Add your feed to SetSticker.com! Promote your sites and attract more customers. It costs only 100 EUROS per YEAR.
Pleasant surprises on every page! Discover new articles, displayed randomly throughout the site. Interesting content, always a click away
Author Amok
Poetry in the schools, at home, and everywhere in between.Amok No More 1 Feb 2016, 5:00 am
As of 2/1/16, I will be blogging at laurashovan.com/blog. Find me there for Poetry Friday posts, author interviews, and updates about my books for middle grade readers.Poetry Friday: Goodbye to Author Amok 28 Jan 2016, 5:29 pm
 |
| This week's host is Catherine at Reading to the Core. |
After nearly eight years here at Author Amok, I am moving! As of February 1, I will be blogging and participating in Poetry Friday at my new website www.laurashovan.com.
There are a few housekeeping items to share before I pack up for good.
First, the annual daily writing prompt project is on for 2016.
This year's theme is FOUND OBJECTS. I invite you to join this community project. The focus is on writing every day (or as often as you can) and sharing the results with our fellow poets and authors -- an opportunity to focus on drafting and to turn off our inner-editors for one month. We always have a great time with this project and there are prizes for contributors.
You'll find more information about the project at this post. And here is a sneak preview of our first writing prompt, contributed by Robyn Hood Black.
 |
| This year, we're going to focus on using multi-sensory images in our daily writing workout. |
Second, MYRA of Gathering Books is the winner of the MY CRUEL INVENTION book giveaway. Myra -- please get in touch with me via email so I can send out your book.
Third, an update on my book launch. THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY will be published on April 12. I'm excited to have a book birthday during National Poetry Month. The Poetry Friday community has been so supportive of this project.
In the weeks leading up to NPM, I'll be introducing the Emerson E.S. fifth graders at the new blog. I came across this poem today, which was cut from the novel. Newt Mathews is an amphibian-loving, rule-following student who shares in his poems how Asperger's Syndrome affects his writing. Mr. White is his aide.
 |
| Newt is at the bottom right wearing his favorite frog T-shirt. |
By
Newt Mathews
Buzz!
Beep!
Goodbye
sleep.
Time
to get out of bed.
Honk!
Zoom!
Rumble!
Vroom!
Time
for the bus to come.
Rush.
Zing!
The
late bell rings.
Time
to take my seat.
Scritch,
scratch.
Quiet
at last.
Mr.
White helps me write a poem.
Last, I thought it would be fun to reprint something from my very first blog post, from August of 2008. I was just back from a creativity workshop with master storyteller Odds Bodkin.
This Week’s Writing Exercise (Appropriate for All Ages and Levels)
Don’t Write! Imagine
We often ask students, and ourselves, to be imaginative when writing. But imagination without boundaries can be uncomfortable. After all, our imaginations produce nightmares. Here is one of Odds’ best recommendations from the storytelling workshop: when you’re asking someone to use his/her imagination, start with a familiar setting to warm-up those mental muscles. So, put away the notebook and pencil while you try this exercise in sensory imagination (adapted from Odds Bodkin’s workshop). You can take notes later.
Sit quietly, close your eyes and imagine that you are in your bedroom. Your bare feet are standing on a low marble pedestal. Turn slowly – 360 degrees – and take in every detail of the room. Not just the pictures on the walls and the colors of the bed spread, but also any smells, and the temperature of the air. You notice a light coming from under the bed. Filled with curiosity, you step off the pedestal. You move the bed aside with one hand – it’s as light as an empty box and glides across the floor. There, where you expected to see carpet or planks of wood, is a window. What a strange place for a window! How can sunlight be shining through a window in your floor? You kneel down beside the window and see… this is the tricky part, writers. Without composing a story, let your imagination see, feel, hear, taste and smell whatever is beyond that window. Let us know what’s out there.
Thank you all! Blogging at Author Amok has been an adventure. It's been wonderful to have so many traveling companions.
Poetry Friday: My Cruel Invention Giveaway 14 Jan 2016, 4:19 pm
Happy Poetry Friday, everyone! Let's celebrate the end of a week during which the cruelest invention, Death, took the lives of cultural icon David Bowie, poet C. D. Wright, and actor/ heartthrob (at least to me) Alan Rickman. |
| Where is the poetry action this week? At Keri Recommends! I recommend you visit her site for more Poetry Friday goodness. |
More about the book in a moment. First, a few important announcements for fans of Author Amok.
First: I'm moving my blogging HQ to my newly refurbished website. I'll continue to post Poetry Friday entries here at Author Amok through January 29. As of February 1, you'll find me at my new blog.
Second: I am hosting the fourth (wow!) annual daily poetry prompt this February, with some help from my friends. The theme this year is FOUND OBJECTS. You will find a full explanation of this year's daily poem project at my new location. Past daily poem projects and National Poetry Month series will remain here at Author Amok, so you'll still be able to access those posts.
Now, on to MY CRUEL INVENTION. This cover! The Green Man goes Steampunk.
 |
| Find out more on Goodreads. |
"The Rube Goldberg Contraption for Kissing" by Karen Skolfield
"Jekyll's Apology," by Kathryn Rickel
"A Physics Haiku," by Keith Stevenson
"I am a Geothermal Heat-Pump" by Nolan Liebert
"Dance with Rocket Shoes" by Alex Dreppect
"Edison's Elephant, 1903," by Tanis MacDonald
"Catherine de Medici and the High Hell" by Marcela Sulak
"Cadaver Feet" by Karen Bovenmyer
One of my postcard poems, "Eyes on the Back of My Head" is also anthologize here.
I reached out to poet Marjorie Maddox, who has given me permission to share one of my favorite selections from the book with you. I love how time travel underscores the layered interactions between parent and child in this poem.
H.G. Who?
by Marjorie Maddox
"I'm going back in the time machine;
I'll be right back," my daughter hollers
from the backyard when it's time
to set the table. I let her go
off into that world of minutes
cartwheeling backwards
and upside down into the oblivion
of imagination I once knew
in that past she's hurtling toward.
I stay where the seconds click
toward pot roast and green beans,
which she'll later leave on her plate,
off to visit the moon
or that strange new solar system
calling to be discovered.
First published in The Same 10, no. 1, 2012. Posted with express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
You can learn more about Marjorie Maddox and her work at www.marjoriemaddox.com. Or check out her book of poems LOCAL NEWS FROM SOMEPLACE ELSE, which includes "H.G. Who?"
 |
| Available from Amazon. |
See you in the stratosphere, fellow travelers. There's a starman, waiting in the sky.
Laura's Bookshelf: COUNTING THYME 31 Dec 2015, 11:55 pm
Happy New Year! I am so excited that 2016 is here, at last.
|
| It's the first Poetry Friday of 2016! Mary Lee is hosting our New Year's Party at A Year of Reading. |
Being part of a debut author group has given me
behind-the-scenes insights and previews of so many great books coming out this
year.
One of those books is COUNTING THYME, by Melanie Conklin.
This middle grade novel is about a family who moves from
California to New York City, so the youngest of the three Owens siblings can be
part of a cancer drug trial. The narrator is middle child Thyme (all three sibs
are named for spices). Thyme is a super-feeler. She struggles with balancing her
grief about moving away from her home, her grandmother and her best friend,
with her hope that moving across the country will extend little brother Val’s
life.
Because this is Thyme’s story, Val’s illness – while important –
is only a part of the narrative. Thyme has to deal with adjusting to a new
school and classmates, living in an apartment building for the first time, and
navigating a busy city. All of these elements work together to create a realistic
portrait of a loving family going through the highs and lows of an extended
crisis together. I especially liked that the finale of the book is about Thyme’s
growth, and that some important threads of the story are left, believably,
open-ended.
 |
| Check out Melanie's blog post, "Focus on the Good Stuff in 2016." You'll find printables to create an achievement jar similar to Thyme's. |
COUNTING THYME debuts on April 12. Here is the blurb from
Goodreads:
Newbery-winning Rules meets Counting by 7s in this
affecting story of a girl’s devotion to her brother and what it means to be
home
When eleven-year-old Thyme Owens’ little brother, Val, is accepted into a new cancer drug trial, it’s just the second chance that he needs. But it also means the Owens family has to move to New York, thousands of miles away from Thyme’s best friend and everything she knows and loves. The island of Manhattan doesn’t exactly inspire new beginnings, but Thyme tries to embrace the change for what it is: temporary.
After Val’s treatment shows real promise and Mr. Owens accepts a full-time position in the city, Thyme has to face the frightening possibility that the move to New York is permanent. Thyme loves her brother, and knows the trial could save his life—she’d give anything for him to be well—but she still wants to go home, although the guilt of not wanting to stay is agonizing. She finds herself even more mixed up when her heart feels the tug of new friends, a first crush, and even a crotchety neighbor and his sweet whistling bird. All Thyme can do is count the minutes, the hours, and days, and hope time can bring both a miracle for Val and a way back home.
With equal parts heart and humor, Melanie Conklin’s debut is a courageous and charming story of love and family—and what it means to be counted.
When eleven-year-old Thyme Owens’ little brother, Val, is accepted into a new cancer drug trial, it’s just the second chance that he needs. But it also means the Owens family has to move to New York, thousands of miles away from Thyme’s best friend and everything she knows and loves. The island of Manhattan doesn’t exactly inspire new beginnings, but Thyme tries to embrace the change for what it is: temporary.
After Val’s treatment shows real promise and Mr. Owens accepts a full-time position in the city, Thyme has to face the frightening possibility that the move to New York is permanent. Thyme loves her brother, and knows the trial could save his life—she’d give anything for him to be well—but she still wants to go home, although the guilt of not wanting to stay is agonizing. She finds herself even more mixed up when her heart feels the tug of new friends, a first crush, and even a crotchety neighbor and his sweet whistling bird. All Thyme can do is count the minutes, the hours, and days, and hope time can bring both a miracle for Val and a way back home.
With equal parts heart and humor, Melanie Conklin’s debut is a courageous and charming story of love and family—and what it means to be counted.
There’s a book giveaway running at Goodreads right now! Click on this link for your chance to win a copy of COUNTING THYME .
Who will like it?
- Children 9 and up who are curious about living in a big city.
- Readers who are learning how to handle transitions
- Foodies young and old!
What will readers learn about?
- The sacrifices and changes that happen when a member of a family is seriously ill.
- Patience and a positive attitude can help when you’re going through a difficult transition.
- Food is a way of sharing with and caring about each other.
I’m pairing two poems with COUNTING THYME and both have to do
with food. Over the course of the novel, Thyme learns that food is a wonderful
way to show you care about someone. There’s a great character in COUNTING THYME
who’s the Italian aunt version of Downton Abbey’s Mrs. Patmore. The dishes she
makes for Thyme, the Owens family, and a cranky neighbor had my mouth watering.
A good portion of the story takes place over the winter
holidays, so first up is Babara Crooker’s poem “After the Holidays.”
|
|||
|
Read the
rest at Your Daily Poem.
Of
course, I couldn’t resist including Shel Silverstein poem
entitled “Italian Food.”
Italian Food
by Shel Silverstein
Oh, how I love Italian food.
I eat it all the time,
Not just 'cause how good it tastes
But 'cause how good it rhymes.
Minestrone, cannelloni,
Macaroni, rigatoni,
Spaghettini, scallopini,
Escarole, braciole,
Insalata, cremolata, manicotti,
Marinara, carbonara,
Shrimp francese, Bolognese...
Oh, how I love Italian food.
I eat it all the time,
Not just 'cause how good it tastes
But 'cause how good it rhymes.
Minestrone, cannelloni,
Macaroni, rigatoni,
Spaghettini, scallopini,
Escarole, braciole,
Insalata, cremolata, manicotti,
Marinara, carbonara,
Shrimp francese, Bolognese...
Read the rest at the Huffington Post.
 |
| Author Melanie Conklin and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer are partnering to fight childhood cancer through funding for groundbreaking research! |
Melanie is running a great fundraiser to support the charity Cookies for Kids' Cancer. For every pre-order of COUNTING THYME, she will be making a donation! You can read more about the fundraiser here.
I hope your new year is sweet, everyone! I’ll be at ALA
Midwinter next week, so I won’t be blogging. Look for my ALA report at Today’s
Little Ditty at the end of January.
Laura's Bookshelf: FENWAY AND HATTIE 24 Dec 2015, 10:31 pm
Happy
Poetry Friday and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!
|
| Ring in the winter holiday season with your poetry friends! Irene Latham is hosting this week's poetry links at Live Your Poem. |
One
of the biggest gifts my family received this year was this guy:
Rudy is as mellow and companionable as advertised. The parasites are gone, but his snores still shake the walls. We all laugh at his antics, especially the time this now-50-pound dog (he’s down about 10) decided to take over little Sam’s bed.
Since I am now the dog mama of two goofy boys, I couldn’t
wait to read FENWAY AND HATTIE.
One
of the best parts about being a debut novelist has been connecting with other
children's and YA authors in the class of 2016. FENWAY AND HATTIE, by Victoria J. Coe, is one of the Advanced Reader’s Copies (ARCs) making the rounds of my
author group.
This
super cute early middle grade novel is told in the voice of a young Jack
Russell Terrier named Fenway. Fenway is devoted to his girl, Hattie. It’s his
job to protect Hattie and her family from intruders, like the ones who arrive
one day and TAKE ALL THEIR STUFF! Is it a robbery? Only in Fenway’s doggie
mind. In actuality, the family is moving from the city to the suburbs.
Fenway
sees Hattie through a somewhat rocky adjustment to her new neighborhood. He’s
got his own adjustments to make. Exuberant Fenway begins training, and has to
learn that Hattie is not just his loving human, but also the One in Charge. (I
feel your frustration, Hattie. I’ve learned from our Sam that terrier breeds
have BIG personalities.)
Fenway
and Hattie both begin making the transition to adolescence in the pages of this
funny book. Just as Hattie must practice to control her throwing arm --she
hopes to play baseball--, Fenway must practice to control his fear of THE
WICKED FLOOR. (Sam feels your pain, Fenway. Slippery floors are no fun. When
your front legs are running and your back legs are suddenly skittering off in
another direction? The indignity!)
 |
| Find it on Indiebound. |
FENWAY
AND HATTIE debuts in February. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
This lovable new series introduces a little dog with a GIANT
personality!
Fenway is an excitable and endlessly energetic Jack Russell terrier. He lives in the city with Food Lady, Fetch Man, and—of course—his beloved short human and best-friend-in-the-world, Hattie.
But when his family moves to the suburbs, Fenway faces a world of changes. He’s pretty pleased with the huge Dog Park behind his new home, but he’s not so happy about the Evil Squirrels that taunt him from the trees, the super-slippery Wicked Floor in the Eating Room, and the changes that have come over Hattie lately. Rather than playing with Fenway, she seems more interested in her new short human friend, Angel, and learning to play baseball. His friends in the Dog Park next door say Hattie is outgrowing him, but that can’t be right. And he’s going to prove it!
Get a dog’s-eye view of the world in this heartwarming, enthusiastic “tail” about two best friends.
Fenway is an excitable and endlessly energetic Jack Russell terrier. He lives in the city with Food Lady, Fetch Man, and—of course—his beloved short human and best-friend-in-the-world, Hattie.
But when his family moves to the suburbs, Fenway faces a world of changes. He’s pretty pleased with the huge Dog Park behind his new home, but he’s not so happy about the Evil Squirrels that taunt him from the trees, the super-slippery Wicked Floor in the Eating Room, and the changes that have come over Hattie lately. Rather than playing with Fenway, she seems more interested in her new short human friend, Angel, and learning to play baseball. His friends in the Dog Park next door say Hattie is outgrowing him, but that can’t be right. And he’s going to prove it!
Get a dog’s-eye view of the world in this heartwarming, enthusiastic “tail” about two best friends.
FENWAY
AND HATTIE is a middle grade novel, appropriate for second grade and up
(younger as a read aloud).
Who
will like it?
·
Animal
lovers and pet owners.
·
Kids
who think physical comedy is hysterical.
·
Readers
who are learning how to handle transitions
What
will readers learn about?
·
What
it’s like to view the world from a dog’s-eye-view.
·
It
takes time to adjust to change, whether you are a person or a dog.
The
poem I’m pairing with FENWAY AND HATTIE is a dog’s-eye-view poem by my friend,
Michael Salcman. It comes from his book THE ENEMY OF GOOD IS BETTER. In
addition to being a poet and neurosurgeon, Michael is an art critic and
collector. This wonderful ekphrastic poem was written in response to a painting
by Henri Matisse.
 |
| Read about this painting at the Baltimore Museum of Art's blog. |
The
Dog Speaks
--Interior with
Dog (Matisse), 1934
By
Michael Salcman
I’m only half-asleep so I know you’re standing there
Wondering if I’m asleep. Nope.
It’s not easy to rest under this table—
For one thing, there’s a strong downward slope
And gravity’s got me half tipped out of my basket
Like an apple by Cezanne.
Talk about a flat world!
For another, I can’t get way from these colors
The red floor tiles, orange table leg
And pink wall burning on my lids like the sun.
Then again I’m never alone; the kids think a gray dog is
cute
And I’m the only dog in the room. I was bribed
(that’s my excuse) with a bone
And a bowl of fresh water. Really,
I wish you wouldn’t stare—it’s extra hard to be an icon
When you’re not an odalisque and have no hair.
Here’s the inside dope, he wore a vest when he painted them
But saved his housecoat for me. I liked sitting for him,
He was never rude and spared me his violin.
I think I look very dignified, not naked, just nude.
Merry Christmas from Rudy, Sam, and me!
Poetry Friday: Counting Down to 2016 18 Dec 2015, 4:24 am
|
| Thanks to Diane Mayr at Random Noodling for hosting this week's Poetry Friday shenanigans. |
For me, 2016 marks my debut as a middle grade author. It's been so much fun to share the journey from draft to final book with my Poetry Friday friends. You're all (almost) as excited as I am. How do I know that? This is what wonderful Irene Latham sent me for the Poetry Friday Holiday Swap.
 |
| A poetry collage! |
The little finch card reminds me of a poem in my book where a girl is watching a cardinal and his mate prepare a nest in early spring.
And wow -- this beautiful collage. Did Irene know there's a scene in my book where a character compares all the people in the hallways on International Night to a busy outdoor fruit and vegetable market?
The steeple makes me think of my book's setting, in an aging school building.
And I love how Irene used elements of THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY's cover in the collage. That's Brianna at the top right corner and Sloane near the bottom, by the button.
I still haven't figured out what the mysterious writing says, but I'm intrigued.
Here is Irene's poem:
INTO ARRIVAL
by Irene Latham
for Laura
Children march
through the streets
of this newly bound city,
offer their stories
like farmers at the market:
Pomegranate? Papaya?
Here a syllable, there a stanza,
soon words rise like steeples
across a white paper sky --
spring breeze tickles,
whispers, welcome,
we've been waiting for you.
Poem shared with permission of the author.
And here is an excerpt from a poem in my book, "Faces," in the voice of Norah Hassan:
... Tonight,
our school
reminds
me of shopping in the Old Jerusalem market.
... Fifty
types of peppers to eat!
Pale
green, yellow as a lemon, dark brown, red,
each
with a different flavor.
On
International Night,
the
halls are as noisy as an outdoor market.
Thank you, Irene, for helping me celebrate my book's upcoming debut with such a beautiful poem of welcome. I'm honored!
Laura's Bookshelf: THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE 3 Dec 2015, 11:20 pm
Happy Poetry Friday. This week, I'm pausing to think about my friends who struggle with the holidays.Festive occasions are especially challenging when we've suffered a recent loss. The grandmother, son, or friend who always told the best jokes at gatherings, made homemade blueberry pie, or gave warm, comforting hugs is absent from the festivities for the first time.
 |
| Let's gather together for the comfort of friendship and poetry at Buffy Silverman's blog this week. |
One of the best parts about being a debut novelist has been connecting with other children's and YA authors in the class of 2016. We’ve had a great time sharing each other’s Advanced Reader’s Copies (ARCs). Several weeks ago, I read Jen Maschari's middle grade novel THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE.
 |
| THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE is available for pre-order. |
From the moment I opened this book, Charlie felt like a real kid. He's got the in-betweenness of a middle schooler, used to being a goofy little kid, but trying to be a wiser, smarter (and smart aleckier sometimes) adolescent. There's a heaviness to Charlie, despite the natural good humor that peeks through the restrained demeanor he shows to adults and friends. Charlie's mother has recently died of cancer, and loss is where he lives.
If you don't think loss can be a setting, as well as an emotion, consider the ways that losing a parent affects a young family. Meals can never measure up to the ones prepared by Charlie's mom, nor can they be eaten as an intact family. Dad, engrossed with his work as a way to manage his own depression, forgets to help Charlie and his younger sister Imogen with everyday chores like laundry and packing lunches. Every little detail of their warm, but increasingly neglected home, is drawn to portray how the Price family's lives now, compared to how they used to be.
I found the use of magical realism in this novel to be an effective metaphor for grief. Charlie and his younger sister discover a portal to an alternate reality where their mother is invitingly alive. The more time they spend with this shadow mother, the less present they are in their real lives. By the time Charlie recognizes the danger, he must reach out and accept help from others in order to rescue his sister. To me, the portal world (under Imogen's bed) was symbolic of the ways that grief can pull us down until we feel that we are hardly alive ourselves.
THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE debuts in February. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
A heartfelt, beautifully written novel of love, loss, and math—perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Sharon M. Draper.
Ever since twelve-year-old Charlie Price's mom died, he feels like his world has been split into two parts. Before included stargazing and Mathletes and Saturday scavenger hunts with his family. After means a dad who's completely checked out, comically bad dinners, and grief group that's anything but helpful. It seems like losing Mom meant losing everything else he loved, too.
Just when Charlie thinks things can't get any worse, his sister, Imogen, starts acting erratically—missing school and making up lies about their mother. But everything changes when one day he follows her down a secret passageway in the middle of her bedroom and sees for himself.
Imogen has found a parallel world where Mom is alive!
There's hot cocoa and Scrabble and scavenger hunts again and everything is perfect . . . at first. But something doesn't feel right. Whenever Charlie returns to the real world, things are different, and not in a good way. And Imogen wants to spend more and more time on the other side. It's almost as if she wants to leave the real world for good. If Charlie doesn't uncover the truth, he could lose himself, the true memory of their mother, and Imogen . . . forever.
Ever since twelve-year-old Charlie Price's mom died, he feels like his world has been split into two parts. Before included stargazing and Mathletes and Saturday scavenger hunts with his family. After means a dad who's completely checked out, comically bad dinners, and grief group that's anything but helpful. It seems like losing Mom meant losing everything else he loved, too.
Just when Charlie thinks things can't get any worse, his sister, Imogen, starts acting erratically—missing school and making up lies about their mother. But everything changes when one day he follows her down a secret passageway in the middle of her bedroom and sees for himself.
Imogen has found a parallel world where Mom is alive!
There's hot cocoa and Scrabble and scavenger hunts again and everything is perfect . . . at first. But something doesn't feel right. Whenever Charlie returns to the real world, things are different, and not in a good way. And Imogen wants to spend more and more time on the other side. It's almost as if she wants to leave the real world for good. If Charlie doesn't uncover the truth, he could lose himself, the true memory of their mother, and Imogen . . . forever.
THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE is a middle grade novel, appropriate for third grade and up. Because of the subject matter, younger readers will find it helpful to discuss Charlie's story with an adult.
Who will like it?
- Readers who like stories that blend fantasy and contemporary elements.
- Kids who are beginning to ask about and understand the concept of grief.
- Dog lovers. (Cover dog Ruby is quite a heroine!)
What will readers learn about?
- People who are grieving need time before they are ready to engage in "normal life" again.
- Kids who have suffered a loss have lots of helpers they can reach out to: friends, teachers, counselors, even pets.
- One way to cope with loss is to share memories of the person who has died.
There were many poems I thought of pairing with THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE. We often turn to poetry in times of loss, so there are wonderful poems on this theme. I like this one by poet and children's author Naomi Shihab Nye because it is powerful in its simplicity.
One Way or Another
By Naomi Shihab Nye
She is gone, where did she go?
He can’t imagine how the house will feel
when he enters it, moving room to room.
Now that the wait is over, a larger pause
will blanket the roof, softness settling
slowly down. By which window or door
may future days enter?
He can’t imagine how the house will feel
when he enters it, moving room to room.
Now that the wait is over, a larger pause
will blanket the roof, softness settling
slowly down. By which window or door
may future days enter?
You might also like the anthology THIS PLACE I KNOW: POEMS OF COMFORT, edited by Georgia Heard.
 |
| Candlewick has a PDF about the book here. |
Laura's Bookshelf: PAPER WISHES 19 Nov 2015, 11:45 pm
Happy Poetry Friday. We are Broadway bound this week! |
| The *STAR* of this week's Poetry Friday production is Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect. |
One of the best parts about being a debut
novelist has been connecting with other children's and YA authors in the class of
2016. We’ve had a great time sharing each other’s Advanced Reader’s Copies (ARCs). Among my
favorite books so far is the historical middle grade novel PAPER WISHES, by
Lois Sepahban.
 |
| PAPER WISHES is available for pre-order. |
“What does a historical middle grade novel
have to do with Broadway?” you may ask. I shall reveal all.
I read Lois’s book in September. It is the
story of Manami, whose family is forced to relocate to a Japanese internment
camp during World War II. Manami focuses much of her grief on the loss of her
dog, Yujiin, whom she feels guilty about leaving behind. The dusty camp and prison-like living
conditions physically and psychologically cause Manami to stop speaking.
I found this
character’s spare first-person voice to be poetic and deeply moving -- her
halting inner monologue reflects Manami’s reluctance to speak out loud about her pain and fears. PAPER
WISHES is a beautiful book about a dark period in American history.
Not long after I finished PAPER WISHES, my friend and fellow musical
theater lover Timanda Wertz and I had tickets to see a new musical in New York City. ALLEGIANCE is about ... a Japanese American family that is relocated to a World War II era internment camp.
I
have been following this show’s journey to Broadway for several years. It is the
creative brainchild of actor George Takei, whose family was relocated to an
internment camp when he was five. (Read about it in this NY Times article.) Takei is one of the stars of the show.
What serendipity to have Lois' wonderful book fresh in my mind when Timanda and I went to see this play. I nearly flipped out: the first big number is about writing wishes on slips of paper and releasing them into the wind! There were so many echoes between Manami’s story and this big Broadway musical: the connection to
family, people making gardens and growing their own food in the camps, and how
baseball became an outlet for young people there.
We had a great trip to New York, I finally met my editor and, for the first time in my life, I waited outside the backstage door for autographs.
A moving debut novel about a girl whose family
is relocated to a Japanese internment camp during World War II--and the dog she
has to leave behind.
Ten-year-old Manami did not realize how peaceful her family's life on
Bainbridge Island was until the day it all changed. It's 1942, after the attack
on Pearl Harbor, and Manami and her family are Japanese American, which means
that the government says they must leave their home by the sea and join other
Japanese Americans at a prison camp in the desert. Manami is sad to go, but
even worse is that they are going to have to give her dog, Yujiin, to a
neighbor to take care of. Manami decides to sneak Yujiin under her coat, but
she is caught and forced to abandon him. She is devastated but clings to the
hope that somehow Yujiin will find his way to the camp and make her family
whole again. It isn't until she finds a way to let go of her guilt that Manami
can accept all that has happened to her family.
PAPER WISHES is a middle grade novel, appropriate for third grade through middle school. Younger children may enjoy it as a read aloud. Either way, be prepared to answer a lot of questions.
In this time, when our
country is debating the definition of citizenship and whether we have enough
empathy for war victims to provide them refuge, PAPER WISHES is an important book to read with children.
Who will like it?
- History buffs.
- Readers who are interested in (or living) bi-cultural or first generation experiences.
- Kids who will recognize the strong bond Manami has with her grandfather.
- Groups who want a safe platform for discussing a complicated moral issue like xenophobia.
What will readers
learn about?
- What it was like to live in a Japanese internment camp.
- How to cope with loss, grief, and racism.
- Hope is possible, even in the most difficult circumstances.
The poem I'm pairing
with PAPER WISHES isn’t officially a poem. Instead, here are the opening lines from the song
“Gaman,” which is featured in ALLEGIANCE.
“Gaman” from
Allegiance
Words and Music by Jay Kuo
Gaman is a word to be
spoken and heard
In this place where
each face tells a story of pain.
Gaman we must say as
we get through each day
We will bear any
nightmare with a simple refrain.
Gaman. Gaman. Sturdy
and sure. Keep faith and endure.
Gaman. Gaman. Hold
your head high. Carry on. Gaman.
Learn more about
the Japanese word “Gaman,” and listen to amazing Lea Salonga singing the
song (<3 and="" has="" history.="" in="" insights="" into="" lea="" moment="" musical="" nbsp="" o:p="" salonga="" she="" some="" the="" this="" u.s.="" video.="" wonderful="">3>
Craft Talk with Author Lee Gjertsen Malone 19 Nov 2015, 1:28 am
I have a confession to make. I am addicted to craft books.
Not the kind with knitting patterns, beading advice, or recipes for adorable cupcakes that look like space aliens (though I do have those).
I'm talking about books about the craft of writing.
 |
| These are just a few of my books about the craft of writing. |
Debut middle grade author Lee Gjertsen Malone is stopping by today to give us a pep talk. Sometimes the best advice for authors and NaNovelists is to stop worrying about how to write and just write. That's the moment when our characters, instead of our self-help books, guide us through a draft.
Let's welcome Lee Gjertsen Malone to Author Amok.
 |
| Lee Gjertsen Malone is the author of THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH'S debuting on February 23, 2016. |
“I’m bored,” Francesca said, for what seemed like the tenth time today.
I was jogging along side the two of them, barely able to match their steps. “What’s going? I don’t understand any of this!” I squeaked out, struggling to keep up.
“This is all moving so fast,” Bartholomew whispered, his hands in her hair. “We just met yesterday.”
Many authors find themselves writing this kind of dialogue all the time in first drafts. But sometimes writers need to stop and listen to what our characters saying.
Not to each other – but to us.
I’m a firm believer that we all have a subconscious writer, a little muse (or nag, depending on your point of view) helping us as we grapple with the many facets of writing a novel – the characters, the plot, the voice. And sometimes that muse tells us things we need to hear through our own invented people. I was reminded of this recently while mentoring in this fall's Pitch Wars contest, and I think it’s worthwhile for many writers to consider.
Because let’s face it. If your character thinks the story is boring....or confusing...or moving too fast...what will your readers think?
Sometimes, it’s true, characters need to express certain emotions like frustration or confusion as part of the plot. This kind of dialogue can allow a more knowledgeable character explain what’s going on, or provide needed character depth. For example, a character who is easily frustrated by simple situations could be very compelling in the right story.
But all too often, these bits and pieces of dialogue are telling us what we don’t want to hear – that the romance is actually moving too fast. That our story has become confusing, or repetitive. Or, because the plot demands it, some of the characters are behaving in a way counter to their own personalities.
So looking at dialogue this way during the revision process can be a good method for finding some of the flaws in your work -- especially if you are the sort of writer who is reluctant to listen to critique partners who might be saying the same things.
I generally think reading dialogue out loud is a great way to see how it works for your story, and looking for these kinds of problems is another way you can improve both your dialogue and your plot. If you find can places where what your characters are saying feels more like a commentary on the story itself, then you have an opportunity to solve those problems and avoid some of the tropes that so often torpedo our work, like sagging middles, insta-romances, and plot points that get buried in blur of action.
So, what are your characters saying...to you?
 |
| Find out more about Lee's debut novel on Goodreads. |
Poetry Friday Special Guest: Caroline Starr Rose 13 Nov 2015, 1:07 am
Happy Poetry Friday, everyone. It's been raining here in Maryland, and I'm thinking of the poem "November for Beginners" by Rita Dove.We stack twigs for burning
in glistening patches
but the rain won’t give...
We sit down
We sit down
in the smell of the past
and rise in a light
that is already leaving.
Read the full poem at the Poetry Foundation.
|
| This week's Poetry Friday host is Bridget at Wee Words for Wee Ones. You'll find a feast of poetry posts there. |
This is the time of year when elementary schoolers engage with the past, often learning about Thanksgiving's roots in the history of the United States. The focus is often on Plymouth Colony. But there were other early colonies that deserve our attention and study as well.
Today, guest blogger and verse novelist Caroline Starr Rose is here to tell us more about one of the earliest English colonies in America, at Roanoke Island.
That historical story is the subject of Caroline's most recent novel-in-verse, BLUE BIRDS.
 |
| Find out more about the book on Caroline's website. |
It’s that time of year when thoughts turn toward Pilgrims and Plymouth and America’s beginnings (at least as far as the English go). Most of us remember learning in school that Plymouth wasn’t America’s first English colony. That was Jamestown, established thirteen years earlier in 1607.
But not as many of us recall that twenty years before Jamestown, another English settlement tried to take root and failed. This colony, a collection of 117 men, women, and children, started on Roanoke island, 150 miles southeast of Jamestown. All we know about the colony and its inhabitants took place over a five-week period in the summer of 1587.
The colonists had been promised land in the Chesapeake Bay, perhaps not far from the place that eventually became Jamestown. But throughout the voyage, their leader, Governor John White, fought constantly with ship captain Simon Ferdinando. By the time they arrived in Virginia, Ferdinando was done. He left the colonists at Roanoke, refusing to take them any farther.
 |
| This and other drawings from Roanoke Island by John White can be viewed at First Colony Foundation. |
This was not the first time the English had visited Roanoke. Explorers had come to the island in 1584, and interactions with the Native population had been positive. But by the time the colonists arrived in 1587, the English were no longer welcome. Those intervening years included the burning of a Native village because of a missing silver cup, the Roanoke’s growing frustration as English soldiers who’d built a fort on their island insisted the tribe provide for them, and English diseases that decimated many of the Native peoples. Then escalating mistrust between the Roanoke and English led to English leader Ralph Lane’s pre-emptive attack on the tribe, killing Wingina, the Roanoke chief. When, days later, the English left, they knew there was no chance at reconciliation.
When the colonists arrived, the stage was set for tragedy, and tragic things happened on both sides. I wanted to show this historical truth in my verse novel, Blue Birds, but I also wanted to breathe into the history my own version of hope: Two imaginary girls destined to be enemies choosing friendship instead.
Alis, who is English, and Kimi, who is Roanoke, face many barriers to their friendship, the first being their own perceptions of each other. Both see the other as foreign, inferior, and strange. Kimi, who has lost family members at the hands of the English, understandably is angry. When an Englishman is killed one week after their arrival, Alis understandably is scared. Yet both girls are curious — Kimi about the English women and children that have come to Roanoke this time, Alis about her new surroundings, including the Roanoke girl.
The girls move from seeing the other as an oddity to understanding the humanity they share.
Soon both girls make excuses to leave their homes so they might meet each other. The closer their bond grows, the more risks they are willing to take. While the adults around them rage, these children find a common ground.
This poem, told in both girls’ voices, illustrates just that:
Alis Kimi
This must
remain secret.
My people
would not understand.
We share
no language.
She does not
know our ways.
Because of her tribe,
we live in fear.
The English
tried to destroy us.
Yet she’s shown
me kindness.
She knows
beauty.
She is Kimi,
a Roanoke Indian,
Alis,
an English girl.
She has
become
my friend.
While Blue Birds is rooted in fact, I’ve used my imagination to fill in the blanks. I hope readers will finish the book interested in learning more about Roanoke, England’s very first New World colony. But I hope even more that Alis and Kimi’s bravery might encourage all of us to discover the commonalities we share with those who feel different from ourselves.
 |
| Caroline Starr Rose is the author of the verse novels MAY B. and BLUE BIRDS. |
Thank you so much for this lovely post, Caroline. Alis and Kimi's friendship is timeless, but fraught with tension because of the time and place where they meet.
For those of you who are interested in the history behind BLUE BIRDS, there have been recent archaeological developments in the search for the Roanoke settlement. Check out this New York Times article from August.
REMINDER to Poetry Friday bloggers:
Spaces are limited for THE LAST FIFTH GRADE book vine. If you’d like a chance to meet Ms. Hill’s fifth grade poets before they debut, read more about it here or sign up now! I’m sending the Advanced Reader’s Copy out on Poetry Friday tour soon.
Laura's Bookshelf: THE GIRL WHO FELL 6 Nov 2015, 1:00 am
Happy Poetry Friday. I've got a terrific YA novel and poem pairing to share with you this week.
 |
| Katya at Write. Sketch Repeat. is hosting this week's Poetry Friday link up. |
One of the best parts
about being a debut novelist has been connecting with other children's authors
in the class of 2016.
I loved THE GIRL WHO FELL by S.M. Parker. It’s
contemporary YA about Zephyr, a star field hockey player who has her life
together and her college plans in place, until she meets a boy. At first, it’s all racing
heart beats and cute kissing at the playground after dark, but over
time Alec goes from needy, to possessive and manipulative, to full on abusive
stalker.
I have to admit that this book was difficult
to read because of my own history. When I was in high school, an ex-boyfriend
stalked me for several months. You can read about it here (scroll down to the UPDATE).
I had to take it
slow – a chapter or a few pages at a time. There were many times when I
wrote Zephyr a note in the book: “No, Zee!” and “Wake up, Zephyr!” I was so
invested in her character and in Zephyr finding her way back to herself.
 |
| Pre-order from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. |
This contemporary YA launches on March 1, 2016. Here
is the blurb from Goodreads:
His obsession.
Her fall.In this dark kissing book, high school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense relationship—by the new boy in school.
Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.
But love has a way of changing things.
Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.
Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and…terrifying?
But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.
So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.
If she waits any longer, it may be too late.
THE GIRL WHO FELL is appropriate for high
schoolers and up.
Who will like it?
- · Teens who like edgy romance.
- · Athletes and kids who struggle to balance social life with commitments.
- · Readers who love first person narrators.
What will readers learn
about?
- · Abuse is complicated. A victim can feel attracted to, and have a healthy sex life with, an abuser.
- · Indicators that someone has the potential to be abusive or controlling, e.g. forbidding you to spend time with other friends and family.
- · Especially for teens, the importance of putting your own needs first, before those of your romantic partner.
The poem I'm pairing with THE GIRL WHO FELL
was published in Little Patuxent Review
(the literary journal for which I edit poetry) earlier this year. It’s by
Maryland poet and educator Rachel Eisler.
If I were Zephyr’s teacher, this is the poem I
would hand to her, to remind her how strong she is as an athlete and as a young
woman.
I shared the poem with Shannon Parker, who
said, “I love how this turns objectification on its head and makes women have
all the power.”
It’s Lovely to Watch Young Women
By Rachel
Eisler
It’s lovely
to watch young women
elbow
opponents as they strive
in each
others’ shining faces to make the shot.
They pound
down the boards,
dribbling
and swiveling, seek allies,
in the
frantic five.
It’s lovely
to watch young women,
so
passionate and cool,
as the fouls
squeak silent, the lines fade
into
screens, fake-outs, and passes
to move and
seize the ball.
Their pure
ferocity
the urge to
wrest
something
from someone
because you
want it more
right then
and you
better best
them.
Someday, it
may get old or tame
headlong
lose or wild win,
both such
cool water to a woman
parched by
politeness,
hungry for
this fight.
Thanks to Shannon
and Rachel for their contributions to this post.
REMINDER to Poetry Friday bloggers:
I still have a few spaces left for THE LAST FIFTH GRADE book
vine. If you’d like a chance to meet Ms. Hill’s fifth grade poets before they
debut, read more about it here or sign up now! I’m sending the Advanced Reader’s Copy out on Poetry
Friday tour soon.
Poetry Friday: Announcing a LAST FIFTH GRADE Book Vine 30 Oct 2015, 1:36 am
H A P P Y H A L L O W E E N
 |
| Carving by Dan Szczepanski |
Hey, all you trick or treaters, head to Jone MacCulloch's house for some poetry goodies. She's left the lights on at Check It Out, so you know it's safe to ring the doorbell.
I've been away from the Poetry Friday party for a few weeks, but I'm making it up to you with something extra special. THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY is going on an ARC tour!
 |
| Cover Snark called THE LAST FIFTH GRADE "rather macabre." Now Mr. Poe wants to read it to find out if she was serious. (She wasn't.) |
I'm so grateful for everyone in the Poetry Friday community who has followed the progress of my middle grade novel-in-verse and cheered me on over the years. The book doesn't come out until April 12, but here is your chance for a sneak peek.
I'm sending THE LAST FIFTH GRADE on a book vine, especially for Poetry Friday bloggers. You'll find the sign-up form by clicking on THIS LINK. Simply fill out the form to participate. Once twelve people have signed up, I will contact everyone by email with the details.
And here is a Halloween poem that was cut from the book -- a special little Halloween treat just between us ghouls.
Halloween
By
Brianna Holmes
My favorite
day is Halloween.
I
get to be a wicked queen,
a
princess who’s got lots of cash,
a
zombie dancing Monster Mash.
I’ll
be a vampire, dressed in black,
blood
on my sleeves, lace down my back
and make
the little kids afraid,
marching
in the school parade.
I’ll
trick or treat in neighborhoods
where
it’s safe and the candy’s good.
I
thought Hannah would go with me
if I
made her a witch’s dress for free.
But
she said Halloween is dumb
walking
‘til your feet are numb,
lugging
all the treats you’re taking,
eating
‘til your stomach’s aching.
What’s
up with her? How can it be?
I
thought Hannah was just like me.
P.S. Are you checking out the cover to see which character is Brianna? She's in the bottom row in her snazzy beret.
P.P.S. Check out yesterday's post for a very cool pairing of a book (Jeff Garvin's SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN) and a poem by one of the HUMANS OF NEW YORK. Your teens will thank you.
P.P.S. Check out yesterday's post for a very cool pairing of a book (Jeff Garvin's SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN) and a poem by one of the HUMANS OF NEW YORK. Your teens will thank you.
Laura's Bookshelf: SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN 29 Oct 2015, 12:33 pm
One of the best parts about being a debut novelist has been connecting with other children's authors in the class of 2016.
SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN by Jeff Garvin was a book that I immediately passed to my teen. It's a must-read contemporary YA with a heart-breakingly real protagonist.
 |
| Pre-order from Indiebound |
This contemporary YA launches on February 2. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?
Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.
On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender-fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.
Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.
On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender-fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.
 |
| This chart is oversimplified, but it's a start! From Transstudent.org |
I ached for Riley, who must wake up every morning and discover who they are and how they are going to navigate the world. (Yes, the pronoun is intentional. I'm learning from my teen that pronouns are a big issue for people in the LGBT+ community and their allies. Read more about that at the U. Milwaukee LGBT Resource Center page.) The friends Riley makes at their new high school are also well-drawn, appealing characters who accept Riley for who they are, inside and out, and offer support when Riley is struggling with a threatening stalker.
SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN is appropriate for mature middle schoolers and up.
Who will like it?
- Teens who want to know more about the gender spectrum.
- Anyone who has felt out of place at school (who hasn't?).
- Readers who love first person narrators.
What will readers learn about?
- Even people who are "different" aren't alone. Opening up to others is a way to find friends and support.
- The power of speaking up and speaking out.
- The importance of being true to yourself.
The poem I'm pairing with SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN was first posted as part of the "Humans of New York" series of photographs and interviews. The author is a teen named Puck.
The NY skyline swirls around me,
Cars and brick and tree trunks
mashing together,
glass windows gnash jagged teeth
The body of a dead girl was
found earlier today,
bleeding out on the sidewalk.
Rising from her body came
an awkward boy,
stammering and confused
and full of wonder
and terror all at once
The boy’s grandparents keep
a photo of the boy in a
dark chestnut wig,
all made up and dressed to the 9’s
(They believe her to still be alive)...
Cars and brick and tree trunks
mashing together,
glass windows gnash jagged teeth
The body of a dead girl was
found earlier today,
bleeding out on the sidewalk.
Rising from her body came
an awkward boy,
stammering and confused
and full of wonder
and terror all at once
The boy’s grandparents keep
a photo of the boy in a
dark chestnut wig,
all made up and dressed to the 9’s
(They believe her to still be alive)...
Read the rest of the poem at the Humans of New York Facebook page.
And you can read more about Puck at GLAAD.
SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN is available for pre-order at Amazon. Thank you to Jeff Garvin for making the ARC available.
Poetry Friday: Monsters 2 Oct 2015, 1:35 am
It’s the first Poetry Friday
of Halloween month. Today I’m going to tell you about great Halloween read for
teens. There will be a poem, too. We’ll save that for last.
 |
| Heidi Mordhorst is kicking off our Happy Halloween season at My Juicy Little Universe. |
The book in question is a
horror novel, one I loved, even though I almost never read horror. I am not
brave when it comes to scary books. Or movies. Or TV shows. If you insist on
watching the Halloween episode of “Little House on the Prairie,” I will quietly
disappear from the room before things get intense.
But I made an exception for
the YA novel SHALLOW GRAVES by my fellow 2016 debut author, Kali Wallace. I
bravely signed up to read Kali’s ARC. I took a funny picture of my dog freaking
out with fear.
 |
| No dogs were harmed in the taking of this picture. Rudy just looks ridiculous when he yawns. |
To explain why I fell in love
with the story of a Breezy Lin, a teenage revenant (not “zombie,” please, our
protagonist is neither mindless nor is she into eating brains), I have to tell
you a true story.
Last weekend, my friend’s niece was in a terrible car accident. Although she survived, one of her friends was killed. How will this teenager cope? Witnessing the death of a classmate will irrevocably change who she is and how
she interacts with the world.
So, my question is, how do
teens begin to recover from this kind of intense trauma? The same question
is at the heart of SHALLOW GRAVES. The more I thought about the novel, the more I realized that -- like the best science fiction and fantasy books -- the story serves as a metaphor for difficult things that we confront in real life.
 |
| Pre-order from Amazon. |
A year after she is murdered,
seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow back-yard grave. The
circumstances of her revival are mysterious, magical, and as violent as her
initial death.
Although she wants nothing
more than to return, alive, to her life as it was, Breezy is fundamentally a different
person because of the trauma she has experienced. She can’t go back to her
family or be her old self. Instead, she has to let go of the labels with which
she once defined herself (future astronaut – that’s not going to happen) and
find new, more complex ways of understanding who she is. METAPHOR.
Breezy’s quest to find out
what she is and how she came to be undead takes her to some truly frightening
places. Along the way, Breezy is forced to learn how to tell the difference
between those who want to help her and those who want to hurt her (a great cast
of religious fanatics, ghouls, and one ancient creature so evil, your skin will
crawl), a skill she did not have when she was alive.
SHALLOW GRAVES was recently
reviewed by Kirkus. Check out what they had to say here.
Breezy is courageous in her willingness to confront
the truth. Underneath this tale of imagined monsters is a real road map for survivors. Because the paranormal elements are a metaphor, a lens for looking at real human experience, the reader follows along as Breezy copes with trauma, recognizes that it has changed her forever, and begins the process of being comfortable with who she is now.
I wanted to find the perfect
poem to read alongside Kali’s wonderful book. And here it is…
Monsters
By Dorothea Lasky
This is a world where there are monsters
There are monsters everywhere, raccoons and skunks
There are possums outside, there are monsters in my bed.
There is one monster. He is my little one.
I talk to my little monster.
I give my little monster some bacon but that does not satisfy him.
I tell him, ssh ssh, don’t growl little monster!
And he growls, oh boy does he growl!
And he wants something from me,
He wants my soul.
Read the rest at the Poetry Foundation.
Stay spooky.
Spending Poetry Friday at the Baltimore Book Festival 25 Sep 2015, 12:00 am
Writerly Friends, it's Baltimore Book Festival weekend! |
| Janet at Poetry for Children is hosting this week's Poetry Friday festival of posts. |
The list of featured authors includes several poets and children's authors I hope to see:
Kwame Alexander
Katherine Applegate
Sandra Beasley
Celeste Doaks
Frederick O. Foote
Erin Hagar
Meg Medina
E. Ethelbert Miller
Laura Shovan
Carole Boston Weatherford
Did you see a familiar name on there? Here's where you can find me:
Saturday, 1 PM at the CityLit Stage
Chapbook Champions: Winners of the Harriss Poetry Prize
Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the Harriss Poetry Prize is a chapbook competition open to poets nation-wide who have not published a book-length collection. Named in honor of the patron saint of Maryland poetry and independent publishing, Clarinda Harriss, and published under the CityLit Press imprint, the prize has been judged by acclaimed poets such as Dick Allen, Marie Howe, Tom Lux, and Michael Salcman, who serves as the series editor.
Danuta E. Kosk-Kosicka (Oblige the Light) is the author of Face Half-Illuminated, a book of poems, translations, and prose. Her poems, translations, essays, and interviews have appeared in Akcent; Driftwood Press; International Poetry Review; Lalitamba; Little Patuxent Review; Loch Raven Review; Notre Dame Review; Passager; Przegl?d Polski, Nowy Dziennik; and The Baltimore Review, and elsewhere.
Rebekah Remington (Asphalt) holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MFA from the University of Michigan. Her poetry has appeared in Linebreak, The Missouri Review, Ninth Letter, Bellingham Review Online, Hayden Ferry’s Review, Smartish Pace, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards in poetry.
Bruce Sager (Famous) works as a corporate officer in a systems integration firm. He has been the recipient of Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards in both fiction and poetry, a Baltimore City Arts Grant in poetry, and the 1986 Artscape Literary Arts Award in poetry, judged by William Stafford. Prior chapbooks include Nine Ninety-Five and The Pumping Station.
Laura Shovan (Mountain, Log, Salt, and Stone) is poetry editor for the literary journal Little Patuxent Review. She edited the Maryland Writers’ Association anthology Life in Me Like Grass on Fire: Love Poems. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, her novel-in-verse for children, will be published next year.
Sunday, 12 PM at the CityLit Stage
The Poet's Response: A Conversation on Social Justice and Poetics (Little Patuxent Review and Split This Rock)
Co-Sponsored by Little Patuxent Review and Split This Rock, the D.C.-based national network of socially engaged poets, this panel and poetry reading explores how poets respond to issues of social justice, and how activism shapes, informs, and invigorates the poet's craft. The conversation is co-moderated by Sarah Browning, executive director of Split This Rock, and Steven Leyva, editor of Little Patuxent Review.
Mahogany L. Browne is the recipient of fellowships from Cave Canem and Poet’s House, and is the current curator and host for the Friday Night series at the Nuyorican Poet’s Café in New York. Her most recent projects include Redbone: A Biomythography, #Dear Twitter: Love Letters Hashed Out Online in 140 Characters or Less, and Swag.
zakia henderson-brown currently serves as Associate Editor at The New Press and on the board of the Brooklyn Movement Center. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming inBeloit Poetry Journal, North American Review, and Vinyl. zakia is a Cave Canem fellow and resides in her native Brooklyn.
Goldie Patrick has been a feature poet and performer at several poetry venues nationwide. Most recently named one of the top 40 under 40 by the Envest Foundation, Goldie is a self-proclaimed “hip-hop womanist,” inspired to create conversations and movements that empower and liberate the stories of Black women and girls.
Laura Shovan is poetry editor for Little Patuxent Review and editor of two poetry anthologies. Her chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone, won the inaugural Harriss Poetry Prize. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, her novel-in-verse for children, will be published in 2016.
If you're going to BBF, look for the SCBWI table!
This is the first year that our local region will be represented at the festival.
Check out our local authors on Friday, 4 pm at the Inner Harbor Stage.
So You Want to Write a Children’s Book
Introduced by: Joyce Garczynski, Research and Instruction Librarian, Towson University
Members of the MD/DE/WV region of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators share their paths to publication in a panel discussion.
Panelists: Timothy Young, Ann McCallum, Laura Gehl and Rebecca Evans.
I'm excited to meet Laura Gehl, who has been featured here at Author Amok.
I can't leave without sharing a poem.
E. Ethelbert Miller's website has a wonderful selection of his poems. "Circus Animal" is a powerful short poem. I think this is a great one for eliciting a powerful discussion with your high school students. You'll find the poem here.
Poetry Friday: Under the Surface 18 Sep 2015, 12:21 am
Happy Poetry Friday! |
| Your host is Michelle Heidenrich Barnes at Today's Little Ditty. Stop by TLD for all of this week's poetry links. |
This week, there was a story in the news that settled down in mind to sit. I don't know what it will lead to -- a poem, an idea for a story -- but I want to know more about the young man whose skeleton was part of a tree.
 |
| Read about it at io9. |
For me, the news isn't just about a skeleton. Part of the story's pull is the storm powerful enough to uproot a tree. I have deep memories of just such a storm, a hurricane, that blew through our town when I was in second grade. Trees were uprooted in our yard. It was a wonder to see the exposed roots in all of their complicated tangle. And what a gift to me and my brothers -- where the rain filled in the hole at the base of the tree, there were tiny ponds to play in.
In a lightning strike of serendipity, I've been reading GOOD WITH ORANGES (Broadkill River Press) this week. It is a collection of poems by my friend Sid Gold.
 |
| Order the book at Broadkill River Press. |
Clear Intent
by Sid Gold
The other night a storm
buzzsawed through & brought down
that 40-foot beech with a crack
like a hammer & chisel carving stone.
A spear of lightning struck it
near ground level, splitting the trunk
along its height like a gutting knife
& now the limbs lay splayed
& bleaching like some monstrous skeleton,
the bones, perhaps, of an untold constellation.
Soon a work crew will arrive, men
of clear intent carrying chains & saws
like briefcases, their tongues
still sour with sleep. Hired for a task
of someone else's choosing, they may
have room for nonsense in their hearts,
but have learned to keep it close
while on someone else's clock.
That towering beech, some of us
surely believe, still had much to say
about things for which we often
cannot find the proper words.
Others, living in some other moment,
prefer to turn a deaf ear.
About this poem, Sid explains, "I live in an aging apt. complex (1943), which, I'm told, displaced untouched forest land. The buildings are old enough to have been the products of architects, who designed the layout of the property so as to allow for a number of original growth trees to grace the lawns fronting the building entrances. Unfortunately, a few years ago, two large, very old & diseased trees positioned not far from my own entranceway had to be cut down & limbs & pieces of their trunks, etc., lay on the lawn for some days until carted away. One of the trees was struck by lighting & some heavy limbs came down. That's probably how the disease was discovered. There's more to the poem, of course, but that's one place it started. I have photos of the trees, luckily, but I still miss them."
Sid Gold's third book is GOOD WITH ORANGES (Broadkill River Press, 2015). He is a two-time recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award for Poetry. His poems have appeared in journal such as Poet Lore, the Southern Poetry Review and Tar River Poetry. A native New Yorker, he lives in Hyattsville MD.
Sid is very active in my local literary community -- a mentor to and encourager of his fellow poets. You can read a full interview with Sid Gold at Delphi Quarterly.
Thank you, Sid, for allowing me to share this poem today. I'm still thinking about that skeleton.
Guest Post for 9/11: Talking MG and Loss with Kerry O'Malley Cerra 12 Sep 2015, 12:26 pm
Coping with loss is a difficult issue in middle grade. Critics have asked: Do 8 to 12-year-olds really need another book about losing a beloved pet? A parent? (Check out this Dead Parent Society of Middle Grade page on Goodreads.) But these books can be powerful reflections for young readers, providing guidance and a model for how to survive grief.
In the shadow of yesterday's 9/11 anniversary, I'd like to welcome middle grade author Kerry O'Malley Cerra to Author Amok. Kerry is guest posting, courtesy of the Bookish Babes blog.
The Thing about Loss and Middle School Kids…
By: Kerry O’Malley Cerra- Author of the middle-grade book Just a Drop of Water
When I agreed to write an article focusing on grief and loss
in the middle school years, I was excited. Then I sat down to write it and
wondered what I’d gotten myself into. Kids—like all people—are complex
creatures, but throw in hormones and bewilderment of where they fit in with the
world and any parent will confirm that it can be a touchy three to four year
span. Suffering a loss during these already emotional years can escalate a
pre-teen’s grief exponentially.
I’ve heard the phrase, “Kids are resilient,” more times than
I can possibly count. As a former educator, the words were sometimes thrown around
the teachers’ lounge each time a student-related tragedy occurred. This isn’t
to say those teachers were heartless—quite the contrary. They showed genuine anguish
right along with the kids. But in the back of the teachers’ minds, they assumed
that in the end the kids would bounce back.
This mentality often freaked me out. What if a kid didn’t
bounce back? What if one suicide spawned another? What if the loss of a parent,
friend, boyfriend, pet, or home made the black hole in a student’s heart deepen
until it completely sucked them in? Sadly, I’ve seen it happen.
Loss, especially when encountered during the fragile
pre-teen and teen years, can be all-consuming. At an age where a simple change
of schools can be traumatic, a loss of life can feel like an insurmountable
obstacle in getting back to living. It’s just too big, too heavy, too much for
an adolescent to deal with alone.
You see, the thing about grief, in my experience, is that it
has only one cure: hope. When things seem like they cannot possible get any
worse, hope carries a person through darkness. The thought that someday—even if
it’s far down the road—things will eventually get better can be the difference
between life and death. A drug addict enters rehab because they have hope that
things can get better. A child in despair over the loss of a pet or over a bad
breakup eventually gets back to their daily routine, because there is hope that
tomorrow it might not hurt as much. There’s hope that the grief will dissipate
over time.
I researched many hours trying to find a middle-grade book
in which the main character—despite some sort of loss or experiencing some form
of grief—didn’t bounce back by the end. While I did find a few young adult
books like this, and I did find some open-ended middle grade books, I didn’t
find a single one that left the main character completely broken. Even the
legendary, heart-wrenching books Old
Yeller and Bridge to Terabithia
take a slight turn for the positive at the very end. In the former, Travis
eventually adopts one of Old Yeller’s puppies and names it Young Yeller. In the
latter, Jesse, though distraught over the loss of his friend Leslie, manages to
build a bridge for himself and his sister to cross over to Terabithia safely.
Both of these books provide a hopeful ending. It seems that all middle-grade
novels do. And, I began to wonder why. At first it seemed too neat. Too
unrealistic. I had, after all, seen kids whose happy endings never came.
But it hit me that books for this age group have a job…to
give hope. A kid who is experiencing a traumatic event doesn’t need to read a story
with a depressing ending. They need to root for the characters’ lives to get
better so they, themselves, will have hope for the same outcome. This is
probably why I love middle-grade so much. It’s probably why I’ve felt compelled
to write for kids this age. With their whole lives still ahead, the world is
theirs for the taking, and with hope, they have a chance to make of it what
they want.
And on that note, I want to share some of my favorite
middle-grade novels that deal with themes of loss.
Loss of a loved one:
Because of Winn Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
A Dog Called Homeless
by Sarah Lean
Kira-Kira by
Cynthia Kadohata
Loss of a lifestyle and/or home:
One for the Murphys
by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
The Red Umbrella
by Christina Gonzalez
Chained by Lynne
Kelly
Shooting Kabul by
NH Senzai
Loss of childhood innocence (forced to see the world in a
new way):
Glory Be by
Augusta Scattergood
Nature Girl by
Jane Kelley
Loss of friends:
Breaking the Ice by
Gail Nall
Pack of Dorks by
Beth Vrabel
Personal, physical loss:
El Deafo by Cece
Bell
The Honest Truth
by Dan Gemeinhart
Thank you for a thoughtful post, Kerry. These books are great resources.
Kerry O'Malley Cerra is the author of the award-winning, middle-grade novel Just a Drop of Water.
 |
| Find it on Indiebound. |
Inspired by a deeply personal experience following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, this book has won a Florida State Book Award, the Crystal Kite Award, made the Maine state reading list, and was named to VOYA’s Top Shelf Fiction for Middle Readers’ 2014 list. Though she'll always consider Philly her home, she currently lives in Florida with her husband, kids, and three poorly behaved dogs.
Let's close with the trailer for Kerry's book, Just a Drop of Water.
Poetry Friday: First Generation 11 Sep 2015, 3:21 am
 |
| Robyn Hood Black is hosting this week's round up of poetry at Life on the Deckle Edge. |
But the story also touches me because I am a first generation American. My mother came to the United States in 1966, when she married my father. Even though my mom is British and shares a common language with us Yanks (as my uncle used to tease), there are a million small ways that she didn't fit in, didn't understand how things worked, felt isolated and alone. These small things are embedded in my childhood memories.
Leaving one's country is never an easy choice. I can't imagine what it must be like for families caught up in the current refugee crisis. Even if they make it to a country that offers asylum, there are a million small ways that they will remain outsiders. Integration into a new culture is gradual and often painful.
I'm so glad to introduce you to the poet Leona Sevick.
Leona and I first met at the 2013 Gettysburg Review Conference for Writers. Like me, she is bi-cultural and a first-generation American. Her poem "Lion brothers" walks the fence that immigrants must walk: acceptance lies on one side, maintaining one's home culture and sense of self lies on the other.
Lion brothers
by Leona Sevick
Sometimes they sent her home early,
her hand bandaged tight where a needle
had pierced her. Home from school,
we found her curled on the floor, watching.
She woke early to put on her face
before we could see it for what it
wasn't, round and smooth and yellow.
Her legs tucked under her,
she held the mirror in her tiny hand
and painted on the jungle colors:
blacks and blues. At the factory
she tied tools around her waist,
slimmer than any boy's, though her arms
were knotted in muscles. She climbed up
beside the men, four feet above ground
on their vibrating monsters, machines
that worked like animals. Like pieces
of thread cut from the loom and dropped
clean, their words gathered around her feet.
Chink.
It seemed like a child's word
if you didn't know the meaning.
Originally published in Frontiers: A Woman's Journal (Univ. Nebraska Press).
I asked Leona to tell us about the genesis of this powerful poem.
Lion Brothers is the name of a factory in Taneytown where my mother worked for 25 years. She made patches there--the kind that are sown on uniforms of every type (military, athletic teams, Boy Scouts, etc.). Every morning she woke up at 5 am to "put on her face." I thought of her makeup as her armor. She was the first non-white person to work at the factory. While she had a couple of very good women friends who worked alongside her in that ugly place, she also worked with many bigots and rough men. In time, many of them accepted her as well, though she never called them friends.
I remember that, Leona. Although she didn't work in a factory, my mother had a very hard time making friends after she emigrated. I don't think she had real group of girlfriends until my brothers and I were in our twenties.
Classroom teacher friends: I think "Lion brothers" would be a wonderful discussion prompt to get your upper middle school or high school class talking about stereotypes and the power of words, especially ethnic slurs.
And here's a little gift from Leona. This poem is for everyone who's using this weekend to recover from the first week of school.
Leona says, "Every day as I drive to work I pass a herd of 'Oreo' cows--Belted Galloways. One particularly dreary morning when I faced a task at work I wanted to avoid, I fantasized about being one of those cows. I know almost everyone can relate."
 |
| Belted Galloway from AntietamFarm.com. |
by Leona Sevick
Weeks like this one make me wonder how nice
it might be to be a cow just chewing, slowly moving
my jaws in clockwise angles. Frothing green trickles
between my teeth and at the drooping corners of my
single-minded mouth, I could lie down and rest
on legs not asked to move except to escape the winds
and stinging rain that come up from the south sometimes.
Or maybe I'd just stand here, letting the water wash my
tough hide--brown rivers of yesterday's dirt rolling
inevitably down into the holes I'm standing in--
thinking of nothing and no one in particular.
Leona Sevick's work appears in The Journal, Barrow Street, Potomac Review and is forthcoming in Poet Lore. She is the 2012 first place winner of the Split This Rock Poetry contest, judged by Naomi Shihab Nye. Her first chapbook, Damaged Little Creatures, was published in 2015 by FutureCycle Press (www.leonasevick.com). She is associate provost and associate professor of English at Mount St. Mary's University.
 |
| Buy it on Amazon. |
Probability ... none. 6 Sep 2015, 1:32 pm
Hey, Writerly Friends and Math Brains.I was working on a new MG novel this morning and came upon (are you sitting down?) a MATH problem.
It's not that I'm bad at math. It's just that my interest stopped at Algebra, because Algebra is all about logic. And this problem is beyond my ability because it involves (really, sit down now) probability. Probability was nearly the death of me in high school. Who knew I would need it as a writer.
Here is the problem. I'm hoping someone out there likes a good probability challenge and can figure it out.
There are twenty-four children in sixth grade at a boarding school, twelve boys and twelve girls. At mealtimes, they sit in groups of four at six tables. The seats are assigned and rotating. The school's administrators want each student to sit in as many different groupings as possible before they eat a meal with the same foursome.
 |
| Image: Capital OTC |
Question: How many meals would it take for a student to sit in the exact same group of four?
Challenge question: If the tables always had two boys and two girls, how would that affect the answer?
UPDATE!
Thanks for your feedback, guesses, and reminders about what "!" means in math, everyone. (It's a factorial. Remember those?)
Based on responses in the comments and via Twitter, here's what you came up with. I'm a writer ... of course, I have follow up questions.
Question/Answer: It turns out, the tables don't really matter. What's important is 24 students grouped in fours. The equation is 24!/(24-4)! x 4! and 10,626 is the answer. Thanks to Jen Maschari and her husband Kurt, who researched the question and chimed in with an answer first. I'm really impressed with how many people had this right.
My follow up question is this: Is this number the number of possible combinations for *all* the students? If so, how often would one particular grouping of four meet during those 10,626 times?
Challenge question/Answer:
According to the amazing author/mathlete Marieke Nijkamp, the equation for this one is: (12!/(12-2)! x 2!) x (12!/(12-2)! x 2!). I have varying answers from the crowd on this one. Anyone care to work it through?
I have a follow up question that may turn parts of the question into a red herring. If you are a girl and one of the other girls in the class is your best friend, how often can you expect to eat a meal with her?
Would it help to assign the girl and her friend names? Girl X and Girl Y -- keeping it mathy.
Thanks also to my commenters: Tabatha Yeatts and her son Dash, June Smalls, Linda Baie, Jone MacCulloch, Sue Poduska. I appreciate your math brains. And on Twitter, thanks for helping out Vicki Coe, Mike Grosso, Dee Romito, and Abby Cooper. Am I the only author who's not a math whiz?
 |
| You can buy it here. |
Poetry Friday: Leaving Home, Part 3 4 Sep 2015, 12:00 am
Before you do anything else, Dear Readers, go check out this First Chapters Critique Giveaway. |
| Linda Baie is hosting today at Teacher Dance! |
This week, I was reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF MAIL, by Lisa Vihos. I picked up her chapbook at the 100 Thousand Poets for Change World Conference in Italy this summer. Lisa and I had been Facebook friends for a few years, but met for the first time in Salerno, greeting one another with a warm hug.
 |
| Lisa Vihos |
Planting a Memory (for
Owen)
by Lisa Vihos
I make us a lunch
for the train ride from Chicago to Milwaukee .
Granted, it’s a short ride
but it’s lunchtime and we’ll want to eat.
I pack salami, bagels, tangerines,
and a small bag of kalamata olives.
I want you to know this simple pleasure:
olives on the train. How delicious
they taste as we speed past houses and fields.
Olives run in our family, you know.
Our own special comfort food,
tumbling down the Greek
and Italian branches of our family tree;
little dark nuggets of love.
Someday, you’ll be in Tuscany
wanting to impress a girl.
It’s important that you learn
this sense memory now
so that when you’re standing in the market
outside the train station
you will not hesitate
to buy good olives for her.
You won’t even know why you do this,
but she’ll love you all the more
for spending a little bit extra
on something that tastes so good.
And when you are rushing together
past the lush green fields
and crumbling stone walls
of your Tuscan future,
bite into the rich, dark meat
feel slick oil on your fingers
lick salt from your lips and smile.
In her olive black eyes, there is warmth
and a beckoning road like a train track
vanishing into the distance
connecting you to something
(or someone) that loved you.
Lisa was kind enough to tell me about the genesis of this poem:
I really did pack a lunch for me and my son, to nourish us on a train ride from Chicago to Milwaukee. He was nine years old at the time. While I was on the train, I started thinking about how little things like olives could make a subconscious impression on the mind of a child and I started to write the poem while we were cruising along. He is seventeen now, and I when I read the poem, I still remember exactly what it was like to think about him at some future time, remembering olives on the train with his mother.
Lisa Vihos is the Poetry and Arts Editor at Stoneboat Literary Journal and an occasional guest blogger for The Best American Poetry. Along with two chapbooks, A Brief History of Mail (Pebblebrook Press, 2011) and The Accidental Present (Finishing Line Press, 2012), her poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals. She has two Pushcart Prize nominations and received first place recognition in the 2015 Wisconsin People and Ideas poetry contest for her poem, "Lesson at the Checkpoint." She is active in the 100 Thousand Poets for Change global movement and recently returned home from the group's first world conference in Salerno, Italy. Visit her blog at Frying the Onion.
For a companion poem (more olives! more travel!) check out Poetry Friday blogger Joyce Ray's "In Search of Athena" here: http://joyceray.blogspot.com/2015/07/of-athena-greece-and-olives.html
For a companion poem (more olives! more travel!) check out Poetry Friday blogger Joyce Ray's "In Search of Athena" here: http://joyceray.blogspot.com/2015/07/of-athena-greece-and-olives.html
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MAIL is available for purchase from Pebblebrook Press. If you are interested in buying one, please follow the link or mention it in your comments.
Leaving Home (Poem by Linda Pastan)
Leaving Home, Part 2 (Poem by Sharon Olds)
Critique Giveaway with Joy McCullough-Carranza 23 Aug 2015, 1:42 am
Hello, Writerly Friends.
Those of you who know the back-story of my book (AKA how to write a middle grade novel in eight years), know that I'm a huge fan of Brenda Drake's Pitch Wars. In 2013, when I needed a final push to revise and polish THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, I was selected as a Pitch Wars mentee.
I knew my mentor, Joy McCullough-Carranza, was a middle grade and YA author and book doctor, and that she'd spent time as a playwright in the schools, similar to the school residencies I do for poetry. Joy coached me through that last revision. When the #1 agent on my wish list asked to see an updated manuscript, I was ready! And you all know the rest.
Here is a great way to support the Pitch Wars program. The most recent submission round closed on August 17. This year's mentors are currently making their selections, wrangling behind the scenes to figure out who is going to work on which manuscripts.
Meanwhile, many Pitch Wars mentors are GIVING AWAY first chapter critiques. Yes, folks, Pitch Wars is all volunteer. It's about writers helping other writers to get their books query-ready. And this year, the mentors are going above and beyond to help you with your manuscript.
According to the official giveaway blog, here's how you can participate:
You’ll get a free entry just for stopping by and signing in, and if you want to increase your chances, you can support the mentors by buying their books or pre-ordering them. If you want to increase your odds to get a critique from a particular mentor, you can go and buy/pre-order said mentor’s book by following the links above. You can buy more than one book, and up your chances in more than one giveaway, too! You might even win a chapter critique by more than one mentor.
Lovely Joy is supporting my book! If you pre-order a copy of THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, you'll up your chances of winning a critique with Joy.
And because I'm such a huge Pitch Wars fan, I'm throwing in a chapter one critique with me. That's right! Leave a comment on this post and I will select one person at random to receive a first chapter critique on your work in progress.
To recap:
- Visit Monica Bustamante Wagner's blog for the full giveaway.
- There, you will find a full list of mentors giving away critiques including the most excellent Joy McCullough-Carranza.
- Enter for a chance to win your chapter one critique via Rafflecopter.
- You will also find links to pre-order books by the mentors and/or their mentees (that would be me -- thanks, Joy!). Remember, a pre-order increases your chances of winning.
- To win a critique with me, leave a comment on this post. A winner will be drawn at random.
Good luck, Pitch Warriors, whether you're in the game or cheering from the sidelines.
UPDATE:
A roll of the die says ... JAN GODOWN ANNINO is our winner!
Jan, please contact me via email. I'm looking forward to reading your first chapter.
Thanks to all who entered this extra giveaway and the larger giveaway for PitchWars.
UPDATE:
A roll of the die says ... JAN GODOWN ANNINO is our winner!
Jan, please contact me via email. I'm looking forward to reading your first chapter.
Thanks to all who entered this extra giveaway and the larger giveaway for PitchWars.
World Poetry: India 20 Aug 2015, 3:46 pm
It's Poetry Friday. Take another spin around the globe with me. Today, we are visiting an accomplished young poet from India, Supriya Kaur Dhaliwal.
Supriya Kaur Dhaliwal (born June 27, 1995) is an Indian poet and writer. She is author of two books of poems, The Myriad (2011) and Musings of Miss Yellow (2015).
The only daughter of Simerjit Kaur Dhaliwal and Yadwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Supriya was was born and brought up in the vicinity of lush green tea gardens and majestic Himalayan valley, Palampur. The town is located in Himachal Pradesh, India where her Sikh parents sought refuge from the rapid pace of the rest of the country and sought solace in the lap of nature. At the age of seven she wrote her first poem, and she first saw publication in a widely read newspaper, The Tribune when she was fifteen years old.
Supriya is currently living in Shimla, where she's studying English Literature at St. Bede's College. She authored her first book of poems at the age of sixteen. Her debut anthology received immense love from its readers which triggered the poetry bug in her to a newer level.
She is actively involved in the literary scene in India, contributing to numerous literary carnivals across the country, including Kumaon Literary Festival and Delhi Poetry Festival . She is also the core team member of Poets Corner, a one of a kind poetry collective based in the historic city of New Delhi. She aims at reviving this literary spirit in the youth of India which she believes is dwindling at a panther pace.
Her poems are widely anthologized across the globe, Earl of Plaid (USA), A Poet's View of Being (Canada), The Taj Mahal Review (India), Acerbic Anthology (Nigeria). Her sophomore poetry anthology, Musings of Miss Yellow was recently published. It started its journey from the 100 Thousand Poets for Change World Conference in Salerno, Italy.
 |
| Find the book here. |
Musings of Miss Yellow is divided into six sections: A Tryst with Tales in Rhyme, Arcadia, Gobbledygook, If, Rumination and Saudade respectively.
Sharing her experience from the recent 100 TPC World Conference in Italy, Supriya says:
"People often mock and giggle when I tell them I am a poet. They end up patting my back over a ruthless comment, 'You’re just a young woman deciding who she will be.' Last month, I took a leap of faith and traveled to Salerno, Italy to attend the 100 Thousand Poets for Change World Conference. I met poets from so many countries that I failed to maintain a count.
"When I boarded my last plane from Dubai with a heavy heart, I felt as if I had seen the entire world in one shot. The organizers of the conference, Alfonso Gatto Fondazione and 100 Thousand Poets for Change, translated a few poems from this sophomore poetry collection into Italian and posted a stanza of my poem “If I have a Daughter” with my picture on their Facebook page.
"One fine evening, when almost everyone was high on poetry and alcohol, nearly about to explode with euphoria while dancing on the tunes of Campagnia Daltrocanto, a local traditional Neopolitan band, a man who spoke only Italian and no English walked by my side to examine my face. He then took out his phone, opened up that particular picture of me on conference’s Facebook page, posted with a stanza of my poem 'If I have a Daughter' in Italian and moved his fingers to confirm if it was me. I smiled and nodded. He said something then, which I failed to understand, still I smiled and nodded and resumed dancing on those energetic beats. After a few minutes, he came to me again. This time he had the Google Translator opened on his phone window. He handed me his phone. He had got the Italian word 'mosso' translated for me into English. 'Mosso' is synonymous to 'moved'. He wanted to tell me he was moved by my poem. My eyes felt heavy. I bowed and said 'grazie' (thank you). I guess I’ll master the Italian language one day and translate Musings of Miss Yellow into Italian myself. I’ll then go to Salerno again to gift him the first copy of 'Riflessioni di Perdere Giallo.'
 |
| Supriya in Salerno. |
"Being a young poet in India is almost like waking up to a challenge every day. Well, to me, poetry is something that I’d envisaged for my future since the day when I was not even a teenager. I had always wanted by bind my illicit and unripened verses into a slice of surreal treatise.
"It may sound strange, but there were actually two things that inspired me to write this book. Firstly, it was the sarcastic tone of the society. Though it wasn’t threatening or scathing, but I’d always wanted to upshot the basic convictions of the world around us. Secondly, the nature around me has always fascinated and inspired me beyond any possible levels of anticipation. We were, rather are, always taught at the school that these trees and flowers are categorized as living creatures and they differ us only by the means of communication. So since my early teenage, I have always tried to place myself at their place and speak up a language that perfectly fits in this universal natural maze."
Recommended poet:
"There's this one poet who has always stayed with me, her name is Amrita Pritam, a very prominent female poet in the Indian literary scene who wrote in my mother tongue Punjabi. Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah – "Ode to Waris Shah"), an elegy written by her to the 18th-century Punjabi poet, an expression of her anguish over massacres during the partition of India never fails to touch me in the most poignant manner every time I read it."
Recommended poet:
"There's this one poet who has always stayed with me, her name is Amrita Pritam, a very prominent female poet in the Indian literary scene who wrote in my mother tongue Punjabi. Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah – "Ode to Waris Shah"), an elegy written by her to the 18th-century Punjabi poet, an expression of her anguish over massacres during the partition of India never fails to touch me in the most poignant manner every time I read it."
[Note: You'll find the poem in English and Punjabi, with historical background about the massacres, at this blog.]
Although I met Supriya at the 100 Thousand Poets for Change conference, I feel that I have met her again through the biography and statements she shared with us today. She was kind enough to share two poems. The first is recommended for upper elementary and older. The second is appropriate for high school and up.
Although I met Supriya at the 100 Thousand Poets for Change conference, I feel that I have met her again through the biography and statements she shared with us today. She was kind enough to share two poems. The first is recommended for upper elementary and older. The second is appropriate for high school and up.
Power of Hope
by Supriya Kaur Dhaliwal (at age 15)
from The Myriad
When all memories leave you with gloom
And you are left with nothing but doom
When you are crippled and you need a rope
Hold your breathe and give yourself a chance of hope
By ignoring the brain and following the heart
Give your life a new start
Build your way when it is hard to climb
Have no fear, because you haven’t done a crime
Taking small steps, learn to cope
Slowly and slowly build you’ll build your hope
Memory
Memory
by Supriya Kaur Dhaliwal
from Saudade, Musings of Miss Yellow
Like an
infinite number of concentric circles,
it stretches its existence
beyond an unfelt level.
And like the rings
that increase in number
every year
under the skin of
a tree’s trunk-
it keeps on adding
time, maybe years
to itself.
Yes, I’m talking
about your memory.
You are the center
of my concentric circles.
Your memory, I’m sure
will gaze like an addled sage
till what they call- eternity
on my love’s age.
One day
your indifference
I’ll assume
to be a stone.
Out of angst,
I’ll let it moan
on the lake’s water.
The ripples
will refuse to stay
and I wonder
if your memory
will forever sway.
It's exciting to meet young adults who have a deep love for and commitment to poetry. I applaud Supriya for being so involved in the poetry community. All of the 100 Thousand Poets members are looking forward to watching (and reading) what she does in the future.
 |
| Catherine at Reading to the Core is hosting Poetry Friday this week. Stop by her blog for all of this week's links. |
In the World Poetry Series:
World Poetry: India, featuring Menka Shivdasani
World Poetry: India, featuring Menka Shivdasani
World Poetry:Poland, featuring Danuta Kosk-Kosicka and Lidia Kosk
World Poetry: Israel, featuring Michael Dickel
World Poetry: Ireland, feature Siobhan Mac Mahon
Leaving Home, Part 2 13 Aug 2015, 10:03 pm
Thank you for all of the kind, supportive words as we send our son off to college, Poetry Friday friends! I appreciated your comments last week.Today was the big day. I dropped the kid off at the airport first thing this morning. I was teary, but I did not cry! By noon, he had made his way to CWRU, found his dorm room, and met some fellow early-arrivals. His texts started to get a little cagey after that. When he began to tease me for being nosey, I knew he was fine. Whew.
Sending our guy off into the world got me thinking. Robbie had just finished 5th grade when I began working on the manuscript that became THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY. This summer, Advanced Reader's Copies of the book began making their way into the world. The ARC has been traveling around the country, paying reading visits to my fellow 2016 debut authors.
(Where in the heck is THE LAST FIFTH GRADE? Find out on this map.)
It's an odd feeling, knowing that the book (and child) you spent years preparing for this moment is finally *out there.* It's out there having experiences with people you've never met. They are forming opinions about something (someone) that's not you, but is a huge part of you.
 |
| I'm grateful for author friends who have welcomed Ms. Hill's fifth grade class into their homes. |
 |
| There's always a comfortable place to stay during a visit. |
 |
| Sometimes the book gets to go on field trips, like this one to Lake Erie. |
 |
| And there are new friends to meet, like Abby Cooper's Lou, and his pal Squishy Giraffe. |
Thanks to Amy Ludwig VanDerwater for sharing this poem with me when I was feeling anxious about packing our son up this week. Sharon Olds' observations speak to me, both as a mom who is launching a child, and as an author getting ready to launch a book.
The Summer-Camp Bus Pulls Away from the Curb
by Sharon Olds
Whatever he needs, he has or doesn't
have by now.
Whatever the world is going to do to him
it has started to do. With a pencil and two
Hardy Boys and a peanut butter sandwich and
grapes he is on his way, there is nothing
more we can do for him. Whatever is
stored in his heart, he can use, now.
Whatever he has laid up in his mind
he can call on. What he does not have
he can lack. The bus gets smaller and smaller, as one
folds a flag at the end of a ceremony,
onto itself, and onto itself, until
only a heavy wedge remains.
Whatever his exuberant soul
can do for him, it is doing right now...
have by now.
Whatever the world is going to do to him
it has started to do. With a pencil and two
Hardy Boys and a peanut butter sandwich and
grapes he is on his way, there is nothing
more we can do for him. Whatever is
stored in his heart, he can use, now.
Whatever he has laid up in his mind
he can call on. What he does not have
he can lack. The bus gets smaller and smaller, as one
folds a flag at the end of a ceremony,
onto itself, and onto itself, until
only a heavy wedge remains.
Whatever his exuberant soul
can do for him, it is doing right now...
Read the rest at The Writer's Almanac.
My dear friend Heidi Mordhorst is hosting Poetry Friday this week. Get out your fresh fruit and your juicer and join her for a cup full of delicious poetry at My Juicy Little Universe.
Thanks to the Sweet Sixteens debut author group for the photos! You guys are the best. Let's just hope my son is as good about sending pictures home as you are (ha).
Leaving Home 6 Aug 2015, 9:39 pm
Today is my son's last Friday at home. This time next week, he will be settling into his home for the next four years: Case Western Reserve University. |
| He's a Spartan. Just not one of *these* Spartans. |
I say "settling in" when I really mean "riding the rollercoasters." Yep. He's kicking off college with a pre-orientation trip to Cleveland's famous Cedar Point amusement park. Talk about letting go. The amusement park trip means sending our son ahead, alone, to begin his new life and meet his new classmates. We'll follow behind in the safe, slow van -- never mind that its nickname is The Mars Rover -- carrying all the stuff that college students need.
It's been an emotional last few weeks. What's speaking to me today is Linda Pastan's poem "To a Daughter Leaving Home." Replace the bicycle with one of the biggest rollercoasters in the United States, and you'll have a perfect metaphor for how it feels to be the one watching from the good, solid ground of home.
 |
| College life is going to be a rollercoaster ride. This one is called Maverick. |
by Linda Pastan
When I taught you
at eight to ride
a bicycle, loping along
beside you
as you wobbled away
on two round wheels,
my own mouth rounding
in surprise when you pulled
ahead down the curved
path of the park,
I kept waiting
for the thud
of your crash as I
sprinted to catch up...
Read the rest at Poetry 180.
To all of the other parents who have teens leaving home for the next big adventure -- group hug!
 |
| Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference is hosting Poetry Friday today. Hi, Tabatha! Good luck to your Vandy girl as she heads out for her next year of school. |
World Poetry: Ireland 24 Jul 2015, 2:59 am
Greetings, Poetry Friday friends. We're crossing the Atlantic again this week to visit my good friend, Irish poet Siobhan Mac Mahon. |
| The lovely and talented Margaret Gibson Simon is hosting Poetry Friday today at Reflections on the Teche. |
Siobhan
is Irish Performance Poet, Playwright and Poetry Activist living in England. She
performs widely in England, Ireland and Europe. Her poems, powerful and often
funny, celebrate our sacred connection to the Earth and the return of the
Divine Feminine. She pokes fun at rigid, patriarchal religions and structures,
giving voice to the outrageous, the silenced and the banished (and that’s just
before she has her breakfast!)
I met Siobhan in Salerno, Italy, during the 100 Thousand Poet for Change World Conference last month. Her poems had us howling with laughter, especially the one about Rita, who goes on a quest to find herself and causes quit an internal tsunami.
 |
| Siobhan reading a poem about Adam's first wife, Lilith. |
Siobhan
has been writing and performing her poetry, collaborating with other artists
and creating mayhem/Spoken word projects for over 20 years. She has combined
Spoken Word with music, with dance and with film, working with poets and
artists from many different backgrounds and cultures.
Siobhan
organizes poetry events, including a yearly event for the 100 Thousand Poets for Change Movement and a large gathering of
poets for International Women’s Day. She
Co-founded Wicked Words - a long running Spoken Word evening in
Leeds and is currently co-hosting a monthly poetry night in Leeds – Transforming With Poetry.
Siobhan’s poetry has been
published both online and in print
including: Margutte, Tadeeb, Leeds
Guide, Print Radio and in a Bloodaxe/ Raving beauties Anthology – Hallelujah
for 50 Foot Women.
Her workshops focus on writing poetry as a tool for self-
expression, healing and creative growth,
often working with
marginalized, vulnerable or dis-advantaged groups, including: homeless people, Those suffering with mental
health, bereaved families, Immigrants, carers, long term unemployed, youth
groups, young mothers, stroke survivors,
survivors of domestic abuse.
She has also worked in schools and with young
people teaching creative writing and performance poetry.
Of the poem she is sharing with us today, Siobhan says, "The Poet is suitable for all ages and talks about the Poet's connection to a deeper reality/the other worlds and especially our connection to the earth as living, sacred and alive. It can be useful for encouraging pupils to get in touch with their sense of a ‘magical reality’ and to write from that place as poets themselves. In Ireland the poet, in the past, was considered someone who could travel between the worlds."
THE POET
by Siobhan Mac Mahon
People often ask me what I do.
Well, I say, last week
I decorated the downstairs loo’
‘No, no, they say
What is it that you really do?
‘Well, I say
I make a dam fine stew,
lamb and onions, carrots too’.
‘No, no, they say
what is it that you do all day?
‘Well, I say
I’ve been known to pray
and every day I take a walk
and I love to talk’
‘No, no, they say
what is it that you do for money?
‘Oh right, says I
I’ve got you now.
Well, sometimes I make a little honey.
‘Oh right, says they
(Pleased at last)
where is it that you keep the bees?
‘Oh no, says I, I don’t keep bees
I gather nectar from the wild,
distill it all in little jars
and call them verses
one two and three.
I sit upon the quiet shore,
stroke the sun warmed rocks
and sometimes they whisper songs to me,
hidden mysteries of the dark blue sea.
I watch the world unfold
I hear the lonely crying
of the lost souls
come keening down the winds.
I listen to the stories told
by the gurgling of the brazen stream
flowing wildly down the hill
in a rhapsody of ecstasy.
I glimpse
a holy rosary
of blue bells
ringing in the woods.
And I try to remember
all of this to thee,
In verses, one, two and three.
But mostly it’s
nothing much that I do.
Though as I say
I make a dam fine stew.
 |
| Literary girl power. (L to R) Ann Bracken, Debby Kevin, Siobhan Mac Mahon, Carla Bertola. |
Before she leaves us, I asked Siobhan to recommend an Irish poet whose work we might not be familiar with in the U.S. Her choices are:
Performance poet Maighread Medbh and quiet "radical" Rita Ann Higgins. Click on their names to check out each poet's website.
In the World Poetry Series:
World Poetry: India, featuring Menka Shivdasani
World Poetry: India, featuring Menka Shivdasani
World Poetry:Poland, featuring Danuta Kosk-Kosicka and Lidia Kosk
World Poetry: Israel, featuring Michael Dickel
Move it or lose it! Exercise is important for weight loss AND health. |Cialis – cialis 5 mg satın al – Penisilin alerjisinde kullanılan ilaç |Hello world! |Dealing With Craig Thomson: An Impressive MPI Debate |El sistema solar i l’art abstracte. |¡Hola mundo! |New Coloring Book Page Download – Fola the Fox Fairy Relaxing on a rock |Why Should You Schedule Regular Appointments With The #1 Scottsdale Family Dentistry For Frequent Dental Care? |Stones |How Does A Lotion Containing CBD Help Your Skin? |Celebrating 1,761 Auger Cast Piles completed in Virginia |Hello world! |Bricks and Mortar Wealth: Unlocking the Secrets of Property Investment |How ESG influences reputations – and what you can do about it |АРХИДЕЯ с нов уеб сайт |Les empreses gironines mostren gran interès per l’event: Com millorar la ciberseguretat de la teva empresa, el perill de les contrasenyes i com evitar la fuga de dades. |How to apply to a Texas Teacher Certification Program |A TRIP TO 1955 |What Are the Benefits of Home Cinema Installation? |Giving a Ride to Illegal Immigrants |