tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post2426277652506281499..comments2024-03-17T12:30:03.009-05:00Comments on Teaching Authors--6 Children's Authors Who Also Teach Writing: BEWARE OF BOOKS! Books that have kidnapped us, a poem for Poetry Friday & a question for youCarmela Martinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15543808551988338496noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-52961022985133145902010-12-16T16:48:10.704-06:002010-12-16T16:48:10.704-06:00Laura, I think we might have been separated at bir...Laura, I think we might have been separated at birth. :)Jeanne Marie Grunwell Fordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12961675083644536636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-35995822415370281302010-12-15T02:02:57.873-06:002010-12-15T02:02:57.873-06:00Thanks for that link, Amy...and for your comments ...Thanks for that link, Amy...and for your comments that you liked seeing the process. I think I'll do that more in the new year.April Halprin Waylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10760393691320267240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-61580346282331376992010-12-14T08:26:12.910-06:002010-12-14T08:26:12.910-06:00Oh, I love those little book feet. They're li...Oh, I love those little book feet. They're like the little cat feet of fog...<br /><br />It is hard to choose books, but Eknath Easwaran's WORDS TO LIVE BY has sustained me since college. Now it's online too. http://www.easwaran.org/thoughts-for-the-day-quotes.html<br /><br />Thank you for sharing your process - it's such a treat to see how writing grows and changes.Amy L Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03830987204619914326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-39432837821234981672010-12-08T12:35:33.749-06:002010-12-08T12:35:33.749-06:00A wonderful and inspiring list, Laura. And I wish...A wonderful and inspiring list, Laura. And I wish I could learn to write as succinctly as you!!!!!<br /><br />Okay. So I'll stop writing this now.<br /><br />xxxApril Halprin Waylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10760393691320267240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-23766617907194090322010-12-08T07:21:10.430-06:002010-12-08T07:21:10.430-06:00Enjoyed seeing both versions of your poem, April!
...Enjoyed seeing both versions of your poem, April!<br /><br />I recently had to come up with childhood books that influenced me. It was supposed to be one most influential book. No way. I could barely narrow it to 10, and even those are each representative of hundreds of others.<br /><br />The Bobbsey Twins taught me that no matter how bad things were, I could escape into a book.<br /><br />Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret taught me to ask endless questions and accept that there aren’t always answers.<br /><br />Where the Red Fern Grows taught me that love is risky, but worth the risk. And that teachers cry, too.<br /><br />From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler taught me to fight for my own worth and create my own adventures. <br /><br />Harriet the Spy taught me that words are powerful and demand careful handling. And, as an adult, that password-protected files are helpful.<br /><br />The Figure in the Shadows taught me the pleasure of one good friend, one (two if you’re lucky) trusted grownup, and one scary book, read alone, at night, curled up in a comfortable chair.<br /><br />A Wrinkle in Time taught me that being different, a “sport,” a misfit, was ok.<br /> <br />Nancy Drew mysteries taught me that adults were often incompetent and teenagers could do anything they set their minds to (especially with a wealthy father and a cool convertible).<br /><br />The Agatha Christie book with a child as the killer taught me that humanness doesn’t start with adulthood. We’ve got it all—the good, the bad, and the ugly—inside us from a very young age.<br /><br />Flowers for Algernon taught me that the most stunning, life-changing books, the ones that stay with you forever, are the ones most likely to be hidden from you in the file cabinet in the home office. They are worth finding.<br /><br />Books didn’t just influence me. They raised me. I might not be able to really pinpoint what one specific book did for me, but I know every one of them kept me afloat. <br /><br />Happy poeming!<br />Lauralaurasalashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13807781795919555208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-34810510103015204992010-12-04T12:46:50.862-06:002010-12-04T12:46:50.862-06:00Thanks, Lyra--great list of books! The Shipping N...Thanks, Lyra--great list of books! The Shipping News made me feel physically cold--brrr!April Halprin Waylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10760393691320267240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-28747089669722541022010-12-03T23:54:39.626-06:002010-12-03T23:54:39.626-06:00Wonderful column. Great poem(s).
I deeply wanted t...Wonderful column. Great poem(s).<br />I deeply wanted to participate in Bookprints, but there's no way to do it without sharing my contacts/friends and other personal info from my Gmail or Facebook accounts. <br /><br />A few of the books that have influenced me over the years: <br />* The Once and Future King, T.H. White), based on the Arthurian legend. White reinterprets it in relation to WWII - and reviewers say he wrote it the way he wanted the world to be. I read it in 5th grade and treasured it. Really liked the title.<br />* Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger. It's a good thing I didn't know what a lech Salinger was because it would have taken away some of the identification and utter enjoyment I got out of reading this in 9th grade. The wry humor - I saw me.<br />* How to Talk Dirty and Influence People, the autobiography of Lenny Bruce. I was 14 and was amazed at his honesty and blunt speaking, and thought he was hilarious and brave. I was influenced by hearing Mom laughing up a storm while she read it late at night...<br />+ He/She/It, Marge Piercy. This woman is a versatile writer - poetry and fiction, I love them both. This was the first semi-science fiction book I liked. Loved the Golom.<br />* Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx. Dense, hard to get into, but the payoff was huge for me. <br />* Caught Inside, Daniel Duane. Duane's 1997 memoir-ish book of a year surfing on California's north coast, was just what I needed - a thoughtful California view of the world tied into one of my favorite sports. Read it on the recommendation of my son Josh and still think about it.<br />* The Outlander, Gil Adamson. 1903 Canadian Rockies setting – mentally ill young woman escaping for her life after she kills her abusive husband. Stunning prose, amazing story. One of my favorite spur-of-the-moment book buys - the Honolulu airport.<br />Read on!gteamhjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02342505732500051838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-12335383711495048882010-12-03T22:26:34.806-06:002010-12-03T22:26:34.806-06:00Thanks, Carlie--so glad you like it! And yes, do ...Thanks, Carlie--so glad you like it! And yes, do check out Bookprints ~April Halprin Waylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10760393691320267240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-25860907902653783902010-12-03T19:32:32.460-06:002010-12-03T19:32:32.460-06:00What a fabulous poem! Thanks for sharing your draf...What a fabulous poem! Thanks for sharing your drafting evolution as you work on it too...fun to see it come more alive under your pen. <br /><br />I am totally going to check out Bookprints now too! Thanks for the link, I'd never heard of it.Carliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992805076865220524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-75864163464545573032010-12-03T17:58:16.572-06:002010-12-03T17:58:16.572-06:00Thanks, Laura and Carmela ~
And I meant to add th...Thanks, Laura and Carmela ~<br /><br />And I meant to add that fellow blogger Carmela Martino is the one who drew our attention to BookPrints--thanks, Carmela!April Halprin Waylandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10760393691320267240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-91525914472983718702010-12-03T10:11:53.216-06:002010-12-03T10:11:53.216-06:00Especially like this:
>>before I’m lured, be...Especially like this:<br />>>before I’m lured, before it’s cooked me,<br />this dangerous book has baited and hooked me<<<br />Thanks so much for sharing your process with us, April.Carmela Martinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15543808551988338496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-42144811638472215972010-12-03T06:57:57.862-06:002010-12-03T06:57:57.862-06:00Hi, April. I had my hosts mixed up, sorry! Thanks ...Hi, April. I had my hosts mixed up, sorry! Thanks for sharing this insight into your revision process. Always helpful to see revision in action. -- LauraAuthor Amokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13636391982938592789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-22479923090073228272010-12-03T05:01:30.846-06:002010-12-03T05:01:30.846-06:00The rhyming dictionary is my BFF, but Jane Eyre wa...The rhyming dictionary is my BFF, but Jane Eyre was the book that made me want to be a writer.<br /><br />At Author Amok, I've got the poetry of scat -- a review of the picture book, "When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat."<br /><br />Thanks for hosting and happy December!Author Amokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13636391982938592789noreply@blogger.com