Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 52
September 4, 2009
Poetry Friday: Rooftop Fireworks
Enjoy the poem that tied for third prize this year in my annual poetry contest for teens between cultures.
Untitled by Bea, Moldova/USA, Age 19
Imagine the coincidental unison
From a distance.
We sat on the rooftop
Watching fireworks explode
From all ends of the city
It's the most alluring thing to watch
Fireworks
From a rooftop.
As one firework sprang up
And died,
Another one
Miles away,
Would do the same.
Photo courtesy of Tomhe via Creative Commons.
Poetry Friday is hosted this week by Kelly Herold at
Untitled by Bea, Moldova/USA, Age 19
Imagine the coincidental unison
From a distance.
We sat on the rooftop
Watching fireworks explode
From all ends of the city
It's the most alluring thing to watch
Fireworks
From a rooftop.
As one firework sprang up
And died,
Another one
Miles away,
Would do the same.
Photo courtesy of Tomhe via Creative Commons.
Poetry Friday is hosted this week by Kelly Herold at
September 3, 2009
Kid Lit Pie Night!
In the Boston area? Tired of missing the fabulous NYC-based Kid Lit Drink Nights hosted by the likes of Besty Bird and Cheryl Klein? Well, now you don't have to feel like a wallflower ever again, because ....
You're cordially invited to our
First-Ever Kid Lit Pie Night!
(a plan concocted during a twitter chat between Anindita Basu Sempere, Melissa Stewart, John L. Bell, and me).
When: Monday, 9/21/09 (in solidarity with the Kid Lit Drink Night, we decided to go for concurrency), 6-8 p.m., stop by
You're cordially invited to our
First-Ever Kid Lit Pie Night!
(a plan concocted during a twitter chat between Anindita Basu Sempere, Melissa Stewart, John L. Bell, and me).
When: Monday, 9/21/09 (in solidarity with the Kid Lit Drink Night, we decided to go for concurrency), 6-8 p.m., stop by
September 2, 2009
Notes to a Young Immigrant
It's been a while since I wrote this essay on the bittersweet experience of growing up between cultures, but I stumbled across it in Teaching Tolerance and wanted to offer it again here on the Fire Escape as we begin another school year.
Notes to a Young Immigrant
by Mitali Perkins
Be ready: You lose a lot once you're tossed into the mainstream. You lose a place that feels like home, a community where the basics are understood, where conversations can begin at a deeper level. No easy havens await y
Notes to a Young Immigrant
by Mitali Perkins
Be ready: You lose a lot once you're tossed into the mainstream. You lose a place that feels like home, a community where the basics are understood, where conversations can begin at a deeper level. No easy havens await y
September 1, 2009
The Mysterious Google Book Settlement
I'm hoping some of you might be as confused as I am by the Google Book Settlement, because if it's just me who doesn't get it, I'm in trouble. In any case, the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators sums it up nicely as does the Author's Guild.
Since the deadline for authors to opt out is 9/4, I posed this question yesterday on Twitter and Facebook: "Should I opt out of the Google Books Settlement? Did you?" Answers came from a few people:
Since the deadline for authors to opt out is 9/4, I posed this question yesterday on Twitter and Facebook: "Should I opt out of the Google Books Settlement? Did you?" Answers came from a few people:
@jlbellwriter: I opted in with Google Books.
August 31, 2009
Books That Make Readers Clash
"SECRET KEEPER had one of the most satisfying endings I've read in a long time," said one reviewer.
Meanwhile, on Goodreads, another reader disagreed: "I didn't really like the ending, but I loved the rest of it."
Of all my books, SECRET KEEPER seems to be evoking the widest range of gut responses.
Is there a particular book you've loved that another reader wanted to fling across the room? Or vice a versa, maybe: you wish you'd never read it because it left you sad, mad, or otherwise disturbed, bu
Meanwhile, on Goodreads, another reader disagreed: "I didn't really like the ending, but I loved the rest of it."
Of all my books, SECRET KEEPER seems to be evoking the widest range of gut responses.
Is there a particular book you've loved that another reader wanted to fling across the room? Or vice a versa, maybe: you wish you'd never read it because it left you sad, mad, or otherwise disturbed, bu
August 28, 2009
Poetry Friday: Border Dance
Enjoy the poem that won second prize this year in my annual poetry contest for teens between cultures.
Untitled by Selorm, Ghana/USA, Age 16
The drums sound,
and her village hands slap like thunder onto the
paved city streets and crumbling suburban sidewalks.
The baked gold dust of the Motherland has speckled the back of her hands,
though her blue jeans and sneakers are stained red, white and blue;
red, gold and green.
Her dance is backbreaking and classic,
though her spirit was born long before 1776.
Her
Untitled by Selorm, Ghana/USA, Age 16
The drums sound,
and her village hands slap like thunder onto the
paved city streets and crumbling suburban sidewalks.
The baked gold dust of the Motherland has speckled the back of her hands,
though her blue jeans and sneakers are stained red, white and blue;
red, gold and green.
Her dance is backbreaking and classic,
though her spirit was born long before 1776.
Her
August 27, 2009
Editor For Hire: Polish Your Manuscript Before Submission
It's tough to get published these days. Before submitting to an editor or agent, you might consider spending some money on an expert consultation for your children's or YA book manuscript. Several topnotch professional editors have left the industry to set up their own freelancing businesses:
Deborah Brodie Roaring Brook Press / Viking
Sarah Cloots Greenwillow Books
Kara LaReau Scholastic / Candlewick
Amy Lin Little Brown
Judy O'Malley Charlesbridge / Houghton Mifflin
Stacy L. Whitman Mirrorstone /
August 26, 2009
Getting Started on Twitter: A Quick Guide for Kid/YA Writers
Newbie to Twitter? Writing books for kids or young adults? Here are five easy steps to jumpstart your use of Twitter:
1. Join.
I recommend using a real name if possible. Or a pen name if you use one. It's your brand, right?
2. Personalize.
Write a snappy 160 character bio. Link to a website or blog. Use a photo of your real cute head. If published, upload a .jpg of your most recent book as your background. Don't tile if it gets headachey. If not published, upload a .jpg of something bookish, artsy,
1. Join.
I recommend using a real name if possible. Or a pen name if you use one. It's your brand, right?
2. Personalize.
Write a snappy 160 character bio. Link to a website or blog. Use a photo of your real cute head. If published, upload a .jpg of your most recent book as your background. Don't tile if it gets headachey. If not published, upload a .jpg of something bookish, artsy,
August 25, 2009
Burma's Bamboo People
I'm doing last-minute research on G3 and MA-series assault rifles used by the Tatmadaw Kyee in Burma for my novel BAMBOO PEOPLE, releasing Fall 2010 from Charlesbridge. The book features two boy protagonists—one a Burmese soldier and the other a Karenni refugee desperate to save his people hiding in the jungle.
Did you know that Myanmar has the most child soldiers of any army in the world? The UN is sending a team at the end of the month to try and stop this atrocity.
As for the displaced people a
Did you know that Myanmar has the most child soldiers of any army in the world? The UN is sending a team at the end of the month to try and stop this atrocity.
As for the displaced people a
August 24, 2009
iPhone apps for Picture Books
New technology can partner with (read: never replace) traditional books to inspire the next generation with the power of story and art. Here are three places to download digital books for wee ones on your iPhone:
International Children's Digital Library:
Mobi Stories:
[image error]
Winged Chariot Press:
[image error]
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
International Children's Digital Library:
Mobi Stories:
[image error]
Winged Chariot Press:
[image error]
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
