Ben and Me (Redux): an Out-and-About Shout-Out!

 

    I’m happy to report:

    Since my last posting, I’ve been out-and-about in both the Real and Virtual Worlds discovering all sorts of opportunities that demand a Shout-out.

    For instance, in May I traveled to Philadelphia to (bravely) attend for the first time ever since graduation my (you-can-guess-which number) college reunion! I’ve proudly sworn allegiance to the University of Pennsylvania’s Red-and-the-Blue all these years, but never more so that weekend.

     While expanding my education as a long-ago undergraduate, I’d never noticed the outstanding architecture of my campus’ buildings, the gorgeous trees, the spectacular Oriental rugs in the Student Union! Reconnecting with everyone and everything surprisingly created Unforgettable Moments I’m still savoring.

     The Banter with Ben program I’d (again, bravely) agreed to facilitate with fellow classmate Mack Goode constituted one such Moment.  Benjamin Franklin founded my university in 1749 as the Publik Academy of Philadelphia. I’d visited Ben’s gravestone at 5^th and Arch Streets on numerous Overbrook Elementary School class trips, thanks to the Philadelphia School District, tossing a penny and making a wish. How nice to have the chance to visit with him in person! How nice to learn he was as affable, erudite and engaging as reported.

      Though a believer in public education and a visionary as well, it’s unlikely Dr. Franklin, as he later became known, could have ever imagined the breath and depth of his academy 273 years later: a diverse and inclusive student body, including women (!), enrolled in diverse and numerous schools and academic programs, taught by a diverse and inclusive faculty (including women!). 

     The Kelly Writers House is one such offering, sadly established after I graduated. The Cosmic Writers initiative two Kelly Writers House alumni, Rowana Miller and Manoj Simha, and two Penn undergraduates founded would have surely earned a thumbs-up from Dr. Franklin, a life-long writer.

     Think: a full-fledged nonprofit that continues the established Word Camp program online for K-12 students around the world, expanding this year to provide free in-person creative writing workshops in several cities in the U.S.

     Think: a dedicated group of college students believing in the power of creative writing for social change!

     “We want to create cultures of joy around creative writing.  We want it to be fun,” Rowana Miller shared. “We want kids to leave our programs self-motivated to become strong writers and communicators.”

     Kidzine, a collaboration between Cosmic Writers and Reading Recycled, publishes writers and artists under 18, including many of the participants in the Cosmic Writers workshops. Submissions for the Summer 2022 issue open on July 1^st.  The magazine publishes short stories, poetry, illustrations, photographs, memoirs and comics.

     Click here to read a description of the Word Camp workshops available this July 11-15 and 18-22.

     Click here to register.

    And here I repeat the words I proudly sang at my May Reunion: Hurrah, Hurrah, Pennsylvania! Hurrah for the Red-and-the Blue!

    Thanks to my fellow Chicago author-illustrator Michelle Kogan for hosting today’s Poetry Friday. 

    Happy Out-and-About-ing!

     Esther Hershenhorn

     P.S.

     Our TeachingAuthors Twitter account is now up and running again! Follow us at @TeachingAuthors!

      P.P.S.

     Bill Robling, the Ben Franklin reenactor, was every bit as affable, erudite and engaging as the outstanding American he portrayed.

 

Out & About, And More on Short Stories

This has been a busy month for me, with various events to help launch my new novel, Playing by Heart (Vinspire Publishing). Last Friday, Oct. 13, I spoke at the Fall Conference of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Catholic Library Association on the "Story Behind the Story of Playing by Heart." Tuesday evening I hosted my first ever Facebook Launch Party. The party was a ton of work to plan but great fun. I laughed out loud at times, especially during Game #3. (If you want to see why, you can read the discussion for yourself.) Tuesday was also the day my guest blog post on "Pulling a Novel from the Drawer" was published on the terrific Cynsations blog.

And just last night I gave a presentation to the SCBWI-IL LaGrange-Naperville Network on the topic of "Working with Small Presses." That presentation was based on the research I did for my article of the same name in the brand new 2018 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. I still have three more events scheduled in the next ten days, including a signing at the amazing Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville Saturday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. If any of you are in the area, I hope you'll stop by.

Also, before I get to today's topic, I hope you won't mind if I share a small request. My new novel, Playing by Heart, is included in this year's SCBWI Book Stop. I'd love for you to stop by my page and post a comment to help me qualify for some great prizes. (Comments have to be posted by Sunday, 10/22.) While you're there, you can see the lovely video my publisher made for the book.

Now for today's topic: Short Stories. Because of all the busy-ness, I haven't had time to really think about my post for today. I'd actually been looking forward to this topic because I'm trying to write a short story for an anthology and I've been having a tough time with it. Part of the problem is that I went to set it in the same world as my novel Playing by Heart, featuring some of the same characters, but I don't want to have any "spoilers" for the novel.

In the September edition of my Creativity Newsletter, I shared about trying to get back into a fiction-writing mindset after being away from it for so long. I talked about reading a book that had been sitting (unread) on my shelf for ages, Movies in the Mind: How to Build a Better Short Story, by Colleen Mariah Rae. The book contains some interesting exercises, such as one in Chapter Two called "Nightly Recap" that asks you to do the following at the end of each day:

". . . lie in bed with the lights out and recall as vividly as you can as many details as you can. No paper, no pencil--you're just doing this in your head in the dark. Think through what you saw, smelled, tasted, touched, heard, and felt during the day. . . .
      Flesh out the details. Don't just say to yourself that the wool sweater worn by the person sitting next to you smelled pungent--stretch. Where in your nose did you smell it? Did it jab on both sides behind the tip of your nose? Details!"

Rae goes on to say that doing the "Nightly Recap" develops a "writer's repertoire" of material to draw from. As I said in my newsletter, I believe this exercise can help other types of creative work besides writing. I'd argue that paying attention to details this way feeds the creative part of our brain.

I noticed that doing this exercise regularly caused me to become more observant throughout the day. My mind seemed more "tuned in" to the sensory details around me. Unfortunately, these last few weeks I've been so exhausted by the end of the day that I've zonked out before even starting this exercise. I hope to get back to it when things settle down again, just as I hope to get back to working on my short story.

Meanwhile, I'd like to share a couple of articles that may be of interest to short-story writers. The first, "How to Write a Short Story from Start to Finish" by Joe Bunting links to a second article he wrote listing "Top 100 Short Story Ideas." I didn't find the latter helpful for my purposes. Do let me know if it helps any of you. Also, if you have any recommendations for books on the art of writing short stories, please share them in the comments.

And special congratulations to our own TeachingAuthor Carla Killough McClafferty on having a story featured in the brand new collection, 30 People Who Changed the World: Fascinating Bite-Sized Essays from Award-Winning Writers--Intriguing People Through the Ages: From Imhotep to Malala edited by Jean Reynolds. I can't wait to read it!

Don't forget: Today's Poetry Friday! This week's round-up is hosted by Leigh Ann at A Day in the Life.

Just saw this morning that today is also the National Day on Writing. When I think about #WhyIWrite, the first thing that comes to mind is that I can't NOT write. It's part of who I am. Does that make sense to anyone of you?

Remember, always Write with Joy!
Carmela

PS: Forgot to say: Congratulations to Judy S. for winning our giveaway of Playing by Heart. For all those who didn't win, stay tuned. We'll be having another giveaway soon!

Digging It, Out and About

Last week I made another trip to George Washington’s Mount Vernon—for a graveside remembrance of sorts. 

As part of the research for my new book BURIED LIVES: THE ENSLAVED PEOPLE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON’S MOUNT VERNON, I participated in the current archeological dig on the grounds of Mount Vernon.  It is taking place in the cemetery where some of Washington’s enslaved people are buried.  During the dig, they are not disturbing any remains.  The goal is to find out how many graves are on the site.  I am working on revisions on my book which will include my experience in the dig.    

This isn’t my first experience volunteering on an archeological dig.  This is my third time as an amateur archeologist.  Real archeology does not resemble an Indiana Jones event.  The real thing is back-breaking work.  Mostly it consists of shoveling, lifting heavy buckets of dirt, sifting…and then repeat.  But it is a thrill because you never know what will be in this bucket of dirt.

I write about real people, so it is necessary for me to bond emotionally with them.  If I don’t care about them, neither will my readers.   So I felt I must go and join the dig in the cemetery at Mount Vernon.  And I did need to go.  For me.  For the book.  For the enslaved people I’ve written about and come to know. 

Carla Killough McClafferty

I'm using a trowel to uncover one of the grave shafts in the cemetery for the enslaved people of Mount Vernon.

I loved every minute of this experience.

The archeologists are finding a lot of Native American artifacts.  This 5000 year old arrowhead had just been uncovered!  Wow, what a treat to see this pulled from the ground.

Working While Out and About

Hello Everyone,
As Bobbi mentioned on Monday, we're back from our summer break with a series on the "view from our window." My work the last few weeks has focused on teaching rather than writing, so I haven't been home much lately. But my "view" hasn't been in a traditional classroom. This week, I presented at the Catholic Writers Guild conference. This post is a bit late because I didn't get home till around 2 this afternoon. I'd spent the morning there signing books alongside fellow middle-grade/YA author Amy Cattapan and saying farewell to some lovely friends, some I'd just met in person for the first time.

Amy and I did NOT intentionally color-coordinate our outfits

Yesterday, Amy and I did a team presentation with YA author Stephanie Engelman on "Writing for Teens and Tweens." We forgot to ask someone to take a picture while we were speaking, but we did get one afterward:

Stephanie, me, and Amy right after our talk

Immediately before our team presentation, I gave a talk on "Turning Life into Fiction."

Photo courtesy of Amy Cattapan

All these presentations follow on the heels of my teaching a new week-long Creativity Camp for students age 9-12 at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook.

My camp students hard at work 

I won't be teaching for a while now, so I hope to get back to writing soon.

Meanwhile, don't forget--today is Poetry Friday. This week's roundup is over at The Logonauts.

Remember to Write with JOY!
Carmela

The Must-Visit American Writers Museum That Opens Tomorrow in Chicago!

America’s – and Chicago’s - newest museum, the American Writers Museum - opens tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16 at 180 N. Michigan Avenue, down the street from Millenium Park and The Art Institute of Chicago!

Lucky me to have attended the Saturday, May 6 Special Exhibits Reception to see how successfully the AWM’s Founder Malcolm E. O’Hagan and the Founding Board Members realized their mission crafted 7 years ago: “to engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, our culture, and our daily lives.”

Honestly, though?  IMHO this one-of-a-kind museum does so much more than engage and celebrate.  It inspires and educates while honoring what all writers do. Writers across all genres, formats and publishing designs, from Cotton Mather to Dr. Seuss.  Famous writers, of course, like those we’ve read and studied.  Writers, best of all, like you and me.

Here’s an overview of the museum’s 7-exhibition design plus a click-away video-tour:

And here are some important AWM numbers, besides 1-of-a-kind, as noted in a recent article by Chicago writer Gabrielle Zepeda:

62 – the number of affiliate institutions with whom the AWM works, such as The Will Rogers State Park noted in April’s post, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow House noted in Carla’s and William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak noted in Mary Ann’s;

100 – the number of curated works;

11,000 – the Museum’s square footage;

120,000 – the number of expected visitors;

$10,000,000 – the amount of money the museum hopes to raise by tomorrow’s opening; to date $9.2 million has been privately raised.

I was quite taken with the museum’s innovative interactive state-of-the-art exhibits, including:

the 80-foot long American Voices Gallery which presents our country’s literary history chronologically;

the ever-changing Word Waterfall;

and the Dialogue Box in the Anatomy of a Masterpiece Exhibit.

Temporary exhibits include The Writers Room's The Kerouac Scroll for ON THE ROAD and the immersive installation PALM which celebrates poet W.S. Merwin and his conservancy of palms in Hawaii.

I’m saving my favorite gallery for last, though - the Children’s
Literature Gallery!  Designed with help from children’s literature historian, critic and author Leonard S. Marcus, the space features six exhibits highlighting famous American children’s book authors and offers a place for readers and story-time listeners to interact. Mr. Marcus also made sure children’s literature is represented throughout the museum.

My favorite event of the night? Meeting Caldecott medalist Paul Zelinsky
who’d just finished painting his commissioned mural for the Children’s Literature Gallery.

The tree’s book-reading inhabitants pay homage to Paul’s Wilmette, Illinois hometown and its bounty of squirrels.  Together the book titles, purposefully chosen by Leonard Marcus, represent American Children’s Literature – the formats, the genres and best of all, the diversity of the creators.  I was happy to see Wanda Gag's MILLIONS OF CATS, Robert McCloskey’s MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS, Margaret Weiss Brown’s GOOD NIGHT MOON and Crockett Johnson’s HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON as well as a Raoul Dahl title, a representative Golden Book and Madeleine L’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME, just to name a few. If only I’d had a ladder to climb to the very top of the 153’ x 151’ tribute. Paul has cleverly and humorously connected each squirrel’s behavior to the book he’s reading. I did learn of one title previously unknown to me – T. Yashima’s CROW BOY, published in 1955. Closer examination of the mural is certain to reveal more titles.
[Note: please forgive my not-so-terrific picture-taking!]

Click HERE to read about the American Writers Museum's exhibits, the hours, volunteer opportunities and membership.

Living a walkable 8 blocks away, I’ll be out-and-about at the AWM often and early.  Here’s hoping you, too, can find your way to America’s and Chicago’s newest museum, starting tomorrow.

Happy writer-celebrating!

Esther Hershenhorn

P.S.
I’m honored to blog for the AWM.
Here are links to my first and second posts that celebrate two Chicago children’s book creators whose famous titles appear in the hands of Paul Zelinsky’s squirrels!

Out and About with Carla Killough McClafferty

Out and About

I’ve been “out and about” lately.  How wonderful it is to get out of the office and into the fresh air.  A change in routine can sometimes get the creative juices flowing again.   

Are there places near you that you’ve been intending to visit?  I mean for years and years you’ve intended to visit?  I have several places like that in my mind.   One of them for me is Washington, Arkansas (Historic Washington State Park).  About a week ago I finally went there to attend the Jonquil Festival.  OK in full disclosure, I didn’t plan the trip.  My sister and her husband were going and invited me to join them.  And as an added bonus, my other sister went too. 

Washington is a wonderful little place about and hour and a half from where I live that is full of history relating to Arkansas in the 19^th century.  Have you ever hear of the Bowie Knife?  It was made famous by Jim Bowie-one of those who met their maker at the Alamo.  James Black, the blacksmith, forged his original Bowie Knife in Washington, Arkansas.   

 

Plaque on James Black's Blacksmith Shop where the first Bowie Knife was  forged.

Washington was also a place where many Native Americans walked through on the Trail of Tears as they made the journey to Oklahoma. 

Years later during the Civil War, Washington became Arkansas’s confederate capital after Little Rock was occupied by the Union Army.   

So much history has happened in such a tiny place.  It makes me think about all the powerful stories I could write about.   Yes, getting away from my keyboard is a good thing.   

The old courthouse in Washington, Arkansas

A massive magnolia tree planted just three years after Arkansas became a state.

Carla Killough McClafferty

Click here to find out how to enter to win 

THE SECRET OF STORY by Matt Bird.  

Out and About with Poems and Selfies

I've had a busy couple of weeks Out and About, beginning with a poetry reading on March 8 at Mount Mary University, where I used to teach graduate writing classes. I was happy to meet poet Paulette Beete and catch up with former students and colleagues. My sister Eileen accompanied me and also took photos. Thank you, Eileen!

Earlier this week, I traveled way up north to spend two days at Tomahawk Elementary School in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. I'm always happy to work with such attentive, enthusiastic poetry lovers! Here I am, ready for my last presentation.

Can you detect a smirk? I feel a little foolish taking pictures of myself and a little uncomfortable posting them. But I'm trying to get used to tooting my own horn, so here I go. At least I'm in a comfortable place.

I did manage to take a few photos of the icy Wisconsin River from the Hiawatha State Trail.

I'm much more comfortable posting landscape photos.

On Thursday, I visited Parkview Elementary School in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, where we discussed acrostic poems, including this one by Avis Harley from  African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways.

Above All

Celebrate these
Long-standing giraffes,
Opening
Up clouds and eaves-
Dropping on the wind!

Far
Removed
In airy
Elegance,
Nibbling on high, they
Decorate the
Sky.

Avis Harley,
African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways 

We all enjoyed imagining giraffes eavesdropping on the wind and thinking about what the wind might say.

No selfies on that trip, though. Here are my thoughts this morning:

I cannot take a selfie
no matter how I try.
I always look like I'm asleep
or just about to cry.
My hair sticks out all over
or there's something in my eye.
I cannot take a selfie.
I sure wish I knew why.

Remember to enter our Book Giveaway! You could win your own copy of Teaching Author April Halprin Wayland's MORE THAN ENOUGH—A Passover Story. The giveaway ends on March 31, 2016, and is open to U.S. residents only.

Robyn Hood Black has the Poetry Friday Roundup (and some inspiring student haiku) at Life on the Deckle Edge. Enjoy!

JoAnn Early Macken

Out and About with Carla in Miami

One of the great parts of being an author is speaking to audiences about my books.   While I enjoy every group, some are extra special.  Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Miami, Florida, to share my book In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry.  This book is about Varian Fry, an American journalist who volunteered to go to Nazi controlled France in 1940 to order to rescue (mostly) Jewish refugees whose lives were in danger.   This true story of one man who believed he could make a difference is filled with intrigue and danger.  Ultimately, Varian Fry rescued more than 2000 people.  Yet few Americans have ever heard his name.

   
I was invited by the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach to share the work of Varian Fry as part of Holocaust Education Week.  They asked me to speak to three different audiences.   The first night, I presented my program for the public at the Holocaust Memorial.   It was an honor to speak about rescue during the Holocaust at a place dedicated to the memory of so many who were not rescued.  Every Holocaust Memorial is different, and here the centerpiece is the massive statue of a hand reaching toward the sky with human figures huddled around the bottom.  The sculpture is powerful and moving.  It says so much-silently.   In the audience that night, listening to my program were Holocaust survivors and the descendants of some who had been killed at Auschwitz.

       
The next morning I spoke to university students at Miami Dade College.  Many in the audience – including one of the administrators – had come to American as refugees.  As I shared about the refugees of 1940 leaving their homes, these young adults understood the concept in a much more personal way than my usual audience does.

 
In the afternoon, I presented my program to students at a private Jewish high school.   These modern American students carrying their backpacks entered the room and chatted as they took their seats.  While relating the work of Varian Fry, I told them about several people who helped him.  One of them was a seventeen-year-old boy named Justus Rosenberg.   He was their age and his life was in danger because he was Jewish.   Rosenberg survived but countless other teens didn’t.
 
I shared the work of Varian Fry with three different audiences in Miami.  Each one was very special.
  
Carla Killough McClafferty

We are currently running a giveaway for IN DEFENSE OF READ-ALOUD that ends at midnight on April 1.  (CORRECTION NOTE:  There was a typo in an earlier post that said the end date was April 6.  The correct end date is April 1.)  For more details see Esther Hershenhorn’s post:    

http://www.teachingauthors.com/2015/03/a-two-for-price-of-one-interview-with.html