Opportunity for a Scholarship to Attend the Annual SCBWI Conference . . .

::::: fAiRy gOdSiStErS iNk ::::: anounces
Our 6th Annual SCBWI Conference Scholarship!

Fairy Godsisters:  Robin LaFevers, Thalia Chalta, Valerie Hobbs, Lee Wardlaw and Mary Hershey

wHo can apply: YOU with your shiny SCBWI membership (Make haste to www.scbwi.org to join/renew if needed)

wHaT: $1,000.00 toward conference tuition, manuscript or portfolio critique, and a bit of mad money during your LA stay.

wHeN: Conference runs from August 2 -5, 2013

wHeRe: The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles CA

wHy: We are five very fortunate authors for children and young adults who have been generously mentored, guided and supported by a host of talented individuals. We can't think of a better way to thank them than by easing the way for others. The National Conference is a game-changer.

hOw: To enter, write at least one but no more than three haiku telling us why we should pick you for this year's conference. (A haiku is a three-line poem, featuring a total of 17 syllables: 5 in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 again in the third.) Have some fun with this!

Email your entry to fairygodsistersink@gmail.com by April 15th. Winners will be announced on May 1st. Questions, just ask!

Please feel free to share this info with your SCBWI buddies everywhere.

Best of luck to you all!

THE NAKED POST

What does "NAKED" have to do with writing for children?

Apparently, a lot . .

1.  Let's start with Robin LaFever's post, "Embrace the Naked" for Writer Unboxed. 

Here's a peek from her excellent essay:  "Writing is about being brave, taking risks, accepting and embracing our essential humanness; it is not about being comfortable or safe or a way to stay invisible.  Accept that."

Robin Lafevers

  
2.  While you're reading Robin's wise words, enjoy a few handfuls of BEAR NAKED GRANOLA.  Seriously, this stuff is delicious!

Bear Naked Granola

3.  Check out this kerfuffle as Maurice Sendak tells Martha Stewart how IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN shocked people because of the illustration of a naked boy.  Seriously?!

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

4.  There's more NAKED news in the world of children's books.

Michael Ian Black teams up with Debbie Ridpath Ohi for a new picture book called:  NAKED!  It tells the story of a young boy who refuses to wear clothes after his bath.  You can read more about it here. 

Why is this exciting news?  Have you read their recent collaboration, I'M BORED?  If not, I'll wait.



Done yet? 

It's great, right?  How could it be bad when it involves a potato, a girl and a flamingo? 

Simply brilliant!

I'M BORED BY MICHAEL IAN BLACK, ILLUSTRATED BY DEBBIE RIDPATH OHI

Debbie Ridpath Ohi created one of the first e-zines for writers in early '95.  I wrote for her e-zine, INKSPOT, about creating greeting cards.  I connected with the awesome Lee Wardlaw, who was writing for INKSPOT about writing for children.

It's with great pleasure that I watched Debbie's career morph into one of a successful illustrator of picture books, thanks in part to opportunities provided by S.C.B.W.I.  (Yay, S.C.B.W.I.!)

5.   Too much NAKED talk?  Do you want to wash your hands of it all?

Go right ahead . . .  with NAKED LADY NATURAL SOAPS, a great local company that has a fascinating story about how they began in their kitchen with a science project. 

NAKED LADY -- Lavender Mint Oatmeal -- my favorite

Four Things on a Friday . . .

1.  A million bazillion years ago, I worked as an editor at a greeting card company near Philadelphia, so I had my eye on several cartoonists.  (It was a very painful condition for my eye.)

My favorite cartoonist then and now is Mark Parisi of Off the Mark.  He has over 7,000 cartoons.  If you don't want to look at all 7,000, this one is my favorite.

2.  The president.  Now, I know the president is usually doing serious stuff, like running the country and dealing with other people running other countries, but sometimes he takes a break to do something really nice, like read Where the Wild Things Are to a bunch of kids.  He makes the best faces, hand gestures and roaring/gnashing sounds.  (Even his dog seemed interested.)

  

3.  Katie Davis is the Queen of Awesome.  As if creating a weekly podcast about children's books (Brain Burps About Books) were not enough, she's celebrating National Poetry Month by hosting a different poet each day on her bloggity blog. 

There's a mecca of poets over on Katie's blog:  Jane Yolen, Lee Wardlaw, Bobbi Katz, Marilyn Singer, Laura Purdie Salas, Gail Carson Levine and many more.  You'll find advice, samples, tips, a podcast, video and much more.

Check out Alan Katz's super fun video:

4.  Finally, if Corey Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, wasn't your hero before, he's everyone's hero now.  He rescued a woman from her home, which was engulfed in flames.  (By the way, he was my hero before!)

Have a most wonderful weekend!

And the Winner Is . . .

Thanks again to the awesome, pawsome Lee Wardlaw for her inspiring guest blog post -- 6-1/2 Things I Learned from My Cat About Writing Haiku.

Author, Lee Wardlaw

Lee generously offered to give away an autographed copy of her new book, WON TON: A CAT TALE TOLD IN HAIKU. It's received multiple starred reviews! (Lee's also giving away a catnip mousie.)

Random Number Generator has chosen our lucky winner from those who commented on Lee's post. Congratulations to KRISTINE!!! (Kristine, contact me at dgep(at)hotmail(dot)com by Sunday or an alternate winner will be chosen.)

Thanks to Lee for her great post and to those who entered the contest!

(Addendum: Because Kristine did not contact me by Sunday, an alternate winner was selected. PFMJUP will receive an autographed copy of Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku, as well as a catnip mouse. Congratulations, PFMJUP!)

Poetry, Prizes and a PURRfect 6-1/2 List from Author Lee Wardlaw

Acclaimed author, Lee Wardlaw, has not only created a PURRfect post to celebrate National Poetry Month, she's also offered the most unusual item I've ever given away on my blog. (Scroll down to enter contest.)

6-1/2 Things I Learned from My Cat

About Writing Haiku

by Lee Wardlaw

1. There is no yesterday; there is no tomorrow.

There is only you, scratching under my chin,

now.

The best haiku poems emerge from a right-this-minute experience. Use present tense to heighten immediacy – especially if writing from memory. Avoid creating haiku out of your imagination; they will lack authenticity.

2. When poised at a hole, remain still – and use your ears, eyes, nose, whiskers and mouth to detect a lurking gopher.

Observation is crucial to good haiku. Quiet your mind and use all five (or more!) senses to absorb the moment.

3. Be patient – then pounce!

Your haiku should capture a moment in time, revealing a surprise or evoking an ‘a-ha!’ or ‘ahh’. This pounce helps the reader awaken; to experience the ordinary in an extraordinary way.

4. Most felines have18 toes – unless we’re polydactyl; then we might have 20…or 22…or even 28!

Traditional Japanese haiku features a total of seventeen beats: five in the first line, seven in the second, five again in the third. The 5-7-5 rule does not apply to American haiku because 17 English phonetic syllables conveys way more information than needed – and can sound awkward or forced. So don’t worry if your haiku turns out 2-3-2 or 5-6-4. What’s more important is the essence of your chosen moment.

5. When I’m out, I want in; when I’m in, I want out. Mostly, I want out. That’s where the rats, gophers, lizards, snakes, bugs and birds are.

Traditional haiku features themes of nature. Try to use a kigo (season) word to hint at the weather or time of year.

6. What part of ‘meow’ don’t you understand?

If you tease a cat, it won’t bother to meow – it will bite or scratch. It shows its annoyance

rather than tells. Your haiku should not

explain; instead, it will illustrate a meaning

or feeling through a vivid image.

6 1/2. When in doubt, nap. Take time to revise and hone your haiku. If you grow weary, well, there’s always that comfy looking couch…

AUTHOR, LEE WARDLAW

Lee Wardlaw claims her first spoken word was ‘kitty’. Since then, she's shared her life with more than two-dozen cats and published more than two-dozen, award-winning books for young readers, including 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents (Sidenote: Our oldest son loved this novel so much that he read it at least a dozen times!), 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher, Punia and the King of Sharks, Saturday Night Jamboree and Seventh-Grade Weirdo.

Her newest book, Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku (Holt), illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, tells the story of a wary shelter cat and the boy who adopts him. Won Ton has received starred reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal and Kirkus, and was praised by the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and the Washington Post. Publisher’s Weekly called it “…a surprisingly powerful story in verse.” (To win an autographed copy of Won Ton and a special kitty surprise, scroll down.)

Lee received her B.A. in Education from Cal Poly, SLO, and taught for five years before choosing to write full-time. She recently graduated from the Montessori Institute of San Diego with an AMI Primary diploma, and will earn her M.Ed. from Loyola University, Maryland, in 2012. Lee has 30+ years experience working with children of all ages; her schools visits, presentations and workshops are lively, interactive and popular with students, teachers, librarians, parents and writers.

Lee lives in Santa Barbara, CA, with her husband, Craig Jaffurs; their teenage son, Patterson; and three former shelter cats: Papaya, Koloa and Mai Tai (whose story inspired Won Ton). Look for 101 Ways to Bug Your Friends and Enemies (Dial/Penguin), coming in September 2011.

To learn more about Lee and her books, visit: http://www.leewardlaw.com

Enter to win an autographed copy of Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku and a catnip mousie by clicking the "follow" link to the right and leaving a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random Friday, April 29th. Good luck!

Thanks, Lee, for helping us celebrate National Poetry Month with your words of wisdom about writing haiku and for your fun prize offerings!