Here you'll find newspaper accounts and Internet accounts of the happenings and whereabouts of authors and illustrators. Some news is old and some is new. Happy surfing!
Award-winning Oklahoma author Bill Wallace dies
Oklahoma author Bill Wallace died in his Chickasha home Monday after a battle with lung cancer.
Wallace wrote 31 children's books and co-authored seven books with his wife of 45 years, Carol Wallace. He also traveled throughout the United States, speaking to children at schools, libraries and elsewhere.
He was honored with 20 state children's choice awards, including Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award for “A Dog Called Kitty,” which was published in 1992, and “Beauty,” published in 2007. “A Dog Called Kitty” also won the Texas Bluebonnet Award, along with “Snot Stew,” and the Nebraska Golden Sower Award. “Beauty” also won the KansasWilliam Allen White Award.
Wallace began his writing career while teaching at Lincoln Fourth Grade Center in Chickasha in 1971. He has said he wrote to keep his fourth-graders quiet after a lunch recess — the more they listened and behaved, the more he wrote, according to information from his family.
Wallace taught physical education, kindergarten and was an assistant principal before becoming principal at West Elementary School in Chickasha. That school is now named the Bill Wallace Early Childhood Center. He later left the school to dedicate his time to writing and public speaking.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the First Christian Church in Chickasha.
Burial will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery under the direction of the Sevier Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the library of the Bill Wallace Early Childhood Center, 1000 Minnesota Ave., Chickasha, OK 73018, or to the Chickasha Public Library, 527 Iowa Ave., Chickasha, OK 73018.
Frank Keating comes to sign copies of his book at the American Indian Museum. Photo courtesy of the American Bankers Association
During his career, Frank Keating has served as an FBI agent, a U.S. Attorney and a two-term Governor of Oklahoma. His latest turn isn’t what you’d expect: he’s the author of children’s books on American history, including Will Rogers: An American Legend, George Washington: Our Founding Father and Theodore. Tomorrow, Saturday, January 21 from 12 until 2, he’ll be visiting the American Indian Museum to sign copies of his most recent book, The Trial of Standing Bear. We spoke with Governor Keating about his entry into children’s literature, the story behind his newest book, and the similarities between children’s stories and politics.
How did you first get into writing children’s books?
Actually, it originated with an artist. As governor, I always had an Oklahoma artist paint our state Christmas card—a commitment to encourage Oklahoma arts. One year, the card was painted by Mike Wimmer, an artist. I really liked it, so I bought the original painting from him, and during the course of our conversation he said, “Oh, by the way, my publisher wants me to find someone to write a children’s book on Will Rogers, do you know of anyone?” And I said, I’d love to give it a whirl.
So that’s how it all started. The first book, called Will Rogers: An American Legend, was very successful. All of the proceeds have gone to the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma. Then we did a book on George Washington, and most recently, before our new book, we did one on Theodore Roosevelt.
Your newest book, “The Trial of Standing Bear,” tells a somewhat lesser-known story in American history.
Standing Bear was a chief of the Ponca tribe. They were historically based in Nebraska, on the banks of a Niobrara River. They were a peaceful tribe and they were agricultural. Some years after the defeat of Custer, the military gave away Ponca lands to the Sioux and the Cheyenne and forced the Poncas south to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma. They settled there, but around a fourth of the tribe died on the way, because they had no provisions over the winter. Standing Bear’s son died, and Standing Bear, along with a few of his followers, decided to turn back and buried him in his ancestral territory.
He was promptly arrested and detained. General George Crook, who was Custer’s boss at Little Big Horn, was offended at how badly these un-warlike people were being treated, and he insisted that this case go to Federal court in Omaha, Nebraska. It was in this case that it was established that Indians were people, under the Constitution. By 1880, Standing Bear had become a national figure, because he spoke [to] the plight of his tribe and Native people.
What was most beautiful about the case was his oration in court, in which he argued for the rights of the Ponca. The oration caused everyone in the court to cry, even the judge. I knew this was a story that needed to be told, and when I told the story in a commencement address at Marymount University, many of the faculty were dabbing at their eyes as well. This was the beginning of the Indian rights movement and was seminal in U.S. history, but it was barely known.
Do you see any similarities between writing children’s books and being in politics?
I think, in both cases, what’s important to me is always assuring the public that they own the government, that public service is service, and that public officials should always represent not themselves, but the public at large. And in telling these stories to children, whether about a Native American figure or anyone else, I want to show that we are a society of many peoples, and no matter what your lot in life, you can become extraordinarily successful because of this system.
Particularly from my books, there’s the story of Will Rogers, who was a Cherokee Indian with just a high school degree, and went on to become one of the most famous Americans in the country. Theodore Roosevelt had a privileged background, but he lost all his money raising cattle in North Dakota, and ended up living by writing books. George Washington stopped his formal education at age 15. These are all extraordinary stories of leadership and courage, and the lesson to children is that every child should view him or herself as an opportunity in a free society.
My next book is on Abe Lincoln, and it’s an even more extraordinary story. He had less than one year of formal education, yet became the first American to have his writing etched in stone at Westminster Abbey. I want to share with children that they too can become great if they put their mind to it. And so I’m a determined believer in telling America’s story, particularly to young people.
AT THE LIBRARY: Get ready for the author festival
JoAnn Bauer/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 09/18/2011 02:10:14 AM PDT
The Humboldt County Children's Author Festival is held every other year. This year it will take place Oct. 19 to 22, when 25 children's book authors will be visiting schools throughout Humboldt County and coming to the main library in Eureka, CA, for a huge book sale and autographing. This month and next, this column will feature books written by the participating authors.
Bob Barner writes and illustrates his books. Many of them introduce natural history to very young children. One of his new titles is “Bears! Bears! Bears! The rhyming text in this book provides a brief look at eight varieties of bears in their natural habitats. The colorful illustrations are paper cut collages.
Caroline Arnold also writes and illustrates books about the world around us. “A Polar Bear's World” is set in the Arctic and follows a family of polar bears through a year's cycle. There is a lot of information here, both in the main text, the factoids set off in boxes on each page and the material in the back of the book. Arnold also uses cut and torn paper collage in her illustrations, but the colors are much softer and muted than in the Barner book.
Erik Brooks is yet another author/illustrator and he also has a book about a polar bear, but Percy is much more fanciful than the bears in the first two titles. In “The Practically Perfect Pajamas,” Percy loves his flannel pajamas. They keep him toasty warm from his padded feet to his cozy collar.
They are perfect for all the things he likes to do and the patterns and colors make him happy. However, in a world where other polar bears dress only in their own white fur, Percy literally sticks out from a mile away. How far will Percy go to fit in with the other polar bears?
Gwendolyn Hook is attending the Children's Author Festival for the first time this year. She is coming from Oklahoma and she has a series of easy-to-read books called the Pet Club Series. The Pet Club consists of four friends and their pet cat, dog, mouse and fish. These animals might seem like strange companions, but they are very fond of each other as are their owners. In “Find the Cat!” Kayla comes home from school early one day and can't find her cat Daisy anywhere. She calls on the other members of the Pet Club to come help and before long the search is on! Can you guess where Daisy has gone?
Francisco X. Alarcon is another new participant in the festival this year. He writes wonderful poetry in English and Spanish. “Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems” is one of his collections. The title poem celebrates “the happiest of all vegetables” and notes how “with joy they grow round with flavor” and how “laughing they change to red.” Other poems focus on “Cinco de Mayo” and “A Tree for Cesar Chavez.” Each poem is accompanied by exuberant paintings by Maya Christina Gonzalez.
Ann Whitford Paul has written a series of books set in the American Southwest with a smattering of Spanish thrown into the text. “Tortuga in Trouble” may remind you of another story. One day as Tortuga carries a basket of goodies to his Abuela (grandmother), a coyote stops and asks him where he is going. Things might have gone badly for Tortuga, but fortunately his best friends Culebra, Conejo and Iguana are keeping an eye on the situation and have a plan of their own. Ethan Long's bright paintings provide the illustrations.
Another reimagined folk tale is “The Three Little Gators” by Helen Ketteman. This variation on the “Three Little Pigs” is set in an east Texas swamp and the villain is not a wolf, but a big-bottomed boar! With a wiggle of his rump, he demolishes the sand and stick homes of the first two little gators. Will the third gator's rock house provide protection from this ferocious and very hungry wild pig? The hilarious illustrations are by Will Terry.
Robert San Souci has been coming to the Children's Author Festival for many years and his books are always crowd pleasers. One of my favorites among his titles is “Two Bear Cubs.” This is a retelling of a Miwok legend set in Yosemite Valley. One day, two little bear cubs were swimming in the river. When they got out, the sun felt good on their wet fur and they soon fell asleep on a flat rock on the shore. While they slept the rock began to grow; it rose higher and higher into the sky. When the bear cubs awoke they were stranded on the top of a tall mountain (which is known to us as El Capitan). This is the story of how the animals worked together to rescue the cubs. Robert's brother Daniel San Souci provided the beautiful illustrations.
These are all picture book titles; next month's column will feature chapter books for older readers. Come to the library and familiarize yourself with these authors' great books.
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JoAnn Bauer is a children's librarian for the Humboldt County Library.
TAHLEQUAH — No one ever accused Murv Jacob of orthodoxy.
Jacob, renowned artist and creator of a popular children’s book series with Deborah Duvall, his partner in life and art, proves them right again.
Together with James Murray, they have published “Secret History of the Cherokees,” an unorthodox look at the tribe from the early 1800s through the Civil War.
Those who know the authors have heard them discuss their work in progress for the past four years, and they have released several chapters through email. Now the published version is out, produced by Indian Territory Press.
The action begins in 1808, with the visit of several Cherokee leaders to the White House.
After a look back at Beloved Woman Nancy Ward, it forges ahead through the decades and the tribulations of the Cherokees.
They struggle to remain in their homeland, emigrate to Indian Territory on the Trail of Tears, and suffer divisions that prevail through the Civil War and into modern times.
Although it’s a historical novel – combining actual figures such as Sequoyah, Sam Houston, Rich Joe Vann, John Ross, Stand Watie and Tom Starr, along with fictional characters – it’s based on many months of research. A two-page bibliography at the book’s end gives readers hints on where to find more information.
“We did so much research. If you look in the back of the book, you’ll see the bibliography of what we researched — Thomas Jefferson to Robert Conley and everything in between,” Jacob said. “If you want to research Cherokee history, the bibliography is worth the price of the book.”
The authors didn’t stick to the history books, though. They fleshed out their novel with a variety of other characters, especially members of the Pumpkin family and several slaves who belonged to Rich Joe Vann, Tom Starr and others. They say it’s the first time the slaves’ life has been portrayed in this manner. Read More Here at http://tahlequahdailypress.com/features/x890680655/Another-view-of-Cherokee-history
Novelist Rilla Askew is Lifetime Achievement Award Winner for the 2011 Oklahoma Book Awards. Other winners will be announced at a banquet April 9.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: March 18, 2011
Thirty-two books have been chosen as finalists in the 22nd annual Oklahoma Book Award competition. Winners in the categories of fiction, poetry, design/illustration, children/young adult and nonfiction will be announced at the Oklahoma Book Awards banquet April 9 at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Museum in Oklahoma City. Master of ceremonies for the event will be former Lt. Gov. Jari Askins.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for the Book in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Friends of the Center, the awards recognize books written the previous year by Oklahomans or about Oklahoma. This year some 122 books were entered in the competition.
Oklahoma-born author Rilla Askew will be presented with the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is named for the Norman historian who served as the first president of the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
A fifth-generation descendant of Southerners who settled in the Choctaw Nation in the late 1800s, Rilla Askew was born in the Sans Bois Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma. The middle of three sisters, Askew grew up in the oil company town of Bartlesville, where she first encountered the complex forces of race and class that she continues to explore in her fiction.
Askew lived for several years in the Cherokee capital of Tahlequah before relocating to Tulsa, where she graduated from the University of Tulsa with a degree in theater performance. In 1980 she moved to New York to pursue an acting career, but soon turned to writing fiction.
To date, all of Askew’s books have been set in Oklahoma. Her collection of stories, “Strange Business,” received the Oklahoma Book Award in 1993. Her first novel, “The Mercy Seat,” was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and received the Western Heritage Award and the Oklahoma Book Award in 1998.
“Fire in Beulah,” her 2001 novel about the Tulsa Race Riot, received the American Book Award, the Myers Book Award and was the 2007 selection for Oklahoma’s statewide centennial reading program. Her most recent novel, “Harpsong” (2007), received the Oklahoma Book Award, the Western Heritage Award, the Willa Cather Award from Women Writing the West and the Violet Crown Award from the Writers League of Texas.
The recipient of a 2009 award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Askew received her master’s degree in fiction in 1989 from Brooklyn College. She is married to actor Paul Austin, and they divide their time between Oklahoma, where she now serves as artist-in-residence at University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, and their home in upstate New York.
The following books are finalists for the 2011 awards:
•Children/young adult: “Portrait of a Generation: The Children of Oklahoma, Sons and Daughters of the Red Earth,” by M.J. Alexander, Oklahoma City; “ ‘Cholhkanat Lowak Ishminti’ (Spider Brings Fire),” by Linda Hogan, Tishomingo; “Salvaged,” by Stefne Miller, Edmond; “Mostly Monsterly,” by Tammi Sauer, Edmond; and “Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey From Darkness Into Light,” by Tim Tingle, Canyon Lake, Texas.
•Design/illustration: “Building One Fire,” designed by Carol Haralson, Sedona, Ariz.; “Proud to be Chickasaw,” designed by Skip McKinstry, Oklahoma City, illustrated by Mike Larsen, Perkins; “Oklahoma National Stockyards,” designed by Doug Miller, Tulsa; “Portrait of a Generation: The Children of Oklahoma, Sons and Daughters of the Red Earth,” designed by Scott O’Daniel, Oklahoma City, photography by M.J. Alexander, Oklahoma City; and “Arena Legacy: The Heritage of American Rodeo,” designed by Tony Roberts and Julie Rushing, Norman, photography by Ed Muno, Oklahoma City.
•Fiction: “Stations West,” by Allison Amend, Pittsburgh, Pa.; “With No Steps to Follow,” by David Allen Barton, Union City; “Cheyenne Madonna,” by Eddie Chuculate, Iowa City, Iowa; “God’s Acres,” by David Gerard, Muskogee; “The Insane Train,” by Sheldon Russell, Waynoka; and “Chasing Lilacs,” by Carla Stewart, Tulsa.
•Nonfiction: “Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim Thorpe,” by Kate Buford, Yonkers, N.Y.; “Chickasaw Removal,” by Fuller L. Bumpers, Batesville, Ark., Daniel F. Littlefield Jr. and Amanda L. Paige, Little Rock; “Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,” edited by Dianna Everett, Edmond, Larry O’Dell, Newcastle, Jon May and Linda Wilson, Oklahoma City; “Deadly Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals,” by Gordon Grice, Somerset, Wis.; “Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History,” by S.C. Gwynne, Austin, Texas; “Race and the University: A Memoir,” by George Henderson, Norman; “Arena Legacy: The Heritage of American Rodeo,” by Richard C. Rattenbury, Oklahoma City; “Luis Ortega’s Rawhide Artistry: Braiding in the California Tradition,” by Don Reeves, Edmond, and Chuck Stormes, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and “Oilfield Trash: Life and Labor in the Oil Patch,” by Bobby D. Weaver, Edmond.
•Poetry: “Spare Parts,” by Ken Hada, Ada; “Umberto Eco Lost His Gun,” by Carol Hamilton, Midwest City; “Elegy for Trains,” by Benjamin Myers, Chandler; “Seeing Rightly with the Heart,” by Howard Stein, Oklahoma City; “Bird Days,” by Sheila Tiarks, Oklahoma City; “Oklahoma Baroque,” by Renata Treitel, Tulsa; and “Oklahoma Cantos,” by Ron Wallace, Durant.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Senate officials are unveiling the latest piece of artwork at the Oklahoma Capitol — a portrait of Oklahoma artist Charles Banks Wilson.
The painting by Oklahoma artist Mike Wimmer will be dedicated Wednesday afternoon in the Senate chamber.
An Arkansas native, the 93-year-old Wilson's paintings are scattered throughout the Capitol, including large murals and portraits of famous Oklahomans Jim Thorpe, Robert S. Kerr, Will Rogers and Sequoyah in the fourth-floor rotunda. Wilson is expected to attend the unveiling.
Oklahoma Heritage Association book signing is planned
When:10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 23.
What:During its 35th year of publishing Oklahoma's history and heritage, the Oklahoma Heritage Association will host an all-Oklahoma author book signing.
A few years earlier, he had sat cross-legged on the floor ofSadler's neighborhood grocery.
Wimmer gazed at the long sheet of paper taped to the wall as butcher and once-aspiring comic strip artist Buck Sadler gave life to Batman or the Red Ryder cowboy with a Magic Marker and tempera paint.
Soon the child started drawing on his own and began selling his work to classmates.
Wimmer, 49, ofOklahoma City, is an illustrator of children's books, an advertising artist, a portrait artist and a creator of fine art.
He illustrated art for the soundtrack to "Lion King." He produced artwork on the 50th anniversary of the board game "Candy Land." He updated Procter & Gamble's Mr. Clean character. He's working on illustrations for a fourth children's book with former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating. He has 27 portraits and historical paintings in the state Capitol. And you've possibly seen his work onCelestial Seasoningsboxes orHuggiesdiapers packages.
On Oct. 23, he's scheduled to participate in theOklahoma Heritage Association's all-Oklahomaauthor book signing in Oklahoma City. So in advance of that I went to visit Wimmer at his loft studio and apartment in the downtown Oklahoma City area trying to connect the dots between grade school drawings of Butkus and professional illustrations ofGeorge Washington.
Always drawing
On sheets of paper from end rolls of newsprint, Captain America wielded his indestructible shield. Thor gripped the enchanted hammer. Superman's red cape rippled as the hero flew faster than a speeding bullet.
However, those childhood years were not all smooth.Lester Wimmer, Mike's father, was in the Air Force working on a maintenance crew for planes. Mike was only 5 years old when his father died after battling cancer.
Shortly after that, Mike, his little brother Darren and his mom Gloria went to live in Muskogee with her parents for a while. The day he started first grade was the day his mother started taking classes atNortheastern State UniversityatTahlequah. She would go on to earn a master's degree and for many years was a professor atBacone College.
A lot of people who know Wimmer realize howNorman Rockwellinfluenced his work.
But few, if any, know about Buck Sadler, the butcher and artist.
"My grandmother would say 'Mike can you go to Buck and get a half-pound of hamburger and put it on our bill?'" Wimmer said. "So I'd go to him and say 'Mr. Buck, I need a half-pound of hamburger and a comic book and put that on our bill.' The comic book was a dime."
He'd also stick around and watch Sadler draw on the paper on the wall.
That gave him the idea to do the same in his bedroom, the one with World War II model airplanes suspended on fishing line from the ceiling.
Wimmer never stopped drawing.
His mother marriedHarley Lovelady, who would bring his new son large cardboard boxes from work. They were another canvas for Wimmer.
He'd lie on the living room floor in the evenings with copies ofNational Geographicand Time magazines and do pencil drawings of tanks or pirate ships or anything while his parents watched the bigRCA television.
Absorb the experience
Wimmer's family never had money to travel much during his childhood, but as an adult he's journeyed to many historical locations.
Wimmer has sat on a porch atMount Vernonfor aFrank Keatingchildren's book about George Washington that is in the works. Wimmer stood on the mound and faced home plate atYankee Stadiumfor illustrations in aRobert Burleighbook aboutBabe Ruthtitled "Home Run."
After he experiences these places, he shares that with others through his art.
"I pull from a well of experiences for my work," he said. "Out of that, emotions get attached to memories and memories to the canvas.
"Then someone sees that canvas and it brings out their own emotions."
Through Wimmer's art, he hopes you can feel the falling snow as Washington, down on one knee at Valley Forge, has his hands folded in prayer.
He hopes you can taste the salty sea as the pirates of "Treasure Island" cast a heartless scowl. And he hopes you can smell the hay as a barefoot boy in overalls listens to the tales of his grandfather as they sit just inside the open barn door. Read more...
CELEBRATE BACK TO SCHOOL WITH THE PALINDROME KIDSAT THE CHILDREN’S ORCHARD Sunday, August 22nd from 2-5pm
Find out how the beginning and the end sidekick Bob set out on a backwards and forwards adventure to find fellow ‘Pals’ in the fun-filled educational equal the same as Ava and her pages of The Palindrome Kids.
Tulsa, Ok. , July 28, 2010.Join children’s author Carol Collins-Matza for a back-to-school celebration at The Children’s Orchard, (101st and Memorial) Sunday August 22nd from 2-5pm.Books will be available for purchase and a portion of every book sold will be donated to The Little Lighthouse in Tulsa.Come in and buy a copy of The Palindrome Kids, great for ages 4-8, although children of all ages love the fun-with-words story and the cheery illustrations.
The Children’s Orchard, located at 7820 E. 101st Street, Tulsa, Ok. (101st and Memorial) will be packed with back-to-school specials for all the kiddos.Check out the name brand clothing and accessories at affordable prices for fall and winter.There will be door prizes and a chance for your child to be a character in Collins-Matza’s next children’s book, Meet the Anadromes, coming out in late 2011.
Remember that $1 of each Palindrome Kids book sold goes to The Little Lighthouse in Tulsa.The Little Lighthouse located at 36th and Yale in Tulsa is a Christian Development Center providing highly specialized education and therapeutic services to children with special needs on a tuition-free basis.
Come join the fun, get great back-to-school deals and help a great organization on Sunday August 22nd from 2-5pm at the Children’s Orchard.For more info about the book, event, or to schedule an interview with Carol Collins-Matza please visit www.thepalindromekids.com, e-mail: cdee051@cox.net, or call at (918) 504-3255.The books are also available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
Email dtd July 30, 2010
Please find the attached press release regarding my upcoming book signing for "The Palindrome Kids" on August 22nd at The Children's Orchard in Tulsa. You can also visit my website atwww.thepalindromekids.com. The book is also available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
Thank you,
Carol Collins-Matza
Hemingway's Key West home gets literary landmark designation
KEY WEST, Fla. –Ernest Hemingway'sKey West home, where the American author lived in the 1930s, has been designated a literary landmark.
Hemingway, who lived in the Spanish-colonial home with his second wife, Pauline, and their two sons, owned the property until his death in 1961. It became a museum honoring the Pulitzer and Nobel prize-winning author in 1964.
He worked on many of his best-known manuscripts in the Key West property's second-story writing studio.
"Hemingway was probably our first and most popular writer to take residence in Key West," said Dave Gonzales of the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum.
"He lived here only nine years, but wrote 70 percent of his lifetime works in that nine-year period – the most prolific period of his life."
Among them wereFor Whom the Bell Tolls,The Snows of Kilimanjaroand the Key West-basedTo Have and Have Not, Hemingway's only novel set in the United States.
"This is a recognition long overdue," said author Les Standiford, who presented the designation. "There are a number of other literary landmarks in Key West, but none dedicated to Hemingway."
Susan Chodakiewitz is a writer, composer and producer. She is the founder of Booksicals Children’s Books – Encouraging the love of reading through the arts. Through her company Booksicals she has created the Booksicals on Stage literacy program which is currently presenting musical performances of the picture book Too Many Visitors for One Little House at schools, libraries, and special events. Too Many Visitors for One Little House is Susan’s debut book.
Thank you for this interview, Susan. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book, Too Many Visitors for One Little House, is all about?
Too Many Visitors for One Little House is a children´s picture book about 3 crabby neighbors, a new family on the block, a big family reunion and the importance of being included.
Can you tell us who or what was the inspiration behind your book?
Too Many Visitors for One Little House is based on the crazy summer we moved into our new house in Beverly Hills and ALL THESE VISITORS came to stay.
First my sister arrived in a giant BOUNDER (the biggest camper on the market) with 4 children, 1 husband, 1 housekeeper, a set of grandparents and an uncle from Russia. They brought a ton of blankets, pillows, piles of laundry, toys and lots of clothing.
Then my sister-in-law called that she was arriving from Houston. She was getting a divorce and was moving to LA. Where else could she go? She arrived with 3 kids, a housekeeper, a tons of suitcases and lots of psychological baggage.
Then my mother-in-law who was in a wheel chair moved in with her nurse.
Things were not quite complete until a scraggly dog followed me home from the supermarket one day while I was walking home pushing a giant wagon filled with food for all the VISITORS! The dog decided to camp out on our front lawn for 2 weeks until we brought him in.
The neighbors were NOT at all happy to see their once quiet neighborhood transform into a cacophonous carnival of celebration. The police were summoned anonymously on several occasions.
It took 16 years for the story to germinate and finally be set free as the picture book: Too Many Visitors for One Little House.
Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?
I’m thrilled to say, Too Many Visitors for One Little House is my first published book.
I wrote several stories prior to Visitors including the first story I wrote together with my niece Lauren Grabois who is a writer and school teacher. Lauren and I both had quirky Beta fish. My fish, Jaws, was anorexic and would spit up its food. Lauren´s fish, Mr. Blueberry, was paranoid and would always hide under a rock. This became the basis for our first story: Mr. Blueberry and the Fish From Down the Street.
We got really good feedback after presenting Mr. Blueberry at a SCBWI conference showcase in Los Angeles. I started pitching the story to publishers. I only got rejection letters back. I got discouraged and decided to move on to a new project. When the inspiration to write Too Many Visitors for One Little House came to me I wrote it as a counting story from the family´s point of view.
I sent it to out several publishers but only received rejection letters back. I was very disappointed but I believed in the story. I was not giving up.
At the next SCBWI conference I was determined to get advice on how to improve the story and was fortunate to get a critique from Editor Allyn Johnston while she was still at Harcourt. Allyn advised me to get rid of the counting and take out all the character names.
I discussed with her the problem I was having with point of view and together we discovered that the story was really about the neighbors and their need to be included. I asked Allyn if she would consider the book for Harcourt after I made the revisions. She said YES. I was elated.I went home and revised the story, changed the point of view, took out the counting and tweaked the language. I sent the revised story to Allyn at Harcourt. She sent me back a nice letter saying Harcourt decided to PASS. I was very quite disappointed. But I still believed in the story. I was not giving up. I continued to query the book though now I started seriously thinking about self publishing.
One day I turned for advice to a former NY editor who now had a free-lance company called Picture Book People. I sent her several of my stories and asked her to advise me. If I were to self publish which story did she think was worth the effort. She read all the stories and replied that in her opinion Too Many Visitors for One Little House was a strong story with heart and had the most potential for success.
So now all I had to decide was if and when to make the publishing plunge.
Since I compose music and lyrics for musical theater I was looking for a way to combine my passion for musical theater with my love of writing of picture books. In the process of revising Too Many Visitors for One Little House I started thinking up songs for the characters. One morning I woke up the words BOOKSICALS in my head. I suddenly realized I had found my path!
That´s how I decided to start my own line of books called Booksicals with the mission of creating and publishing books that would encourage a love for reading through the arts. Too Many Visitors for One Little House would be Booksicals debut picture book.
And that´s how I found my publisher.
How has your publisher been to work with?
Even though I am my own publisher I am very strict about revising and re-writing. I get outside help from free-lance editors and have a business partner who critiques my work and helps me to get to the heart of the story.
I really enjoyed the publishing process with Too Many Visitors and especially enjoyed working with illustrator Veronica Walsh.
When you work with an outside publishing company writers and illustrators hardly ever get to confer with each other. Since I played BOTH the role of writer and that of publisher I had to work closely with the illustrator.
As a preparation for character sketches, together Veronica and I discussed characters, their relationship to one and other, character flaws, pet peeves, and lots of things that I did not put in the actual story. This was a very interesting process for me and taught me a lot. I compare the process to that of director working with the actors to develop the back story in order to better understand the characters and bring out their nuances.
Can you tell us how long it took you to write and publish your book?
I wrote the actual story out in one sitting. Then I spent about a year revising and re-writing to get it to the level where I would consider publishing it.
Once the decision to publish was made it took about one year before the book was released.
Do you have any words of inspiration for other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?
If you believe in a story pursue it. Don´t give up.
In my case rejection was the catalyst that led me to create Booksicals and set me on this exciting new path.
I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in July via a virtual book tour. Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?
Virtual book tours are a great way for writers to reach online readers, parents, consumers, teachers and anyone who loves children´s books. Pump Up Your Book Promotion does all the research and knows the blogs that are the most suitable for your genre of book. I think it´s a great publicity and marketing opportunity.
What´s next for you?
With the goal of inspiring a love for reading through the arts, I recently formed the Booksicals Repertory Company and created a musical version of Too Many Visitors for One Little House. We had a debut performance of Too Many Visitors for One Little House at the Robertson Library in Los Angeles on June 2. A mom who was at the performance emailed me that evening that her 2 year begged to have Too Many Visitors for One Little House read to her 4 times before going to bed. She told me that her older daughter, age 9, went to the Booksicals website as soon as she got home to hear excerpts of the music and wanted to get the CD of the book (soon to be available on itunes.)
This level of excitement about reading is exactly what I set out to accomplish with Booksicals. In the near future I am hoping to partner with both corporate and individual sponsors to help bring Too Many Visitors for One Little House performances and books to kids in underprivileged school districts, homeless shelters, and pediatric hospitals.
The decision to write a sequel to Too Many Visitors for One Little House came about in an interesting way. At a two author readings in Arizona the kids asked me to tell them what my next book will be about. When I asked them if they wanted to read more books about the family on El Camino Street they all said YES! I asked them to tell me which character they wanted more books about and unanimously they shouted — the dog!
So that´s when I decided I would write a sequel. BUT the scraggly dog needs a name! I’ve posted a contest on the Booksicals website for children to help me name the dog for the next book. The contest can be accessed atwww.booksicals.com.
The Texas Reading Club, coordinated through the Texas State Library Commission is designed to encourage youth to read for pleasure and to promote library usage. A statewide theme is selected each year. The theme for 2010 is “Catch the Reading Express!” with artwork from children’s book illustrator Kim Doner.
Bowie Library’s summer reading takes place at 10 a.m. each Tuesday in July at the library. It is open to children ages two to 13.
The library also has joined with Ringling Brothers and Barnun & Bailey in its “Reading with Ringling” program. A circus clown will launch the season with a special preliminary event at the Bowie Public Library on July 2.
Kelly, a Ringling Brothers Ambassador of Laughter will entertain at 3 p.m. July 2.
For more on summer reading pick up the June 27th Bowie News or become an email subscriber.
And the winners of the 2010 Oklahoma Book Award are . . .
Tammi Sauer---Chicken Dance, picture book, & George Edward Stanley ---Night Fires, novel
The nominees for the Children/Young Adult category were: Cynthea Liu---Paris Pan takes the Dare, children's novel Joy Harjo---For a Girl Becoming, children's novel Darleen Bailey Beard---Annie Glover is NOT a Tree Lover, chapter book
Anna Myers---Time of the Witches, YA novel
Tammi Sauer---Chicken Dance, picture book George Edward Stanley ---Night Fires, children's novel
Newbery Medal winner Rebecca Stead on her book 'When You Reach Me'
Rebecca Stead based the main character in "When You Reach Me" on herself.(Joanne Dugan)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A 2006 New York Times article -- about a man who had amnesia and kept walking up to people asking them for help -- reminded author Rebecca Stead of a man she had passed every day growing up in New York City, whom she called the laughing man.
"He was this really erratic, scary guy and my kid-reaction was just terror," she said. That memory, she explained, "was the seed" for "When You Reach Me," which won this year's Newbery Medal as best children's book.
"I think that some of what drove [the book] were general ideas that we shouldn't make assumptions about people," she said.
The book is written from the perspective of 12-year-old Miranda, who is trying to piece together strange events happening around her: Sal, her best friend, starts ignoring her; the apartment she shares with her mom is broken into; she finds mysterious notes that predict the future.
It's a great, at times confusing story, one that almost challenges you to read it again and again to make sure you've picked up on all the clues. "I probably will never understand the book the way a smart 11-year-old would," Stead said her editor told her.
"I think it's a book that really respects kids' intelligence," Stead said. "That's one of the things that really inspired me about writing. I think that kids are a wonderful, wonderful reader to have in your head."
Stead has always been a reader, but not always a writer. She graduated from college with a psychology degree and then became a lawyer. After her second child was born, she started writing short stories, which she refers to on her Web site as "very serious stories." But when one of her sons accidentally pushed her laptop off a table, destroying it and all the stories she had written on it, she decided to try a different kind of writing.
Children's books seemed like a good place to start.
Stead based the Miranda character on herself. The story is set in 1979, the year when Stead was 12. Like her character, Stead lived in an apartment, had divorced parents and worked in a sandwich shop. Memories, Stead said, are "free material" for a writer.
Stead is working on another children's novel, although she sounds a little embarrassed to admit that "I have nothing like a writing routine. I sometimes have trouble buckling down to write at home." She writes a scene or a moment or a setting, and then pieces them all together. With "When You Reach Me," she knew the scene at the end before she knew the beginning, she said.
February 15, 2010 An Article by the Norman Transcript
VIDEO: Woman of her word
By Christian Potts
Watch A Video by Darleen! (Click on text) With an eye on history and a mind for touching the thoughts and senses of her young readers, Darleen Bailey Beard paints a picture through her words.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Helps Launch New Book for Young Readers With Habitat for Humanity and Candlewick Press
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Helps Launch New Book for Young Readers
With Habitat for Humanity and Candlewick Press
"If I Had a Hammer" engages readers, ages 9 and up, in the life-changing
stories of Habitat homeowner families and volunteers working to improve
communities
ATLANTA, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
signed copies of a new book for young readers published by Candlewick Press
that tells the true-life stories of Habitat for Humanity volunteers and
homeowners working to build simple, decent and affordable housing.
If I Had a Hammer: Building Homes and Hope with Habitat for Humanity by David
Rubel, with a foreword by Carter and an afterword by Habitat CEO Jonathan
Reckford, is now available nationally wherever books are sold.
Fans, both young and young at heart, gathered for the book signing at The
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum at The Carter Center in Atlanta.
Carter, who is often referred to as Habitat's most famous volunteer, writes in
the book's foreword, "There is no question that helping to create a decent
home for a partner family is a significant act of giving, but volunteers
typically find that they receive something in return that is even more
valuable: a feeling of satisfaction and a connection to other people. Knowing
that you worked alongside other volunteers to change a family's life is a
powerful feeling that you will want to experience again and again."
The 160-page hardcover book is divided into eight chapters featuring stories
of Habitat homeowners and volunteers at build sites in the United States and
around the world, and is stunningly illustrated with full-color photos. If I
Had a Hammer also tells the story of Habitat's early beginnings in rural
Georgia and explores topics from interesting home design (like using window
bars in India to keep monkeys out of houses) to the emotional rewards of
helping to build a house from the ground up.
"We are immensely grateful to President Carter for his dedicated service and
the inspiration he and Mrs. Carter have provided to volunteers," said
Reckford. "It is our hope that 'If I Had A Hammer' will inspire a new
generation of volunteers to get involved and help create better and safer
communities."
Rubel, who authored the book, also has written the Scholastic Encyclopedia of
the Presidents and Their Times, the Scholastic Atlas of the United States, and
The Coming Free, a book for adults about the civil right movement. Rubel is a
graduate of Columbia University and lives in Chatham, N.Y.
"At the heart of this book are the stories that people--homeowners,
volunteers, staff-- shared with me about their experiences with Habitat for
Humanity and, in particular, the Carter Work Projects. I know these stories
will move young readers, because they certainly moved me," said Rubel.
"Candlewick Press is so proud to be the publisher of David Rubel's fascinating
and moving tribute to the extraordinary accomplishments, history, and people
of Habitat for Humanity. We hope the book helps inspire volunteers of all ages
for years to come," said Karen Lotz, President and Publisher of Candlewick
Press.
Habitat for Humanity's Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project began in 1984
when the former president and former first lady led a work group to New York
City to help renovate a six-story building with 19 families in need of decent,
affordable shelter. Each year since, the Carters have given a week of their
time--along with their construction skills--to build homes and raise awareness
of the critical need for affordable housing. The Carter Work Project is held
at a different location each year and attracts volunteers from around the
world.
Books about Henry Ford's failed jungle experiment and a Faulkneresque novel about the lasting effects of war on memory are among the finalists for the 2009 National Book Award, which theNational Book Foundation announced this morning. Five finalists were named in four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young people's literature.
Fiction finalists are Bonnie Jo Campbell, "American Salvage" (Wayne State University Press); Colum McCann, "Let the Great World Spin" (Random House); Daniyal Mueenuddin, "In Other Rooms, Other Wonders" (W.W. Norton & Co.); Marcel Theroux "Far North" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux); and Jayne Anne Phillips, "Lark and Termite" (Alfred A. Knopf). In an interview with The Times' Susan Salter Reynolds, Phillips described the origins of her novel:
The novel ... began with a strong image that Phillips had carried with her for three decades. "I was visiting a friend in Virginia, where I grew up. I looked out her window into an alley and saw a boy seated on a metal chair holding a blue strip from a dry cleaning bag. He sat there for hours." Yet another ingredient came in the form of the story of the massacre of hundreds of Korean civilians at No Gun Ri in 1950, reported by the Associated Press' Charles J. Hanley in 1999 (Hanley shared a Pulitzer with two colleagues for the story in 2000).
In nonfiction, finalists are David M. Carroll's "Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook" ((Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); Sean B. Carroll, "Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); Adrienne Mayor, "The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy" (Princeton University Press); T.J. Stiles, "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt" (Alfred A. Knopf); and Greg Grandin, "Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City" (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt). Times columnist and book critic Tim Rutten called Grandin's book a perfect merging of history with a novelist's sense of story:
Historian Greg Grandin has taken what heretofore seemed just such a marginal event -- Henry Ford's failed attempt to establish a gigantic agricultural industrial complex in the heart of Brazil's Amazon Basin -- and turned it into a fascinating historical narrative that illuminates the auto industry's contemporary crisis, the problems of globalization and the contradictions of contemporary consumerism. For all of that, this is not, however, history freighted with political pedantry. Grandin is one of a blessedly expanding group of gifted American historians who assume that whatever moral the story of the past may yield, it must be a story well told.
More of the finalists after the jump:
Poetry finalists:
Rae Armantrout, "Versed" (Wesleyan University Press) Ann Lauterbach, "Or to Begin Again" (Viking Penguin) Carl Phillips, "Speak Low" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, "Open Interval" (University of Pittsburgh Press) Keith Waldrop, "Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy" (University of California Press)
Young people's literature:
Deborah Heiligman, "Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith" (Henry Holt) Phillip Hoose, "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) David Small, "Stitches" (W. W. Norton) Laini Taylor, "Lips Touch: Three Times" (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic) Rita Williams-Garcia, "Jumped" (HarperTeen/HarperCollins)
ADA — Dozens of people eager to learn the Chickasaw language had the opportunity to meet the authors of the first Chickasaw language textbook at a book signing Aug. 28 at Chickasaw Nation Headquarters in Ada.
“Publication of this text is an important step in our language revitalization efforts,” said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby.
“Equally important is the high level of interest and enthusiasm Chickasaw people have for recapturing this vital part of our heritage and culture.”
The University of Oklahoma Press recently published “Let's Speak Chickasaw: Chickasaw: Chikashshanompa’ Kilanompoli’,” by authors Pamela Munro, UCLA Linguistics professor and Catherine Willmond, native speaker. Both were on hand to celebrate the publication and to present “Chickasaw: The W.B.L. (The World’s Best Language),” a lecture on the uniqueness of the Chickasaw language.
“I love Chickasaw,” Munro said. “It is a language that continually impresses linguists and I’m very proud to have helped develop a resource for more people to learn about it.”
Joshua Hinson, cultural education and outreach director for the Chickasaw Language Revitalization program, hopes that the book will help create not only fluent speakers but also fluent writers and readers.
“It will provide a thorough grounding in reading, writing and speaking Chickasaw and will be a valuable tool that describes the detail and intricacies of a very complicated language,” he said.
The content is based on Munro’s work with Willmond and their numerous trips to Oklahoma to visit with more than 50 Chickasaw native speakers.
The textbook is the second collaborative work by the authors; the first, “Chickasaw: An Analytical Dictionary,” was published in 1994.
“Let’s Speak Chickasaw” treats the Chickasaw language as a living thing, not a historical artifact.
“Hopefully, this will help bring back competence in this beautiful language, which is now sadly endangered,” Munro said.
Designed for Chickasaw students from beginner to intermediate, the text covers pronunciation, word building, structure and usage.
It also contains “Beyond the Grammar” sections that offer insight into the history of the language and a CD to convey fine points of pronunciation.
Each of the 20 units includes dialogues or readings that reflect language use by native speakers.
These sections are meant to enhance students’ understanding of how words and sentences are put together.
Classroom tested for 14 years, “Let’s Speak Chickasaw” will now be the centerpiece of Chickasaw language courses.
NEW YORK, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Writers Union
announced today that it has joined the Open Book Alliance: a diverse coalition
of writers' organizations, librarians, activists, legal scholars and
corporations who object to the proposed Google Book Settlement.
"We are happy to join the Open Book Alliance, which shares many of our
concerns about the proposed Google Book Settlement," said Larry Goldbetter,
president of the National Writers Union/UAW Local 1981. "The proposed
settlement is patently unfair to writers and could set a dangerous legal
precedent."
Earlier this week, the National Writers Union called on former Vice President
Al Gore, in his capacity as a senior advisor to Google, to use his
considerable influence to urge Google to seek a delay in the settlement
proceedings. The National Writers Union announced its objection to the
proposed Google Book Settlement last month.
"Google's book scanning project is one the largest cases of copyright
infringement since the United States Constitution was adopted in 1789,"
Goldbetter said. "The multibillion-dollar corporation scanned more than seven
million different books without permission from the copyright owners. In an
attempt to placate its victims, Google is throwing some crumbs to writers."
Google enjoyed a net income of more than $4.5 billion last year. It is
offering writers as little as $60 per infringed book and $15 per infringed
article.
"It's a bad deal," Goldbetter said. "Along with the other members of the Open
Book Alliance, the National Writers Union wants to promote a fair alternative
to the proposed settlement."
The National Writers Union is the nation's only labor union and advocacy
organization for freelance writers in all genres, media, and formats. In
addition to print media writers, NWU represents electronic writers and editors
of blogs, Web sites and e-newsletters. The NWU is affiliated with the United
Auto Workers (UAW), which is a member of the AFL-CIO. The NWU's headquarters
are at 113 University Place, 6th floor, New York, NY 10003.
SOURCE National Writers Union
Larry Goldbetter, +1-212-254-0279 x14, +1-773-551-7021 (cell),
Larryg601@gmail.com, or Paul J. MacArthur, +1-315-733-5185,
nwujwriter@yahoo.com, both of National Writers Union
Michelle Obama's children's books list (SLIDESHOW)
August 19, 5:05 PM
First lady Michelle Obama has hands full reading to kids
Michelle Obama loves to read children's books to Malia and Sasha Obama . Having gone to Princeton and later attending Harvard Law she knows what it takesto geta good education and the tools your child will need to achieve at a high level . These are First lady Michelle Obama's favorite books she often selects to read to children as reported by Oprah .
Where the Wild Things Areby Maurice Sendak I enjoyed this book . This is wild adventure story about a boy named Max and his imaginative journey . Michelle and the couple's two young daughters, Sasha and Malia love this book .
The Cat in the Hatby Dr. Seuss This is a classic and I loved it the first time I heard it as a child and the first lady is no exception. She once used this story to entertain a dozen preschoolers .
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?by Bill Martin Jr. Michelle seemed to know the words to this animal story by heart, meowing along with her attentive audience at a community health organization in D.C.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Dayby Judith Viorst Children need coping mechanisms set in place from a young age . Michelle read this tough tale to a group of 7- to 9-year-olds at a D.C., elementary school and followed it with a discussion .
Oliviaby Ian Falconer Olivia is a pig that does it all : She saved a circus, played in a band and started a "Santa watch." The book—and the first lady—were a hit when Michelle read it at the University of South Carolina's Children's Center.
The Life of Piby Yann Martel Michelle and daughter Malia read this story that begins with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a tiger and one little boy.
There you have it , First lady Michelle Obama's very own children's books list . Get your child off to a good start .
This article originally appeared in PW's Children's Bookshelf.
By Brian Kenney -- Publishers Weekly, 7/16/2009 1:04:00 PM
Honorees Ashley Bryan and Neil Gaiman on the floor of the show.
With a record-breaking attendance of nearly 29,000, scores of competing parties and breakfasts, plenty of big-name author signings, and an array of programs, it was easy for librarians and publishers at the ALA Annual Conference to forget—if only for a few delicious moments—that yes, we are in the midst of a serious recession.
True, many of the librarians paid their own way, there was more pizza than prosciutto at the receptions, and the number of exhibitors was off by more than 1,000. As for library material budgets, they ranged from flat to down by as much as 25%. Nevertheless, spirits were high, children’s and YA librarians were energized by this year’s books, and publishers were delighted by the crowds.
Even before the cabin doors closed on the first flight to O’Hare on Friday, tweets were flying about the biggest story of the conference: YALSA’s plans tojettison the venerable Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) listand replace it with a "people’s choice" award. By the time Holiday House’s party rolled around on Friday evening, the cries of "No they didn’t!" had changed to "No they won’t!" When YALSA’s board of directors met on Monday, the topic had been moved from an action item to a discussion item—with many livid members happy to discuss their disappointment. The upshot: the board will revisit the topic at the midwinter meeting in 2010. Stay tuned.
On the show floor, "things were as lively and hopping as I’ve ever seen it," said ALA veteran Luann Toth, managing editor ofSLJ’s Book Review. "The publishers were all pressed to deal with crowd control and had to carefully monitor the numbers of books that they had available to the length of the lines." Kids Can Press’s Scott Robins spoke for most publishers: "Our booth has been just crazy!"
Melissa Sweet (l.) and Jen Bryant sign copies of their Caldecott Honor title,A River of Words.
Part of that craziness stemmed from the many big authors in attendance, including Brian Selznick, Judy Blume, Mo Willems, Kate DiCamillo, Kadir Nelson, Walter Dean Myers, Neal Gaiman, M.T. Anderson, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson and Sarah Dessen. Suzanne Collins’sCatching Firewas the "it" book of the show; other sought-after ARCs included Kristin Cashore’sFire,Barry Lyga’sGoth Girl Rising,Catherine Gilbert Murdock’sFront and Center,Libba Bray’sGoing Bovineand Scott Westerfeld’sLeviathan.You couldn’t cross the floor holding David Small’sStitcheswithout being asked where you got it.
The Newbery Caldecott Awards dinneron Sunday evening provided some half-time relief, at least for the feet. As always, it was accompanied by so many tears and such a level of intensity the casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that the cure to some terminal disease was being celebrated and not, well, the selection of a few good books. Caldecott winner Beth Krommes charmed, Newbery winner Neil Gaiman entertained, while Wilder winner Ashley Bryan, just hours shy of his 86th birthday, completely stole the show.
To view our extensive photo-essay from the conference,click here.
Ingalls Wilder’s life experiences base for children’s series, Richter says
Dave Bergmeier Editor and Publisher Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009
Several people clutched Laura Ingalls Wilder books in a packed Dickinson County Heritage Center gallery room. They came to hear about the famous author.
Sara Jane Richter, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and professor of English at Oklahoma’s Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Okla., a popular expert on Wilder, described the events that shaped the life of the children’s book author and whose Little House series became a timeless classic that school children still read today. Richter’s presentation was Saturday evening.
Most of Wilder’s books were written in the 1930s and 1940s with the help of her daughter, Rose, a flamboyant and well-known author in her own right, Richter said. One of the books in the series became the 1970s NBC classic television show Little House on the Prairie, which starred the late Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, who played young Laura Ingalls.
Richter drew a laugh from the crowd when she remarked she never watched the series.
“I didn’t like Michael Landon,” she quipped with a smile that brought a hearty laugh from the audience.
Typical challenges Ingalls Wilder was typical of the many 19th century pioneers, forced to move and relocate, Richter said. Laura Ingalls did live in Kansas for about two years, living south of Independence near the Oklahoma border as a child around 1870.
Wilder was born Feb. 7, 1867, in Wisconsin to Charles and Caroline Ingalls. She had five siblings, although one of her siblings died at the age of nine months.
Her father liked the rural lifestyle and farming. Charles loaded his family in a conestoga wagon and moved to Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, South Dakota and Missouri on numerous occasions.
Being a nomad was not unusual, Richter said, as pioneers faced harsh economic realities, from searing heat, to drought, to winter storms, to depression.
Her father was a quiet man who Laura found hardworking and innovative. Young Laura liked planting crops, working with livestock, fixing things and hunting. As a child she preferred spending time with him as compared to her mother, Richter said. That changed over time because social norms called for girls to mature into young women and become school teachers and homemakers. Her father encouraged her to follow that path.
Literacy important Because of their frequent moves, the Ingallses had little space for carrying books in a wagon. Laura could only remember having one book to share. Richter said Caroline Ingalls shared her love of poetry with her children and that was an important influence.
All four of the Ingalls’ daughters were writers to some degree in their lives, Richter said. For nineteenth century women, writing was a skill that allowed them to have an accepted career.
Laura Ingalls became a school teacher at age 15. She married Almanzo Wilder Aug. 25, 1885. He was 10 years older and a strong man who Laura found had similar traits to her father. The couple had one daughter, Rose, born in 1886. The couple had a son in 1889, but he died in infancy.
They struggled as farmers like many of those who lived on the Plains. She wrote that in summer 1887 while living in the Dakotas, a fire consumed a barn full of hay. In 1888, both contracted diphtheria, a bacterial infection that was common for youth, young adults and older adults. Laura had a full recovery but Almanzo suffered from complications the rest of his life.
Finding home Except for a brief period of living in Florida, the Wilders lived in the Plains eventually settling on a place known as Rocky Ridge Farm near Mansfield, Mo. in the mid 1890s.
Wilders were happy there becoming known for their apple orchard and farming techniques. They both worked odd jobs to make ends meet, Richter said.
“She was not a miser or a spend thrift either,” Richter said.
Over time Laura’s organizational skills helped her as she became a writer.
The owner of the Missouri Ruralist asked her to help and write editorial material for his magazine, Richter said. In 1911, Laura wrote a column The Farm Home, which was technically oriented and popular. Eventually she wrote for other publications including McCalls and the St. Louis Star.
The Wilders were known for their generosity and charity work, Richter said. Laura remembered having few resources for libraries and believed that helping rural women with literary works and libraries in the Plains was the right thing to do. She also became an advocate for women’s social organizations that could nurture and encourage them. Laura was a member of the Methodist faith and a member of the Eastern Star.
Richter noted that as the Wilders grew older their lives slowed and Laura decided in the late 1920s that she would like to write an autobiography. Her daughter’s ties would help.
Daughter important influence Rose as a young woman was adventuresome, preferring the city life to rural settings, living in New York City, San Francisco and overseas. Rose Wilder was married briefly but divorced. The young Wilder embraced communism briefly but became disenchanted with the movement.
Rose Wilder became a prominent journalist, writing biographies on Herbert Hoover and Henry Ford.
Richter admitted that in her research she found Rose to be pretentious and not as likeable as her mother. Yet the two made a remarkable pair.
“She was a good writer in her own right,” Richter said.
Richter said the Wilders’ first piece of work, Pioneer Girl impressed Rose. The first two editors encouraged her to “put meat on the bones,” a common phrase that meant beefing up the literary piece.
The third editor, Harpers, liked her work and it became the first in the series, Little House in the Big Woods in the early 1930s and she earned a royalty check for $500, a handsome sum during the Great Depression.
Star at age 65 Wilder found that at age, 65, she had an attentive audience and that led a continuation of the series. In particular young readers loved the authenticity of her work and were vocal about her continuing the series. Over the next 10 years she penned seven more books of what became known as the Little House series including in 1935 with Little House on the Prairie.
Laura’s popularity was confirmed in October 1937 when Harpers asked her to travel to Detroit, Mich., for an appearance and by all accounts it was huge success.
The mother and daughter proved to be quite the dynamic duo, Richter said.
“On the surface the books seemed very simple, but a very complex woman wrote them,” Richter said.
Rose probably was never given credit for her part of the collaboration.
“The Little House would have never happened without Rose,” Richter said. “We would not have known anything about Laura without Rose. They were two different women who wrote in tandem.”
On the other hand, it appeared the two women had artistic differences. Laura never wrote about contemporaries. Meanwhile, Rose, recognized her mother’s gift of writing.
“Rose wrote to her mother and asked her to consider writing fiction,” Richter said. “Laura declined.”
Almanzo died in October 1949 at age 92. Laura continued to promote literacy in the latter stages of her life. By the mid 1950s she started to decline in her health and died Feb. 10, 1957, at the age of 90. Three of her books were released posthumously. Rose Wilder died at age 81 in 1967, just before she was planning to travel overseas to Vietnam to do a magazine story.
Timeless writing Richter said the Wilder phenomenon does remind her of T.K. Rowling, author of the popular Harry Potter series in one sense. Books that are well-written with a easy to follow story line can are timeless.
“She has a charm and way that she writes it that it’s so simple and easy to understand and follow,” Richter said.
Wilder was the same way. Her ability to capture details and write in a way that children could understand, to describing fresh flowers or hay in a barn made her stand out.
Richter’s presentation was part of partnership with the historical society and Kansas Humanities Council.
Richter received her doctorate in English from Oklahoma State University. She has taught courses on Native American literature, film, literature of American West, American western history, world literature and Faulkner. She is a published poet, and a speaker for humanities programs in Oklahoma as well as Kansas. Sara is also a member of the board of Directors of the Santa Fe Trail Association.
This program is provided by the Kansas Humanities Council, a non-profit organization with 35 years of experience promoting understanding of the history and ideas that shape lives and strengthen a sense of community.
The Memories of the Prairie Lecture Series is an educational program sponsored by the Dickinson County Historical Society. There are two more Memories of the Prairie series planned for the summer season.
At 7 p.m. Saturday, Jill Crist, president of the Abilene Heritage Homes Association, will give a program on historic homes of Abilene. At 6:30 p.m. July 25, the annual ice cream social will be in Old Abilene Town. Read More...
Encourage summer reading every day. Photo bapdk on Flickr
It’s difficult to get children reading over the summer when they have problems reading at school. But not reading isn’t an option.
"By middle school, (losses from not reading) produce a cumulative lag of two or more years, which accounts for 80 to 100 percent of the achievement gap between low- and middle-income students," says reading expert, Richard Allington, in an article onBNET.
Don’t let this happen to your kids, who worked hard to attain their reading skills this year.
Read to them
I hated reading when I was young and I was bad at it. I’d spend hours struggling over words. And don’t even talk to me about summarizing “The Littles.” But something must have happened between then and when I took the ACT in high school, because out of all the sections, I scored highest in reading.
The only thing I can think of (besides the risk of low grades) that got me interested in books was my mom. She read to me every night before bed, and probably read my AP English books to help me make sense of them. If you realize your child is really into a particular book, try getting them to read a line or paragraph. It’s like sneaking in vegetables at dinner.
Acknowledge the library as the new cool spot
Teens want to be where their friends are. Increasingly, I’ve noticed my niece wanting to go to the library not just to work on a major project, but to do homework or hang out with her friends. While I do not condone just hanging out at the library, it does increase the likelihood of teens reading more. So just make sure they are not being a nuisance and encourage them to check out a book for fun, or join a reading program at thelibrary.
And here’s one new thing you learned this summer just from reading this- accordingurbandictionary.com, “cool” is still a cool word to say.
Make every excuse possible
Reading can make you better at sports. Reading can show you how to make friends. You have to read to cook. You have to read to drive. You’re sitting on the toilet, why not read? Read More...
Actress Julianne Moore perhaps is best known for her Academy Award nominations, but she’s also earning recognition as a children’s book author.
What kind of kid attends a book reading by Julianne Moore? A 7-year-old with a Robert Altman fetish?
The first time you hear that Moore writes children’s books, your reaction is mild, unsurprised.
But the first time you hear that Moore gives readings and does book tours, and those readings are attended by enthusiastic children, your reaction grows pensive; you rewind through decades of indie acclaim (Vanya on 42nd Street,) and Academy Award-nominated performances (Boogie Nights,Far From Heaven,The Hours), and you grow puzzled.
Kids know Moore from ... what,The Lost World: Jurassic Park?Short Cuts? Who shows up?
“Lots of guys in raincoats!” Moore said recently, interviewed on the phone from her home in Brooklyn. “Not really — kids show up! A lot of grandmas with kids. School groups, first- and second-graders. Moms bring their kids. And, yes, some adults.”
Moore, unlike some movie-stars-as-authors, has a burgeoning series generating respect. TheFreckleface Strawberrybooks follow the adventures of a girl with a striking resemblance to a young Moore, a precocious phobic-prone redhead with freckle issues. Her first book, 2007’sFreckleface Strawberry(Bloomsbury, $16.99), sold well but, more important, did not receive the kiss-of-death “vanity project” stamp within children’s book circles.
The next installment,Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully(Bloomsbury, $16.99), illustrated by former DreamWorks animator LeUyen Pham, came out in April.
Q: You’re aware being a celebrity children’s book author is a crowded profession.
A: I’m sheepish about it. Personally, I understand why people are suspicious. I get that. It’s like people who had, say, a long career wrestling and think it would be fun to “try the acting thing.” You know? That said, I always defined myself as a reader, even more than as an actor. Funny, but true. I’m not Philip Roth. I’m not a novelist. But this is something I take very seriously, and that I hear from a lot of librarians — that’s the most gratifying part. I was one of those kids freakishly in love with school.
Q: The books are autobiographical?
A: Especially the first book. Kids called me “giraffe.” They told me I looked dirty because I had freckles. The dodgeball thing — it’s a very polarizing sport at a young age. Plenty of children love it, but I feared it. I have this irrational fear of balls. But everyone has their thing. I explain this to kids when I read. I tell them I’m not afraid of scary movies or the dark, just dodgeball. Read More here...
TAYLOR, Mich. -- A comic book collection handed down from a metro Detroit father to his son has proved to be worth $100,000.
Jonathon North said 1,200 to 1,300 comic books had been sitting in a basement for years after his father died.
"I never really went through it, never really knew what I had," North said. "I thought maybe it was worth a couple thousand dollars."
North had the comics appraised by Dennis Barger at Wonderworld in Taylor.
Holding a Flash comic book from North's collection, Barger said that in mint condition it could sell for $300,000.
"Even in the beat-up condition like this, it's still a $2,000 book," he said.
Many of the comic books were originally purchased for 10 cents a piece. Barger said collectively, the books are now worth more than 10,000 times their original price -- about $100,000.
North said he has not decided which comic books to sell, or what he would do with the money.
"It's still kind of shocking, so I haven't thought about the money yet," he said.
Stephenie Meyer wins Children's Choice Book Awards ... for Breaking Dawn
May 14, 4:08 AM
Congratulations to Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilightseries novels and inspiration to many, for all of her achievements. The latest, it seems, is the Childrens Choice Book Award's Author of the Year prize - as well as Teen Choice Book of the Year.
The contest, whose "winners were chosen in six categories, broken down by agre groups--220,000 online votes were cast by children around the country," resulted in two wins for Meyer for the same work - Breaking Dawn.
Breaking Dawn, the fourth and (though some might hope otherwise) final book in the Twilight series, may arguably be the most adult of the lot.
[ * Warning * the following contains spoilers about Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer ]
While love scenes in the book are of a sheltered nature, the overall essence of them is still quite prevalent. While some might argue that children who read these scenes might not understand them, others might say they are fully capable of understanding what married folks do on their honeymoons.
Regardless, the presentation of the awards to Meyer is very interesting. Whether or not children are fully capable of understanding the romantic innuendos contained in Breaking Dawn (not to mention the grueling agony suffered by its protagonist through the eyes of her all but green-eyed admirer and the ripping and shredding that occurs on multiple occasions in multiple different scenarios), and whether or not the award was decided by popular-type vote, the fact that Meyer is being recognized with awards such as these show that either society is becoming more progressive or children's books as a genre are being given a wider berth. In any case, congratulations once again to Stephenie Meyer for all of her well-deserved accomplishments and recognition.
Still, what do you think? Is Breaking Dawn really a children's book?
Celebrated since 1919, Children's Book Week is dedicated to spreading the word about children's literature and encouraging the joy of reading. Children's Book Week is celebrated nationally in schools, libraries, bookstores, clubs, private homes-any place where there are children and books. Children’s Book Week encourages children to enjoy new authors and books, and celebrate children’s literature with storytelling, parties, author and illustrator appearances, and other literacy events in your school and community.
There are so many ways to celebrate this special event with the young readers in your life. Here are a few...
2. Somehow, "book review" sounds better than "book report." Hold a contest asking students to submit 75-word reviews of their favorite books. Post the reviews in the library, on the class website, or in the school paper.
3. Celebrate children's books by holding a 'study an author' day, pick a favorite book to discuss for the week, or arrange for a local author to visit.
4. Dress up as children's book characters. Be a favorite Dr. Seuss character or even a wild thing!
5. Have a poetry festival. Each student can bring in and read a favorite poem, or create one of his/her own.
6. Hold a Story Writing Contest. Students can even design their own book covers with the book cover creator at ReadWriteThink.org.
7. Donate books to a local family shelter or children's hospital; or take a trip, so students can read to patients in a hospital or residents in a nursing home.
8. Raise money to help a library, school, or day care center in your area to buy books. This is an excellent way to strengthen your town through community involvement.
9. Create a book swap. Do you have any children's books your kids don't read any more or have outgrown? Consider swapping with other parents who might also be bored with their collections.
10. Check out the winners of the Children's Choice book awards who will be announced during National Book Week tomorrow (May 13th).
Dear Heloise: We are getting ready to move, and I need to PACK BOOKS. This will be long-term storage. What is the best way to pack them? -- Karen B., via e-mail
First, you will need some heavy-duty boxes and packing material, like butcher paper for wrapping the books and cushioning wrap (do not use plastic to wrap books).
Each book can be wrapped in paper to protect the covers if the books are heirlooms or valuable. Books shouldn't be packed too tightly.
Hints From Heloise
If books are valuable, they need a little extra effort and should be packed separately in a padded box. You can place them "standing up" with spines against the box, or stack them, which is really best for oversize or heavy books.
Books should not be packed with spines facing up (paper edges facing down). Don't stack them at odd angles.
Don't leave the packed boxes in a basement, attic or garage. These areas are too hot and humid, and pests may invade the boxes! -- Heloise
"MY MOM IS MY HERO: Tributes to the Women Who Gave Us Life, Love, and Clean Laundry," edited by Susan Reynolds, Adams Media, $9.95
Like the title says, this book is, indeed, a tribute to women and mothers. Inside, you'll find 50 stories from different authors about how their mother or another treasured woman helped influence their lives.
The stories are deeply personal and highly individual, yet they are similar in how they describe the love and influence most mothers have.
One story is about a woman who kept encouraging her son to live his dreams despite the fact his stepfather said he wouldn't amount to anything. Another is about a mother who supported a child suffering from depression.
"From the moment we cross the threshold, we rely on our mothers' wellsprings of nourishment and nurturance to fulfill our most basic physical and emotional needs," says the book's introduction. "Without our mothers, we are lost."
"LIFE WITH MOTHER," by the editors of LIFE Books, Time Inc. Home Entertainment, $17.95
It's been nearly 15 years since "LIFE with Mother" was first published, and now it's back, with updated images, captions and quotes.
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You'll love this book for its simplicity. There isn't much text, but the photographs speak clearly to the love of a mother for her child.
Each page features a new image. Some are of celebrity moms such as Jacqueline Kennedy or Elizabeth Taylor, but other pictures are of average mothers from around the world.
All the pictures tell a story about the work a mother does, whether it be assisting her son with diving lessons, showing her daughter pigeons or just nurturing with a hug.
"A CUP OF COMFORT FOR NEW MOTHERS: Stories that Celebrate the Miracle of Life," edited by Colleen Sell, Adams Media, $9.95
The stories in this book are funny, sweet and emotional, but they also accurately depict the challenges of motherhood.
You'll find yourself laughing about the experiences of one mother and then crying about the experiences of another new mom. One standout story is about a mom whose baby learned to "finger paint" with a diaper.
Another mom tells about her guilt in deciding to use a bottle to feed her baby.
Editor Colleen Sell said she believed the stories in this book "personify" the unique bond new mothers have and is hopeful they will bring some comfort and joy.
"There is strength, knowledge, inspiration and comfort to be had in hearing, or reading, about another woman who has walked in your shoes," Sell wrote in the book's introduction.
"150 TIPS AND TRICKS FOR NEW MOMS: From Those Frantic First Days to Baby's First Birthday — Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Your New Addition," by Robin Elise Weiss, Adams Media, $9.95
This book is far from an encyclopedia about pregnancy and child-rearing, but it does a great job in explaining the basics of what happens before, during and after you give birth.
The chapters are short and easy to read, and all the information is presented in a positive manner. You won't learn about scary pregnancy complications or any parenting horror stories, but it will be presented with helpful tips and explanations.
Some of the information includes how to plan for labor, details about how a woman will feel after giving birth and then information about some decisions you will make when your baby comes home.
This book is perfect for first-time moms who just want the basics, nothing more.
"CONTENTMENT: Inspiring Insights for LDS Mothers," by Maria Covey Cole, Covenant Communications Inc., $13.95
While written for a distinct audience, this is a book many women could enjoy. The focus is on finding "contentment" in motherhood, but that theme could be applied to multiple others seeking more satisfaction in their lives.
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Throughout the book, you will find ideas about how to become content, how to avoid unnecessary comparisons with others and how to gain perspective by becoming closer to God.
A highlight of this book is the countless insights, quotes and stories the author has included from celebrities, world leaders and prominent LDS leaders. They mix well with the author's own experiences and thoughts.
From the author's perspective, women can often feel "unfulfilled, underappreciated and underutilized at one time or another." For her, she said she had to experience a change of her heart to appreciate her role as a mother.
This book will give you an uplifting perspective on how to change your views of womanhood and motherhood.
"AN ANGEL TO WATCH OVER ME," by Sally DeFord, Covenant Communications Inc., $15.95
This is a simple, sweet book that artfully combines the lyrics of a song by Sally DeFord with paintings and illustrations from prominent LDS artists.
Most all of the art depicts mothers with their children, either playing or working or just enjoying a moment. The words describe the work a mother does, including being a guardian and teacher.
DeFord said the inspiration for her song came from watching her own mother and also various other mothers around her. The song was originally written in 2002 as part of an event focused on the importance of family.
"It's wonderful to see the lyrics to 'An Angel to Watch Over Me' given so much life," said DeFord in a statement about the book and its accompanying art.
"WORLDWIDE WARD COOKBOOK: 440 Recipes From LDS Cooks Around the Globe," by Deanna Buxton, Covenant Communications Inc., $29.95
The unique thing about this cookbook is the personal stories attached to the recipes. People from 46 countries contributed to this collection, and on some pages, you'll find photographs and stories from contributors explaining how they use their recipe, or where it came from.
Author Deanna Buxton said the book was "a great adventure" to put together. It is comprehensive, with recipes for things such as appetizers, beverages, breakfast, bread, soups, salads and side dishes.
The largest sections of the book cover recipes for desserts and also main courses. This cookbook doesn't include modern additions such as nutrition information and calorie guides, but the recipes appear well-loved and taste-tested by families across the globe.
Author and talk-show host Glenn Beck has signed a wide-ranging contract withCBSCorp.'s Simon & Schuster publishing arm that gives him profit participation in each new book, a perk the publisher has traditionally reserved solely for its most important writers, such as Stephen King.
The deal reduces the publisher's risk by paring Mr. Beck's advances at a time when the book business is rocky.
Patrick Conlon/The Wall Street Journal
'The Christmas Sweater,' published in 2008, sold 775,000 hardcovers.
The move also locks in an author whose media presence has helped make him a best-selling writer. According to Simon & Schuster, Mr. Beck's first book, the 2003 nonfiction work "The Real America," sold 50,000 hardcovers; 2007's nonfiction "An Inconvenient Book" sold 500,000 hardcovers; and his novel "The Christmas Sweater," published in 2008, sold 775,000 hardcovers.
Authors typically receive a royalty of 15% of the publisher's suggested retail price on hardcover titles and a 7% to 10% royalty on paperbacks, money paid out after publishers have recouped their advance. Mr. Beck will accept smaller advances in exchange for a share in the profits. The deal will also provide him with more creative control over how his books are designed and marketed.
"I'd rather take a lower advance and have a partnership," Mr. Beck, 45 years old, said. "I'll bet on myself and a smart person on the other side of the table every time." Mr. Beck said he took satisfaction in having a deal similar to that of Mr. King, noting that Mr. King described him in a magazine column as "Satan's mentally challenged younger brother."
This year, Mr. Beck will offer three new titles: "America's March to Socialism," which will be issued in May as an original audiobook read by the author; "Glenn Beck's Common Sense," which will be published as an ebook original in June and later as a fancy paperback; and "Arguing with Idiots," a nonfiction title that arrives in September from Simon & Schuster's Threshold Editions. A children's picture book of "The Christmas Sweater" is also expected to hit bookshelves this fall.
The arrangement lets Simon & Schuster experiment with formats, genres and categories because there is less cost up front, said Carolyn Reidy, CEO of Simon & Schuster. "In an uncertain market, it gives the author the comfort of knowing he'll be compensated if sales go up, while also giving us protection," she said.
Mr. Beck's radio show, "The Glenn Beck Program," is syndicated nationwide. His eponymous talk show on the Fox News Channel, which premiered in January, draws an average of 2.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen Co. Fox is owned byNews Corp., which also owns The Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co. "There was a time when I had to explain who he was," said Louise Burke, publisher of Simon & Schuster's Pocket Books imprint, which issued his first book. "That's no longer the case."
One Dayby Shirley Hall is a collection of poems which highlights the issues and challenges facing mankind in the 20thand 21stcenturies. Politics, religion, socio-economic issues, and a need for natural resources led the nation to numerous campaigns on the battlefield, and on the middle class. Issues challenging the poor were world-wide issues, and in an attempt to spread democracy; conflicts became the order of the day.
In time the war on the middle class extended beyond the assumed battleground. Despite a growing economy in many nations, adversity and catastrophe abounded. An uprising of hatred led to genocides, racial cleansings, and the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. Victims of natural disasters at home and abroad found themselves suffering at the hands of inefficient governments with race, financial standings and socio-economics determining the level and timeliness of assistance. Through poetry the author became a voice for the middle class, the displaced and the poor, and in time began blogging this controversial poetry.
Approached by a publisher who appreciated her message and believed in what she was doing, “One Day” became the author’s way of making a difference and taking a stand.
One Day: Life, Love and Controversy inMiddle Americais available at Amazon.com and everywhere books are sold.
In this collection the author openly discusses, war, slavery, race, health care, crime, religion, AIDS, cancer, spousal and child abuse, mental illness, suicide, love, and moral and immoral relationships. Through a wonderful provocative prose, she makes their voices heard
"It All Went Well" -Katrina and theSan DiegoFires
"Revoked" -Blackwater inIraq
"Diabolical Mass" -Genocide inDarfur
"Earth" -Global Warming
"Martyr" –Children as Soldiers
"Bastard"– SocialDiscrimination
"Epilogue to a Slave Girl"- Race and American History
"Perfect X"- Ethnicity
"Trafficked" - Drug trafficking
“Cancer” – Health Care
“The Pledge” – Immigration inAmerica
Although this project has trended toward academia, ONE DAY has something for everyone. This collection crosses all educational, political, and social genres. It is for anyone interested in hearing the voice of the people behind the story. The subtitle says it all: Life, Love and Controversy inMiddle America.
Using the richest of language, ONE DAY highlights the complexities facing mankind today. Writing in first person the author opens avenues of understanding by becoming the voice of the people behind the story. From the chains of slavery to the horrors of abuse, from the terror of the battlefield, to the breakdown of the family, a whirlwind of emotions rise and fall as the author embodies an excruciating honesty in a most unexpected format.
About the Author
Shirley Hallwas born Shirley Ann Howard inClevelandOhio. She retired from corporateAmericain 2006, and currently lives inOklahomawith her husband and daughter. Shirley began writing short stories as a child and later turned to poetry. Inspired by the writings of Shakespeare, Longfellow, Kahil Gibran, and Langston Hughes, she began submitting her work to venues within her community.
Her writing projects range from corporate communications, to speech writing, to personal greeting cards. Shirley has presented her poems in schools, colleges, churches, and by special invitation to the ambassador at the American Embassy inSpain. Her extended education includes an array of colleges and universities both in theUnited Statesand abroad. Majoring in music, theater, and later in business, Shirley aggressively pursued careers in each of these venues.
Additional credits include publication in various college presses, magazines and community newspapers. An advocate for peace, freedom, and equality Shirley challenges religious, social and political agendas through her controversial poetry and essays. Today her poems are read and appreciated worldwide.
Shirley’s favorite quote comes from Marianne Williamson’sReturn to Love–“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
PublishedApril 17, 2009 12:21 am-Rick Fry is a man of many hats. Be it wildlife artist, executive director of the Norman Arts Council, the 2008 volunteer coordinator for the Norman Music Festival, chuckwagon-hand at the Sooner Theatre fundraiser western-style dinner, a member of the chamber's 28th Leadership Norman class.
Rick Fry is celebrated artist for 35th May Fair
For The Transcript
Rick Fry is a man of many hats. Be it wildlife artist, executive director of the Norman Arts Council, the 2008 volunteer coordinator for the Norman Music Festival, chuckwagon-hand at the Sooner Theatre fundraiser western-style dinner, a member of the chamber's 28th Leadership Norman class... and the style of hats goes on.
Fry will put aside all others May 1-3 and wear the celebrated artist at at the 35th May Fair Festival, sponsored by the Assistance League of Norman.
The annual outdoor arts festival will be held in historic Andrews Park and include nearly 100 artists, both locally and from across the country. The festival offers something for everyone with hands-on learning experiences for children, outstanding continuous live entertainment and inspiring art.
Festival visitors will have an opportunity to meet Fry during the weekend as he discusses and demonstrates his art style. His art contribution for this year's May Fair is in recognition of Oklahoma wildlife and features the state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher. During the festival period, it can be seen throughout the city on posters and T-shirts.
As a self-taught artist, amateur ornithologist and naturalist, Fry has great admiration for Oklahoma's wildlife, rolling hills, prairies and sunsets, he said. His artistic statements reflect his love of classical landscape painting... and he said he knows he has been successful when the viewer tells him that they can feel the open sky, the grandeur of a mountain range or the chill of a winter's first snow. Painting almost exclusively in oils, Fry is a regular winner on the art show circuit.
"I spent 30 years developing a skill as an illustrator," Fry said. "When all of a sudden I had a breakthrough and I became an artist."
His inspiration comes from nature and its creatures; particularly birds which Fry admits took him several years of study and touring the state before he felt his paintings gave his subjects life.
"The May Fair Festival is Assistance League's gift to the community and since Fry is a Norman artist, the overall theme of the 2009 fair is about local artists," Anita Bednar, president of the Norman chapter of the Assistance League, said.
Members work all year preparing for the three-day festival which opens 10 a.m. May 1 in Abe Andrews Park, north of the Norman Public Library. The festival closes 8 p.m. May 1 and 2 and will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. May 3. The fair features everything from fine art to entertainment and food.
Three inflatables will keep the children entertained including a large rock climb.
Other artists will display and sell stained glass, clay pottery, photography, note cards, dried lavender, woodworking, clothing items and many other art mediums.
Several music and dance troops will perform, all at no charge to the festival-goers.
Also at May Fair is a Favorite Food Contest 4:30 p.m. Friday. Celebrity judges are Mayor Cindy Rosenthal, Bob Barry Jr. and Tami Altoff.
For more information about Norman's May Fair event, visit the Assistance League of Norman's Web site at www.norman.assistanceleague.org.
Proceeds from the festival will be used for the Assistance League programs.
Writers of new child-safety legislation that sailed through both houses of the Democratic-controlled Congress last fall and was signed by President George W. Bush added children's books to the list of banned hazardous substances, unless they are proven to be lead-free. Let's protect kids, right? Maybe they should have considered this: Kids don't eat books.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 effectively bans all books printed before 1985 from resale or distribution because they might contain small amounts of lead in the ink. Hundreds of thousands of books have already been destroyed, even though there's no proof that a child could be harmed by them. This law could effectively gut every library and every school in the state, which along with thrift stores are subject to horrendous fines if they sell or distribute pre-1985 copies of books likeThe Little Engine That Couldor Little Golden Books that contain lead.
Goodbye to library book sales. Goodbye to affordable used books for kids. Maybe congressmen like Jim Matheson (who continues to back the CPSIA) should remember the last time in modern history a government decided to ban books.
NEW YORK (AP) — The publishing industry has been fitted for 20-20-20 vision.
The Book Industry Environmental Council, a coalition of publishers, booksellers, librarians, printers and paper manufacturers, announced Thursday a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent in the year 2020 (based on 2006 numbers), the equivalent, the council says, of pulling 450,000 cars off the road.
The council, which says it represents more than 60 percent of the book market, intends to shrink emissions by 80 percent in 2050. While individual publishers have set environmental goals, the council's announcement marks a broader industry commitment.
"I'm very pleased that our industry has set aggressive but achievable goals that will have tangible benefits and will surely set a precedent for other industries," Pete Datos, chair of the council's climate subcommittee and vice president for inventory and procurement at the Hachette Book Group USA, said in a statement.
No specific plans have been established, but the council cited some possible roads to reductions: increased use of recycled fiber, greater energy efficiency in office buildings, fewer destroyed books that end up in landfills and using market research and digital technology to reduce the number of unsold books returned to publishers (long a desired, but elusive goal for the industry).
"The tools at our disposal have dramatically improved — providing better insight to improve our forecasts, reducing lead times to get books printed and distributed faster, and increasing our flexibility to print just the "right" quantities," Datos said.
The council has yet to take a stand on e-books, saying that the benefits of saving paper may be offset by the possible toxic effects of electronic devices.
The council was formed last year and its coordinators include the Green Press Initiative, an environmental organization that works with book and newspaper publishers, and the Book Industry Study Group, a publishing industry trade association.
Oklahoma City author Carolyn Wall’s debut novel "Sweeping Up Glass” about the mysterious killing of wolves in rural Kentucky in the 1930s won the fiction award at the 20th annual Oklahoma Book Awards Saturday at the Oklahoma Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
The awards reception and banquet drew a crowd of more than 220 that included authors, publishers, librarians, book editors and people who simply love to read.
Cherokee novelist and poet Robert Conleywas presented with the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for a body of work contributing to Oklahoma’s literary heritage. The award is named for theNorman historian who served as the first president of the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
A native of Cushing, Conley, 69, has written more than 70 books and won many awards, including three Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America.
Most of Conley’s writing deals with Cherokee characters, culture and themes. His "Real-People” series traces Cherokee history, beginning in the year 1500. Recent novels in that series include "The Peace Chief” and "War Woman.”
His novel, "Mountain Windsong,” focused on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee removal from Georgia to Oklahoma.
In an interview before the award ceremony, Conley said he was proud to be receiving Oklahoma’s Arrell Gibson Award.
"I’ve been told that getting this (award) doesn’t mean I can quit writing, and that’s good, because I still have a lot more to do,” said Conley, who now serves as the Sequoyah Distinguished Professor in Cherokee Studies at Western Carolina Universityin Cullowhee, N.C.
Awards in the categories of fiction, poetry, design/illustration, children/young adult and nonfiction salute books written last year by Oklahomans or about Oklahoma.
Subjects tackled by this year’s crop of book award winners were diverse, including an account of how the Fort Shaw Indian School girls’ basketball team became world champions, a then-and-now look at former Japanese Internment campsites, a whimsical depiction of what dogs want for Christmas, a suspense story inspired by the immortal last words of American Revolutionary War patriot Nathan Hale and poetic observations gleaned at a Norman coffee shop.
But First, the coolest thing that has happened to me in a long time was Joseph Shaw, who wrote To Honor the Dead , which I reviewed right here on OkieReads, sat at my table and was looking for me because a friend had shared my review with him. He was very gracious; we talked Fairview and it’s proximity to I-40 or maybe not, and small town Oklahoma.
Authors are rock stars, like Britney Spears or Madonna (oh wait she thinks she’s an author) to readers. In light of instant communication I think readers will begin to have more influence on the publishing industry like music buyers have had on the music industry. Readers will dictate rather than be dictated to by the publishers. It will be interesting that’s for sure. It’s also fun to meet authors to see if they’re nice or arrogant or way too impressed with themselves. I’m obviously a Joseph Shaw fan and he’s one of the nice ones, besides being one hellava writer.
OK, back to the Book Awards and off my soapbox. First award out of the chute, Children/Young Adult goes to….the Young Adult novel, Spy by Anna Myers .
Next the heavy duty Non-Fiction category. Lordy, there were 10 finalists and all an impressive lot. It went to Full-Court Quest: The Girls from Fort Shaw Indian School, Basketball Champions of the World by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith. Unfortunately they couldn’t be there to accept but Alice Stanton from the University of Oklahoma Press did a good job and reminded us of our own OU girls basketball dreams.
The other award in Illustration went to Kandy Radzinski for her illustrations in What Dogs Want for Christmas.
Nathan Brown took the award in Poetry for Two Tables Over. His best work yet, IMHO.
And as they say, last but certainly not least, the Fiction Award went to Carolyn D. Wall for Sweeping up Glass. If you’ve been reading my blog you already know how I feel about this one.
And drum roll please…. The Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Robert Conley. But I’m not going to say much now, it’s after my bedtime and Robert Conley deserves a clear head and much more attention. Suffice it to say, the Oklahoma Center for the Book “done good” with this choice.
So I hope I beat everyone to the punch with the announcement of the winners unless some tweeters beat me to it.
Congratulations to 
![[glenn beck book deal]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AV913_beck_m_DV_20090503223927.jpg)
Patrick Conlon/The Wall Street Journal
The awards reception and banquet drew a crowd of more than 220 that included authors, publishers, librarians, book editors and people who simply love to read.
