Hanging on to Hope...

In 1973, a man named Mr. Nadeau wrote beloved children’s  book 

author E.B. White requesting inspiration about humanity’s future. 

Mr. Nadeau’s world view was bleak and hopeless.

As Maria Popova wrote in her Marginalian blog’s introduction to 

the letter, which follows, Mr. White’s response “endures as a 

spectacular celebration of the human spirit.”

North Brookline, Maine

30 March, 1973

 Dear Mr. Nadeau:

 As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one 

compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the

scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in 

a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the 

clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the 

weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our 

human society — things can look dark, then a break shows 

in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather 

suddenly. 

It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer 

mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably 

harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time 

waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s 

curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity 

have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that 

these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind 

the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

Sincerely,

E. B. White

                        

Alas, hanging on to Hope is easier said than done, in our Real 

World as well as in our Children’s Book World.

A group effort is oft required.

With that truth in mind, I invited five children’s book writers I’ve 

had the honor and Good Fortune to coach and teach to share 

One Golden Nugget that kept them keepin’ on… until they 

secured this past year representation by a literary agent.

Look for each of their names on an upcoming children’s book 

cover!

 ·    Becky Hohensee, represented by Essie White of the

     Storm Literary Agency, lives in Houma, Louisiana and 

     writes picture books. 

            Becky wishes she’d spent less time revising one manuscript 

            for several years, even though it was the one story she needed

            to tell.  “It zapped my creativity for a long time. Write a story,” 

            she advises, “share it when you believe it’s ready and let it go. 

            Work on something new. Exercise your writing muscles. And 

            don’t forget to reward yourself every now and then.”

·       ·   Chicago-area picture book writer and middle grade novelist        

            Sonya Kenkare signed with the 75th agent she queried,  

           Jackie Kruzie of Focused Artists.

            “Never give up,” she shares, “and keep batting at the fences.  

            All the rejections should be worn as a Badge of Honor. 😊”

 ·      ·   Sara Crowe of Sara Crowe Literary represents Christal Presley 

           of Abingdon, Virginia, and her bounty of picture books.

     “Whatever genre you’re writing in,” Christal shares, “spend 

     equal time READING in. For reading in the same genre shows 

     you all the possibilities!” 

·    Melanie Uteg lives in Lake Forest, Illinois, writing chapter 

     books, plotting a middle grade book and reviewing bi-monthly 

     on her blog picture books, chapter books and middle grade 

     books that feature the best of science, humans, nature and 

     communities. She recently signed with Tina Schwartz who 

     founded The Purcell Agency.  

     “I believe all children matter,” Melanie responded. “Their 

     hearts. Their minds. Their voices. I believe getting to that core 

     is important as you pursue your path towards publishing. Get 

     out there and meet people – share your story and share your 

     purpose.” 

·    Fiona Wong of Los Angeles, represented by Ellen Goff at 

    HG Literary writes picture books, chapter books and middle 

    grade. 

    “Be curious,” she shared.  “Take opportunities to learn from 

    industry professionals, even if they’re discussing genres, craft 

    topics or age categories outside your focus. Hearing diverse 

    opinions and experiences can enrich your understanding of your 

    own craft, purpose and journey as a writer.” 

·   And how could I not invite my fellow TeachingAuthor blogger 

   and writer of fiction and nonfiction, Carmela Martino, to 

   share her Golden Nugget?! She, too, secured literary 

   representation this past year with Anjanette Barr of Dunham, 

   Literary, Inc.

         Carmela admitted it was “a stubborn belief that the stories I was 

         working on were worth sharing, and that they deserved to be in 

         the world, one way or another.”

         She confessed she was “so relieved and heartened to finally find 

         an agent who agreed with her!”

 

fe    I offer buckets of Hoorays! and Hurrahs! to our fellow 

       children’s book creators for both keepin’ on AND sharing a 

       Golden Nugget to keep US keepin’ on.

       Hoorays! and Hurrahs! hasten Hope.

   I  IMHO: Second Chances help us hang on to that Hope.

       And GOOD NEWS! The Andrea Brown Literary Agency is 

      offering such an opportunity – the ABLA Second Chance!

    “At ABLA we take pride in our collaborative approach to 

     agenting and we often share queries internally when we 

     believe a colleague is a better fit for the material.

     However, if a creator would like another opportunity to have 

     their project considered by ABLA after their first choice agent 

     passes, we invite you to submit your work to the 

     Second Chance Inbox. All our agents have access to this 

     inbox and will regularly look through it to discover new 

     material! If an agent finds something they are interested in, 

     they will reach out to that  creator directly.”

 Click here to learn the details so you can grab this Do Over. 

 

Thanks to former fellow TeachingAuthor blogger Laura Purdie 

Salas for hosting today’s Poetry Friday at Poems forTeachers. 

Laura, too, deserves an Hooray! and Hurrah! for her newest 

picture book– Line Leads the Way (Capstone, 2024).

Here’s to Hope and our hanging on! 

Esther Hershenhorn

Happy 15th Blogiversary! + Book/Gift Card Giveaway

  

Crystal marks a 15^th anniversary,

so choose a flute from those pictured above, then join me in raising 

a toast to celebrate our TeachingAuthors 15^th Blogiversary!

Next, click here to enter our celebratory Giveaway to win a copy of 

my S IS FOR STORY and a $15 Bookshop gift card.

                                        S is for story, I wrote,

                                        so brilliant in its might,

                                        to help us see

                                        ourselves, our world,

                                        in oh, such dazzling light.

Reflecting on the past fifteen years, I see, as Carmela did, the 

circular structure of My Story.

I also see, and dazzlingly so: the more things change, the 

more they stay the same.

How honored I was when Carmela invited me to join five 

other children’s book writers who also taught writing 

to create this blog.

TEACHING AUTHOR? TEACHING AUTHOR!

As I shared in my very first post in April of 2009, I knew in my 

heart since learning my ABC’S, I wanted to teach and write 

children’s books.

I was grateful for the opportunity to share my Susan-Lucci-like 

Writer’s Journey to help others tell their stories to children, 

especially since I’d soon be publishing S IS FOR STORY.

As always, I was hopeful, (1) that I could hold my own in the 

company of such talented and highly-degree-ed writers – and – 

(2) that I could handle the requisite software technology.  I’m 

an unashamed Luddite.

But…and isn’t there always a but, I soon realized: TEACHING 

had over-taken my AUTHORING, filling my days and often, 

nights.

My story had become helping others tell their stories.

My students and the writers I coached – my “storied treasures” 

as I described them in my very first Thanku - had claimed my 

heart and refused to let go, which was just what my book 

characters – Lowell, Rudie, Pippin and Howie – had done.

And as former Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon used to 

say, “It’s all about the heartbeat.”

Though I wasn’t writing a children’s book, I needed to do 

everything a children’s book does, beyond entertaining: 

inform, encourage, inspire and always, always offer Hope.

Chicago’s Newberry Library and the University of 

Chicago’s Graham School of Continuing Education 

continue to gift me with outstanding smart and caring 

human beings eager to tell their stories to children.

They’re joined by the singular writers I’m privileged to 

coach – in person or now via ZOOM, plus those I’ve been 

lucky enough to mentor and the Young Authors I’ve 

taught in countless school visits. 

All engage my head and heart on a daily basis.

To seed and feed, to grow these writers, I grew classes, 

workshops, seminars, programs, meeting writers’ needs, 

no matter their age or years on task. I’ve presented here, 

in Chicago, but anywhere and everywhere, often thanks 

to SCBWI.

Believe it or not, thanks to the Pandemic, I even 

learned how to teach virtually! I utilized the

unicorn's collective nouns to label the squares 

on my screen my marvel, my blessing, my glory 

of writers.

And miraculously, with a whole lot of help from 

Carmela, I posted on schedule, sharing my views, thoughts 

and opinion on the selected subject, always in service of 

offering Readers a Teaching Take-away.

                                            

Of course…and isn’t there always an of course, my students and 

writers reside in our Children’s Book World, where I reside, too, 

gladly on their behalf.

NEW has become this ever-changing World’s operative word, 

especially these past fifteen years.

New formats. New genres.

New publishers. New ways to publish a story.

New communities, online, offline.

New institutions of learning, both in person and virtually.

New gatekeepers and ways to reach our Readers.

New technology.

New social platforms.

New awards, grants, booksellers, resources.

And thanks to Walter Dean Myers’ NY Times OpEd that led 

to We Need Diverse Books, new doors, windows and mirrors 

for generations of Young Readers.

My job? To bring all of the above to the attention of my 

students and writers and to our Readers’ attention, too.

 

Yet…and of course there's a yet, our CBW's bottom line 

remains as always.

Stories matter.

Readers matter.

WE matter.

As I shared (with the help of my then 11-year-old tech-savvy 

grandson) in my recent Power Point Chicago workshop 

presentation As Our Children’s Book World Turns: the more 

things change, the more they stay the same.

It's all about the heartbeat.

 

Lo and behold, while I was fully-engaged seeding and feeding 

writers, they must have been seeding and feeding me!

How else could two very different characters – one a colonial 

Jewess, one a bunny potter – grab my heart and refuse to let 

go until I get their stories told.

Writing brought me to our Children’s Book World and in truth 

to this blog.

How good it feels to be writing - and revising - children’s books 

again, while of course, still TEACHING, but yet with 

AUTHORING now and once again in view.

 I remain hopeful…

and grateful.

How could I not?

Thank you to my eleven fellow TeachingAuthors bloggers, 

veteran and former*, for sharing your Smarts and Hearts 

these past fifteen years.

Thank you to our TeachingAuthors Readers, storied treasures, 

too, loyal Fans, Feeders and Fuelers.

 

Happy 15^th Blogiversary!  And don’t forget to click here to 

enter our Book and Book Gift Card Giveaway!

 

Esther Hershenhorn

P.S.

Thank you to Buffy Silverman/, whom I’ve cheered on since 

our Writing Paths crossed oh, so long ago in Illinois, for hosting 

today’s Poetry Friday.

P.P.S

One spot has opened up in my July 7-12 Vermont Manuscript 

Workshop! To learn more, click here and scroll down the page.

*Joann Early Macken, Jeanne Marie Grunwell-Ford, 

  Jill Esbaum, Laura Purdie Salas, Gwendolyn Hooks, 

  Carla McKillough

A long-over-due ThankU...

What fun to see my October 12, 2011 Thanku post blossom and bloom in such original and meaningful ways.

What an honor (and surprise!) to be a Thanku recipient too.

Thank you, Carmela, and my fellow TeachingAuthors, for growing this idea.

And thank you, our TeachingAuthor readers, for both nurturing the concept and transplanting the poetic form via your students, colleagues and website visitors.

As for who receives my Writer Thanku this year, I really and truly grew a very, very VERY long list of all those who helped me become a Writer, especially a children’s book writer.

Alas, the bounty of companions who kept me traveling my Plotline boggled  my brain.

Mentors, such as Barbara Lucas.

Teachers, such as Bernice Rabe and Charlotte Graeber.

An entire international society of children’s book creators! 

Editors (Assistant, associate, senior and executive.)

Publishers, such as Holiday House and Sleeping Bear Press.

Children’s Librarians, such as Wilmette, Illinois’ Lynn Persson.

Booksellers (of the independent kind), namely Pat Wroclawski and Jan Dundon.

Reviewers, including Ilene Cooper and Mary Harris Russell.

Academicians, such as Drs.  Roxanne Owen and Marie Donovan.

The Kiddos for whom I write, of course (last, but not least).

It turns out, the World in which I do my heart’s work each day gave me Everyone – thus Everything - I needed and wanted.

So, here’s my sincere Thanku, a cornucopia of thanks, to those who continue to keep me keepin’ on.

The Children’s Book World!

Seeders, feeders sunning all

                                     Seekers of story.

Good News!  There’s  still time for you to share your  writing-related Thanku with us in one of three ways on or before November 30:

(1)   post a comment to one of our posts
(2)  send an email to us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com, OR
(3)  write a thank-you blog post of your own and then share the link with us via 1) or 2).

Feel free to copy and paste the image below into your blog post. We'd love if you'd also link back to this post and invite others to participate.

We’ve got a horn of plenty waiting!

Esther Hershenhorn