Notes from "Don't Quit Your Day Job" FEB. 18, 2017

On February 18, 2017, the Bear Pond Books Educator Series hosted a working writers' workshop led by Ryan Kriger and Christy Mihaly. It was well-attended with about 25 participants, but in case you missed it, here are some notes:

Christy:

Picture books these days are generally 600 words.

Know what the magazine you’re submitting to is looking for. For example, Highlights doesn’t want any “talking animals.”

“Don’t get obsessed with your one great masterpiece”-- Keep writing as you’re waiting to hear back from editors, etc.

Ryan:

Conferences like SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) can help you find out what is trending and what genres are “passe.”

At these conferences it is worthwhile to pay an agent to pitch your ideas to-- they will usually give you feedback. Many agents are not available to submit work to otherwise.

Writing is not an isolated task-- find your people.

• This will motivate you to get to the writing table.
• Deadlines are great for motivation.
• Writing/critique groups make you a better writer.
• Check out the Burlington Writers' Workshops.

Christy:

When you’re not writing, do other things related to it, like getting yourself into schools. See what they are reading. Spend time reading aloud to a kid.

Ideas/Goals from the audience:

• Check out Book Stock in Woodstock, VT.
• Revise that manuscript in your drawer!
• Find a critique group.
• Read 2 books a month in your genre.
• Find an accountability partner.

Download a PDF of the resources handout here.

Also, Christy wrote about this event in her blog post "To be a Writer, You Need a Community," published at GROG on March 6th. Read it here.

Francisca Goldsmith on Multimodal Literacy & The Alex Awards

A sneak peek into the books that will be discussed at Ready to Launch: a Panel of YA Lit and The Alex Awards on January 28, 2017 at Bear Pond Books:

Seventeenth Summer, by Maureen Daly (originally published 1942, current edition Simon Pulse, 2010)

Imani All Mine, by Connie Rose Porter (Houghton Mifflin, 1999)

Stiff: The curious lives of human cadavers, by Mary Roach (WW Norton, 2003)

My Jim, by Nancy Rawles (Crown, 2005)

My Friend Dahmer, by Derf Backderf (Abrams, 2012)

Bellweather Rhapsody, by Kate Racculia (Houghton Mifflin, 2014)

Those Who Wish Me Dead, by Michael Koryta (Little Brown, 2014)

The Terrorist's Son: A story of choice, by Zak Ebrahim (TED Books, Simon & Schuster, 2014)

The Book of Unknown Americans, by Cristina Henriquez (Vintage, 2014)

The Unraveling of Mercy Lewis, by Keija Parssinen (Harper, 2015)

Says librarian and panelist Francisca Goldsmith:

"There are two themes running through here. First, they represent a range of adult high interest for teen on which the Alex Awards are posited. Second, these specific titles speak to the flexibility of enjoying books, as some of these have been recorded as really excellent audiobooks, others have become movies, and there are fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novel (in this case, nonfiction) among the 10. I'll be talking to both these points."

She will also talk about multimodal literacy, and will note two audiobook initiatives, SoundLearning APA, and AudiobookSYNC, both of which she is deeply involved in developing and coordinating.


Goldsmith is the author of half a dozen professional books including, for this audience's possible interest, The Readers' Advisory Guide to Graphic Novels, which is coming out in its second edition next month (ALA Editions).

What Are The Alex Awards?

The Alex Awards are given annually to ten adult books published in the previous year that have high appeal for readers ages 12-18.  They are named in honor of Margaret “Alex” Edwards, who was a champion of what was in her era the new field of young adult library services.  Selections are made by a committee of nine librarians who spend the year culling recently published books for possibilities, narrowing those down into nominated titles, and analyzing their merit in group discussions. The ten award books and a list of vetted titles are then chosen by vote.  

Why have an award that highlights this niche? Although Young Adult literature has flourished in recent years, there are plenty of teen readers who for a variety of reasons are more drawn toward books published for adults.  There are the readers who read so much that they’ve read practically every YA book so they need more material. Or there are readers who have tired of the YA “problem” novel – the dystopias, the dead or troubled parent -- or teens who don’t want to read (another) 500 page book with a dragon on the cover. They need material that is presented in a different way, even if it might still be full of strife or dragons. And reluctant readers are sometimes drawn toward adult books more than ones written for their age group.  

The Alex Awards are a useful tool for those readers and the parents, teachers, and librarians who help connect them with books. Being an “Alex” means a book has met with hours of critical reading and discussion by librarians who work with youth. Part of the vetting process also often includes asking teen readers to give feedback on the books as a way to ensure that the appeal is not just what adults think teens “should” like.  Because Alex books cover a wide spectrum of genres, formats, topics, and styles, readers with diverse taste are likely to find something on the list that piques their interest. Books with appeal for this age group play an important role in cultivating lifelong readers as school gets more demanding and responsibilities and distractions of adult life threaten to overshadow the rewards of recreational reading.

The Alex Awards kick off the Youth Media Awards each year at the American Library Association Midwinter conference. Full of suspense and oohs and ahs as the announcements lead up to the big reveal of the Newbery Award winner, this event is a must-see for youth literature geeks. Super fun and live-streamed bright and early January 23rd this year.

by Joy Worland

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JANUARY 28, 2017, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm: Join librarians and Alex Awards committee members Joy Worland (Montpelier, Vt.) and Francisca Goldsmith (Portland, Maine), and YA/Middle Grade author Aaron Starmer, for a panel discussion on reviewing books for this award as well as a talk about writing for and expanding the world of literature for teens.

This Bear Pond Books Educator Series event is free and open to the public. Click Here to register.

Aaron Starmer is the author of numerous novels for young readers, including "The Only Ones" and "The Riverman." His newest novel "Spontaneous" (Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2016) is a TIME magazine Top 10 YA & Children's Book of 2016! He lives in Vermont with his wife and daughter.