The Value of Time to Think

So far, my summer has been a whirlwind. Teacher's summer: taking care of the million things that you didn't have time for during the school year.

Aside from a plethora of doctor's appointments, errands, chores, cleaning and such, I am immersing myself in writing this summer.

I am taking an online course from the Children's Book Academy called The Craft and Business of Writing Children's Picture Books. A week in, I am finding it very helpful, especially the small critique group within the course.

But I am also finding that simply having time to think is what I have needed. I've read a number of quotes and memes about writers writing in their heads at all times, no matter if they are taking out the trash or soaking up sun on a beach. I can see truth in those quotes and memes.

More importantly, I think time to be and to think without dashing, harried, from one must-do to the next loosens up the brain and (after some decompression time) lets the creative thoughts begin to flow.

My brain loosened up enough to make a decision on a topic that was bothering me: where to go next with my writing. The picture book market today is dominated by (very) short, quirky, fun books that each have a unique flavor or selling point to them, whether that is the structure of the book, the memorability of the character or the concept or art.

I don't have a manuscript like that. I don't have a concept like that (yet). Moreover, as a teacher, I am drawn to, and need in our classrooms, longer picture books that may deal with some deeper topics and issues.

Do I spend the next few weeks coming up with and working on a short, quirky, fun concept? Or do I keep working on the manuscripts that I have already started even though they don't match the majority of today's picture book market? One manuscript is about ready to send back in. Another I have started is a more introspective character driven story. Another that is ready for a critique group is a quieter tale with repetitive language.

Decision: Since these are stories I can't get out of my head, I devote time to them right now.

There's plenty of time for that short, quirky, fun concept after that. The beach sounds good . . .

Sounded Like A Good Idea At The Time

I need to cut words from my picture book. I don't mean a few words here and there. I mean like a quarter of the book.

Here is what this makes me feel like:

Learning

I am thrilled (and a little nervous) to be attending a five week online course, The Craft & Business of Writing Children's Picture Books from The Children's Book Academy starting next Monday, June 29th.

Dr. Mira Reisberg and the team were gracious enough to give me a scholarship, without which I would never have been able to attend. The course has gotten great reviews from past students, so I am really looking forward to soaking up all it has to offer.

I especially hope to get some help revising the manuscript I submitted to Lee & Low Books' New Voices Award as per editorial comments. I've been feeling stuck with how to proceed, so it will be great to get some feedback on my attempts.

Here's to learning!

...and add a whole bunch more words but keep your word count low."

I really do want one of these.

I promise not to do this. Kind of.

April is National Poetry Month!

I love poetry. Reading it, writing it, sharing it. Poetry is freedom. Painting with words.

Phillip Shabazz came to work with our 4th grade classes this past week on poetry. My favorite things I learned at school last week? Lunes! Mr. Shabazz came to our school to work with our 4th graders all week on  poetry. I had never heard of lunes before, but he taught us.

Lune: three line poem with eleven words.
1st line: 3 words
2nd line: 5 words
3rd line: 3 words
3/5/3
The lune has a title, a color and an action verb.

One of Mr. Shabazz's lunes:

Breakfast 

Scrambled eggs, veggie

sausage, biscuits and gravy, sip

orange juice, good.

Another of Mr. Shabazz's lunes: 

Hard

Means trying to

bite my green apple with 

a loose tooth.

And yet another:

Insect

Red ladybug lands

on my warm pumpkin pie;

she wants dessert.

My lunes: 

Spring

Redbud blooms lacy

pink smoke over new green.

Spring floats in.

Peaches

Sweet, yellow, cool,

exploding juicy in my mouth.

Drips sticky down.

Try it! It's fun!

This was my March

Wow, March was a busy month! All good things and much appreciated things, but busy.

On the 23rd, I received UNC's 2015 Diversity Award in the Communities category for my work in  my school and district getting more diverse books in our library and educating about appropriate American Indian books, as well as my work with the NC State Advisory Council to create new Culturally Responsive Instructional Resource pages online and advocating for reading of diverse books on this blog.

UNC 2015 Diversity Award recipients with university biggies

I got to hug the chancellor and eat fancy-schmancy, delicious finger foods at the reception. The chancellor is in the front row in the pic, wearing the skirt and jacket. I'm in the back row, second from left. I also knocked over my award right in front of the microphone as I gave my thanks, which I'm sure woke up anyone who had drifted off.


On the 27th, I spoke at the 2015 Native Leadership Symposium as the North Carolina Native Leader Spotlight speaker. The symposium is organized by UNC's First Nations Graduate Circle and holy cow, they do an excellent job! The theme this year was Representation and Empowerment in Indian Country. A huge squeeeee from the symposium? I got to meet and talk with Dr. Adrienne Keene of the ultra fabulous Native Appropriatons blog! Her keynote speech rocked - intelligent and thoughtful commentary on cultural appropriation. I was a little star struck.

Squeeee!

I spoke on action leadership - leadership by taking actions to make meaningful change, specifically using your passions/interests as a springboard to meaningful change in Indian country.

I was completely and fully honored to be asked to speak at this well-organized and thought-provoking event. It was a little nerve-wracking speaking about myself (when I present, it's usually in the form of giving resources or talking about a concept or end result), but I am so grateful to have had this opportunity. What a great experience!

My honor gifts - handmade pottery turtle and tobacco

The next day, I had a great time presenting the North Carolina State Advisory Council's new Culturally Responsive Instructional Resource pages to a group of about 20 teachers at a workshop, "An Indigenous People's History of the United States" at the North Carolina Museum of History. I absolutely love giving teachers resources they want and need - and are specifically there to get! 

The next week, during my spring break, I presented those same resources to teachers for three days at the Collaborative Conference on Student Achievement in Greensboro, North Carolina. This conference is a big, huge, hairy teaching conference deal. I'm not sure how many teachers, administrators and other education people were there, but it felt and looked like thousands (at the conference, not in my sessions, thank goodness!).  Although . . . would I like thousands of teachers and administrators to know about those new webpages? Yes, yes, I would. Yep.

Have I mentioned the North Carolina State Advisory Council's new Culturally Responsive Instructional Resource pages enough? Spread the word! Use and enjoy.

Wow, March was a busy month! All good. 

Update on 2015 Diverse Reading Challenge

In December I posted my Cry to the Captain with a challenge to myself to choose and read more specifically targeted diverse books.

I started the year off with some great books by Asian authors about Asian cultures. I read Gail Tsukiyama's Women of the Silk and posted about how much I loved it and how it opened my eyes. I loved her writing and learning about China in that time period so much that I read the sequel, The Language of Threads. It was fabulous. I loved it in that way that you like the second book you read by a previously unread author just a teeny bit less than the first one that blew you away not just because of the writing and character development, but because you had never heard of the events written about.

I also read Lisa See's Shanghai Girls about two sisters in 1930s, 40s China and coming to America. Again, so many culture things I didn't know and was fascinated to read about. Coddled as it sounds, I had never considered or learned about the impact of Japan on China in that time (or the reverse). And the relationship See writes about between the two sisters, sometimes loving, sometimes fraught, but inextricably bound together, is probably true of sisters across time and across the globe.

Gail Tsukiyama's Street of a Thousand Blossoms will finish up my reading (for now) of books about Asian culture and heritage by an author of Asian heritage. I have just barely started it, but am looking forward to reading another of Tsukiyama's fine novels.

Many thanks to my adult reading buddies, Hannah and Carolyn, for their recommendation and book talks to me about these great books and for lending me their copies!  Because of you, I was able to read not just the 2 books by Asian authors I had set out for myself, but 4! And learned a lot along the way.


I'd love suggestions for books that take place in Africa by an African author or books about Mexican culture by a Mexican author. The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is thick, but it won't last forever! What great book that inundates us in African or Mexican culture can I read next?

On Selecting Beta Readers . . .

This week, I'd like to direct you to an excellent article by Debbie Reese, of American Indians in Children's Literature. If you are not familiar with this blog, please do take some time to browse. There are TONS of helpful resources and insights for writers.

But today's post, Dear Writers and Editors: Some Cautions About Selecting Beta Readers, deals specifically with the thought process behind selecting beta readers. Please do read it.

In her post, Debbie links to Walk Softly and Listen Carefully, a publication from the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Montana State University's Center for Native Health Partnerships. I had not heard of this publication before, but it is a great overview for mindset when working with Native Nations.

Much good food for thought on this sunny Sunday.

Dance Fan by Kara Stewart, Art in Photography