- really any writing -- zing!

1. Always use the active voice and active verbs.
2. Avoid dull, predictable sentence structure.
3. Begin with one of these:

a surprising fact or statistic

a question"

a direct quotation (even a controversial one) to give a hint of perspective

a statement that leads into the piece, changing the routine perspective

purposeful repetition of a key phrase or term

an engaging anecdote or story, can include humor.

After your students have written their draft (including the introduction), ask them to switch with a partner. Have that partner answer this question:

When I read just the introduction, can I tell what the paper is about (the topic)?

Have the pair work together to either identify strong specific elements that make the introduction a good one or help one another revise to improve the introduction by incorporating some of these ideas. Make sure you follow through with multiple opportunities to practice writing strong introductions AND ask your students to seek out actual examples of writing and use these tools to evaluate the quality of others' introductions. Make sure you include great examples in a mini-lesson read aloud (great informal way to do a book talk). After reading the introduction, ask students "Is this a good introduction?" Follow-up, most importantly, after they voice their opinion, with the question, "Why?"

For more help with writing, visit the archive for Educationworld.com's Reading Coach (not just for reading coaches but for every teacher).

How do you help your students write great introductions?

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Posted by Jeanne Marie Grunwell FordThere is a certain loneliness in growing up as an "army brat," moving from place to place among other habitual movers, most of them wary of forming permanent attachments under the relentlessly transient circumstances. As an only child, I was also one of the few kids I knew who lacked the company of siblings. My grandmother did live with us, and she shared a

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Posted by Mary Ann RodmanI've always been a writer. I taught myself to read from television commercials, "back in the day" when they included a lot of print on the screen. I landed in first grade knowing such essential words as "mouthwash,""antiperspirant" and phrases like "space-age technology" and "ring-around-the collar." Since I could read for myself, no one ever read to me. Better than any

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Posted by JoAnn Early MackenI’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. Most of the many jobs I’ve held included some writing component—or else I invented one. I didn’t find my true calling as a writer for children until my husband and I had our own kids. Inspired by wonderful books we read together, I remembered a poem I’d written in a college creative writing course, dug it out of the

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Posted by Carmela MartinoIn my April 22nd post introducing this blog, I neglected to mention one of the regular features we plan to include here: Writing Workouts. These will be writing exercises that can be used by young writers and those who are, as Teaching Author Esther Hershenhorn likes to say, "young at heart." We invite classroom teachers to try these exercises with their students, and

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Posted by Carmela MartinoI didn't always want to be a writer.First, I wanted to be a teacher. Silly as it may sound, that desire was inspired, in part, by a board game. Around age 8 or 9, I became addicted to "Go to the Head of the Class." I soon memorized all the answers. Of course, that meant no one would play it with me anymore. So we played school instead. Being a whiz at "Go to the Head of

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Welcome to our group blog! (Or what some call a "glog.") We are six children's book authors with a wide range of experience teaching writing to children, teens, and adults. Here, we will share our unique perspective as writing teachers who are also working writers. While part of our goal is to discuss what we've learned about writing and the teaching of writing, we also hope to accomplish

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Way back in May, we were so struck by an assertion in John Clute's introduction to Christopher Priest's Inverted World that it seemed like a good thing to quote here. Problem was—the book wasn't available for a couple more months. Brilliant solution—write up the post and set it to go public when we had finished copies of the book. And here's where the plan went terribly awry. We accidentally published the post, which made it look like the book was indeed available. But who reads this blog anyway? In the five minutes the post was on the front page of the site, someone had sent it to the author (who was justly concerned that the book was on sale before he had approved the text) and it had been picked up by the science fiction blog spun off from Gawker, io9. What followed was a lively debate (sixty-odd coments and counting) about the definition of "hard" science fiction. Things got much nastier than we're used to around here.

The original post
The i09 post

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I'm a kidlit junkie. Not only do I love children's books, but I work in a children's bookstore where I get to read and recommend books to children (and adults buying for children) all day long.

This blog is for keeping a record of what I've read and what I think, and also for general reactions and discussion about kidlit these days (a certain Newberry winner with a contraversial word on page 1 comes to mind.)

And so, onward! You know what they say. So many books, etc etc.

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