Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 37
December 3, 2017
DC Comics superhero logos I like
Individual characters only (not including teams, series like Forever Evil, or non-comics properties like Legends of Tomorrow). Not ranked.
1940
2003
1959
1999
2005
2002
1996
1988
2006
2009
2010
2015
2005
1985
2004
1976
1992
1985
1995



















Published on December 03, 2017 04:00
December 2, 2017
Mentioning sexual orientation during an author presentation, part 2
A librarian who heard me keynote a conference (in which I tell the Bill Finger story) asked to book me for her school.
With one request:
My reply:
Her reply:
The assembly proceeded as planned.
Lessons here:
Be civil.Stand up for others.Give people a chance.
In other words, no new lessons here.
With one request:
In an effort to avoid potential parental objections, we are requesting that the [sexual] orientation [of Bill Finger's son Fred] be left out. Before reading your blog, the concern didn't occur to me, but given the response from the administrator at one particular school, I am trying to be proactive. It is my understanding that this is not how you prefer to give this presentation, nor is it how we prefer it to be presented, however, we have to consider the sensitivity of our diverse community. I don't want any negative talk to take away from the great message and experience that the students are going to have. I hope you can appreciate and understand our request.
My reply:
The purpose of that blog post is the opposite of this request. I am glad that omitting mention of a person's sexual orientation is not how your school wants to present itself because I will not omit the fact that Fred Finger was gay. It is a part of life, it is in the book, it is integral to the story, and omitting it would be disrespectful to the family (and beyond). The value of my presentation far outweighs the risk of an intolerant parent voicing a concern.
Gay marriage is legal in this country. The authors/illustrators of many books in your school library are gay. Surely some of the students in your diverse community are gay, even if they don't yet know it. Perhaps some of their parents are in same-sex relationships. Would those parents be allowed in your school the same as any others?
Part of teaching our kids to treat all as equals and to embrace diversity is acknowledging same-sex relationships as openly as we discuss male-female relationships. Love is love.
I look forward to our time together!
Her reply:
I wanted to apologize if my last communication was offensive in any way as it was not my intention. I agree with your stance wholeheartedly in that it is an integral part of the story. Love is love is love.
The assembly proceeded as planned.
Lessons here:
Be civil.Stand up for others.Give people a chance.
In other words, no new lessons here.
Published on December 02, 2017 04:00
December 1, 2017
First school visit hosts to wear Bill Finger T-shirts
On 11/30/17, I had the pleasure of speaking at Antietam Elementary in Woodbridge, VA. My two hosts, Ashli Edwards and Anamarie Wyatt, surprised me by greeting me in the lesser-known but equally cool second type of Bill Finger T-shirt. (Yes, there are two.)
This was after already being greeted by this memorable parking cone sign.
Once in the school, the eye donuts continued. Both students and staff created wonderful displays; here is the latter.
Another first: I signed the same book twice, for different people. Apparently Bailey gifted her copy of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (signed 2014) to her friend Paige.
Thank you again, Ashli and Anamarie (and Mary Beth) for a special day.
(Oh, that marks a third first at Antietam: my first iPhone pic with depth effect!)

This was after already being greeted by this memorable parking cone sign.

Once in the school, the eye donuts continued. Both students and staff created wonderful displays; here is the latter.

Another first: I signed the same book twice, for different people. Apparently Bailey gifted her copy of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (signed 2014) to her friend Paige.

Thank you again, Ashli and Anamarie (and Mary Beth) for a special day.

(Oh, that marks a third first at Antietam: my first iPhone pic with depth effect!)
Published on December 01, 2017 04:00
November 25, 2017
Interviewed on the ABC affiliate in Phoenix, AZ
In Phoenix for a screening of Batman & Bill at the American Association of School Librarians conference, Dan Spindle of KNXV ABC 15, who had tweeted kindness about the film earlier in the year, interviewed me on air.
Published on November 25, 2017 04:00
November 23, 2017
Strangers moved to kindness for a rural VA middle school
After I spoke at North Fork Middle School in Quicksburg, VA, on 10/30/17, I was given permission to share a snapshot of their story.
This led to a not-random act of kindness, thanks to Becky Durfee, a friend I've had since grade school. I'll let her tell it:
clockwise from upper left: Daniela Quiroga, Chasity Newsome,
Peter Kledaras (with Becky), Kiara Porter
Here is the story from the perspective of my contact at the school, and my friend, Melissa Harrell:
Happy Thanksgiving.
This led to a not-random act of kindness, thanks to Becky Durfee, a friend I've had since grade school. I'll let her tell it:
While mindlessly scanning Facebook, I saw Marc's description of a school district, just two hours from my home, where some of the kids live in houses with dirt floors. He also mentioned that the teachers in that middle school use their own money to bring those kids food on Thanksgiving.
I couldn't get that post out of my head; the image of dirt floors troubled me for days. While driving to work one morning, I decided I would get the name of the contact person Marc used and make a contribution. But then it hit me: I teach large lectures at Virginia Commonwealth University. I have 300 students. If each student donated a quarter—an amount they wouldn't even miss—that would add up to $75, which could easily provide a deserving family with a warm Thanksgiving meal.
The next day, I brought a bucket to class and read Marc's Facebook post to the students. I encouraged them to donate "an amount they wouldn't notice." I applied no pressure. I offered no extra credit. I assured no judgement. I simply allowed students to anonymously drop money into the bucket on their way in or out of class. Two weeks later, I had nearly $300.
However, it was bigger than that. Two of my students brought this situation to the attention of their sororities, who agreed to adopt North Fork Middle School as a cause. They will continue to collect donations in the form of money and supplies, and they have agreed to become pen pals with the kids. Several other students who said they couldn't afford to donate money asked if they could also be pen pals. One student asked if it was okay to be a pen pal to multiple students. Another young man in my class relayed this story to his coworkers, who are in the process of taking up a collection. That endeavor isn't over; the funds raised from that will be used to supply the kids with gifts for Christmas.
The young woman in the upper right below had an event sponsored by her sorority where the price of admission was either a canned good, a toiletry item, a toy, or a school supply for the kids at Quicksburg. I offered to deliver anything she collected for Quicksburg and she said, "I hope you have a big car."

Peter Kledaras (with Becky), Kiara Porter
When my best friend heard about what my students had done, she decided to adopt a local family for Thanksgiving.
It just keeps growing.
And it started with a simple Facebook post.
Here is the story from the perspective of my contact at the school, and my friend, Melissa Harrell:
Who knew that on October 30, 2017, a visit from Marc Tyler Nobleman would change North Fork Middle School.
During the break between the school day presentations and the evening Literacy Night Event, Marc spent time with myself and a few teachers volunteering for that night. Through conversation Marc learned of the poverty status and hardships many of our students face on a daily basis, and what we as a staff do with our time and personal money to help them. It is not done for publicity, it is done out of love for our students.
Marc shared this story on Facebook. His friend Rebecca Durfee, a professor at VCU, contacted me with wishes to help out. Through that initial contact, we now have VCU "Angels" helping our kids through donations of needed items and becoming pen pals. I told my mom about this wonderful positive experience last week, and she said it best, "God puts people in the right places at the right time."
We are beyond humbled and so appreciative of these students willing to go the extra mile beyond what Professor Durfee first proposed. Thanks to Marc, Rebecca, and the students at VCU for making lives of NFMS students better.

Happy Thanksgiving.
Published on November 23, 2017 04:00
November 20, 2017
Teachers eating crickets at NCTE
I covered this in my roundup of a whirlwind of a trip—six states in ten days. But of the many highlights, this 30-minute event was so fun that I had to spin it off into its own post as well:
At my book signing at the National Council of Teachers of English convention, at least ten teachers ate crickets.
Yes, I brought crickets (three flavors: salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, bacon and cheese) to NCTE.
During my book signing on 11/17/17, I displayed them tastefully in three Starbucks oatmeal cups and offered any teacher who ate one a second free book. (Though turns out we didn't have enough, so we instead offered bragging rights.) My editor Nancy Paulsen was my right-hand woman.
The inspiration for this promotional dare was the title character in The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra, whose unconventional appetite includes an insect that is even more repellent to the average human: the cucaracha (cockroach).
The hashtag #bugforbook took over Twitter.
A four-part sequence:
This woman agreed to do it...only if I did it with her:
It was wonderful that one teacher tweeted that he would do anything to get kids reading, and this teacher expressed a similarly wonderful sentiment:
#notreally
But Nancy and I were pleasantly surprised at how many people were willing. Huge props to these good sports and others we may not have captured.

At my book signing at the National Council of Teachers of English convention, at least ten teachers ate crickets.
Yes, I brought crickets (three flavors: salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, bacon and cheese) to NCTE.

During my book signing on 11/17/17, I displayed them tastefully in three Starbucks oatmeal cups and offered any teacher who ate one a second free book. (Though turns out we didn't have enough, so we instead offered bragging rights.) My editor Nancy Paulsen was my right-hand woman.
The inspiration for this promotional dare was the title character in The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra, whose unconventional appetite includes an insect that is even more repellent to the average human: the cucaracha (cockroach).
The hashtag #bugforbook took over Twitter.



A four-part sequence:





This woman agreed to do it...only if I did it with her:








It was wonderful that one teacher tweeted that he would do anything to get kids reading, and this teacher expressed a similarly wonderful sentiment:


#notreally
But Nancy and I were pleasantly surprised at how many people were willing. Huge props to these good sports and others we may not have captured.
Published on November 20, 2017 04:00
November 19, 2017
Six states in ten days: AZ, MA, CT, RI, MO, TN
In mid-November, I ping-ponged between six states to speak at seven venues over ten days. It was supposed to be seven states, but the day before I was scheduled to set out, what was to be the first stop, a young author's festival in Pennsylvania, was canceled.
The rundown:
11/9/17 screening of Batman & Bill at the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) conference, Phoenix, AZ
11/10/17 travel day
11/11/17 morning: speak at a B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) convention, Marlborough, MA
11/11/17 evening: speak to adults at a synagogue (in fact the synagogue where I became a bar mitzvah in 1985, Temple Beth David), Cheshire, CT
11/12/17 morning: speak to kids at the same synagogue
11/13/17 school visit, Providence, RI
11/14/17 school visit, North Dartmouth, MA
11/15/17 travel day
11/16/17 desk day
11/17/17 panel/signing at the National Council of Teachers of English convention, St. Louis, MO
11/18/17 screening of Batman & Bill at the Memphis Fantasy and Comic Convention, Memphis, TN
In sum: librarian conference to Jewish youth group to synagogue to schools to teacher conference to comicon.
The breakdown:
AASL
Getting there was less exhausting than the last time I went.
Before the conference, I was interviewed by Dan Spindle, an ABC affiliate news anchor who earlier in the year had tweeted love for Batman & Bill.
My only commitment at the conference was to introduce the first kidlit conference screening of Batman & Bill, the first documentary based on kidlit, and do a Q&A after. This was a huge honor. Thank you to all who attended, especially for not leaving when you learned there was no popcorn. Here is the room while people were still trickling in:
After the 7:30 pm screening, I met up with fellow kidlitters Jenni Holm and Dan Santat simply to pose for this almost-midnight photo.
BBYO
This organization was the defining experience of my high school years. This was the third time I've had the privilege of speaking at a BBYO event. I love telling the teens that my best friends in BBYO are still my best friends today—and they loved it, too.
synagogue
I was the two-day writer-in-residence for Temple Beth David, the synagogue my family belonged to when I was growing up. Another honor. The one night I was in town happened to coincide with an annual Cheshire fundraiser called Lights of Hope.
It was one of the most peaceful and beautiful public displays I've seen—all the more special because it takes place in my hometown.
school visit #1: Wheeler School, Providence, RI
This was my third visit to this handsome school; the first two were in 2010, when arose a most curious situation involving the most valuable comic book of all time.
I'm on way to becoming a regular! Thank you again, Dana Hahn and Liz MacMillan, for making it happen.
school visit #2: Friends Academy, North Dartmouth, MA
Something happened at this school that caught me (and everyone else there) by surprise and will keep the community buzzing for a while.
After an assembly during which I told the Bill Finger story (culminating in the surprise discovery of Bill's granddaughter Athena Finger and the subsequent fight for credit), a teacher said she can add another twist: Athena was her student...in 1984...at this school!
with teacher Gayle Balestracci
Then a second teacher told me she taught Athena (and her sister Alethia). Yet another teacher showed me Athena's photos in archived yearbooks. Hundreds of student-made tiles bedeck the walls of the school (an annual tradition), and we found the one Athena designed many moons ago. My new young friend Beckett escorted me to it.
They sold a lot of books:
And drew a lot of chupacabras:
I'm particularly excited about instances where a nonfiction story I wrote leads to a nonfiction story I'm a firsthand witness to or, similarly, when I'm part of any author-related happening that becomes a story in and of itself.
Thank you again, Janice Griffin, for your efforts to bring me to your wonderful school.
NCTE
At my book signing, at least ten teachers ate crickets.
Yes, I brought crickets (three flavors: salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, bacon and cheese) to NCTE.
During my book signing on 11/17/17, I displayed them tastefully in three Starbucks oatmeal cups and offered any teacher who ate one a second free book. (Though turns out we didn't have enough, so we instead offered bragging rights.) My editor Nancy Paulsen was my right-hand woman.
The inspiration for this promotional dare was the title character in The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra, whose unconventional appetite includes an insect that is even more repellent to the average human: the cucaracha (cockroach).
The hashtag #bugforbook took over Twitter.
A four-part sequence:
This woman agreed to do it...only if I did it with her:
It was wonderful that one teacher tweeted that he would do anything to get kids reading, and this teacher expressed a similarly wonderful sentiment:
#notreally
But Nancy and I were pleasantly surprised at how many people were willing. Huge props to these good sports and others we may not have captured.
But the inciting incident that got me to NCTE was not the prospect of forcing unsuspecting educators to swallow bugs but rather a panel I proposed called "Funny, You Don't Seem Educational!" Its purpose: discuss the educational value of humorous picture books. My partners, my posse, my people: Erica Perl, Audrey Vernick, Tammi Sauer, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Josh Funk. Our moderator: Susannah Richards, who is so tireless I think she was moderating another panel in another room at the same time.
We laughed and we learned from each other.
The only time I've been the tallest except when posing (as an adult) with third graders
The evening festivities: back-to-back events hosted by Penguin Young Readers.
First was a cocktail party with authors and teachers in which teachers had to play "Two Truths and a Lie." Not many guessed my lie:
Answer hint: Dr. Seuss did not have children.
Then a lovely dinner.
The arch, from farthest to closest:
On 11/16/17, I enjoyed dinner with Chris Barton, Jenny Ziegler, Dan Santat, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Lisa Yee (first time meeting in person after being connected online for years), and Christina Soontornvat (first time meeting in person). The restaurant:
When making plans and coming from different hotels, Chris texted "Together or separate, we can all make our way toward Polite Society." I think he may have been talking about more than a restaurant…
comicon
We screened the film, I signed movie posters, and I gave a talk to a receptive audience.
Thank you again to Joe Thordarson and the folks at 901 Comics for your interest and hospitality!
Six states + seven venues + ten days would normally equal 23 hours of sleep needed to recover, but not me. Not this time.
I powered through, in large part thanks to the protein I got from eating two crickets.
The rundown:
11/9/17 screening of Batman & Bill at the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) conference, Phoenix, AZ
11/10/17 travel day
11/11/17 morning: speak at a B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) convention, Marlborough, MA
11/11/17 evening: speak to adults at a synagogue (in fact the synagogue where I became a bar mitzvah in 1985, Temple Beth David), Cheshire, CT
11/12/17 morning: speak to kids at the same synagogue
11/13/17 school visit, Providence, RI
11/14/17 school visit, North Dartmouth, MA
11/15/17 travel day
11/16/17 desk day
11/17/17 panel/signing at the National Council of Teachers of English convention, St. Louis, MO
11/18/17 screening of Batman & Bill at the Memphis Fantasy and Comic Convention, Memphis, TN
In sum: librarian conference to Jewish youth group to synagogue to schools to teacher conference to comicon.
The breakdown:
AASL
Getting there was less exhausting than the last time I went.
Before the conference, I was interviewed by Dan Spindle, an ABC affiliate news anchor who earlier in the year had tweeted love for Batman & Bill.

My only commitment at the conference was to introduce the first kidlit conference screening of Batman & Bill, the first documentary based on kidlit, and do a Q&A after. This was a huge honor. Thank you to all who attended, especially for not leaving when you learned there was no popcorn. Here is the room while people were still trickling in:

After the 7:30 pm screening, I met up with fellow kidlitters Jenni Holm and Dan Santat simply to pose for this almost-midnight photo.

BBYO
This organization was the defining experience of my high school years. This was the third time I've had the privilege of speaking at a BBYO event. I love telling the teens that my best friends in BBYO are still my best friends today—and they loved it, too.

synagogue
I was the two-day writer-in-residence for Temple Beth David, the synagogue my family belonged to when I was growing up. Another honor. The one night I was in town happened to coincide with an annual Cheshire fundraiser called Lights of Hope.

It was one of the most peaceful and beautiful public displays I've seen—all the more special because it takes place in my hometown.
school visit #1: Wheeler School, Providence, RI
This was my third visit to this handsome school; the first two were in 2010, when arose a most curious situation involving the most valuable comic book of all time.
I'm on way to becoming a regular! Thank you again, Dana Hahn and Liz MacMillan, for making it happen.
school visit #2: Friends Academy, North Dartmouth, MA
Something happened at this school that caught me (and everyone else there) by surprise and will keep the community buzzing for a while.
After an assembly during which I told the Bill Finger story (culminating in the surprise discovery of Bill's granddaughter Athena Finger and the subsequent fight for credit), a teacher said she can add another twist: Athena was her student...in 1984...at this school!

Then a second teacher told me she taught Athena (and her sister Alethia). Yet another teacher showed me Athena's photos in archived yearbooks. Hundreds of student-made tiles bedeck the walls of the school (an annual tradition), and we found the one Athena designed many moons ago. My new young friend Beckett escorted me to it.
They sold a lot of books:

And drew a lot of chupacabras:

I'm particularly excited about instances where a nonfiction story I wrote leads to a nonfiction story I'm a firsthand witness to or, similarly, when I'm part of any author-related happening that becomes a story in and of itself.
Thank you again, Janice Griffin, for your efforts to bring me to your wonderful school.
NCTE

At my book signing, at least ten teachers ate crickets.
Yes, I brought crickets (three flavors: salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, bacon and cheese) to NCTE.

During my book signing on 11/17/17, I displayed them tastefully in three Starbucks oatmeal cups and offered any teacher who ate one a second free book. (Though turns out we didn't have enough, so we instead offered bragging rights.) My editor Nancy Paulsen was my right-hand woman.
The inspiration for this promotional dare was the title character in The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra, whose unconventional appetite includes an insect that is even more repellent to the average human: the cucaracha (cockroach).
The hashtag #bugforbook took over Twitter.



A four-part sequence:





This woman agreed to do it...only if I did it with her:








It was wonderful that one teacher tweeted that he would do anything to get kids reading, and this teacher expressed a similarly wonderful sentiment:


#notreally
But Nancy and I were pleasantly surprised at how many people were willing. Huge props to these good sports and others we may not have captured.
But the inciting incident that got me to NCTE was not the prospect of forcing unsuspecting educators to swallow bugs but rather a panel I proposed called "Funny, You Don't Seem Educational!" Its purpose: discuss the educational value of humorous picture books. My partners, my posse, my people: Erica Perl, Audrey Vernick, Tammi Sauer, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Josh Funk. Our moderator: Susannah Richards, who is so tireless I think she was moderating another panel in another room at the same time.
We laughed and we learned from each other.




The evening festivities: back-to-back events hosted by Penguin Young Readers.
First was a cocktail party with authors and teachers in which teachers had to play "Two Truths and a Lie." Not many guessed my lie:

Answer hint: Dr. Seuss did not have children.
Then a lovely dinner.

The arch, from farthest to closest:
On 11/16/17, I enjoyed dinner with Chris Barton, Jenny Ziegler, Dan Santat, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Lisa Yee (first time meeting in person after being connected online for years), and Christina Soontornvat (first time meeting in person). The restaurant:

When making plans and coming from different hotels, Chris texted "Together or separate, we can all make our way toward Polite Society." I think he may have been talking about more than a restaurant…
comicon
We screened the film, I signed movie posters, and I gave a talk to a receptive audience.

Thank you again to Joe Thordarson and the folks at 901 Comics for your interest and hospitality!
Six states + seven venues + ten days would normally equal 23 hours of sleep needed to recover, but not me. Not this time.
I powered through, in large part thanks to the protein I got from eating two crickets.
Published on November 19, 2017 04:00
November 16, 2017
New home for the "Bill the Boy Wonder" trailer
On 5/4/12, I posted on YouTube my homemade trailer for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman; a few days later, I shared it here.
But sometime after that, I ended up with two YouTube accounts, and the trailer had been uploaded using the one that eventually fell into disuse.
It seems YouTube does not offer an option to merge accounts, so I had to republish the trailer to my active channel—but in doing so, I lost the stats and comments from the original post. Except I didn't, because I first copied them to preserve here:
8,171 views 59 thumb's up 2 thumb's down 30 comments
Among those 30 comments:
7 months ago
he went to my school too GSCES in Maryland
7 months ago
you came to my school today
9 months ago
hey mark you went to my school today silver ridge i didn't know any thing about that stuff thanks for the tip
1 year ago
Hey Marc, you went to my school SSIS, it was an honor to meet you, and I hope I'm able to read some of your books in the next coming days.
1 year ago
HI YOU WENT TO MY SCHOOL UNIS!!! I met you this monday and today! I was the one who forgot my glasses in the assembly room.
I love your storys and thanks for telling us about Bill finger,Bob kane,Jerry and joe.
1 year ago
Hi you just visited my school unis today Tuesday l love this video and l love how you wanted to find out more it is very interesting that Bill finger had a history l would like to know more!!
1 year ago
Super-Girl -15 YOU GO TO UNIS!!! I go to unis hanoi too ive seen you before.
Ofcourse i also saw him.
1 year ago
Hi there! You visited my Middle School! Dodd. Thanks, this video was well done!
1 year ago
Hi! You recently came my elementary school, Little Bennett.
1 year ago
Marc! You just visited my school today, ISKL, and you are awesome! I really can't wait for the documentary you told us before. Greatest author that ever visited my school in my opinion!
1 year ago
Ps im the guy that asked if you preferred dc over marvel, though now that i think about it that question is obvious. Favorite superhero is iron man
1 year ago
u visit high plains elementary school
2 years ago
you vist my school today thanks
3 years ago
Mark YOU ARE AWESOME You just came to my school :D
I really like you and your my favourite Author thanks for coming and I hope bill finger gets his glory back!
3 years ago
you vist my school you were great author
3 years ago
Your epic you just visited my school XD
3 years ago
Mark I love you! You just visited my school today! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!
3 years ago
Mark YOU ARE AWESOME You just came to my school!
thanks for coming this was the best author visit EVER! I loved your story so much, it was so interesting I hope Milton (Bill) Finger gets his fame back (even after his death)
3 years ago
batman is 75 years old now.
A documentary about Bill is needed.
3 years ago
Hey hey hey it's me rember me I'm from GP The girl who said "im batman"
3 years ago (edited)
A documentary film about Bill Finger would be great.
4 years ago
Duh, so this guy OBVIOUSLY came to my school! I LOVED it! I was very offended by it afterwards though, when I heard other kids saying, "That was a dumb assembly." I just wish kids would realize how big of a situation this was. Bill, or Milton, whatever you want to call him, his life should of been changed! He should of gotten credit! And it's stupid that Bob was too ignorant to not let him have credit.
4 years ago
He came to my school on Thursday, too!
4 years ago
dude the guy in the video is a author he visted my school just today like an hour ago
5 years ago
Batman: Who created me, why Mrs Batman of course.
PastorKlamMan
5 years ago
Love the video. Nice balance of story/mystery/man-on-the-street. Good to see what your wife really thinks of you on a daily basis ;) Can't wait to read the story of an unsung hero finally being noticed. Great job, Marc!
Janna Cawrse Esarey
5 years ago
LOVE it! I got teary in the middle when you cued the mushy music with the book cover. But then, I'm a softie.

But sometime after that, I ended up with two YouTube accounts, and the trailer had been uploaded using the one that eventually fell into disuse.
It seems YouTube does not offer an option to merge accounts, so I had to republish the trailer to my active channel—but in doing so, I lost the stats and comments from the original post. Except I didn't, because I first copied them to preserve here:
8,171 views 59 thumb's up 2 thumb's down 30 comments
Among those 30 comments:
7 months ago
he went to my school too GSCES in Maryland
7 months ago
you came to my school today
9 months ago
hey mark you went to my school today silver ridge i didn't know any thing about that stuff thanks for the tip
1 year ago
Hey Marc, you went to my school SSIS, it was an honor to meet you, and I hope I'm able to read some of your books in the next coming days.
1 year ago
HI YOU WENT TO MY SCHOOL UNIS!!! I met you this monday and today! I was the one who forgot my glasses in the assembly room.
I love your storys and thanks for telling us about Bill finger,Bob kane,Jerry and joe.
1 year ago
Hi you just visited my school unis today Tuesday l love this video and l love how you wanted to find out more it is very interesting that Bill finger had a history l would like to know more!!
1 year ago
Super-Girl -15 YOU GO TO UNIS!!! I go to unis hanoi too ive seen you before.
Ofcourse i also saw him.
1 year ago
Hi there! You visited my Middle School! Dodd. Thanks, this video was well done!
1 year ago
Hi! You recently came my elementary school, Little Bennett.
1 year ago
Marc! You just visited my school today, ISKL, and you are awesome! I really can't wait for the documentary you told us before. Greatest author that ever visited my school in my opinion!
1 year ago
Ps im the guy that asked if you preferred dc over marvel, though now that i think about it that question is obvious. Favorite superhero is iron man
1 year ago
u visit high plains elementary school
2 years ago
you vist my school today thanks
3 years ago
Mark YOU ARE AWESOME You just came to my school :D
I really like you and your my favourite Author thanks for coming and I hope bill finger gets his glory back!
3 years ago
you vist my school you were great author
3 years ago
Your epic you just visited my school XD
3 years ago
Mark I love you! You just visited my school today! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!
3 years ago
Mark YOU ARE AWESOME You just came to my school!
thanks for coming this was the best author visit EVER! I loved your story so much, it was so interesting I hope Milton (Bill) Finger gets his fame back (even after his death)
3 years ago
batman is 75 years old now.
A documentary about Bill is needed.
3 years ago
Hey hey hey it's me rember me I'm from GP The girl who said "im batman"
3 years ago (edited)
A documentary film about Bill Finger would be great.
4 years ago
Duh, so this guy OBVIOUSLY came to my school! I LOVED it! I was very offended by it afterwards though, when I heard other kids saying, "That was a dumb assembly." I just wish kids would realize how big of a situation this was. Bill, or Milton, whatever you want to call him, his life should of been changed! He should of gotten credit! And it's stupid that Bob was too ignorant to not let him have credit.
4 years ago
He came to my school on Thursday, too!
4 years ago
dude the guy in the video is a author he visted my school just today like an hour ago
5 years ago
Batman: Who created me, why Mrs Batman of course.
PastorKlamMan
5 years ago
Love the video. Nice balance of story/mystery/man-on-the-street. Good to see what your wife really thinks of you on a daily basis ;) Can't wait to read the story of an unsung hero finally being noticed. Great job, Marc!
Janna Cawrse Esarey
5 years ago
LOVE it! I got teary in the middle when you cued the mushy music with the book cover. But then, I'm a softie.
Published on November 16, 2017 04:00
November 2, 2017
"Nobody ever comes here"
The school is a two-hour drive from me. But it took me a lot further than that.
On 10/30/17, I spoke four times at North Fork Middle School in Quicksburg, VA: one talk each for grades 6-8 and an evening talk for any kids who wanted to bring their parents. Beforehand, I knew almost nothing about its student population.
The school is in a rural community. The building looks like many other middle schools I've been to—spacious, clean, bright. The warm staff told me that some of the kids—particularly some boys—would rather be on the farm or in the woods than in school. (If school isn't their first choice, I am heartened that their second is the great outdoors rather than video games.)
But the kids listened. They engaged. They thanked me. Sometimes we don't know what we like till exposure is forced on us.
In between sessions, I heard heartbreaking stories from the staff.
Some kids live in homes with dirt floors and no running water. For warmth, the homes have wood stoves or kerosene heaters, which coat hair and clothes with a noxious smell.
Some take a bus for more than an hour to get to school.
Some come to school exhausted because they had to sleep on the family room sofa for lack of a bed. One student has come to school after not sleeping at all. His parents did not notice/care that he was on the computer all night.
Some just don't come to school. Parents are, of course, supposed to notify a school of a child's absence, but in this case, often don't. Sometimes the kids do, saying "Sorry, I know my parents didn't do it."
Amid these hardships, there is light. I was told in confidence—and then permitted to share—that on holidays including Thanksgiving and Christmas, the administration and staff buy food with their own money and personally deliver it to needy families in their community. They do this without alerting any press or calling any attention to it during school hours.
I asked if this creates any feelings of inequity—some kids get these surprises, others don't. I was told that the adults do not hear the students discussing it in school. The kids may be embarrassed. Or they simply may not have the words.
But you can be embarrassed and grateful at the same time, and I suspect gratitude is the much stronger reaction.
I was grateful myself to discover more kind, selfless people in the world.
After one of my assemblies, a student asked "Why did you come here?" I asked him what he meant. He said "Nobody ever comes here."
His clarification answered his question.
Enormous thanks to Melissa Harrell and principal Todd Lynn, along with the rest of the staff, for going through the effort to invite me. You are shining examples of educators, adults, and human beings. I was honored to meet you.
On 10/30/17, I spoke four times at North Fork Middle School in Quicksburg, VA: one talk each for grades 6-8 and an evening talk for any kids who wanted to bring their parents. Beforehand, I knew almost nothing about its student population.
The school is in a rural community. The building looks like many other middle schools I've been to—spacious, clean, bright. The warm staff told me that some of the kids—particularly some boys—would rather be on the farm or in the woods than in school. (If school isn't their first choice, I am heartened that their second is the great outdoors rather than video games.)
But the kids listened. They engaged. They thanked me. Sometimes we don't know what we like till exposure is forced on us.
In between sessions, I heard heartbreaking stories from the staff.
Some kids live in homes with dirt floors and no running water. For warmth, the homes have wood stoves or kerosene heaters, which coat hair and clothes with a noxious smell.
Some take a bus for more than an hour to get to school.
Some come to school exhausted because they had to sleep on the family room sofa for lack of a bed. One student has come to school after not sleeping at all. His parents did not notice/care that he was on the computer all night.
Some just don't come to school. Parents are, of course, supposed to notify a school of a child's absence, but in this case, often don't. Sometimes the kids do, saying "Sorry, I know my parents didn't do it."
Amid these hardships, there is light. I was told in confidence—and then permitted to share—that on holidays including Thanksgiving and Christmas, the administration and staff buy food with their own money and personally deliver it to needy families in their community. They do this without alerting any press or calling any attention to it during school hours.
I asked if this creates any feelings of inequity—some kids get these surprises, others don't. I was told that the adults do not hear the students discussing it in school. The kids may be embarrassed. Or they simply may not have the words.
But you can be embarrassed and grateful at the same time, and I suspect gratitude is the much stronger reaction.
I was grateful myself to discover more kind, selfless people in the world.
After one of my assemblies, a student asked "Why did you come here?" I asked him what he meant. He said "Nobody ever comes here."
His clarification answered his question.
Enormous thanks to Melissa Harrell and principal Todd Lynn, along with the rest of the staff, for going through the effort to invite me. You are shining examples of educators, adults, and human beings. I was honored to meet you.
Published on November 02, 2017 04:00
October 22, 2017
Humboldt County Children's Author Festival 2017
This is a new one.
Not new in general. New to me.
I've done other festivals where a squad of authors speaks to a fleet of children over several days. They fall into two categories:
an event where the authors stay in one spot (often on a college campus), kids are bused in, and the authors speak to rotating groupsan event where volunteers drive the authors to various schools in the region (one author per school at one time, but typically authors speak to multiple schools over two or more days)
The Humboldt County Children's Author Festival is the latter kind—so that's not what makes it stand out. Humboldt County is about a five-hour drive north of San Francisco and two hours south of the Oregon border. It's a picturesque, vast, and largely depressed area; once a lumber and fishing mecca, it's now particularly known for its marijuana production. The historic downtown is charming, though marked with a surprisingly significant population of people down on their luck.
The schools are spread out (some authors were driven two hours to theirs) and often small. My two schools, Blue Lake Elementary School in Blue Lake and Loleta School in Loleta (each only a 20-minute drive from the historic/haunted Eureka Inn where we stayed) had at most two classes per grade, so small by my suburban East Coast standards—but not the smallest. I spoke with one educator whose public school has only 14 kids—from kindergarten to 8th grade.
The committee and community rallies and hustles to give these kids the chance to meet authors in person—and the result is not only moving but also impressive. It's an event with a staggering amount of moving parts and it's run very smoothly.
This festival has been running every other year since the 1970s and lasts three days. The first two days are the school visits, the third day is a four-hour group book signing at the public library. The first night (Wednesday) was a cocktail mixer, the second night was a potluck dinner where a group of students from a performing arts high school acted out a book from three of the authors (including, to my great honor, The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra; the main one was Kirby Larson's Hattie Big Sky), and the final night was a ticketed banquet where all 25 authors spoke—three minutes apiece, (semi-)strongly enforced. I was impressed with how polished most of the semi-extemporaneous mini-speeches were—lots of these folks have slick comic timing.
I arrived in Eureka Tuesday afternoon because this area is one of the foggiest in the nation and apparently flights are often delayed because of this.
I'm geographically oblivious so it was pure happy fluke that I saw a map Tuesday night and noticed that I was a mere two-hour, fifteen-minute drive from Brookings, OR—setting of my upcoming picture book Thirty Minutes Over Oregon.
So though I planned to spend Wednesday exploring the redwood forests, I changed course to include a drive up the rugged coastline to Brookings, where I'd never been. I was at the rental car place when they opened at 7:30 am and enjoyed the drive north, which was punctuated by a number of things I'd never seen before—including redwoods. I managed to fit it all in and still get back to Eureka with time to spare before the 5:30 pm mixer.
Glimpses of it all (sadly, none with author friends including Deb Heiligman, Kirby Larson, Barbara Kerley, Dan Gemeinhart, Kelly Milner Halls, Bruce Hale, Barry Deutsch, and beyond *):
First of four signs I posed in front of.
The town closest to where Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita'sbombs hit in his 1942 WWII raid on the U.S. mainland.
This is the library in Brookings, which remotely helped mewith research numerous times.
The 450-year-old heirloom samurai sword that
Fujita gifted to the town in 1962 as an apology,on display at the library.
Bummer.
One of the hundreds of articles about the bombing and aftermatharchived at the library.
On the way back.
The route.
Combative elk. Dozens more elk were in the vicinity, undisturbed by the cars driving through their territory.
He's right behind me, isn't he?
Redwood.
McCreepy is a good fit in ways, but also McLovely.
Mysterious standalone fireplace along the road. One theory: the wooden house that it was once part ofburned in one of the fires that have swept through the area.
The students and staff at Blue Lake gave mechupacabra hot sauce, goat cheese (inside joke if you've read the book), and an adorable card/drawing.
The first graders at Loleta wrote theirown sequel to The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra!
Stained glass in the (also haunted) Carson Mansion,
one of the most (if not the most) notable Victorian houses
in the United States; custom-made for under $300 in 1885, its four figures represent music, art, literature, and science.The house is now a private club.
Clearly.
Thank you again to JoAnn Bauer for inviting me, my driver volunteers Jean and Ruth, ultra-patient travel agent Bev, and the rest of the committee for your enormous efforts to make this festival happen. I was honored to be a part of it.
* I did get a photo (in front of a bookstore, no less) with author Jay Asher, whom I bumped into in the San Francisco airport en route home.
Not new in general. New to me.
I've done other festivals where a squad of authors speaks to a fleet of children over several days. They fall into two categories:
an event where the authors stay in one spot (often on a college campus), kids are bused in, and the authors speak to rotating groupsan event where volunteers drive the authors to various schools in the region (one author per school at one time, but typically authors speak to multiple schools over two or more days)
The Humboldt County Children's Author Festival is the latter kind—so that's not what makes it stand out. Humboldt County is about a five-hour drive north of San Francisco and two hours south of the Oregon border. It's a picturesque, vast, and largely depressed area; once a lumber and fishing mecca, it's now particularly known for its marijuana production. The historic downtown is charming, though marked with a surprisingly significant population of people down on their luck.
The schools are spread out (some authors were driven two hours to theirs) and often small. My two schools, Blue Lake Elementary School in Blue Lake and Loleta School in Loleta (each only a 20-minute drive from the historic/haunted Eureka Inn where we stayed) had at most two classes per grade, so small by my suburban East Coast standards—but not the smallest. I spoke with one educator whose public school has only 14 kids—from kindergarten to 8th grade.
The committee and community rallies and hustles to give these kids the chance to meet authors in person—and the result is not only moving but also impressive. It's an event with a staggering amount of moving parts and it's run very smoothly.
This festival has been running every other year since the 1970s and lasts three days. The first two days are the school visits, the third day is a four-hour group book signing at the public library. The first night (Wednesday) was a cocktail mixer, the second night was a potluck dinner where a group of students from a performing arts high school acted out a book from three of the authors (including, to my great honor, The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra; the main one was Kirby Larson's Hattie Big Sky), and the final night was a ticketed banquet where all 25 authors spoke—three minutes apiece, (semi-)strongly enforced. I was impressed with how polished most of the semi-extemporaneous mini-speeches were—lots of these folks have slick comic timing.
I arrived in Eureka Tuesday afternoon because this area is one of the foggiest in the nation and apparently flights are often delayed because of this.
I'm geographically oblivious so it was pure happy fluke that I saw a map Tuesday night and noticed that I was a mere two-hour, fifteen-minute drive from Brookings, OR—setting of my upcoming picture book Thirty Minutes Over Oregon.
So though I planned to spend Wednesday exploring the redwood forests, I changed course to include a drive up the rugged coastline to Brookings, where I'd never been. I was at the rental car place when they opened at 7:30 am and enjoyed the drive north, which was punctuated by a number of things I'd never seen before—including redwoods. I managed to fit it all in and still get back to Eureka with time to spare before the 5:30 pm mixer.
Glimpses of it all (sadly, none with author friends including Deb Heiligman, Kirby Larson, Barbara Kerley, Dan Gemeinhart, Kelly Milner Halls, Bruce Hale, Barry Deutsch, and beyond *):





Fujita gifted to the town in 1962 as an apology,on display at the library.



















one of the most (if not the most) notable Victorian houses
in the United States; custom-made for under $300 in 1885, its four figures represent music, art, literature, and science.The house is now a private club.


Thank you again to JoAnn Bauer for inviting me, my driver volunteers Jean and Ruth, ultra-patient travel agent Bev, and the rest of the committee for your enormous efforts to make this festival happen. I was honored to be a part of it.
* I did get a photo (in front of a bookstore, no less) with author Jay Asher, whom I bumped into in the San Francisco airport en route home.

Published on October 22, 2017 04:00