THANKFUL THURSDAY: Chautauqua Edition

Carol Baldwin with Carolyn Yoder at Chautauqua

My friend and colleague (we present writing workshops together) Carol Baldwin sent me this pic the other night! When I opened it I felt both joy and jealousy. She's with my editor, Carolyn Yoder. You'd think after working with Carolyn for 7 years (Has it really been that long?) I would have a decent picture of the two of us together. But I don't : (

Carol is at the Highlights Foundation Writer's Workshop at Chautauqua, NY. Every year this time, I sigh and long to be there. And dream of going again some day. But mostly I'm just grateful that I was able to go once. And that I met Carolyn Yoder there and realized she was the editor of my dreams. And that she might even like my writing.

Apparently she did. We've published 3 books together. (Blue, Healing Water, & Comfort)

I now think of my writing life as “pre-Chautauqua and after”. Before Chautauqua, I was stabbing in the dark, exploring countless writing opportunities but not owning any of them. At Chautauqua I discovered for sure that I am a history writer and that Carolyn Yoder could help me become a really good one!

That's why I'm going to her writing retreat in August. To get some intensive input on my work-in-progress. And while I'm there I'm going to get a good photo of the two of us together.

PS: Carol Baldwin is the author of TEACHING THE STORY: Fiction Writing in Grades 4-8. Now she's writing her own historical novel!

THE MAKING OF A SAINT

Artwork created by children to honor Father Damien. This hangs in his birthplace museum in Tremeloo, Belgium.

A saint is someone whose life makes it easier to believe in God.

Perhaps this quote by William Barclay sums up why I wrote Healing Water.

I was inspired by Father Damien, a Catholic priest who in 1873, chose to live among Hawaii's leprosy patients. The Kalawao leprosy settlement was filling with people who were taken from family and friends in hopes of protecting others from their disease.

The outcast leprosy patients did not have their basic needs provided so they went into survival mode. Then Damien arrived and his compassion helped transform the settlement from a place of hopelessness to a real community.

Eventually Damien himself contracted leprosy. And while leprosy itself, doesn't kill a person, its complications do. In 1889, after 16 years of sharing his skills and compassion with Hansen's Disease patients, Father Damien died.

After decades of consideration, the Vatican has decided that Damien is indeed a saint. This means his life has been scrutinized and 2 miracles have been attributed to his intervention.

On October 11, 2009 Damien will be canonized.

Not to argue with the Vatican, but as far as I'm concerned, Father Damien was a saint simply because of the life he lived in Kalawao. Everything I've read, indicates that his presence there led many to believe in God.

COMFORT (In Midwest Book Review)

In an industry where books published by the New York houses get the lion's share of the attention, it's a comfort to know that Midwest Book Review is looking out for the small presses.

Their review of Comfort popped up on Amazon last week and I just now noticed. You can read it at the Midwest Book Review site.

Their reviews are brief introductions and sometimes an opinion as well. In this case the opinion offered was as follows.

"Comfort" is a moving story of one girl trying to overcome her ailments to better her life.

In other Comfort news, the American Library Association is meeting in Chicago as we speak. If I'm not mistaken, the Notable Children's Book Committee discussed my book a few days ago. With a little luck it remains on the table where it meets the competition of fall titles added to the list. (I'm not exactly sure how this all works but I did sit in on one book discussion a few years ago so I have a vague idea.)

IN APPRECIATION OF COWS

Perhaps, if I'd known that yesterday was National Cow Appreciation day, I would have blogged about it. The thing is I need someone to tell me these things.

So, 4 of my grands came by last night to inform me. Seems they were on their way home from Chick-fil-A where they enjoyed free meals for coming as cows.

It just so happens that I am especially fond of cows right now. I did not expect this when I started writing a book about a 1940's mental hospital. But then I had no idea that mental hospitals provided so much of their own food through full working farms. (with much hard work from their patients!)

To be honest, a cow has always been just that, to me. A cow.

But I have friends who are avid dairy farmers. And my father worked on a large dairy operation in the forties. Very helpful in terms of my 1942 story! This, dear reader, is the working definition of an expert. Someone who knows the itty bitty details of how cows were milked some sixty-odd years ago.

And also someone like my dairy farming friend who once said to me, "You know, cow manure smells good."

"Uh. Okay."

I am thrilled to ask questions of experts who don't simply know cows. They actually love them! And to be honest I am starting to become especially fond of bovines myself.

Why else would I have this photo as the background on my desktop?
The cows my daddy milked in the 1940's.

P.S. A little more research shows that various people appreciate cows on different days of the month of July. It appears that July 18 is actually the most commonly accepted day for Cow Appreciation. Ha! Wouldn't you know - it's my birthday! And not only mine. But my dad's as well.

NEW BLOG HEADER (Thanks to Nathan & Johnna)

See that new blog header? It's the combined work of Nathan Clement and Johnna Bockover. Nathan is designing a new website for me and the image here gives you a clue as to what it might look like.

Johnna took Nathan's image and reworked it a bit for the sake of the blog.

Don't forget that Johnna is hosting a photography contest which gives you a chance to win $ 2000.00! (or a mighty fine camera!) Proceeds benefit Star Shooter, a non-profit that provides photography workshops for hurting children.
Go enter that contest. And while you are at it, save this logo and post it on your blog along with a few links to Johnna and Star Shooter!

HOW'D HE DO THAT? (Reading Nathan Clement's Blog)

In this School Library Journal article, Diantha McBride (a librarian) tells children's publishers a thing or two - things she'd like them to do differently with children's books.

Her list includes 10 thought provoking points. A few of those items are # 1 - Bulk up those bindings, # 2 - Better editing, # 3 - Give that cover a makeover and #4 - Where's the art information?

So let's just focus on #4 for a moment. McBride says that out of 100 picture books she examined, only about 20 gave info about how the art was created. She says she's always teaching students how illustrators work. She'd like a little help from the illustrators and publishers with that.

Unfortunately, Nathan Clement (and the quietly impressive Front Street Books) do not include such info in his recent picture book, DRIVE. I wish they had because I'm fascinated with the graphic art employed there.

How'd he do that?

According to Booklist, "the artwork features clean lines, even shading and strong compositions".

The good news is, Clement does reveal some of his art processes at his blog. I've been watching him for a few months now and am enjoying little peeks at how he's building a new portfolio.

Please note as you peruse his Stickman Studio website that Clement already has a healthy list of illustration credits.

Drive, by the way, received starred reviews in both School Library Journal and Kirkus!

CHAINS (Just in Time for Independence Day!)

I wasn't intentional about reading CHAINS during the week of July 4th. I read it because it was right there within easy reach at the local library. Because it is historical fiction. And because I know how Laurie Halse Anderson writes!

Indeed.

What an astute move on Laurie's part to tell a slavery story that takes place in 1776 - right there in New York City where Loyalists and Patriots were duking it out over the colonies' desire to be free from England.

Isabel is supposed to be freed upon her owner's death but the owner's greedy relative snatches her and little sister Ruth up and sells them. However, Isabel's knowledge of her intended freedom and her own belief in the right of all people to be free, do not allow her to ever be fully enslaved.

She works for her viscious new Madam because she must. But when she meets another slave - a boy who works for the Patriot's cause, she finds herself in a position to work against her Madam and the Loyalists. The risks she takes lead her into deep trouble.

But it's possible that risk-taking ultimately leads to her independence.

Of course we do not know for sure what happens to Isabel. We will have to wait for January 2010 to read the rest of her story in FORGE, a sequel.

First line of Chains: The best time to talk to ghosts is just before the sun comes up.

Chains won the Scott O'Dell Award 2009 and was a 2008 National Book Award finalist. Laurie won the Margaret A. Edwards award for lifetime acheivement in young adult literature.

Huzzah! Huzzah!

Here's to the freedom of all people everywhere. And freedom from our own chains which we unwittingly cling to because we're afraid to take risks.