Shutta Crum's Blog, page 17
October 12, 2012
Free EMU Symposium of Writing and Publishing for Children: Oct. 17, 2012
I’ll be on a panel sharing my experiences about getting my work published for children and teens at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center, Room 310A. There’ll also be time for questions from the audience. From 5 to 7 p.m., Oct. 17.
Also on the panel will be Brynne Barnes, author of “Colors of Me,” who has a master’s in creative writing from EMU; Laura Handy (pen name Laura Ellen), author of “Blind Spot,” who has a master’s in children’s literature from EMU; and Shaun Williams, author of “Sea Beds,” who has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from EMU.
The event is free and open to the public. Nicola’s Books will provide books for those interested in purchasing books and having them signed.
For more information, contact Christine Hume at chume@emich.edu or Annette Wannamaker at awannamak@emich.edu. EMU’s Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/OP4JSZ .
See you there!
Shutta
Shutta
October 8, 2012
A Fun New Site for Teens & Tweens
Two friends have started a website for teens and tweens on decorating one’s room. It’s called How To with Lindalu and Cheryl, Too. There are lots of fun ideas there for decorating inexpensively, but with sizzle!
What’s this got to do with books? Lindalu and Cheryl are compiling a book that will accompany the site, and are currently presenting (with flair and color) to library audiences. (Hey, you program planners who are looking for something unique–this could be it!)
Drop by the site and give them a “like,” if you’re so inclined. Even better, contact them about a program. I can’t wait for the book to come out, too.
Enjoy!
Shutta
Shutta
September 28, 2012
Q. & A. with Nancy Shaw author of ELENA’S STORY
Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Nancy Shaw, author of the new book ELENA’S STORY (Sleeping Bear Press, 2012. Illustrated by Kristina Rodanas) and several sheep books in the SHEEP IN A JEEP series (HMH books), as well as RACCOON TUNE (Henry Holt, 2003)—a number of questions about her new book, and what hurdles she had to overcome to write it. I think as a writer, a teacher, or a fan of Nancy’s you’ll find her answers enlightening.
Enjoy!
Shutta
Nancy Shaw, children’s author.
1. Where did you get the idea for ELENA’S STORY? My husband and I visited our daughter Allison in the Peace Corps, in a small town in western Guatemala. We met her friends and people she worked with. They were wonderfully welcoming. Along with her forestry job, Allison worked on scholarships for girls from the countryside. We visited a school on report-card day, and learned how much of a challenge it can be to learn Spanish when you enter school–when your parents speak the Mayan language Mam at home, and may not have had the chance to learn to read and write. For kids who were still struggling with a second language, I thought that reading picture books to little brothers and sisters would be great practice, with simple language and enjoyable stories. The urge to write a story about it came a bit later, after Allison told me that some families couldn’t afford candles for homework.
2. There is a lot of specific detail in your story. How did you go about doing the research for it? Activities we saw in person played in my head. We saw corn and beans being planted. We visited groups of women who raise vegetables and flowers to sell. We were invited to lunch, and had tamalitos (plain tamales), coffee, and rice, while
chickens pecked in the yard. When we went to school, parents gathered for a meeting. These things merged into the day I imagined for Elena—and then I had to find out whether things could really happen that way. Allison gave me her opinions, and when she didn’t know, she asked her friends.
She translated an early version, and read it aloud at a forestry meeting. She got such a positive response that I felt the story could really work. I wanted to know some specific things that I hadn’t seen–such as how houses are set up farther out in the countryside; or how many houses have stoves versus open fires. She reported back. I read as much as I could in books, but most were not specific to the highland setting, or the Mam people.
When the book was accepted, and the story seemed pretty well set, Allison gave it to two educator friends from the area to check over. We sent photos and Internet links to the art director and the illustrator, who also did research. Internet sources have become increasingly available for regions that didn’t used to get documented–there was a YouTube made in the area about building stoves. The shapes of the hoes, the water jugs, the way a baby is tied to the mother’s back–all needed to have the right look.
When sketches were ready, the educators vetted the book again. There were some adjustments to make in text and pictures. Suggestions were passed on to the art director and illustrator. The finished art was also sent for review. I couldn’t have written a story like this without the educators’ help, or without Allison’s constant support.
3. Some books have a life beyond the simple reading of them. Has ELENA’S STORY made any ripples out in the real world? It’s more that the real world is merging with the story. I’m excited that some small towns in Guatemala have new community libraries, and that they are bringing families in to enjoy books and use resources. I especially like a project to collect stories from older people in their local languages, and publish them alongside a Spanish translation. I like to picture Elena reading that sort of story to her mother, in Mam.
4. When you start a story, do you already know where the plot is going? I might or might not. If it rhymes, the words may lead me places I didn’t know about. In prose, I usually have a pretty good idea of the plot arc.
5. You write a lot of rhyming or rhythmic books. ELENA’S STORY is in prose. Why the change? What were some of the challenges of writing in this format for you? The rhyming stories are usually triggered by sounds–a bit of language, possibly a couplet, that gets into my head and suggests a story. The challenge is to find the story and make the words work with it. Rhyme can lead a writer to new combinations of ideas, or to awkward or irrelevant phrasings. You have to be the boss of it–and sometimes you may settle for an approximation of what you’re trying to say. But the sound is nearly an equal partner to the sense.
ELENA’S STORY, in contrast, needed to be grounded in real-world language. There’s some figurative language in it, and the theme of light, but the language has to be believable coming from an elementary-school student. The challenges were to focus the conflict and to distill the elements, expressing what was going on without over-explaining it. I had to decide which details belonged–and I had to do my best to make it real.
Shutta
September 24, 2012
Shutta’s Annual Scholarship to the SCBWI Winter Conference in NY!
Shutta’s Scholarship Solution to the (upcoming) Winter Doldrums is Here Again!
If you are interested in attending the annual SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City, but feel you can’t afford it—think again! With a little help you might find yourself at the Grand Hyatt in NY on a blustery Groundhog’s Day weekend. (Provided you are a member of the Michigan Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.)
For the third year in row, I am renewing my offer to pay the full early-bird registration fee for a Michigan SCBWI member to attend. The qualifying rules are listed on the application form which will be posted on the MichKids website and is now at my site off the “For Writer’s” page.
The conference is Feb. 1-3, 2013 and registration does not open until mid-October. See the national SCBWI site at: http://www.scbwi.org for details. But start getting your chicks in line, now, to apply. You never know what magical thing might happen to you there!
Kelly Barson, last year’s winner said: “Ever since I joined SCBWI, I’ve wanted to attend a national conference. The timing seemed perfect for 2012, but my bank account disagreed. Shutta’s generous scholarship made my dream trip a reality.”
Any questions, feel free to contact me (below by replying to this post), or at my Contact Me page.
Dream Big!
Shutta
Shutta
September 20, 2012
Washtenaw Comm. College Lifelong Learning Course on Publishing
I’ll be presenting a 2 hour program at WCC on Tuesday night, Sept. 25, 2012 about what traditionally published authors are up against today, and how to get published. The formal title of the program is:
Writers on Writing: Inspiration and Insight, The Good, The Bad, and the Just Plain Silly: Traditional Publishing and Authors.
As this is a course in their Lifelong Learning Program, there is a small fee of $25.00 And you’ll need to sign-up at: http://www.wccnet.edu/lifelong-learning/browse/view/category/writing-literature/ .
Please help me spread the word! Thanks, all…
Shutta
Shutta
August 28, 2012
Book Beat’s 30th Anniversary a Blast!
Book Beat in Oak Park, Michigan celebrated 30 years of serving people with care and a deep knowledge of books, and art. Many authors, artists, and some musicians helped Carey and Colleen celebrate. Here are some pics!
Jean Alicia Elster and me.
Nancy Shaw, Angela Verges, and me.
Christopher Paul Curtis and me.
Congrats to Book Beat!!
Shutta
Shutta
August 18, 2012
Crystal Kite Winner Patrice Barton Honored at SCBWI Site . . .
There’s a very nice piece about her and her work at the SCBWI blog site. Its at: http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-2012-crystal-kite-winner-profiles.html .
Stop by while it’s still up. And a little bird recently notified me that Patrice and I are not done collaborating. There’ll be another book out with Alfred A. Knopf in the near future, titled UH-OH! (no pub. date yet).
Enjoy!
Shutta
(p.s.: MINE! just came out in board book format for those young readers who like to taste their books as they read . . . yum!)
Shutta
August 17, 2012
Young Fans . . . the Best!!!
Enjoy!
Shutta Crum
Baylee and MINE! 
Mas and THUNDER-BOOMER!
Shutta
August 15, 2012
Bulwer-Lytton 2012 Winners Announced
This is a favorite contest of mine–the best WORST opening line. Based on Bulwer-Lytton’s famous line “It was a dark and stormy night…”
This year’s overall top winner:
“As he told her that he loved her she gazed into his eyes, wondering, as she noted the infestation of eyelash mites, the tiny deodicids burrowing into his follicles to eat the greasy sebum therein, each female laying up to 25 eggs in a single follicle, causing inflammation, whether the eyes are truly the windows of the soul; and, if so, his soul needed regrouting.” — Cathy Bryant, Manchester, England
Other winners are listed by genre… at:
http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2012win.html
Enjoy!!
Shutta
Shutta
August 12, 2012
Book Beat Bookstore Celebrates 30 Years with a Bevy of Guest Authors and Artists
On Sunday, August 19th from 12-5 PM, the Book Beat will be celebrating it’s 30th anniversary and is planning a party for its patrons and the community. The Book Beat is located at 26010 Greenfield, in Oak Park, Michigan. A large group of guest authors and artists will be in attendance to sign and meet guests including; David Small, Dan Austin, Nancy Shaw, Paul Vachon, Kathryn Madeline Allen, Jean Alicia Elster, Dan Ewald, Tracy Gallup, Kathe Koja, Rick Lieder, Cyd Moore, Denise Crittendon, Jim Gallert, Susan Whitall, Leni Sinclair, Gary & Laura Grimshaw, Tracy Bilen, John “Detroit Blogger” Carlisle, Amy Ackley, Denise Brennan-Nelson, Bill Rauhauser, David Tarver, Barbara Kellom, John Martin.There will be live music, artists, authors, refreshments, prizes, a Mexican taco truck and an outdoor tent to help contain the celebration. The party is free and open to the public – come celebrate with your locally-owned, independent bookstore. A more complete listing and schedule with author signing times will be issued shortly.
In 2012, at Book Expo in New York, the Book Beat was recognized by the National Women’s Book Association and awarded the Pannell Prize, for being one of the best general bookstores in the country specializing in children’s books.
I’ll be there, too!
(announcement artwork by Tracy Gallup)
Shutta
