A Reading At The English Bookstore

Hey, just to let you know, I'll read a few of my poems this Thursday night, 7:30 pm at the English Bookstore, Plöck 93 in Heidelberg. I'm participating as part of the Heidelberg Writers Group -- a group for English-language writers and poets. If you live nearby, come and join us!

Also, one of my poems, "Hyena Ridge," is out this month in Cicada Magazine for teens. Yay! You won't find my poem in the online version, though, just the print one. Have any of you had good news lately -- writing-related or otherwise?

I Had To Say Something

In the online catalog of latest titles for Anno Domini -- if you click on the link and scroll down, you'll find my picture book, "The Gift," illustrated by Tommaso d'Incalci. They're selling it this season at the Frankfurt Book Fair!

The Sembach Group

Laurie, Angela, and Chris at The Alte Schmiede Restaurant

Angela, Chris, Norma, and I meet monthly to talk about writing, critique manuscripts, share a meal, and catch up on each other's lives. These women have helped keep me sane since I moved away from my extensive network of friends and fellow writers in Oregon four years ago! Two of the original members, Sondy and Marta, have returned to the US, but we keep in touch via email and blogs.

See Angela's blog for more news of our group. Between us, we write young adult and mid-grade novels, picture books, poetry, humor and travel essays, science fiction, and more. Something for everyone.

*Photo courtesy of Angela Cerrito

Bologna Writer's Panel

I promised to write more about Bologna (oh, only a week or two or three ago!)-- so rooted around in my notebook to find stuff to pass on.

The second day there, I attended a writer's panel. A few ideas that were mentioned:

As a reader, I love -- prose like music; a sense of yearning; writing that casts a spell so strong, I forget I'm reading; caring deeply about the character and any adversity they encounter.
--Susan Fletcher

We are truth-tellers. That's our job.

Young adults will read a book five or ten times. They're searching for connections, for places to help them choose, find direction.
--Susanne Gervay

Don't describe what people will assume. Describe what they won't assume.

I think that writing is almost a vocation.
--Kathleen Duey

Writing Assignment

My Gotham writing assignment this week is on "pacing" --

Let's compress and expand time in words. Pick a moment in your childhood that was either especially funny or suspenseful. First, tell about the moment in one sentence. Then, slow time down and describe the moment in detail. But try to keep it under 500 words.

I think I'll write about the evening a lady kept telephoning my father, over and over, asking how to treat a neck wound. She was truly convinced that a vampire had bitten her. Dad told her, "make sure to clean and ice it."

One thing that impresses me, looking back--Dad treated her with respect, even though we (kids) were probably chortling in the background. I don't know what the woman's problem really was, but he asked questions to find out if she needed medical attention and didn't belittle her. The mark of a good doctor, in my opinion..

Editorial Anonymous

I've added a new link on the right to Editorial Anonymous: A Blog Of A Children's Book Editor. Lots of good questions and answers about the kid's book business. Take a look. You can even email him/her questions.

Why Do We Write?

Our discussion question this week from the Writer's Center: Why do you write?

My answer:
I write because I like words. I like putting them together. I enjoy their sounds.
And it’s amazing to see a poem or story emerge that I never knew was inside. Sometimes writing helps crystallize a moment in time.
I write to understand, to “make sense of life,” as Nadine Gordimer says. To try and figure out how I feel and think about spiders, people, God, spaghetti, and anything else. Somehow the act of writing taps deep inside and accesses those thoughts and emotions.
I write to have a voice. So many people want to talk loudly, all at once. Maybe it’s easier for me to speak through writing.
I write because I love reading the writing of others -- books and essays and poetry and stories. And I hope to give at least give a little of the same.
Good question!

Gotham Writers Center

This is week four of a class--Children's Book Writing--I'm taking through the Gotham Writers' Workshop, based in New York. They offer both in-person and online classes . So far, so good. This motivates me to write every day and to try some new ideas. Nora Raleigh Baskin teaches the class I'm in at the moment.

The Waiting Game

Well, I'm feeling productive. Got a themed collection of thirty-five Africa poems off in the mail yesterday to a children's/young adult publishing house. Now, I'll wait a long time for their reply. Also, I have two children's picture book stories out at a different publishers, along with several poems submitted to Weavings journal.

Time to figure out what to focus on now. Should I work on chapter 3 of a young adult novel I started awhile back? Or pick up the thread of an old picture book that needs reworking? I could send out a few completed essays that came back with a "no..."last month. Choices, choices.

Writing Retreat

I'm looking forward to tomorrow -- I'll be meeting the other members of my writing group in a little town in the Mosel Valley, about two hours away. One woman is driving from the Netherlands, the other three live in Germany. This is the first time we've taken off and done our own little retreat. Hope it's productive and invigorating! And the weather's been beautiful. A nice hike will be included.