Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 56

Boston Bookish Schmooze 5/31

With Laurie Halse Anderson pouting about not being at Book Expo America (BEA), and the BEA Twitty Party rising into the top ten trending topics on Twitter, a few of us who aren't in New York decided to host a Boston Bookish Tweetup.

[image error] When? Sunday, 5.31.09, 2 p.m.

Where? Porter Square Books, Porter Square Shopping Center, 25 White Street, Cambridge, MA 02140, (617) 491-2220. Plenty of parking.

Who? Anyone who loves books. You don't have to be on Twitter.

What? Informal chat and coffee, ARC swap, shari

Poetry Friday: New Age

I opened an old folder of poetry and found this one written years ago. Though I'm shy to share my own poems (never studied the craft), I offer it on the Fire Escape this chilly morning.




New Age
by Mitali Perkins

You clutch the faded scraps of cloth.
One they were silky squares of color, strongly sewn.
No use. Too few left. Loosen your fingers.
Watch the wind whisk them away.

You hear a whisper. Sense a shadow.
Smell the fragrance of a stranger’s breath.

A woven cloak falls across your shoulders.
Warmed, y

Revising Your Author Visits

In some communities, if you know someone who knows somebody, or are a writer, you show up in the local classroom and talk about your work.

Not so in Newton, Massachusetts.

Yesterday, I showcased a presentation called "RICKSHAW GIRL and ALPANA ART" to sixty or so parent volunteers. Newton Public Schools' Creative Arts Director Cheryl Nelson (who has served in this capacity for 21 years) invited me to be a "surprise" guest during their annual celebratory brunch.

Basically, I'll say yes to anything th

My Top 5 Tweets Last Week

I share links about children's and YA books with my followers on Twitter. These were the most popular tidbits in my twitter stream last week:
Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein spells out her submissions guidelines and what she's looking for: http://bit.ly/16m9qC

Kids' Book Events at BEA http://bit.ly/8hFpt

Wanna tour the blogs when your YA/Kid book releases? Start by reading the best bloggers in the kidlitosphere now: http://bit.ly/m1u4e

2K9 debut MG and YA authors interview their editors (i.e., Joy P

Last Call For Poetry Entries

Here's the third prize winner from last year's contest (read the first-place poem and second-place poem) to remind you that the deadline for submission to the 2009 Fire Escape Short Fiction and Poetry Contests is June 1st. Please pass the word to teen writers between cultures.

For Your Pathos

by Miranda, China/USA, Age 17

you will pound mettle into me
before our years are over—
I sometimes wonder
if this is your intent, or
perhaps
you have failed even yourself.

at one time
yours were my only margins,
and I

RICKSHAW GIRL Goes the Distance

My first novel for younger readers (as opposed to teens), published in 2007, is doing okay. Here are some of the reasons why kids in several states are reading RICKSHAW GIRL 2-3 years after publication:

Nominated for the 2010 New York Charlotte Children's Book Award

Nominated for the 2010 Oklahoma Sequoyah Award

Nominated for the 2010 Arkansas Charlie May Simon Award

Nominated for the 2010 Rhode Island Children's Book Award

Nominated

rgz LIVE! tonight with Laura Resau

Laura Resau, author of RED GLASS, is chatting with readergirlz tonight, Wednesday, May 20th, 9 o'clock EST/ 6 o'clock PST at the readergirlz blog.

Pop in and out of the chat as you watch Idol, chat with Laura about anything under the sun, and find out how she felt about all those awards and starry reviews.

RED GLASS was inspired by "over ten years of friendships with ESL students, immigrants, and refugees who shared their stories and showed how a person can live a meaningful, joyful life despite p

Hone The Craft in New England

For serious writers of children's books and YA fiction, New England offers a wealth of opportunities this summer to work on craft. We're a gorgeous destination for those who live elsewhere. Why not combine work and play? Here are three retreats and conferences, but feel free to add more in the comments:
Cape Cod Writer's Conference

The 47th Annual Writers Conference will take place August 15- 22 at the Craigville Conference Center in Centerville on Cape Cod. This year's double conference allows pa

My Top Five Tweeted Links

Most of you know I microblog about YA and children's books on twitter. I post timely links there, and bit.ly allows me to track which are the most useful to my followers. Here are five recent tweets pointing to links garnering at least a hundred clicks each:

The @bridgetzinn auction is heating up. I got outbid on the cookbook. For now. My book launch consult is going for $250: http://bit.ly/twSUF

Top ten SF/Fantasy novels for teens published in the last 12 months (picked by ALA Booklist's Gillian

2009 Skipping Stones Honor Awards

My award arrived in the mail yesterday from editor Françoise Bui, along with a copy of Skipping Stones Magazine's review of SECRET KEEPER:

There's nothing I enjoy more than a good love story, but I didn't expect to be so emotionally pulled into this tale. I was spellbound by the details ... It was a book that both educated and inspired ...

This is one of those awards that dovetails with my personal vision as a writer, honoring books that "promote cooperation and cultivate an awareness of our diver