Katherine Grace Bond (who recently got an agent--congratulations!) has put together a terrific writing workshop to raise money for a music program. Here are the details: Call & Response: An All-Day Event for Writers & DreamersSaturday, March 27 from 9:30-4:00 in Monroe, $25! Who: Janet Lee Carey, Margaret D. Smith, Molly Blaisdell, Katherine Grace Bond,... Continue Reading →
David Patneaude launch party
We're all invited to celebrate the publication of EPITAPH ROAD at Dave's launch party.The details: Sunday, March 28 from 4:30 - 8 p.m. at Parkplace Books in Kirkland.Learn more about Dave and the book here.
Liz Gallagher teaching at Pacific Coast Children’s Writers Workshop
Our own Liz Gallagher, author of THE OPPOSITE OF INVISIBLE, has been added to teach teen enrollees at this Santa Cruz, CA workshop.The workshop will be held Aug 20-22 at the Pajaro Dunes private beachfront facilities near Santa Cruz, CA. There are spots for 30 savvy and/or published writers, "active observers," and teen readers and... Continue Reading →
A writer’s manifesto
Shannon Morgan, a middle-grade author, has a great blog called Daily Pie. She recently wrote a manifesto that rang true to me. Here's the start:Yike. Manifesto. Sounds pompous, right? I agree, but manifesto is one word and declaration of intent are three. Efficiency wins.Since I've decided to become a working fiction writer, I want to... Continue Reading →
NCTE Notable books
Here are the selection criteria for this award: Each year, a seven-member committee selected by the Children’s Literature Assembly, an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English, identifies 30 exemplary works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry written for children, grades K-8. To be selected as a Notable Book in the Language Arts, books... Continue Reading →
South-ender looking to carpool
A Tacoma member is interested in finding carpool mates for the monthly meetings remaining in this year. If you're heading up and interested in sharing gas and that long drive, please contact Chellis Swenson at chelj (at) net-venture (dot) com.
Judy Blume, in the thick of things again
This comes from Judy's blog:Key West - they're at it again and this time right in my backyard at the Sugarloaf School, on Sugarloaf Key, about 20 miles from Key West on US 1. That's right -- a parent has challenged Forever, charging that distributing the book to minors is a felony under Florida law... Continue Reading →
6 ways to make your book a page-turner
Some great tips from author/editor Nancy Lamb. Here are the first three:1) Evoke Curiosity Begin your chapter by provoking the reader’s interest. Reveal a secret, generate a plot line, or create a mystery—making sure these elements have consequences further into the story. 2) Never End at Endings Avoid ending a plot line at the end... Continue Reading →
Apply for an arts grant
Thanks to Lois Brandt for sending this info along:King County has a grant project for individual artists, including writers and illustrators. The grant application is due March 10. (Sorry for the late information, I just found out myself.) This is a project-based grant. Writers are required to submit a ten page sample, illustrators are required... Continue Reading →
Our penultimate Professional Series Meeting of the year
Hard to believe, but it's true. Here's who's on deck for the meeting, which happens Tuesday, March 9:Program 1: PLOTTING THE PICTURE BOOK, STEPPING INTO YOUR STORY with Clare H. Meeker. The best picture books combine strong, visual plots with simple, clear language that invites readers to participate in the story. Award-winning picture book author... Continue Reading →