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Jason Boog, the former editor of GalleyCat and the author of Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age, has rounded up his annual Spotify playlist of the best writing music.

This free collection includes ten hours of wordless music that should help inspire writers. Jason also made a list of his favorite songs (with words) from 2014.

“The free playlist is filled with great storytelling, another kind of musical inspiration,” he explained. “Most of all, I loved “Micheline” by Sun Kil Moon, a heartbreaking memorial for lost friends and family. I’ve never been so moved by the simple repetition of a loved one’s name, like a prayer.”

What’s your favorite writing music from 2014? Share it in the comments section so that we can all expand our playlists.

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Folks, I talk a fair amount about my upcoming book with Candlewick but I’d be lying to you if I said it was the only book I worked on that’s out this year.  For lo, I helped write the introduction for another book that will be coming out this month on the 15th and it is awesome.  Behold:

Cute, right?

At the end of June The New York Times released the following story: Pediatrics Group to Recommend Reading Aloud to Children From Birth.  For those of us in the literacy-minded community, this comes as no surprise.  But what about those parents for whom reading aloud poses a challenge?  Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age is a delightful aid to any new parent, with (as the official description says) “step-by-step instructions on interactive reading and advice for developing your child’s interest in books from the time they are born.”

So I figured, why not interview the author himself?  If only to give you just a taste of what the book has in store.  Because you know me.  I don’t write introductions for no junk.  Jason kind submitting to my grilling.

Howdy, Jason. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

When I was a toddler, my mom took me to the Lyons Township District Library in the village of Lyons, Michigan (population 789). I kept reading and writing for the rest of my childhood, and I ended up studying English at the University of Michigan. After college, I spent two years working with youth groups in Peace Corps Guatemala.

In 2003, I studied journalism at New York University and I have worked as a writer ever since. Most recently, I spent five years as the publishing editor at Mediabistro, where I led the GalleyCat and AppNewser blogs.

There’s no lack of parenting books on the market these days, but your book appears to be doing something we don’t see that often. Can you give me the gist of the project and where it came from?

When my daughter Olive was born in 2010, I wanted her to love books as much as I do.

But it had been more than 25 years since I had read a kid’s book—so I needed some help. I consulted with child development experts to find out the best way to read to my daughter. Then I interviewed librarians, teachers and app creators to find the books, eBooks and apps to share with my child.

Through this research, I discovered the art of “interactive reading” or “dialogic reading.” Child development experts crafted these reading techniques 25 years ago. These simple and easy reading tricks will literally make your child smarter.

I tried to show parents how they can use interactive reading techniques to enrich books, eBooks, apps and any kind of 21^st Century media experience. More about the art of interactive reading: http://www.born-reading.com/the-art-of-interactive-reading/

And had you written a book before?  How did you hit on the best outline and format for the content?

I had written a book before, but this experience was unique. I was literally living the book with my daughter and my wife.

Over the course of writing Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age, I watched Olive change from a mute newborn into a voracious and opinionated young reader.  The form flowed naturally from that growing experience. I dedicated a chapter to each year of a young reader’s life, incorporating all the books, eBooks and apps we read together during the writing process.

Whenever I learned something new from my team of amazing experts, I would immediately share it with Olive and my wife. We all grew up as the book evolved.

I could not help but notice that in the book you don’t just talk to reading specialists and educators but also teachers, librarians, and children’s authors themselves.  All told, do you have a rough number of who you spoke to?  How did you decide whom to speak to in the end?

I spoke with more than 50 different experts during my writing process. I asked all the questions that I had as a parent or that I had heard from other parents.

For instance, when local parents debated how much screen-time was appropriate for toddlers, I contacted child development experts and neuroscientists to get an expert opinion. It was so amazing to have these experts to guide me every step of the way.

Once Olive could voice her own opinions, I let her interests shape the book as well. When she developed a love of comic books, I reached out to the wonderful folks at TOON Books to find out how to nurture that interest. When Olive got into cooking, we shared the Julia Child cooking app with her. When she obsessed over Disney’s Frozen, I created a whole bundle of new stories to share with her: http://www.born-reading.com/born-reading-bundle-for-disneys-frozen/

One of the things I really liked about the book was the amount of attention given to screen time, particularly when it comes to the youngest children.  In our day and age it seems like the wild west in terms of shiny rectangles (as my brother-in-law calls them).  Did you initially expect this to take up as much time in your book as it did?

Oddly enough, I first envisioned my book as focused entirely on digital reading and the shift to a new kind of reading. My own reading and writing is mostly digital now, and I imagined my daughter would spend lots of time with these new devices. My wife totally disagreed and wanted to be more cautious.

Once I started exploring the research (and lack of research) into the benefits of digital materials for kids, I realized that I had to caution parents as well as share new kinds of reading. Thanks to the experts I interviewed, I learned how to moderate my daughter’s time on devices and how to make sure she has the best experience with the tablets and smartphones in our house.

These devices can be very seductive, but my wife and I worked together to create a more healthy relationship with technology.

In the course of your research, did you hit on anything that surprised you?

The art of interactive reading was by far my best “discovery.” Many librarians and teachers are trained in these awesome interactive techniques, and they are more than willing to share them with parents.

I was shocked that nobody ever told me about these techniques as we prepared for Olive’s birth. These interactive reading techniques should be taught to parents as they leave the hospital with a newborn.  Reading can truly change a child’s life.

At the American Library Association conference this year, a roomful of inspiring librarians shared a list of interactive picture books. Even if you are a shy reader, these books will help make any reading experience more interactive: http://www.born-reading.com/best-interactive-print-books-for-kids/

Any plans for a follow-up?  

I really hope my daughter spends the rest of her life as a reader. If I can take the journey with her into middle grade or YA books, I might have to write about that experience as well…

Thanks, Jason!  We’ll all look for your book next week!

Want to talk about books or make some literary friends in Los Angeles?

If you live in the Los Angeles area, we can help you answer all those questions. You should join us for our Cocktails in Los Angeles party at Whiskey Blue in the W Hotel on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PDT).

Follow this link to RSVP. The party will be hosted by Write On Online‘s Debra Eckerling and GalleyCat editor Jason Boog. It is a great way to meet new friends, network with media professionals or tell this GalleyCat editor about your favorite book.

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