I just found this short video that Oprah recently did on Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, the subject of my manuscript ONE IS ENOUGH. I’ve been working on this story, in some form, since I first heard about it in 2005, and I still find it inspiring. I hope you will, too.
If you’d like to read more about Emmanuel and his mission or find out how you can help, please visit his foundation’s web page here.
You can also read about him:
in this book
or this documentary.
Still trying to come up with some resolutions for the new year? Or would you prefer having one or two that are more pleasure than pain? Well, in the spirit of
…I’ve got just the thing for you!
Read more nonfiction for kids!
There are two challenges out there right now to help you do just that… and share the fruits of your labor with like-minded peeps around the world.
First, Kid Lit Frenzy and The Nonfiction Detecetives have teamed up to offer the The Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2012. Their goal is to encourage everyone to read more nonfiction picture books this year. All you have to do is set a goal for yourself (like reading one nonfiction picture book each week or each month). You can visit both the Kid Lit Frenzy and The Nonfiction Detecetives blogs throughout the year for nonfiction reviews and giveaways, tweet about the challenge using the hashtag #nfpb2012, and add the Non-Fiction Picture Book badge to your web site.
Second, Ms. Houghton’s Class challenges us to read the Sibert Medal winners and honorees here. This has been on my to-do list for awhile, so thank you Ms. Houghton for giving me that extra push. I’m in! She has the complete list in her post, OR you can find the official list of past winners here and current winners here. New winners for 2012 will be announced 1/23/2012 (search for #alayma on Twitter). You can also keep track of this challenge on Twitter by searching for #nerdibert.
I’m doing both, along with my other New Year’s Resolutions, which are to read more adult nonfiction and keep better track of all of these books in a reading log. I hope you’ll join me!
UPDATE: I made a Google docs spreadsheet with all the info for the Sibert books. Feel free to download it from here and use it to track your progress!
I have a confession to make. I’ve never been much of a journaler, my creativity has always been bursty, and I have never in my life had anything resembling a daily writing habit.
But I really need one.
“Need” is the right word, too. I almost wrote “should,” but that isn’t quite correct. It’s 1:30 p.m., and I’ve accomplished next to nothing so far today. I’ve been procrastinating, surfing, organizing, cleaning… but not one thing that actually gets me closer to my goals. I have a whole bunch of things I “should” be doing, revisions and research. That’s not the problem. The problem is more that I’m in a sort of funk, and none of those “should” tasks appeal to me right now. This slump I’m in, I think is because I’ve lost contact with my creative self. I’ve let the inner editor have too much to do, too much to say lately. Yes, I’ve needed it for the revisions I’ve been working on, but it got too much practice, while my creative side withered.
I haven’t written anything brand new, aside from a few blog posts here, for almost six months. Blog posts are good, I guess. I get to create, write, practice–and it serves a useful purpose, too (I hope!). A nice win-win.
But, writing something for public consumption is not the same as freewriting, practice, PLAY. I’ve been reading HOW TO BE A WRITER by Barbara Baig and the first thing she addresses is this need to free ourselves from expectation and play with writing, without fear of anyone else seeing the results. I’ve been seeing this advice show up in various snippets here and there from various wise people for the past few weeks. The universe is sending me signals, but I’ve been trying hard to overlook them to focus instead on the “should“s, the concrete to-do list, the goal-oriented approach to achieving my dreams.
I’m a logical person. I write nonfiction. I make lists. I set goals, and break them down, and work towards them. This is all good and useful… to a point.
But sometimes, the well runs dry. I need to rest. I need to read. I NEED to create. That, after all, is the end goal. So, it’s time to listen to the universe.
You, dear revisions, will just have to wait. I’m currently busy with much less important things.
Author Jean Reidy’s new picture book, LIGHT UP THE NIGHT (Hyperion, October 2011) was inspired by her connections to Uganda and its children, many of whom have been displace due to past civil war or orphaned by AIDS. To celebrate the release of the book and honor those children, she is holding an online auction to benefit literacy in Africa and a library at Musana Children’s Home in Iganga, Uganda.
There are all kinds of great items available including:
Find out how it all works and start placing your bids here. But hurry! The auction ends November 18, 2011.
For many writers, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a month-long commitment to creativity wherein writers turn off their inner critics and pound out a complete 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I’ve seen the results, and it’s nothing short of amazing. A self-imposed deadline can be very motivating, especially when shared with others!
Alas, how could picture-book writers join in the fun and enthusiasm? I suppose you could try to hammer out 100 500-word picture books in a month, but writing 100 different stories, even if they’re short, is a very different beast than writing just one long one. It may not take long to write the first draft of a picture book, but it can take a very long time to find one really great picture-book idea (and we won’t even talk about revisions!).
Last February, I participated in a month-long picture-book writing marathon, where we challenged ourselves to write 26 picture books in 28 days, and it was a fantastic experience. In fact, two manuscripts from that experience are very close to being final drafts ready for submission. Of course, that means there were 24 that weren’t so great, ranging from “might be worth working on” to “total stinkers” (lots more in that category, to be sure), but still, I feel it was well worth the time–and a ton of fun!
Perhaps an even better idea, and certainly less intimidating now that I’ve done the picture-book marathon, is Tara Lazar’s Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo). Sign up starts today, right here!
If you’ve ever even thought about writing picture books, I urge you to try this challenge! So far, almost 300 people have signed up, so there will be camaraderie. Tara will feature daily inspiration and guest bloggers to help keep us going. And, as if that wasn’t enough, there will be PRIZES: signed books, picture-book manuscript critiques, original art by picture-book illustrators, book jewelry, hand-made journals, vintage children’s books, and feedback from one of three literary agents!
I’ll hope you’ll join me, Tara, and hundreds of other picture books writers for this year’s PiBoIdMo. Please let me know in the comments if you’re participating!
Some people think nonfiction is dry and boring. How can facts be fun, right? WRONG! Humor in nonfiction not only gets and keeps readers engaged, it can also help them retain the information longer. My fellow writers of nonfiction for kids (on the NFforKids Yahoo group and on Twitter) and I have put together a list of our favorite FUNNY nonfiction titles for kids. Here’s what we came up with, in no particular order:
This is just a sampling of our favorites. Do you have any to add? Please let us know in the comments!
I found it interesting that often the humor is primarily in the illustrations, with the text playing it fairly straight. In fact, in many cases it’s only the juxtaposition of the two that tickles your funny bone. In others, the humor is mild (a smile rather than a belly laugh) or is just hinted at rather than being an explicit joke. Sometimes, the topic itself is pretty funny, but the text is fairly serious. Given how much kids love to read humor, I wonder if that’s all just coincidence, or if humor just isn’t as tolerated in nonfiction texts, or maybe nonfiction writers just don’t have a sense of humor (I’m sure not buying that last one!). Thoughts?
I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ve been selected to serve as a judge in the nonfiction picture book (NFPB) category of the 2011 CYBILS (Children’s and Young Adult Blogger’s Literary Awards)!
I write nonfiction picture books, so I read a lot of nonfiction picture books. Now, I get to help recognize the best of the best. Nominations have opened, titles are rolling in, and I’ve already started reading. You can see what has been nominated here, and you can add your own nomination here. I’m not sure I’ll get much writing done in October, but it will be an epic month of great reading, I’m sure! Stay tuned for reviews of nominated titles.
Today, I took part in the Rally for Girls’ Education by standing up for girls! Did you know that two thirds of the world’s illiterate people are women? Don’t you think every girl has the right to read and write words that will change her, and to write and tell stories to change the world? I do! Here’s me standing up at noon today:
To find out more, visit LitWorld’s web page, and be sure to read this compelling article from the Huffington Post:
It has been demonstrated over and over again that women’s wisdom feeds families and communities and environments, making them healthier, stronger, more resilient and less tendentious. Educated women live longer, earn more and have healthier, better educated children. It seems a no-brainer: investing in women and women-to-be is one of the most efficient expenditures possible.
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Tomorrow is a big day. First, my son will be having his first soccer game of the season with his brand new team. Go Eagles! |
| At the same time, I’ll be walking with my daughter in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. (If you’re so inclined, there’s still time to support me here!) We’re honored and excited to be a part of Team Teri Atteberry and looking forward to an inspirational morning in the late summer sun. |  |
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Then, we’re rushing back across the water to go to TEDxRedmond all afternoon. I love listening to the real TED talks on http://www.ted.com/. But imagine my surprise and delight when I learned about TEDxRedmond–a TEDx event organized by youth, for youth–right in my backyard! How had I not heard about this before? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to attend this year. |
From their web page:
After speaking at the annual TED conference in Long Beach, CA, in 2010, 12-year-old teacher, speaker, and author Adora Svitak wanted to bring a TED-like experience home to Redmond, WA.
And she’s done it! I’m thrilled to be one of the supporters of this year’s TEDxRedmond, and I’m looking forward to meeting this young dynamo. Check out her TED speech:
Here’s a list of all the speakers joining Adora at TEDxRedmond 2011. I can’t wait to hear what these young people have to say!
Finally, the whole family is meeting up with friends, including one visiting from afar for the first time in years, for dinner. It’s hard to imagine a fuller, or more rewarding, day. I just hope I have some energy left to tell you about it afterwards!
