ARCHIVES: APRIL 2010

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MESSAGE FROM JEN

Welcome to Issue Four of my author newsletter! This is my busiest time of year and I have so much news to share. But, I know it’s also your busiest time, so I will try to deliver only the most important items here, and then when you have more time to spare, you can catch up with me on my website. There, you’ll find new book announcements, photos from recent events, teacher guides and classroom activities, and links to lots of cool stuff.

If you missed the first several issues of Flying Tidings, you can read them here. If you know someone who’d like to receive this and future issues, you can click here. (If that person signs up, then your name will be entered in a drawing for a Jen Bryant-signed book.)

  Call Me Marianne
Here in Chester County, PA we are celebrating the end of a too-long winter, the return of the robins, and the blossoming of the dogwood trees. We are (of course!) also celebrating National Poetry Month, and as we do, we’re mindful of the need for beauty and simplicity, an idea that is eloquently captured by poet Marianne Moore in our featured quote. So—no matter where you are when you read this, may you take a few minutes today to enjoy the beauty and simplicity of a poem.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"Good writing depends on simple,
sensitive depiction of the small things of life."

NEWS

The Fortune of Carmen Navarro

The Fortune of Carmen Navarro

"A romance begins, unlikely, passionate ...
and quickly imbalanced ... "

I feel as though I’ve been writing my next novel, The Fortune of Carmen Navarro (Knopf, Nov. 2010), for most of my life. Ever since I was a little girl dancing around the dining room in my mother’s old prom gown, a fake rose between my teeth, I have loved George Bizet’s vibrant, tension-filled opera, Carmen. As a French major in college, I read the original novella by Prosper Merimee, and as an adult, I’ve returned to both the story and opera recording many times for inspiration and pure entertainment. In November 2007, over coffee in the lobby of a New York hotel, I told my Knopf editor, Joan Slattery, that I had made some notes toward a young adult novel, set in present–day Valley Forge, PA, and based loosely on that original tragic romance between the gypsy Carmen and the dutiful soldier Don José. “I like that idea,” she said. “I think you should go ahead with it.” That was all I needed to hear. The result is a novel in four voices (two girls, two guys) set for release this Fall. I will be updating my website on this one as we get closer to publication, but if you’d like a sneak peek, then click here.

A poetry book for every age group

  A River of Words

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams continues to be read and enjoyed by first graders through adults. Many educators say they have used it in their classroom in conjunction with Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech, a title that remains one of my all-time favorites, and a book which, like A River of Words, introduces young people to Williams’ poetry. Others have written to tell us of the poetry activities they’ve done by writing their own version of the Williams poem “This is Just to Say” and still others have created amazing poetry-and-collage art work using Melissa’s illustrations as inspiration. However you choose to use our book, we thank you and hope you’ll send us your own ideas!

Still thinkin' about Lincoln?

  Abe's Fish

Although President’s Day has passed, we are celebrating the recent announcement that Abe’s Fish: A Boyhood Tale of Abraham Lincoln, has been named to the Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading List for 2010-2011. (Abe himself could hardly imagine a greater honor than to have his favorite fishing story read by students across the Keystone State!). Marvelously illustrated by Amy June Bates (who lives in Carlisle, PA) the book includes a wealth of back matter material in Q & A format, making this title interesting and accessible for readers of all ages. You can even watch the video to hear Jen speak with PA Sen. Andy Dinniman about Lincoln’s early years.

Another prize for Kaleidoscope Eyes

  Kaleidoscope Eyes

Since my thesaurus says “prize” is an acceptable synonym for “award” or “recognition” we want to share more good recent news for this title. But first, if you haven’t watched it in awhile, take a 60-second break and watch the video trailer here {insert link]. Okay, what’s the big news? Well . . . The Chicago Public Library has named Kaleidoscope Eyes to its 2010 Best of the Best Books list. And it has also been named to the International Reading Association’s Teacher’s Choice list for 2010-2011. If you plan to be at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference or at IRA in Chicago, then please stop by the Random House Children's Books booth for a signed copy!

Poetry! No, it's a novel! No, it's both!

As we celebrate National Poetry Month, let’s not forget about novels-in-verse.  Here are some reasons why this hybrid format works for all—but especially reluctant—readers:

1. Lyrical quality and visual variety of the text engages readers right away. In other words, it neither looks nor sounds like a more traditional prose novel, and thus for those who’ve had negative experiences with reading longer works, it feels welcoming.
2. More white space and fewer words, but same page-count as more traditional novels, make this a perfect choice for late-blooming readers in the upper grades as well as precocious readers in the lower grades.
3. Readers learn and absorb various poetic devices without even trying: simile, metaphor, near, slant and internal rhyme, personification, imagery, etc. Most authors of novels in verse use these to tell the story and to move the plot and characters forward.
4. Individual poems can be lifted from the story and explored for their richness. I do this often with poems from my first verse novel The Trial, and I challenge students to write their own poems using my original as a scaffold.

On the road again, just can't wait to be ...

on the road (quite a bit!) this Spring. Here are some of the places you can find me and when:

San Antonio, TX; Texas Library Assoc. Annual Conference: April 14-17th
St. Anastasia’s School, Newtown Square, PA: April 20th
Int’l Reading Assoc. Annual Conference, Chicago, IL: April 25-28th
Gettysburg College, May 15-16th
Mickleton, NJ, Literacy Day: May 19th
Sandberg Institute, Toledo, OH: June 13-14th
ALA Washington, DC: June 24-30th

Thanks for reading Flying Tidings, issue four. Look for issue five in about eight weeks.

  Phillies

Until then, keep in touch ...
through my website and my Facebook fan page.

I enjoy hearing from you.

P.S. Go Phillies!

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