Links Galore

May 26, 2016Leave a comment

Lots of good links:

What I think of when I hear “diversifying your portfolio.”
Crafting historical fiction for contemporary readers.
And speaking of historical fiction, writing lessons from Hamilton.
Maggie Stiefvater on Howl’s Moving Castle, Ace of Base, and other things that make me love her even more.
Fanfic is where it begins.
Librarians work with people, not with books, and other things you need to know about a career in librarianship.
Diversity in blogging and at BEA.
Awesome post about fostering young reader activism (bonus points for Cambridge!).
Utilizing your inciting incident.
Stacey Lee on finding and making mirrors.
Silent reading parties should be most parties.
Great collections of mental health resources for teens.
And speaking of mental health and teens, Francisco X. Stork on writing about depression and hope.
Reading about scientists’ challenges and failures can help teens be more motivated to do science.

A Community of Artists

December 15, 2015Leave a comment

Once is a touching movie about musicians and art and connection. It’s now a stage musical, and recently the touring company invited amateur musicians in to sing “Falling Slowly” with them.

Walt shared the video with me this morning, and it got me kind of teary, seeing all these musicians of all ages and backgrounds and levels of professional status in the same space, sharing their art and making something wonderful together as a little community.

Writing and publishing as a career can be hard. But one thing I’m always grateful for–the people. I’m so grateful to be part of a community of writers and readers and librarians and educators and bloggers and fans. From across the world, from all kinds of backgrounds, from major bestselling authors to first draft-ers, from experienced bloggers to people who have just found YA, it’s uplifting and exciting to share our stories and our experiences, either in person or online.

So no matter where you are in your writing journey or your reading life, thank you for being part of this community. Your voice matters.

The Soul of Wit

February 25, 2015Leave a comment

A fun look at how stylometry helps prove that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s plays.

I’m always a little baffled when people try to make a big conspiracy theory around Shakespeare. (See also Truman Capote writing To Kill a Mockingbird instead of Harper Lee.) Let the dude have his work!

Also, this is good proof that a writer’s voice is a real thing. Even though Shakespeare wrote sonnets, historical dramas, fantastical comedies, and more, all his works have his particular tone and style.

Maybe you’re not Shakespeare, but you have your own writerly voice. Someone else can be writing about spooky ghosts or family dramas or adventures in space, but your voice is all your own, and that’s part of what makes everything you write unique.

Defending Ellie: Unlikeable Teen Girl Characters

September 17, 2014Leave a comment

My latest post is up at the Ploughshares blog, and this month I’m talking about judging characters by how likeable or relatable they are.

“Likeablity” is a big issue for YA writers and readers. Teen characters, especially teen girl characters, are easily judged for being ‘annoying’ or ‘bitchy’ or for making bad choices–which is how teens and people in general are in real life. We make bad choices, we complain, we say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and that’s part of what makes us human. Even more importantly, it’s a place from which we can grow and learn from these mistakes. YA is all about growing and learning and becoming the person you’re going to be for the rest of your life. Why should that always be ‘likeable?’

In the post, I include a reference to The Whale and teen character Ellie, one of the most unlikeable and most pained teen characters I’ve seen. Although The Whale is decidedly not YA, when I saw the play and heard audience reaction to how unlikeable and seemingly irredeemable Ellie is, I really wanted to have the opportunity to defend her. She’s a mean person who does/says some awful things, but all of her cruelty comes from a place of sadness and anger and grief and isolation. I hope more readers and viewers can take the opportunity to asses characters like Ellie (again, especially teen girl characters) and understand what makes them mean or annoying or frustrating.

Check out the whole post, and share your thoughts on likeability, relatability, and readability.

Friday Fifteen

June 27, 20141 Comment

Hurray for Friday! And how is it already the last Friday in June? In my mind, it’s still May. Gotta get in these last few June micro-book-reviews while I can.

1. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
I find myself still thinking about Piddy and her nuanced world. Feels timeless.

2. Meet Felicity: An American Girl (American Girls: Felicity #1) by Valerie Tripp
Felicity Merriman, cross-dressing animal rights activist.

3. Brave Navigator by David Valdes Greenwood
The play I asked to keep after my grad school playwriting class ended.

4.The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
I have a soft spot for retold fairy tales and this one is way fun.

5. A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Hilarious and touching and so my heart; my favorite kind of middle grade.

Friday Fifteen

February 21, 2014Leave a comment

Happy Friday, everyone! The weekend is short, and so are the book reviews! Here are this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

1. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Like listening in on your totally disturbed neighbors, but better.

2. The Queen Geek Social Club by Laura Preble
I think I have a different definition of what it takes to be a geek.

3. Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate
Lots of dynamic illustrations and fun asides–would have poured over this as a kid.

4. Shannon’s Story (Baby-Sitters Club Special Edition #3) by Ann M. Martin
Whose 8th grade class trip is to Paris? Way to mess it up, Shannon.

5. Looking for Alaska by John Green
Lots of great stuff–boarding school, philosophy, etc. The rap scene made me feel awkward.

Links Galore

September 18, 2013Leave a comment

Lots of good links for today:

Shakespeare as a financially successful writer.
Also, totally geeking out over this video on how Shakespeare’s plays would have sounded. Guys, there are Shakespearean puns I didn’t even know existed!
You can find Dickens in the club.
Standing up for YA romance.
Sharks can’t swim backwards other random things we’ve learned from books.
Taking risks and writing outside of your cultural comfort zone.
Great post on the problem of gendered reading.
Beautiful gift from a librarian who recently passed away.
As a major fan of fun nail polish, these literary manicures have my approval.
In case you need a recap of The Raven Boys in preparation for The Dream Thieves.
Free samples of the National Book Award Young People’s Literature long list, aka all the things to add to my to-read list.
Dos and don’ts for a query bio.
I am all for more roller derby books.
Rainbow Rowell on censorship and Eleanor & Park.
The author travel survival guide.

Friday Fifteen

September 6, 2013Leave a comment

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s starting to feel like fall, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Other things I’m happy about? Book reviews in fifteen words or less. Onto the reviews!

1. Three Junes by Julia Glass
Clear, elegant prose. The second June, from Fenno’s POV, stayed with me most.

2. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
Quiet, lovely writing. Expected something different, but would like to reread.

3. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Beatrice and Benedict might be Shakespeare’s best couple. “Another Hero!” line is a clunker.

4. Felicity Learns a Lesson (American Girls: Felicity #2) by Valerie Tripp
I still think about Felicity when I say no to more coffee/tea.

5. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The costs of urbanization as only Burton can tell it. Great illustrations, of course.

Links Galore

July 1, 2013Leave a comment

Lots of great links to start your week:

“You should put THIS in your book!” and other things not to say to YA authors.
Great post by Libba Bray on the despair of writing or, as I like to call it “BURN IT ALL, EVERYTHING SUCKS.”
A little history on the paperback.
Ellen Oh and Tanita Davis have excellent posts up about the sad state of diversity in children’s books (both in terms of authors/illustrators and characters). More posts on this important issue at bookshelves of doom.
Also at bookshelves of doom, kickbutt YA heroines without a major romantic plotline; make sure to check out the comments for all the great suggestions.
I would fully support a Dalloway Day.
New favorite Tumblr: Actual Teen vs. Adult Teen. (Because Dawson’s Creek gave me unrealistic expectations about how high school guys look.)
Interesting look at what makes a great speech and how that’s changed (or hasn’t) over time.
Roundtable on the strange, compelling story of The Little Mermaid.
English majors know how to analyze and communicate. So many jobs can benefit from those skills.
I love seeing original bad reviews for classic novels.
How to use secondary characters and make them feel as real as your main characters.
Going to keep this post in mind when people ask “Your book still isn’t out yet?“
Love the idea of a ReReadathon! It’s been a while since I read Harry Potter…
These childhood drawings by famous authors are adorable. (My childhood drawings would feature a lot of rainbows, unicorns, and people without necks.)
Now that it’s a classroom staple, it’s funny to see the initial horrified response to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.”
Bad spelling doesn’t make you a bad writer–just ask these beloved authors.
Like dystopian societies, internet memes, rice, and being prepared for the end of the world? Of course you do! Then you should donate to two awesome shoes–Paper City Phoenix by Walt McGough and The Burden of Not Having a Tail by Carrie Barrett. Both shows are going up this summer and I can’t wait to see them.

Much Ado About Gifs

June 14, 20134 Comments

Things I like: Shakespeare. Joss Whedon. Last night I got to see both combined in the latest Much Ado About Nothing movie. It was so much fun! I went with my friend, Hannah, with whom I also saw Joss Whedon in person. (Needless to say, we were both way excited.) Obviously the only way to share our excitement is through a Joss Whedon-based gif movie review.

Spoiler alerts–but seriously, guys, the play is a few hundred years old.

My feelings about the cast:

The set, aka Joss Whedon’s house:

All the banter:

Everyone after the big party:

Don John setting up Hero:

Beatrice asking Benedick to fight Claudio:

What I want to tell Hero:

And of course Nathan Fillion being hilarious:

How I felt after the movie:

In all seriousness, it was really cool being in a movie theater full of people laughing out loud at one of Shakespeare’s plays. It’s a great example of how stories can transcend time and location. Human drama and romance and comedy touch all of us. And if those stories can costar Nathan Fillion, bonus.

Annie Cardi

Category: Theatre

Links Galore

A Community of Artists

The Soul of Wit

Defending Ellie: Unlikeable Teen Girl Characters

Friday Fifteen

Friday Fifteen

Links Galore

Friday Fifteen

Links Galore

Much Ado About Gifs