Charlesbridge is sponsoring an essay contest for This Is America by Don Robb, illustrated by Christine Joy Pratt (Charlesbridge, 2005). Students from third to fifth grade are eligible. Really cool prizes, by the way.
In other news, it’s snowed clear down to Corpus Christi. And if you’ve watched “The Year Without A Santa Claus,”
I’d like to recommend “The beauty found between lines of Christmas letters: For those of us who have forgotten to mention Jesus” by Stephanie Marshall from yesterday’s Houston Chronicle. Stephanie is a gifted writer and dear friend.
Continue Reading The beauty found between lines of Christmas letters »
What Greg gave me: three scoops of bath ice cream (you must try it); nambe salt and pepper shakers that look like vampire hunting weapons.
What I gave Greg: cat-themed bowls; a book on writing comedy; and a Swiss pen (perfect for a writer-lawyer-engineer!).
What we gave each other: an arts-and-crafts bookcase for the library.
Some Leitich Smith holiday factoids:
tonight we’re having sushi keilbasa, using the recipe in Tofu & T.Rex;
tomorrow we’re having lox and bagels for breakfast;
dinner will be tortilla soup, turkey with whole wheat stuffing, French green beans, and berries for dessert;
Greg also picked up a tiny bottle of caviar (la ti da);
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc of the UK, the adult, children’s, and reference book publisher, announced today that it has acquired Walker Publishing Company, Inc of the USA. Walker is a 45 year old New York based publisher of adult nonfiction and children’s books. The business operations of Walker and Bloomsbury USA will be combined although the book imprints of both companies will remain as separate divisions within the US company.
Continue Reading Bloomsbury Buys Walker; New At The Purple Crayon »
Heard today from Devon A. Mihesuah at American Indian Quarterly who was interested in my writing an article.
Her novel, Grand Canyon Rescue: A Tuli Black Wolf Adventure, won the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Award for Best Young Adult novel; see the Book Locker to read an excerpt and purchase your copy. Also keep an eye out for her spring 2005 release,
Received the world’s cutest cared from Candlewick Press, which featured illustrations from My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, illustrated by H.B. Lewis (2004) and the Harcourt catalog as well as Let’s Talk about Race by Julius Lester (my most searing intellectual crush), illustrated by Karen Barbour (Harper/Amistad,
Writers are eternally fascinated with just about everything—hence, our role as observers, commentators, and storytellers. Perhaps then it’s no surprise we spend a fair amount of time pondering—for better and worse—ourselves.
One reoccurring question on writing lists is why one writes. It seems to me that people write for the same reasons they read: to learn, to imagine,
Dined at Ararat Middle East Restaurant for the first time last night, belly dancers and all. Will definitely be back.
On the much-discussed Lamont article, I suppose I’m more of an optimist. The truth is that I have become published, it did make my life better, and I am a happier person because of it.
A couple of sites of interest:
Anne Lamont’s article on Salon.com takes a hard look at those conference-going writers who’re perhaps “playing writer” more than putting words down on the page and maybe for the wrong reasons. Cranky or insightful? What do you think?
The Association of Booksellers for Children offers a membership to authors and illustrators,