A few more links for the afternoon:
Two of my favorite things: The Hunger Games and baking. These cupcakes by Greasy Sae are amazing! (via bookshelves of doom)
Confession: I love giant sea creatures. I’ll watch any movie about them (even horrifically bad SyFy channel movies). I love real life versions. Shark Week is like a holiday.
So of course I have to share this article by Ben Shattuck that answers the question: Can you actually survive in the belly of a whale? I won’t give away the answer (lots of cool whale info in the actual article), but here’s a taste:
“You want to believe in an animal that can fit you inside them — that you might be consumed not piece-by-piece, mouthful-by-mouthful as sharks and bears would eat you, but wholly; to be encased as your full self, womb-like. You want to believe in big animals like you did when you were a kid. You want to be powerless as you are leaning into hurricane winds or with your eyes closed or looking into the ocean.”
The sea is not our natural habitat, and it’s so thrilling to think of these ancient, giant creatures that could overwhelm us. Make sure to check out the whole article. Shattuck even ends up at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, which isn’t far from Boston and a place I haven’t visited when I was very young. This might inspire me to take a visit this spring. Maybe a nautical novel is in the works at some point? Apparently the museum has a Visiting Scholar in Residence program, so anyone interested in writing about whales or whaling should check it out.
Another reason I was excited to go to SCBWI this weekend: I finally got to talk about the big news I’ve been holding onto for a little while now. From Publisher’s Marketplace:
“Annie Cardi’s debut QUEEN OF THE AIR, about a teenage girl struggling to balance high school, passing Drivers Ed, and a new relationship while trying to keep her mother’s progressing mental illness — delusions that she is Amelia Earhart — secret, to Hilary Van Dusen at Candlewick, for publication in Spring 2014, by Taylor Martindale at Full Circle Literary. Foreign: Taryn Fagerness Agency.”
It’s happening! It’s actually happening! Happy dances ensue!
* dance dance dance *
I am so excited to be working with Hilary, who is one of the most amazing editors ever, and the rest of the Candlewick team. I absolutely love Candlewick as a whole, so this is the best possible situation for me. And a special shout-out to my fantastic agent Taylor and the Full Circle team for handling all the legal ins-and-outs to get us to this happy announcement. (Taylor, you rock!)
Another big thank you goes to the wonderful people of the PEN New England Children’s Book Committee. The road to publication really intensified after the Bloom award, and I’m not sure where I’d be without PEN.
This has been such a life-changing event. There’s still a lot of work to do before the book is published (!!!) but I couldn’t be happier. The only way to fully describe my emotions is with the Love Actually Laura Linney happy dance.
I hope your Monday is full of happy dances, too!
Chris Crutcher, probably making us cry tears of sadness or laughter.
When I was in high school, I went to Young Writers Workshop, a summer creative writing program for high schoolers. We had workshops, readings, and general tomfoolery. Although I’d had friends who liked reading and writing, it was the first time I was in a place where that was everyone’s passion. It was exhilarating.
That was the same feeling I got from being at the SCBWI Winter Conference this past weekend.
I’ve been to other conferences or in other workshops before, but none of them have focused entirely on children’s/young adult literature. A room of 1,000+ people who are all deeply invested in the same kind of books I love? Yes, please!
Jane Yolen talks about what it means to be a mid-list author.
This was my first SCBWI conference, and I was initially kind of nervous about going. When I went to AWP, it was always with a group of fellow grad students. I never had to worry about who I’d sit next to in lectures. Fortunately, the SCBWI members are all extremely friendly and genuinely want to help each other. It was easy to strike up conversations with whomever was sitting next to me at a panel or during the cocktail party.
The SCBWI Conference blog posted about all the great speeches and panels, so make sure to check them out for a glimpse into the weekend’s events. They describe the events way better than I could here. A few more thoughts/fun moments/favorite quotes from me:
Kathryn Erksine helps us get FOCUS-ed.
My favorite quote from the conference came from the illustrator panel on Sunday. (I think the quote can be attributed to John Bemelmans Marciano, but I can’t remember exactly. If you remember who said this, please let me know!) The quote:
“Success comes to those who are generous and open.”
I think this really sums up SCBWI and the conference as a whole. We’re all talented writers and illustrators individually, but we’re better when we come together to learn from and support each other. Since a lot of writing can be very solitary, it’s wonderful to take this kind of energy back into the everyday writing life. I’m so glad I went to the conference, and I’m already looking forward to the New England conference in April.
I’m sure I’ll be posting more with references to this conference and what I learned there, since it’s too much to include in one post. Anyone else attend the SCBWI conference? What were your favorite moments?
Live from New York, it’s the Friday Fifteen! Here’s my weekly review of fifteen books in fifteen words or less.
1. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
They were fools to leave the boxcar. Fools!
2. The Boxcar Children Houseboat Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Didn’t know it was a series, then picked up this. Didn’t read the rest.
3. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Lovely writing, fun plot, Dickensian feel. Ending didn’t quite hold for me.
4. Circling the Drain by Amanda Davis
Eerie stories with a fantastical feel. Sad to lose Davis so young.
5. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Loved the wild ride in 12th grade; wonder if I’d see it differently now.
6. Ballistics by Billy Collins
Worth it if only for the poem Hippos on Holiday. On holiday from what indeed?
7. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Based on his stories, I was expecting something a little quirkier.
8. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Interesting ideas, but I didn’t much care about the characters. Prefer The Handmaid’s Tale.
9. The Witch Down the Street (Tale from the Care Bears) by Stephanie Morgan
Spoiler alert: the “witch” is a nice old lady. I know. Shocked.
10. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Let’s all get drunk and watch the bull fights, shall we?
11. The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey Into The Land Of The Chemical Elements by P.W. Atkins
I couldn’t even learn chemistry when it came in fantasy form. Good try though.
12. About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Funny, poignant, and real. Maybe it’s not high literary fiction, but I love it.
13. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
The only reading in tenth grade with a moderately happy ending.
14. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Scotland, witches, murder–what more could you want from the Bard? My favorite tragedy.
15. Intensely Chocolate by Carole Bloom
I love chocolate. Bloom writes fantastic cookbooks. A match made in heaven.
And there you have it! Enjoy the weekend everyone.
A few more fun links for Thursday:
Maurice Sendak and Stephen Colbert in the same room? It’s a grudge match of hilarity. I’m having issues with the embed codes, so check out part 1 and part 2 of the interview here.
Sneak preview: you get to hear Sendak sing. And swear (or at least the censor bleeps). It makes me love him that much more.
At the Hub, Jessica Miller has a fantastic post about the growing number of YA science fiction books. Right now, there are some great options for middle readers (A Wrinkle in Time, anyone?) but there aren’t a lot for slightly older teens. Even though I hadn’t thought about this before, I felt the same way. I loved L’Engle’s books and others like it, but there’s a fairly large shift between that and adult sci-fi or fantasy. When I read Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End in seventh grade, I thought it was interesting, but I certainly was hooked enough to pick up his other books, even though he’s an excellent writer. I needed that bridge. As a result, whenever my husband tries to convince me that I actually do like sci-fi, I try to argue–even though I usually enjoy whatever I read or watch.
I think the shift might be inspired by the recent popularity of YA dystopian society novels. There’s obviously a huge market for YA sci-fi, and I’m glad there will be more books for these readers to enjoy. I also think this will be very helpful for female YA readers, who might have been intimidated by the current masculine vibe in the sci-fi section of the bookstore. (I know I was.)
In her post, Miller shares a list of YA sci-fi books. I know I’ll be picking up at least a few of these. Maybe this will finally help me admit that I am a fan of science fiction; I just needed that bridge.
Confession: I like to imagine I could be in a band. When I’m alone in the apartment, I like to dance in front of the mirror and pretend I have actual musical talent. Until some fairy godmother grants that wish, I’ll stick to reading books about bands. Upcoming novel The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour sounds right up my alley. The trailer is really fun too!
Maybe I should start practicing my band hair now. (via Book Riot)