That “lives” could be a verb or a noun; we discussed both.
Me, two other cowboys, and two fine cowgirls (AKA Brian Floca, Chris Barton, Meghan McCarthy, and Shana Corey) moseyed on down old San Antonio way for IRA, where we did a panel called “‘But Kids Haven’t Heard of That!’: Why Teaching Unconventional Nonfiction Is Important.”
Moderated by the tireless Susannah Richards, Associate Professor of Education at Eastern Connecticut State University, each of the five authors did a fifteen-minute presentation, then collectively took questions from Susannah and the audience.
I was as much an avid audience member as participant. Adding to my excitement was the fact that I’d proposed the panel—twice actually (it was rejected for 2012)—stocking it with four of my favorite nonfiction picture book writers, not to mention friends.
Brian Floca, Meghan McCarthy, me, Shana Corey, Chris Barton
Here is feedback on the proposal from IRA decision-makers:
- The panel of authors should draw a big audience.
- Appropriate subject matter for this symposia. The panelists are authors and have significant information to share with the audience.
- This proposal presents a clear evidence base and also is convincing and motivating. The content was detailed and gives a clear idea of what will transpire in the session. The objectives align with the content. This is an excellent proposal.
Here is feedback on the panel from an attendee:I attended a panel meeting of nonfiction authors. One author in particular, Marc Tyler Nobleman, stuck out to me. … Mr. Nobleman’s book [Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman] is a must read. [He] is an excellent storyteller; it’s just, he’s not telling you a story—he’s telling you facts. I have never seen nonfiction this cool and interesting before now.
Panel’s-eye views:
After, as we unwound at the River Walk, another author ally, Erica Perl, joined us. However, I was the only one who wanted homemade ice cream.
For diehards and readhards, here is the meat of the proposal:
Educational Significance
For some students, nonfiction has a stigma: boring. This is perplexing: why would a true story inherently be less intriguing than something made up? In years past, nonfiction was often written in a dry manner. In addition, there was less risk in subject matter and style.
Today, however, the authors writing nonfiction for young people recognize the dual responsibility they have. First, they must continue to present accurate (and, when possible, new) information. And now, they must do so in an engaging fashion. The marked shift from “textbook” to narrative nonfiction is a considerable benefit for young readers.
In exercising creative freedom with respect to tone, chronology, perspective, and subject matter, contemporary nonfiction writers are boosting the excitement of teachers and kids alike. Such fresh material lures reluctant readers and further stimulates active readers.
We’ve seen an increase in nonfiction picture books described as a “first of its kind.” We’ve seen an increase in picture books subjects that have never been the focus of even a book for adults (The Day-Glo Brothers, Strong Man, Surfer of the Century, Boys of Steel). We’ve seen a rise in the level of sophistication of—and the amount of pages devoted to – back matter. The reason: there is an audience and an educational missive to support it.
Yet with library budgets in crisis, it can be difficult to get unconventional nonfiction into schools—and with test preparation time increasing, educators may struggle to make time to introduce it. In our increasingly blended world, however, it is critical to re-emphasize a diversity of subject matter. (No slight to Benjamin Franklin, Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, or the Obamas’ dog, each of whom has starred in multiple picture books.)
This panel may include but is not solely about multicultural subjects. Rather it focuses more broadly on subjects generally not taught in curriculum.
2012 IRA attendee feedback:- Very appropriate subject matter! Nonfiction needs to be addressed, especially with Common Core being the focus!
- Informational text deserves greater attention, especially unconventional informational text. The panel format will be appealing to the audience. The panelists have valuable information to share. The topic is grounded in literature that is relevant and substantial. I believe this session will be of interest to a broad cross-section of IRA members.
Evidence Base
Forty-five states have adopted the Common Core Standards.
Publishers Weekly (7/18/12): “By the 2014-15 academic year, the initiative calls for 50% informational text (including…nonfiction trade books) in elementary school and 70% in high school-on average, across all curricula. … [A]ccording to the Core: dull-looking nonfiction is out. … ‘Visual elements are particularly important in texts for the youngest students and in many informational texts for readers of all ages.’”
New York Times (3/11/12): “Children in New York City who learned to read using an experimental curriculum that emphasized nonfiction texts outperformed those at other schools.”
School Library Journal (4/1/12): “‘The advent of Common Core presents school librarians with both a great opportunity and a great challenge,’ says kids’ book editor and author Marc Aronson. ‘The emphasis on nonfiction from elementary school on puts them front and center, since few current homeroom teachers know nonfiction in their grades as read-alouds, as pleasure reads, or as opportunities to compare different narrative approaches.”
Horn Book (March-April 2011): Author Susan Campbell Bartoletti writes that in her teaching experience, fiction-reading kids would hold up a favorite book and ask for another like it. But nonfiction readers “wanted to read [books] about things they didn’t already know.”
Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, stated that an unconventional nonfiction “panel is a super idea and one that will draw a top audience.”
Increasingly, picture book nonfiction includes an author’s note about the author’s research process—a process that every student must learn in English class. And the best of these authors’ notes read like detective novels.
Sites such as teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com promote picture books in the classroom—even in middle and high school. Neither “short” nor “illustrated” automatically makes a book only for young people.
Reading nonfiction capitalizes on existing interests and generates motivation. Reading unconventional nonfiction challenges perspectives and brings fuller, often cross-disciplinary understanding to any historical period.
Reading nonfiction helps to build schema and vocabulary knowledge. Reading unconventional nonfiction empowers students to experiment with topics they may not presume to like or understand, and often enlightens them when they can make a connection between that material and curriculum.- end of proposal excerpt -Oh, and circling back to the cowboy theme: the last morning, I was almost trampled by a stampede…of teachers and librarians…headed to a booth for a free bag featuring Superman on one side and (for them) the bigger draw, Wonder Woman, on the other.
Chris Barton.
Shana Corey.
Brian Floca.
Megan McCarthy.
Me. (I am still in alphabetical order this way.)
On 4/21/13, from 3 to 5:45 p.m. (yes, almost three hours!), at the International Reading Association Convention in San Antonio, we five authors, moderated by Susannah Richards, Associate Professor of Education at Eastern Connecticut State University, will panel-discuss the importance of unconventional nonfiction...the stories that are not yet widely known, the people who are not textbook names.
Please join us. This group has never assembled before, and may never again. Therefore (speaking of nonfiction), history will be witnessed. Unconventional nonfiction will be glorified.
And, of course, books will be signed:I am signing two more times on Monday 4/22/13: - Anderson's, booth 1003, 10-11 a.m.
- Overlooked Books booth, booth 2519, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Sometimes a career highlight can be summed up in only three letters.
When I heard that TED, the prestigious conference devoted to “ideas worth spreading” in the areas of technology, entertainment, and design, was holding its first-ever talent search across the globe, I hastily submitted my one-minute video pitch on Bill Finger and the tragedy of superhero creators. (It ran a bit over, which would be the beginning of a pattern with me.)
That was in April. In late May, long past the time I thought decisions had been made, I got a surprising email. Of the hundreds who nominated themselves, I was one of 30 chosen to give a short TED talk in New York on June 7.
I travel the country (and, of late, the world) speaking to audiences of all kinds. I love doing it and I rarely get the jitters beforehand.
This was not the case with TED.
Perhaps only TED can make someone nervous about telling a story he has lived and breathed—and shaped and spoken on—for five years.
Part of the reason TED amplifies anxiety is obvious: it is on a world stage. But the biggest part of the reason is that the talks are timed…and you will be cut off.
Speakers could choose a talk length between two and six minutes, but TED said the shorter the better. I went with three minutes.
If there was no fixed time, and instead they’d simply said “Just give a short talk,” I would have been much more comfortable. But it was the fear of being cut short that threw me. So I prepared a talk that could be delivered in just under three minutes…if I didn’t screw up.
At rehearsal I screwed up.
But after, TED curator Chris Anderson and Director of Content Kelly Stoetzel graciously said that it would be okay if I ran a bit over now that they’d heard my approach. In other words, since they knew I would not run, say, three minutes over, I had the leeway to run 30 seconds over.
As for my screwing up, I am not making excuses…except for these two:
1) My afternoon rehearsal took place in the middle of Joe’s Pub in New York while what felt like 50 crew moved equipment around us frantically trying to get everything set up for the live event that evening.
2) I thought that the talk we prepared should be just a teaser since most TED talks I’ve seen are close to 20 minutes. I didn’t realize till the day of that we were expected to present a full, if succinct, talk. That last-minute recalibration also threw me a bit.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I knew one of the other speakers: writer Joshua Prager, who entered my field of vision with his riveting Wall Street Journal piece on what happened to the royalties for the classic picture book Goodnight Moon. (Go read it.) Josh was one of the evening’s highlights and I am going on record to say he will get invited to TED 2013.
Because that’s what this salon was about: finding new blood for the next Big One. A follow-up email from TED explained that fewer than 10% of TED speakers from this talent search would be so honored.
three photos above © TED; used under Creative Commons license
A TED tenet that I didn’t realize existed: ties are taboo for TED talks. Not outright banned but discouraged. At least two speakers who arrived in ties did not go on stage in them. TED = Ties Equal Dry.
My TED talk (which ended up running nearly a minute over):
Comments are being collected under the video of my talk on the TED (not YouTube) page, but only until 8/31/12, so please don’t delay in going there and letting them know if you think I would add something worthwhile to TED 2013 (with a more polished delivery, of course)!
I won’t screw up twice.
On 2/11/12, I spoke three times at my third Nevada Reading Week Conference in Reno. The theme was “Make a Date with History,” and I felt right at home because I do that for a living.
The kind organizers of the conference send the presenters feedback from the attendees; it comes anonymously on thin handwritten slips.
This year, I gave a diverse, hourlong keynote; a small part of it was my story of trying to publish a story I’m particularly passionate about.
Of all the topics I covered, I was thrilled to see that many people enthusiastically singled out that story, Thirty Minutes Over Oregon.
Here are some of my favorite comments about the book-to-hopefully-be:
Selected transcriptions (Thirty Minutes Over Oregon):
"Very interesting—this is great history no one knows about. I hope it will be published soon."
"I am interested in Thirty Minutes Over Oregon. Hopefully it will be published."
"Want to read Thirty Minutes Over Oregon."
"Especially poignant was the publishing process story of the Japanese [pilot] who bombed Oregon."
"The Japanese bomber story was amazing."
"Hope the Oregon book goes public."
"Loved his story about Thirty Minutes Over Oregon and hope it gets published."
"Interesting Oregon bombing story!"
"The sad story of a great story not yet finding a publisher."
This round bodes
On 3/24/12, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Georgia Children's Literature Conference in picturesque Athens, GA. I also got to catch up with author/illustrator friends Meghan McCarthy, Mike Wimmer, and Jody Feldman. People don't get much nicer than those people, and I got to hear two of them speak as well; sitting in on colleagues' presentations is always a particular treat at conferences.
I had only one session but you'd never know it by the quantity of books they brought in:
3 Comments on Wild West: twice in one month, last added: 3/21/2012
Congrats on standing in! Hope you get to meet Chris someday but meanwhile this is all good! (for you, anyway)
Marc, you rocked it, big time. Chris will be coming to see us next month, but our students were fortunate to have the opportunity to hear you speak! Thanks for pinch hitting. You hit a home run. Bryan
Hey Marc,
First, thanks for stepping in. All reports say you were amazing. AND I will keep in mind you're willing to sub for me any time. 'Cause man, I'm getting up there.
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