And on that note, look at this amazing, full-page newspaper ad . . .
Pretty cool, don’t you think?
The group that’s putting on the play, Concrete Temple Theatre, has even started their own website about it, called “The Bystander Project.”
Check it out by clicking insanely . . . here. The idea, from what I can gather, is for this adaptation to travel to other schools, other districts, where students will put on their own versions of the play. Which I think is absolutely brilliant, in terms of using drama to explore these issues in a safe but powerful way. What better way to learn empathy than to stand in the shoes of another character?
Don’t forget to SAVE THAT DATE: November 4, 2011. Maybe I’ll see you there.
Each year I do this event, which features more than 60 amazing children’s book authors and illustrators, and it’s always such a disappointment. For starters, check out some of the people who’ll be there, and you’ll understand why I’m so bummed:
Tony Abbott, Nora Raleigh Baskin, Nick Bruel, Bryan Collier, Katie Davis, Bruce Degen, Jean Craighead George, Charise Mericle Harper, Susan Jeffers, Peter Lerangis, Gail Carson Levine, Carolyn MacCullough, Rafe Martin, Wendy Mass, Matthew McElligott, Helen Perelman, Wendell Minor, Gloria Pinkney, Lizzy Rockwell, Todd Strasser, Mark Teague, Jean Van Leeuwen, Eric Velasquez, Sarah Weeks, Ed Young, and more.
Why so down-in-the-dumps you ask? Because I never get to talk to any of them. I never get a chance to meet the new (to me!) people, like Will Moses (Mary and Her Little Lamb), Lena Roy (Edges), Daniel Kirk (Library Mouse), Peter Brown (You Will Be My Friend!) . . .
. . . and Jerry Davis (Little Chicken’s Big Day). Who are these people? Might they become my new best pals? Um, not likely! Because they are sitting at tables forty feet away, surrounded by happy children, shopping grandparents, and strong-armed educators, hauling bags of books like Sherpa guides.
Best I can do is throw rocks at ’em.
And, oh, hey, look over there, it’s Jean Craighead George. She’s only a freakin’ legend. I can’t throw rocks at Jean Craighead George. She’ll throw them back — and her arm is a bazooka.
Oh, wait. Here’s old friends like Mark Teague and Helen Perelman and Peter Lerangis. Can I talk to any of them? Can we hang out? Maybe shoot the breeze? Commiserate?
Nooooooo. I’m too busy signing books, meeting young readers, gabbing with families, prostrating myself before the cheerful & smiling hordes.
Writing is a solitary business, folks. And it’s frustrating for me to sit there at gorgeous Sunnyside . . .
. . . just feet away from my peerless peers, and never have a free minute to chat with them.
So my dream is for just one year, nobody comes. No book sales, no signings, no musicians, no storytellers, no-bah-dee. Just us authors, finally (finally!) enjoying a few moments when we can hang out and complain about the crappy jobs our publishers do with publicity and marketing. It’s how we bond. We bitch and moan about Kindles.
So this coming Sunday, clean the garage, watch football, wax the car. But if you insist on coming . . . click here for full details.
As always, blue skies are personally guaranteed. It never rains on my parade.
As usual with this blog, the reaction was immediate. Very quickly, nothing happened. I waited a while longer, and nothing happened all over again.
Obviously, it was time for a retraction. I’m sorry, Dolly. Sometimes my inner wiseguy gets the better of me. And yes, that sound you hear is my wife nodding in agreement.
After a comment from a friend-in-reading, I spent a few minutes researching the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. In short, it’s a wonderful charitable work, first launched in 1996, dedicated to bringing books and children together.
Lastly, a confession: I own a few Dolly Parton CDs. I admire when she gets serious about her bluegrass roots, and can easily recommend “Little Sparrow” and “The Grass Is Blue.” Underneath the manufactured pop image, there’s a genuine musician and, I’m sure, a good woman working to make the world a better place. Here’s Dolly singing “Mountain Angel.”
This is a warning, folks. On June 30th at 7:00 PM a rugged band of children’s and YA authors will be gathering at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at Colonie Center in Colonie, NY.
That’s right, it’s time for theSummer Reading Kickoff Bookfair Spectacular . . . celebrating (wait for it) the Dolly Parton Imagination Library! Because when it comes to Dolly, the first two things anyone thinks of are reading and, erm, I forget the second thing.
So, hey, let’s put the focus on reading this summer. Bring your young readers to pick up their free Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Journal to earn a FREE BOOK and the chance to WIN A NOOK COLOR. Authors will be standing by — sitting, hopefully, on cushy chairs, under a tasteful arrangement of palm fronds — happy to autograph books. Any books.
Check out this list of authors I think will be there . . .
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Julia DeVillers * Aimee Ferris * Rose Kent * Jackie Morse Kessler
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Sarah Darer Littman * Eric Luper * James Preller * Jennifer Roy
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Neva Ren Suma * Shari Maurer * Kristen Darbyshire
Honestly, this is an awesome gathering of new voices, talented people. And, um, me, dragging along hoary old Jigsaw Jones, first published 13 years ago and still in second grade. I don’t know many real YA authors — they scare me a little — what? no fuzzy ducks? at all? — and yet I’ll be joining their ranks soon, come Spring 2012, when we crush the world with Before You Go, my first book that includes the word “beer.” Anyway, please join us at Barnes & Noble. Should be a real good time together.
The event kicks off the annual national Summer Reading Program which rewards children, grades K-6, who read any eight books, record them in their free Summer Reading Journal, and bring the completed Journal to any Barnes & Noble store until September 6, 2011 for a FREE BOOK. The evening program is sponsored by the Junior League of Albany, with a portion of sales benefiting the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Why Dolly Parton? Don’t ask; I just work here.
Details: Thursday, June 30, 7:00 PM –> who knows! Where: Colonie Centre, Albany, NY. 518-438-1728.
Exciting events are happening this Saturday at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA, featuring presentations by Tomie dePaola, Diane deGroat, John Gurney, Astrid Sheckels, and more.
Let’s hear our friend Greg Ruth, illustrator of A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade, tell it. This is quoted from Greg’s recent email:
This coming Saturday, June 4 I will be participating in the Children’s Book Festival at the Eric Carle Museum down in yon Amherst, MA. Come on by and join me and other most excellent children’s book artists such as Roc Goudreau, Linda Graves, John Steven Gurney, Bob Marstall, Astrid Sheckles, David White, Diane DeGroat, Ruth Sanderson and Tomie DePaola as we all hold demostrations, panel discussions and engage in a great bit of fun.
I’ll be featuring process work for A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade all day and participating in a panel discussion on the craft of kid’s lit at 2:30pm, and will have books and a limited selection of sketches from the book on hand super cheap to take home. If you’re in the area or able to migrate, please do stop on by and say hello!
