Anne Broyles Blog: Reflections on Writing, History and Life

History repeated--what have we learned?

2008-07-06T18:12:19Z

I have always had a keen interest in history. I love seeing how the past affects the present. Yesterday we went with company on Boston's African-American Heritage Trail to see the area of Beacon Hill which used to be a thriving black community and important part of the Underground Railroad and abolitionist movement. Our guide, Cleopatra, mentioned again and again how interconnected past events were with present.

The book I am currently reading, ONE DROP: My Father’s Hidden Life — A Story of Race and Family Secrets by Bliss Broyard is a memoir about one person's search for her own family's racial-ethnic history. ONE DROP is also full of well-researched facts about New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and the people of color who have lived there for centuries. I was stunned to discover that at several points in New Orleans history before and right after the Civil War, people of color, African-Americans, former and freed slaves, and Creoles enjoyed rights and privileges that were taken away from them again and again.

Have you heard of Oscar J. Dunn? He was a former slave who was elected lieutenant governor in 1868. Unfortunately, he died under mysterious circumstances the following year. P.B.S. Pinchback, an African-American man served in the Senate, House, as lieutenant governor, and briefly, as Governor of Louisiana in the following decade. People of color were actively involved in civic affairs and engaged in political strategies that would be echoed with more success in the 1960s. After the Separate Car law was passed in 1890, "Creole radicals" purposefully put a colored man on regional and local railroads to get him arrested so they could challenge the new, unjust law--quite similar to Rosa Parks' courageous act that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

As these strategies worked, groups like the Knights of the White Camelia and Ku Klux Clan organized to work for white supremacy. In the absence of national leadership (Lincoln was dead, President Andrew Johnson ineffectual) the white population who had supported the Confederacy enacted laws that "put people of color in their place." After almost a hundred years of heart-breaking racist policies, the Civil Rights movement restored some of the rights that were taken.

Here we are in 2008 with racism alive and well throughout our nation. Other prejudices also abound. Will past strategies inform how we respond to the call for equal marriage rights for GLBT persons? Have we learned enough from our history to work for "one nation, with liberty and justice for all?"

Whittier, poetry, and what lasts

2008-07-04T21:49:16Z

Yesterday I went with out-of-town guests to the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead. When the guide asked how much we knew about this American poet, I replied, "We are ashamed of how little we know about him." Although his name was familiar, I could not have told you (before yesterday!) exactly when he lived,or what his most famous poems are. Now I know that he was born in 1807 and was most influenced by the poetry of Robert Burns. By the time he was fourteen he was writing his own poetry. His first poem was published by William Lloyd Garrison when he was nineteen; Garrison became his mentor. Whitter worked as a teacher, shoemaker, and editor, and became active in the abolitionist movement. He published many poems, but it wasn't until 1866 when "Snowbound" was published that he attained financial independence through writing. By the time he died in 1892, John Greenleaf Whittier was one of the prominent poets in America.

I can't imagine a time when one poem could provide enough income to live on. Or that now, 142 years later, that famous poet and most of his poems are no longer part of the average Americans' lives.

What of each of us will remain once we're no longer alive on earth? That's one of the questions with which the protagonist of the novel I am currently writing struggles. She's nineteen years old, her father/mentor/coach has recently died and she has trouble knowing what meaningful legacy he has left. Although I don't yet know the role this item will play in her journey, I do have her take her father's old book of poems with her. I am doubtful that one of Whittier's poems will play into the plot, but we'll see!

Hollyhocks!

2008-07-02T16:22:42Z

When I was first researching PRISCILLA AND THE HOLLYHOCKS, I had to use the internet to discover what a hollyhock looked like. If I'd encountered a hollyhock on a visit to relatvies' farms and houses in Oklahoma, Illinois and Oregon, I didn't remember it. When we moved to Massachusetts a few years ago, I immediately planted hollyhocks as one of my connections to my picture book in which a slave girl is "saved by hollyhocks, and a white man's kindness." This week, the first hollyhock blossoms appeared on both my big "old barnyard" plants, and on the "Party Girl" miniature hollyhock bush. Given that we now have about twenty hollyhock plants scattered around our yard, blossoms should be almost continuous for the next month or two. My connection to these flowers started me thinking about how often books open readers up to new icons.

After identifying with Doris Gates' protagonist, Janey Larkin, my own doll-size tea set of Blue Willow plates took on new meaning. Because I cried through the shark attack in my Classic Illustrated version of Frederick Marryat's THE LITTLE SAVAGE, I had new sympathy for seals even when I saw them in real life and they weren't as cute as Nero, the marooned boy's faithful friend. Years before I saw the Channel Islands off California's southern coast, I felt connected tot that landscape because of THE ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS.

Now,I hope that some young readers will have a new affinity for hollyhock flowers. As I've done visits around the country I have realized that many people who are presently between 55-80 fondly remember "the hollyhocks at my grandmother's house" and how they loved making hollyhock dolls. Anyone younger than that usually has no connection to the flower. Here's hoping that a new generation of families will plant the hearty hollyhock in their home gardens!

Old Barnyard Hollyhocks

"Party Girl" miniature hollyhocks

An Unusual Church Library

2008-06-26T00:55:30Z

Most church libraries I've seen are filled with musty, out-of-date books that no one checks out. The library at La Jolla United Methodist Church defies all such stereotypes, featuring a well-lit interesting building kept stocked by dedicated volunteers. I had a great time this week talking to adults and children at a PRISCILLA AND THE HOLLYHOCKS event sponsored by the Library Committee. One volunteer had even planted a Priscilla's hollyhock garden at the church. (See photos below.)

A four-year-old had two of the event's most memorable quotes:
1) When I began to autograph someone's book, she admonished me, "We're not supposed to write in books."
2) In response to my question about how we as research detectives could find clues about people who lived in la Jolla in 2008, someone mentioned that the pastor kept a journal that might later prove useful. This bright child said,"It's not nice to read someone else's journal."
Needless to say, I had to do some explaining after both her responses!

How fortunate this church community is to have a lovely library (with an upstairs children's section), dedicated volunteers, and a monthly program about books.

Independent Booksellers: More Than A Business

2008-06-22T05:48:53Z

I'm in California , soaking up the extreme heat (112 degrees one day), enjoying numerous bookstore events, and appreciative of the power of faithful readers and independent booksellers. One book vendor sold out of Priscilla and the Hollyhocks (50 copies) thanks to some wonderful word-of-mouth advertising with Priscilla fans encouraging others to buy the book. At the Frugal Frigate children's bookstore in Redlands, it was a pleasure to meet the owner, Jana Hundman, and three knowledgeable young women on the bookstore staff. Jana told me how she carefully selects the books for her store (which is creatively decorated and has lots of fun nooks and crannies). One of the young women spoke of how she encourages readers toward appropriate choices and gave me a quick review of a book that recently captivated her. These bookstore workers are dedicated to literacy, because their own lives have been informed by the many books they've read. Their intelligence and dedication shine out in enthusiasm.

With Jana Hundman,owner of The Frugal Frigate Children's Books

On Sunday I got to meet Maureen Palacios, owner of Once Upon A Time Books in Montrose, CA. As in Redlands, I was struck by Maureen's genuine love and enthusiasm for as well as knowledge of her work. Jana, Maureen and other independent bookseller owners provide a comfortable, beautiful space in which readers can peruse thoughtfully-chosen stock, receive personalized recommendations on what to buy/read, and do everything in their power to encourage literacy in young readers and their parents. The booksellers I meet are businesslike, but their motivation runs deeper than turning a profit. They inspire, encourage, and as in Miss Rumphius, "Do something to make the world more beautiful."

Once Upon A Time's excellent advertising:

Untold Stories, Remembered Lives

2008-06-13T23:22:18Z

I am so happy that Priscilla's story is noticed and appreciated. In one small section of southern Illinois, many people know some version of her life story, but before PRISCILLA AND THE HOLLYHOCKS was published, this slave child's story was mostly untold. That's my favorite part of the response to my book: that new readers are now aware of Priscilla, her time and the events that shaped her life. At the end of this post I'll share links to some of the recent press/response PRISCILLA has received.

I dedicated the book to two people who are remembered in their individual families, but could be completely forgotten otherwise:

Edna Mae Broyles, my "spinster aunt"who lived her entire life in a small radius of central Illinois towns. Except for a brief period when she taught school nearby , Edna lived with her mother until Mary Belle Neff Broyles (my grandmother) died at the age of 92. Her entire life, Edna wore dresses made from one pattern--a simple, Amish-like long dress of checks or prints with a white collar. She worked at the local hospital in Charleston, Illinois and had a few friends, but sometimes seemed to be living in the wrong time period for her clothes and her values. In her last years, Edna gave in to modernity and used central heating instead of a wood stove, and even began to watch television. (She felt Katie Couric was a personal friend). Edna was sweet, loyal, and perhaps considered an oddball by some of her community. She loved flowers and was always proud of anything I created (over the years, needlepoint pillows, oil paintings, pottery animals that decorated her simple home) so I dedicated the book to her.

I also dedicated the book to Dottie Stewart. I first met Dottie in 1976 when I had a work-study job during graduate school in the seminary library where Dottie was the night-time cleaning woman. Dottie and I would chat as we did our respective jobs (me shelving books, she dusting and sweeping). She was one of the first people to encourage me to pay attention to the young man who eventually became my husband. I remain friends with Dottie's son, daughter-in-law and their teenage son. (Dottie set that couple up, too!) I don't know if Dottie could trace her heritage back to slavery days, but I do know that she occasionally felt the pressures of racism even in Evanston, Illinois in the 1970s and 80s. And her smile blossomed like a blooming hollyhock even if she wasn't as tall as many sturdy hollyhocks stand.

I chose Edna and Dottie because they will probably never have a book written to tell their unique stories. I think Priscilla would have been happy to share her story with their sweet names.

Interview with Anne on "Tales from the Rushmore Kid:" http://www.tinanicholscouryblog.com/2008/06/anne-broyles.html#more

PRISCILLA AND THE HOLLYHOCKS is featured on a “Just One More Book” podcast at http://www.justonemorebook.com/2008/05/17/flowers-philanthropy-and-freedom-priscilla-and-the-hollyhocks/

PRISCILLA Chosen for "One Book, One Community, One Conversation" in Massachusetts
http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_114234323.html

Review on THE BROWN BOOKSHELF:

http://thebrownbookshelf.com/2008/06/11/priscilla-and-the-hollyhocks/

Tales from a New Hampshire Cemetery

2008-06-08T05:15:37Z

Since we were hiking Mt. Monadnock today in New Hampshire, my husband and I went yesterday to do some exploring. I read the AAA guide and discovered that Amos Fortune had lived the last years of his life in Jaffrey Center, NH near our B & B. I'm embarrassed to say that I had never read the 1951 Newbury medal book, Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates, but I pulled it off my shelf and took it with us to read. This novel of an African prince captured and sold into slavery who finally was able to buy his own freedom at the age of 59 (and later, others' freedom) is an amazing book for its time and now. I am thankful for Yates for her research and telling of a story that could have easily been lost to the obscurity of history, but instead became an inspiring curriculum staple.

Our B & B owner told us that although she didn't know where Fortune's grave was in the small cemetery behind the town hall, she could give us directions to Will Cather's grave. "Willa Cather?" I asked, wondering why on earth one of my favorite authors (best known for books with Midwestern or Western settings) would be buried in this tiny town's cemetery. Apparently,Cather had visited (perhaps summered at ) Jaffrey and requested she be buried there.

Finding the author's grave was easy. For Fortune's, we set out through the cemetery to methodically look at each row of graves. When I finally deciphered the weathered slate headstones of Amos Fortune and his wife, I thought how Fortune's life might have remained anonymous except for his small New Hampshire community if not for Yates' research and writing. Her book illuminated and made accessible his life journey. Willa Cather is more widely known, but I was more touched by Amos Fortune's tombstone, which reads:

Sacred
to the memory of
Amos Fortune
who was born free in
Africa a slave in America
he purchased liberty
professed Christianity
lived reputably and
died hopefully
Nov. 17, 1801

Today on the hike, I was reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Rudyard Kipling, who all scaled the summit of Mt. Monadnock. Given how grueling I found our round-about (not the most-traveled trail) hike in the extreme heat and humidity, I imagined these long-ago writers traipsing up Monadnock on a sultry summer day in their frock coats--or whatever their they wore--and wondered if they also felt like the Wicked Witch of the East: "I'm melting!!!!!"

J. K. Rowling, warm, gracious, inspiring

2008-06-05T23:04:43Z

Thanks to a friend's husband who is active in the Harvard Alumni Association, I was privileged to sit in the misting rain this afternoon at Harvard Yard to hear J. K. Rowling speak at the "Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association Commencement Day" exercises. Rowling was warm, gracious, funny, and absolutely inspiring. At several points, the entire large crowd was absolutely silent as Rowling shared from her personal experience in a way that surely inspired graduates and everyone else. Hopefully, Amnesty International will see its volunteer numbers swell because of Rowling's speech and how the internet will carry her words around the globe.

Rowling received what one Harvard alum said was the longest standing ovation he'd ever heard for a commencement speaker, including, recently, Bill Gates and Bill Clinton. The audience, by the way, was filled with grads and their families, alums, and a large number of elementary through high school age young people eager to hear from Harry Potter's creator.

Here's a link to Rowling's speech in written form, video or audio. I highly recommend it.
http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html

May we all use our gifts as well as Rowling uses hers.

The Adventure Begins!

2008-05-31T03:38:38Z

This week I started a new novel. The idea of this road trip book came to me several years ago, but I haven't felt ready to write it because of other commitments. I also wanted to feel the main character's personality more. She was a great idea, but nothing specific until I recently let myself focus on the book. Now I don't want to do anything else but write her story!

I'd hoped to be able to set aside several weeks to go away and focus on a first draft of this book. (I'm not giving many details here because I feel a bit protective about my title, characters' names, setting etc. until I complete the first draft.) That's not going to happen in the next few months, so I am plunging ahead. Ready or not. . .

I have mapped out the road trip my protagonist will take, plotted some details of a mystery that is behind the trip, written character sketches, and have a thick 3-ring binder of what I now know I will use in writing the book. (The binder will grow, perhaps morphing into two binders by the time the book is done.) I've also ordered some other road trip novels from the library to be sure I'm not replicating parts of them in my own book.

Most fun, I am compiling a playlist for the book. Other SCBWI members have contributed their ideas and as I learn of new songs, titles sometimes suggest another dimension to my book.

This preparatory stage is absolutely my favorite part of writing. I have to hold back on research lest I never get around to typing words on the page. Books that exist only in one's heads aren't books, just good ideas that haven't come to fruition. I want this book to be real, so now begin the hard work to make that come to pass.

As I travel this summer, I may sometimes appear antisocial as I hole up with my laptop. My family may find me testy. A set of characters is on the loose in my head, demanding that their stories be told so I am ready to work with them in this creative, FUN process.

Art gives new images to understand the world

2008-05-27T03:31:39Z

Since it was Memorial Day, it seemed appropriate to spend time outside (hiking in the morning, kayaking in the afternoon), eat veggie burgers, potato chips and fresh cherries, and watch a film that reminded us why Memorial Day is celebrated. In our movie collection we have some wonderful movies about the horrific cost of war : GALLIPOLI , GLORY, SCHINDLER'S LIST, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, for example. We considered a feel-good epic like THE GREAT ESCAPE or THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, but decided to watch the 1946 film by William Wyler, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES. In case you don't know this film, it tells of three World War II soldiers who return to a small town in the United States and discover that neither they nor the people left behind remain unscathed by the war.

I'm sure many soldiers and civilians from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf Wars, Afghanistan Wars, and the current War in Iraq have had similar moments of disconnect. People who thought they knew each other well suddenly have no shared vocabulary to bridge the gulf between the ones who have served in conflict and the ones who stayed home with war safely at a distance.

Books, poems, movies, paintings and other art forms offer a lens through which we can find shared understanding of experiences not our own. In THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, a disabled veteran with hooks for hands struggles to prove his is still independent and whole; a soldier relives battles in his dreams; men cannot find their place in a country that has changed while they were away, and the women who love them feel helpless to provide healing.

Art can provide a neutral ground where we understand a reality that is not our own. Whatever our views and understandings, art gives new images that we can place next to our own, limited understandings. Our minds expand as we read a poem or look at a painting or watch a film. and through art, we become more than we were before. Hopefully, on this Memorial Day, we gain a wider world-view, become more compassionate, and recommit ourselves to work for peace.

The unpredictability of book promotion

2008-05-24T23:47:31Z

Book promotion is an important part of most published author’s lives. Today I went to a brightly-lit children’s book room at the Book Rack in Newburyport, MA, where I shared about Priscilla and the Hollyhocks with a mother and her seven-year-old daughter; a woman who had driven thirty minutes specifically to hear me speak; a young brother and sister; and several adults who perused children’s books while half-listening to what I said. My audience was involved and appreciative. No one purchased a book while I was there.

So was today a failure or a success? The Book Rack manager and I talked about whether Memorial Day weekend had been a good choice for the event; about how the event’s promotion around town, in local newspapers and online was good publicity despite event attendance; about how the store and I were both building for the future.

Mary McDonough of the Child at Heart Gallery stopped by to invite me to the gallery she runs with her husband, Paul to sign a copy of Priscilla and the Hollyhocks. What fun to see original artwork by Ed Emerbly, David McPhail, Tomie dePaola, Chris Demerest, Grace Lin, Jane Dyer.

I measure success not only by book sales, but by relationships with readers, bookstore owners and managers, editors, agents, and other writers. I met some interesting people, visited a beautiful, historic downtown, and ate some choice pistachio ice cream. Success enough for today.

Charlesbridge: Supportive of Authors, Illustrators, LIbrarians and Teachers

2008-05-23T03:07:31Z

Not only has Charlesbridge been a wonderful publisher with whom to produce a book, but they continue to provide a variety of kinds of support. The Publicity/Promotion staff, Donna Spurlock and Taylor Rogers, offer many opportunities for me to speak to organizations and bookstores, including this afternoon's open House at which Anna Alter and I each shared some of our experience with Priscilla and the Hollyhocks. Author Kathi Duble and illustrator Alexander Farquharson spoke about their new book, The Story of Samson. Kathi and I were supported by the two other members of our critique group, Marcia Strykowski and Donna McCardle, and oher friends, family, and people from the Boston writing and reading community. A lovely group of librarians, teachers, and others who are passionate about children's literature attended, including Jen Cusak from the Foundation for Children's Books and Patricia Keogh, retired children's librarian and children's lit teacher.

In my presentation I shared how much I have come to love Priscilla, her courage and strength and resiliency. As I share her story with readers around the country, I learn new aspects of her through readers' reactions. Although she died in 1892, I feel connected to this child. Her life does more than represent periods of American history (slavery and the Trail of Tears). Priscilla stands for every child who is alone, abandoned, afraid, abused, yet holds out hope for a brighter future. Whether children hold on to hollyhock seeds, the memory of someone's love, or another talisman, they believe in the possibility of change.

Here are a few photos from the Charlesbridge Open House:


       Jen Cusak, Foundation for Children's Books,                  Kathleen Benner Duble, author of The Story of the Samson                        and Marcia Strykowski


Anna Alter and I listen to Yolanda LeRoy introduce us             I talk about the effect Priscilla has had on me



                                        In theme with my heritage and this book, I wore Cherokee beads from North Carolina.

Cather, Chopin, Gilman, Wharton--wow!

2008-05-21T01:56:20Z

Words are powerful, evocative, life-changing. Words strung together well are a joy to read silently to oneself, or to hear read aloud by someone else. As I wrote in an earlier post, Louise Erdrich was a wonderful reader of the memorable words she had written in her latest book. I listen to a lot of audio-books (thank you, Merrimack Valley Library Consortium!), a medium that helps me focus on words and the way words are said as well as plot, setting, and characters.

Thanks to our local library, I just listened to Great American Women's Fiction, four audio-cassettes of short fiction by Willa Cather, Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Edith Wharton. Not only were these stories well-read, but hearing them (as opposed to reading them, as I had in the past) opened up new meanings in each piece. What incredible writers these women were. Well-rounded, believable characters; nuanced emotional tone; deeper meanings than the words themselves. . .I highly recommend this set of audiotapes (available on most online bookstores and, hopefully, at your local library).

Just One More Book

2008-05-19T14:04:10Z

Readers find their own approach into a book, and derive their own pleasure and understanding from the books they read. So we authors hear responses that, though they may be positive, do not necessarily resonate with our understanding of our own books. That's not a negative, just a neutral, but when a reviewer truly "gets" one's book, it's cause for celebration. As one of my good friends said after listening to the podcast about PRISCILLA AND THE HOLLYHOCKS on Just One More Book, "WOW! This is so great! The hosts REALLY loved the book—I so enjoyed how they interpreted the story—your storytelling—and how they definitely “got” the book on so many levels! YIPPEEEEE!!"

My feelings exactly. When one of the JUST ONE MORE BOOK reviewers, Andrea, e-mailed me to say," It's a beautiful and important book and I hope our review does its share to get it into the hands and hearts of the future," I felt kinship with a person I've never met, but with whom I share the love of children's books.

I am grateful to those people who have posted reviews on Amazon.com and other online bookstores, who hand out PRISCILLA cards to librarians and teachers and booksellers, who bring up my book in conversation and spread the word. Priscilla's story belongs to her first, but then is shared by all of us who root for her, admire her courage, and wish her well---170 years after she took her journey on the Trail of Tears.

As another reader friend described my book: "This tale is a beacon and a guiding teaching on the intelligence and resilience of the young. It teaches that love given in the smallest ways has the potential to bloom when the conditions are right."

JUST ONE MORE BOOK is a site to inspire us all because of the qualities of the books they choose to review. I don't know about you, but I look forward to discovering more great books through this web site's podcasts.

The History Bug

2008-05-16T16:30:30Z

We writers who have caught the history bug are captivated by intriguing characters, compelling historical events, and/or fascinating time periods. Most of us love to do research. Original source documents make us giddy. We enjoy playing detective. We appreciate learning about other writers’ processes as they search out clues and make stories come alive.

I discovered some wonderful recent works of historical fiction yesterday when I attended the Boston Authors Club's Book Awards Celebration. (Winners, finalists, and highly recommended children's lit books are listed at the end of this post.)

Of the many excellent authors who spoke yesterday, I was most touched by poet Helen Marie Casey’s words about her process in writing Inconsiderate Madness, a book of poetry about Mary Dyer, the Quaker woman who was hanged for her religious beliefs on Boston Common in 1660.

“The challenge and mystery for writers is to capture or create the words we need,” she said, which is separate “from what we want to say.” She chose poetry to tell Dyer’s story, and her book is formed from twenty poems. “The poet, like the composer, is going to play the silences of the work as much as she plays the sound.”

Casey’s work on Mary Dyer was only one of many books that focused on history. Several of the children’s lit award-winning books focus on historical events or time periods: Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Paris, 1930s); Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelson’s Miss Crandell’s School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color (Connecticut, 1830s); The Rogues by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris (Scotland, late 1700s); Ralph Fletcher's The One O’clock Chop (Long Island, 1973).

Some of the adult trade book winners also had historical settings. The Julia Ward Howe Prize winner, When the Ground Turns In Its Sleep by Sylvia Sellers-Garcia (Guatemala’s long, troubled history), Andrea Barrett’s The Air We Breathe (pre-World War I America), Openwork by Adria Bernardi (northern Italy and America across three generations), Charles Capper’s Margaret Fuller: An American Romantic Life: The Public Years;, and Eva LaPlante’s Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall are all works that exist because an author was passionate about a character, event, or time period.

As always. it was great to connect with other writer friends and meet new writers in children's lit. Here's a photo of me with finalist Mark Peter Hughes (Lemonade Mouth), recommended author, Peter Johnson (What Happened), and Liza Ketchum, who won the 2006 Young Readers Award for her historical novel, Where the Great Hawk Flies.

Boston Author Club 2008 Award Winners

THE WINNER, YOUNG READERS AWARD: Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures

THE FINALISTS FOR YOUNG READERS: Elizabeth Alexander & Marilyn Nelson, Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies & Little Misses of Color; Mark Peter Hughes, Lemonade Mouth

THE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG READERS: Ralph Fletcher, The One O’clock Chop; Loree Griffin Burns, Tracking Trash: Flotsam,Jetsam & the Science of Ocean Motion; Peter Johnson, What Happened; Mitali Perkins, Rickshaw Girl; Jack Gantos, I Am Not Joey Pigsa; Jane Yolen & Robert J. Harris, The Rogues .

Louise Erdrich: Beautiful, Powerful Words

2008-05-16T03:14:08Z

"Are you Louise Erdrich?" an elegant woman dressed in black asked me last night.

"No, but thanks for the compliment."

I have admired Erdrich's writing for over twenty years, and eagerly wait for each new book she publishes. The woman waiting to greet this famous author obviously hadn't looked at the author posters plastered around the lobby of Portsmouth, NH's beautifully-restored Music Hall, where two friends and I went to hear Louise Erdrich read from and speak about her new novel, A Plague of Doves.

I first heard Erdrich around 1984 in Los Angeles when I went to hear her read from Love Medicine in a small theatre where I sat in the front row and lost myself in her words. Erdrich continues to mesmerize, both through her voice and her words. Don't take my word for it. Listen to these wonderful interviews about writing this "multi-generational mystery: (with Liane Hanson on NPR and with WBUR's Tom Ashbrook)
.

An Energizing Mix of Events

2008-05-12T13:52:43Z

One of the things I most enjoy about my writing career is the variety of activities and tasks. On a daily basis, I work on different aspects of separate projects: brainstorming, research, plotting, writing fiction, writing nonfiction (articles or curriculum), revision, e-mails (editors, agent, publisher’s PR person, other writers), arranging school visits and bookstore events, fact-checking, pitching magazine ideas, marketing (including updates to my web site, blog posts, press releases, sending post cards) about upcoming events.

This past weekend was a full, energizing mix of events away from my office. Here’s the rundown:

Thursday I presented on Priscilla and the Hollyhocks to a group of wonderful students in the Shining Star program at Mother Caroline Academy and Education Center in Dorchester, MA. I was impressed by these third and fourth graders who attentively listened, acted out the story, and asked good questions. As always, I am touched by how young people respond to the injustice of slavery and the Trail of Tears.

Here's a photo of some of the kids with the hollyhock dolls they made of tissue paper, ribbon, and Tootsie Roll Pops.

Friday morning, I was one of four authors at the Cape Cod Writers Center’s “Breakfast with the Authors.” I gave a fifteen-minute presentation to a focused adult audience on the circuitous journey that led to my writing Priscilla. ("I really am getting to Priscilla!" I had to assure them as I told them about my far-flung Cherokee ancestor born in 1706, or the research behind my young adult historical novel.) Then I sat back to enjoy presentations by (as they are pictured below) David Surette (Easy To Keep, Hard to Keep In), Pat DePaolo (The Beijing Games), and Allison Daily (illustrator of Glassigator). After their presentations and a Q and A, I connected with several other SCBWI members who were in attendance at the Hyannis event.

Anne Elizabeth Tom, Executive Director of Cape Cod Writers Center invited me to lunch with Allison Daily, her boyfriend, Jake, and his grandparents. Athough writing brought us together, our conversation included discussion of U.S. response to China's growing economic domination, landscape architect Fletcher Steele, art therapy techniques, American architects working in Asian settings and more before I had to scoot out of the restaurant to go film a segment at a television studio in South Yarmouth. At the studio I chatted with host Shirley Eastman before we held a 28 minute conversation for the show, "Books and the World." Shirley's interview questions gave me opportunity to speak not only of my Cherokee heritage and the process of writing Priscilla, but also to mention two of my favorite make-a-difference organizations, Habitat for Humanity and Sierra Service Project. Twenty-eight minutes went by so quickly, I couldn't tell you everything we talked about, but I enjoyed my time with Shirley. A good interviewer makes the process easy, and,
I confess, I do enjoy talking about my work!

Saturday morning, I was Gayle Heney's guest on her cable television show, "Write Now!" Because Gayle's program is meant to inform and inspire other writers, Gayle focused our interview on how to work toward success as a children's author, use marketing techniques to build a career, and remain open to an editor's expert suggestions. (Given how Yolanda LeRoy's questions pushed me to deepen an emotional connection with Priscilla that vastly improved the book, I believe in a good editor's ideas. . .after I go through my defensive phase!) Gayle's careful preparation meant that she knew everything that could be gleaned about me from my website, blog, or publicity materials. As in the previous day's interview, time went quickly and we weren't able to cover everything that might have been pertinent to her audience. I made sure to plug SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) since that one group and its resources have probably been indirectly responsible for the largest percent of children's books published in recent years. I feel so fortunate to have had SCBWI providing workshops, conferences, critique groups and printed materials to help me learn the craft.

Due to the lights on the set, Gayle and I both appear much more red-headed than in person. Lucille Ball, anyone? (Actually, this studio's restrooms are named "Luci" and "Desi," a nice touch I appreciated.

When I know when the "Books on the World" and "Write Now" interviews will air on various networks, I'll post that information on my web site.

This week, my work's focus will be marketing: spreading the word to my California network about upcoming June events in four cities there. And hopefully, I'll find some time to write, too! As you'll hear more on this blog, I am looking forward to several other writing events (my own, and supporting/learning from other writers) in the next two weeks, as well. So stay in touch!

History as Storytelling

2008-05-02T21:33:13Z

Last night I had the privilege of hearing Doris Kearns Goodwin speak. She spoke at a whirlwind pace with a high energy level, yet she was easy to follow because she is first and foremost a storyteller. I loved hearing how she learned story arc as a six-year-old: while her father was at work, Doris listened to all the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball games and recorded the plays so that when her father came home, she could tell him “every play of every inning.” He wanted more than who won; he desired the story of the game.

Goodwin is brilliant. Even in the Q and A, she spoke at a brisk pace, drawing from an immense knowledge of many things (Lincoln, FDR, LBJ, JFK, baseball). Her gift as a storyteller kept the audience closely tethered to her narrative since for her, history is anecdotes and stories, not facts and figures.

Since my favorite writing and reading is historical fiction, I was impressed by Goodwin’s ability to tell a good story in an informative way.

Even though her speech in some ways summarized her latest book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, I am ready to plunge into its 754 pages. (I doubt I’ll read the extra 150 pages of footnotes and index after that). Of course, the fact that this book is the choice of one of my book groups for May is motivating even without her speech!

Recent good reads

2008-04-30T03:06:26Z

Just as when I was a child I was reluctant to compliment one current favorite book in favor of another beloved novel, I won't mention every book I love in this blog. With that caveat, of the many books I've read or listened to on tape the past couple of weeks, these books stimulated my thinking in a variety of directions:

A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth Bunce
As a child, I approached the story of Rumpelstiltskin with a mixture of repulsion and fascination. This wonderful story is related to, but not dependent on the old fairy tale. Charlotte Miller’s personality and world are vivid, believable and totally engrossing. I’ll never think of this fairy tale in the same way; Bunce’s version is far more compelling than that of the Brothers Grimm.

Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline B. Cooney
This gripping story of a courageous girl named Anazandra who is caught up in the events told long ago Homer’s Iliad. Strong, loyal, and resilient, the protagonist tells her perspective on what may be a familiar story in some ways, but is made new in this retelling.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp, and Camille Kingsolver. With combined wisdom from personal experience and research, these family members share their year of eating locally. I was impressed by the lyrical writing, concrete suggestions and good doses of humor, as well as the challenge I will take for my own consumer and eating habits. The audio CD version has a terrific interview with Kingsolver in which she explains how she found the arc of her nonfiction story. As always, Kingsolver makes sense in her writing and explanation of her writing process.

Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World by Diane MacEachern
I’ve already made a large percentage of the changes this book calls for (organic food, hybrid car, paying carbon neutral offsets) but MacEachern does a good job in presenting her rationale for the changes and giving resources for further action.

“Messing with” historical figures

2008-04-28T19:23:50Z

When I first moved to New England almost three years ago, I tried a book group that met at a nearby library. Their book choices intrigued me. When I arrived at the first meeting I discovered thirteen older adults (I was younger by more than twenty years than the youngest among them) who’d been meeting for years. I liked the way they dug into the chosen book, unafraid to express opinions, to disagree, to say things erudite or outrageous. After that first meeting, I was invited to join them for lunch. I’d been adopted, and have enjoyed this particular book group ever since.

Today I led that group’s discussion on Afternoons With Emily by Rose MacMurray. Two participants in particular were appalled that this author had chosen to present Emily Dickinson in what they perceived as an unflattering light.

“I felt protective of Emily,” one woman said. She felt that her beloved poet had been maligned, misinterpreted, misunderstood.

“What gives an author the right to make up stuff about someone just because they’re dead?” another person asked. "It's not fair to mess with their lives when they can't defend themselves.

I explained how I love reading and writing historical fiction because the novel can sometimes draw a reader into wanting to know more about the real person or time period. For me, the inclusion of people who actually lived provides a fascinating backdrop to any work of fiction.

“Why can’t a writer just write about what is known to be true? Or can’t they just leave real people out of their fiction?” one book group member protested. “Readers of this book won’t want to read Dickinson’s poetry. They’ll remember her as controlling and unstable, not as a great poet.”

I confess that I did not warm to MacMurray’s characterization of Emily Dickinson, which I will add to the body of other works (including her poetry) that help me discern who the poet might have really been. Since we live near Emily’s own stomping grounds, I encouraged everyone to visit the Homestead, Emily Dickinson’s home in Amherst. I’ve found it quite moving to see her small bedroom and to gaze at the pint-sized gauzy white dress the poet wore.

Is “making stuff up” just something that those who don’t write will never comprehend about those who do write? Any of us who include historical figures in our work research diligently to assure accuracy, yet the fact remains: we did not personally know these people, and even if we had, what we write would only be our own interpretation even of a good friend. Fiction is biased by what details we choose to include and our own take on the world about which we are writing. Good nonfiction should present a balanced view of its subject, yet even there, doesn’t the author’s point of view sometimes color the voice?

The author can never know how the book, or its message will be received. All we can do is tell one truth (whether 100% fictional, or including realistic, historical details) in a way that makes sense to our story. Isn’t it up to the reader to read with a critical eye and ear, to expand from one book to other sources that provide differing viewpoints? To search out their own understanding of Emily Dickinson or Sitting Bull or Queen Elizabeth?

Writing plus Reading: an unpredictable amalgam.

Mulligrubs and Gamboling Foxes

2008-04-24T15:07:24Z

Sometimes we learn new words that are so vivid and perfectly descriptive, it’s hard to find the right place to use them appropriately. I’m still looking for the perfect object to describe as “scintillescent”, which somehow seems more vivid than its meanings: “Sparkling or glittering.” I’ve also not yet fit in the noun “mulligrubs,” which is not for the faint-of-heart, since how can one say that word without feeling grubs between one’s teeth? (By the way, it means: grumpiness; colic; low spirits or an ill-tempered person.)

As a children’s writer, my books haven’t exactly called for any of my characters to have the world weariness and pessimism of “weltschmerz.” Unexpectedly, my work space gives me a chance for ethology (the study of animals' behavior in their natural environments). And out of that, I’ve been able to use some great words.

My office window looks out on a large grassy field bordered by wetlands and forest. Most days, several White-tailed Deer stop by to graze in the field, including at this time of year, fawns who play tag and elicit word use such as leap, frolic, prance, and scamper. Other, tamer words do not do justice to the movements of these gentle creatures who joyfully leap into the air with their white ostrich feather tails, and thoroughly distract me from the work at hand.

Worse distractions lately have been two fox kits who spend hours each day on the grass, sunning themselves like reddish sphinxes, rolling back and forth like indolent cats, and teaching me about red fox behavior. We can often get quite close to Ms. Braveheart, the kit who appears to be as fascinated with us as we are with her. Fifteen, twenty minutes pass with us watching each other until it is usually the humans who break off contact. Mr. Shy, on the other hand, likes to keep a distance.

This morning, the two fox kits ran out onto the field like soccer players ready for the big game. Weaving around the field with an invisible ball between them, the siblings were so entertaining, I had to grab my camera and rush outside. Mr. Shy saw me and ran a short distance away to lie down and poke his head through blades of grass to watch me. Ms. Braveheart continued to skip around the field, heading toward the dirt road that cuts through the property. A UPS truck barreled down the road toward her as she blithely began to cross the road. Visions of reddish-brown fur smashed against the road caused me to wildly wave my arms at the UPS driver who, just in time, braked. Ms. Braveheart looked up to see what must have felt like a huge, noisy behemoth attacking. She ran one way, then the other across the road, turned around and headed back across the field, galloping toward her sibling. When she arrived at his side, she plopped down. “Whew! That was a close one!” I could almost imagine her saying, or the foxly equivalent.

The foxes have given me opportunity to use “gambol” and “cavort” when they play, and especially when they hunt. One day, Ms. Braveheart hunted through the tall grass, very much like a cat with her body tensed low, moving forward inches at a time. Suddenly, she leapt straight up into the air with a vertical leap NBA dunk champ Dwight Howard would envy. She powered down into the earth from that leap nose first into some unsuspecting mole’s hole, and came out with a gray rodent with whom she toyed for several minutes before trotting off with the not-yet-dead animal between her teeth. Did she proudly take the mole back to the mother fox? “Ma! Look what I caught!”

Ready to expand your vocabulary? Try A Word A Day ( English or Dictionary.com (Spanish). Those of you brave enough to learn words in Yoruba, Czech or Bislama will have to find your own resources.

Is there a green-eyed monster in children's lit?

2008-04-21T12:38:33Z

What happens when two friends share similar dreams, and only one person's dreams come true?

Over the weekend I went to see a production of Itmar Moses' play, "The Four of Us," a two-person show about childhood friends who share a dream to write professionally. In the early years of their friendship they mutually promise to take the other one out to dinner whenever the first big sale occurs. The show begins with dinner at an Indian restaurant as they celebrate Benjamin's sale of his first novel. David, an aspiring playwright whose only success has been a regional theatre production of his play in Indiana, is stunned to discover that his friend's book deal netted him over two million dollars. Little by little, a ravine cracks open between them. The struggling playwright feels the distance as Ben enters a world of worldwide book tours, celebrities, movie rights. Can their friendship stand the test? What was their relationship based on, anyway?

My experience (personal and from that shared by other children's writer friends) is that children's literature seems to lack some of the drama that may occur more naturally in other creative fields. Each writer's ideas are so unique, their style so individual, that an editor isn't usually comparing apples to apples. Two writers each composing a novel about a teenage girl on a road trip will inhabit her world with different characters, landmarks, emotional issues. Yet the bottom line may be that a given editor or house will only take one "teenage girl road trip" novel in a given period of time. So if I send in my absolutely spectacular novel to Editor after one of my colleagues sends her similar novel to the same editor, I have little chance of mine getting published.

That may not lead to personal jealousy as much as to the sadness that one writer's long-time project never sees the light of day because hers came in second in the race. This isn't an unusual occurrence, yet I see the children's writing community as embracing, supporting, playing cheerleaders for each other as writers and for the books that children need to read. The very nature of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) is to provide encouragement, professional training, and support.

In this spirit of collegiality, I haven't seen much of the green-eyed monster in others or myself, yet it may just be hidden well. Perhaps I'll find out when it is my book that is forsaken in favor of a friend's (or chosen over theirs), or my contest entry that loses to a colleague's (or wins). Until then, I hope to continue to cheer for other writers and celebrate their books.

Revisions, also known as the old "Show, Don't Tell"

2008-04-20T01:29:51Z

        Looking for something non-writing related, I reread an old journal today and found words I wrote in early 2004 as I revised Priscilla and the Hollyhocks. Now that the book is published and I've been reading it aloud to groups at school and bookstores, it was fun to realize that although much of the book remained unchanged from the first time I sat at a computer to write the book in one two-hour burst, an editor's encouragement to layer the story emotionally helped shape the book as it is in print:

        Yolanda LeRoy at Charlesbridge likes Priscilla and the Hollyhocks, but wants more emotion. I don't immediately know what she means. I think people back than didn't talk about their feelings in the same way we do now. How can I make it more emotional?
        The first day working on revision I felt fidgety. How could I possibly make changes and still have integrity of the voice?
I read an excellent article, '"The Song in the Story: Finding Your Writing Voice," which I hope will be the key for me to figure out Priscilla and the Hollyhocks. I believe in this book, love the story, and find the historical event compelling. I felt an electricity while writing the book and wrote in a different mode (jumping up and down from the computer, feeling phrases tumble from my brain almost unbidden) and style (sparse, poetic).
        Yesterday I was ready to work and within a few hours felt good about the changes. I added several short scenes which I think make Priscilla's slave experience vivid (seeing her Ma carted off, feeling her 'insides a'quiverin'," feeling as "invisible as wallpaper" to plantation guests, standing on the auction block).
        I didn't have Priscilla say much about her feelings, but showed her feelings (unable to wave goodbye to Ma, her beating heart "echoing the blows Master struck against black bodies," fingering hollyhock seeds and holding back tears).
        I am so jazzed--totally energized by this revision.

Amazing now to look back and see what was not obvious then at the beginning of the revision of Hollyhocks. What projects am I now stuck on, caught up in the "how can I change this and keep the integrity of the work?" when something as simple as "Show, don't tell" might do the trick.

So much still to learn--

I Can't Help It. I'm a ONE.

2008-04-18T02:13:45Z

Yesterday I spent the day at an Enneagram workshop with the staff of the non-profit for whom I work. Many years ago, I attended another workshop and discovered that on this "personality system, I was a type ONE. That means I can celebrate the positive aspects of being a ONE: I'm decisive, organized, forthright, get things done, have a high sense of integrity, a natural leader, sport a can-do attitude, and am called THE REFORMER/PERFECTIONIST.

Oh, and on the other hand. . .ONES can be bossy, critical, goody-goodys. We tend to see the world only in black and white and need so much structure in our lives, we drive others crazy with our sense that we know how to get things done, and that way is OUR way.

Yesterday's workshop reminded me of what complex combinations each of us are. (And boy, are we having fun in our staff relationships as we try to put into practice what we learned about ourselves and each other!) Just as I claim all the positive things about myself, I must 'fess up to the negative, not as mea culpa as much as to accept the hodgepodge of my feelings and behaviors. This helps me relate to other people who are different personality types, none better or worse than my own, just different.

For my work as a writer, the day spent analyzing nine personality types and their myriad possibilities reminded me how even fictional characters are a cloth woven of many textures. I can read books on character development, meet diverse personalities in real life and the books I read, but what it comes down to is this: each character I create must spring off the page universal enough that readers can recognize her humanity as authentic, and unique enough that readers will remember her long after they 've read the last page.

For more information, here's the book by our workshop leader, Herb Pearce: THE POWER OF THE ENNEAGRAM (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

Books Are Meant To Be Shared

2008-04-16T20:21:34Z

I am a reader and writer at least in part because I grew up with access to a good public library and with plenty of books on my shelves. Here's a way to help kids who may not have easy access to books:

	Send an e-card and help build a child’s home library


	In January, we announced an e-card promotion on The Literacy Site to generate 
	new books for children in need. Thanks to the support of site visitors like you, 
	this e-card challenge was the most successful to date! More than 6,500 e-cards 
	were sent, generating more than 6,500 additional books to kids who need them 
	most across the country!

	To follow up on this overwhelming success, First Book, The Literacy Site and Pi 
	Beta Phi are thrilled to announce another opportunity to help generate more new 
	books for disadvantaged kids.

	In honor of the 50th anniversary of National Library Week (April 13 -19, 2008) 
	for every “Free Book Promotion” e-card sent on the Literacy Site and opened by a 
	friend, one new book will be donated to a child in need, for a limited time.

	Here’s how it works: Visit TheLiteracySite.com and send the “Free Book 
	Promotion” e-card to family and friends. When your e-card is opened, First Book 
	will provide a new book for a child in need, thanks to the generous support of 
	The Literacy Site and premier sponsor Pi Beta Phi.

	So, what are you waiting for? Visit The Literacy Site and send an e-card 
	greeting to a friend, coworker or family member today! 

	http://www.theliteracysite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=6