Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 111
July 17, 2010
week's end
This has been quite a week–teaching in the evening, grading in the daytime, sleeping on the train, and in between worrying about my students. How do you *really* prepare someone for college? I hope I wasn't too full of gloom and doom, but I did want to be honest and tell them the things no one told me before I ventured off to the snowy-white eastern townships of Quebec. I arrived at that school, took one look around, and KNEW I had made a mistake. I grabbed a journal and a pen, marched...
July 14, 2010
marching on…
Three interviews, two job offers, no job…yet I'm teaching a one-week writing course for first-year college students, and was gratified last night when one student said, "I wish you could teach at MY school, Miss!" Don't know what the universe has in store for me, but it feels good to be back in the classroom, to be teaching the texts that I love, to hopefully be making an impact on these bright students who have so many questions, doubts, and expectations about college. Ah, but there's...
July 11, 2010
July 8, 2010
network
One thing I love about the internet is that it allows you to build community *without* shmoozing in public. I'm not especially good in social situations, and I wouldn't even dream of attending kidlit "drinks night," which happens every so often here in NYC. It might be a great way to connect with other writers and editors, but it's not my scene. I don't attend SCBWI conferences, either—so maybe I'm to blame for my limited success as a published author? Orlando Patterson recently...
July 6, 2010
The Bluest Eye
Let me start with a couple of confessions: The Bluest Eye is not my favorite book. Beloved was the first Toni Morrison novel I ever read, and with the exception of Song of Solomon, nothing else she has written even comes close to that masterpiece (for me, anyway). So the second thing I need to admit is that when Claudia from The Bottom of Heaven invited me to join this blogger roundtable, I wanted to decline. Reading The Bluest Eye is sort of like digging in an unhealed wound—pulling off t...
July 5, 2010
lost in translation
Ok, I've finished reading Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit and strongly urge you to go get your copy NOW! This isn't a new novel; it was first published in Japan in 1996, and is now a series of books, a show on Cartoon Network, and a manga series. I'm new to manga and anime, so let me start with what I know best—a great novel. Moribito is the story of Balsa, a child from Kanbal who is orphaned and forced into an arduous, nomadic life because of the treachery and ambition of princes in the ...
July 4, 2010
take the A train…
In two weeks I'll be attending the Harlem Book Fair—will you? I'll be on this panel on 7/17, and on 7/18 I'll be doing a reading/signing/writing workshop at The Studio Museum in Harlem (2-4pm). Hope to see you there!
White and Whatever: Diversity in Children's & Young Adult Book Publishing Schomburg/Hughes Auditorium (Televised Live on C-Span's Book-TV) 3:55p – 5:10p
The United States is an extremely diverse nation. But books for children and young adults hardly reflect that diversity...
July 2, 2010
heart sigh
As my taxi flew along the BQE late last night, I realized just how reassuring the Manhattan skyline can be, especially the arc of white lights atop the Chrysler Building. If I see those lights in the distance, I know that I'm back in Brooklyn and will soon be home. I've been on the go a lot this week, so I'm sorry if I missed some blog posts and Facebook links. It's hard to keep up with things when you're on the road, and the interview process can leave you so drained you don't even WANT t...
June 29, 2010
brilliant blogs
Many thanks to blogger Summer Edward for this thorough, thoughtful review of Wish—from a Caribbeanist's perspective! I hope you've already discovered Summer's online journal, Anansesem, which is currently accepting submissions from children and adult writers…
Have you stopped by The Bottom of Heaven lately? Claudia has posted the first in a series of reflections on Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. I'll be contributing my thoughts in early July—be sure to follow along as other bloggers...
June 27, 2010
lullaby
My good friend Kate is a transracial adoptee—she's also a mother, lawyer, writer, and wife—but she devotes a good portion of her time to raising others' awareness of the issues facing adoptees (she blogs at The Missing Piece). A few years back, Kate introduced me to poet/novelist Jackie Kay (also a transracial adoptee writing about adoption), and so when I saw this video on e-drum, I knew I had to send it to her. Then I watched the video myself and felt I could listen to Jacke Kay reading p...
