Annie Cardi's Blog, page 51

The Wise Man Knows Himself to Be a Fool

Happy April Fool’s Day! I don’t like pranks so much, but I love Shakespeare’s fools. More than just a jester, these fools are witty and see beyond the status quo of the play’s world. For example, in this scene from Twelfth Night, Feste (my favorite fool!) asks Olivia why she mourns for her brother:

I love how Feste can address Olivia’s feelings of grief here while reminding her that it’s unhealthy to wallow in mourning.

Another cool part about the fool? They provide musical entertainment! This song is from the end of Twelfth Night. Spoiler alert, guys–happy endings (almost) all around:

So if you’re feeling especially foolish, check out Twelfth Night or another of Shakespeare’s plays featuring a fool.

And if pranks are your thing, there’s a great list of YA prankster books over at the Hub.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! Can you believe it’s the end of March? This month was kind of a whirlwind for me, so I’m glad to see April on its way. Let’s round out the month with some good ol’ fashioned fifteen-word book reviews.

1. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Expected to love this one (evil geniuses! fairies!) but couldn’t connect with the characters/world.

2. Chief O’Neill’s Sketchy Recollections of an Eventful Life in Chicago by Francis O’Neill, ed. Ellen Skerrett and Mary Lesch

Memoir by a policeman in early 1900s Chicago, who then documented Irish folk music.

3. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss

Great rhyming early reader; but even in first grade I wondered what it all meant.

4. Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

Doyle does MG? Awesome! Sweet and touching road trip/ghost story with four generations of women.

5. Once Upon a Time (Childcraft: the How and Why Library #4) by World Book-Childcraft International

Mostly nursery rhymes and folk tales, but a solid primer for young reader Annie.

The Furious Bird of the Calm Storm

What a beautiful animated interpretation of “The Me Bird” by Pablo Neruda:

I like that it’s a true inspiration piece, not a video with the poem appearing as text or read aloud. A great reminder, just before National Poetry Month, that poems can inspire all sorts of works of art.

(via NPR Fresh Air)

Links Galore

Lots of good links to get you through the middle of hte week:

I’d like to add “nonplussed” to this list of words that don’t sound like what they mean.
You can vote on the cover of Elizabeth Gilbert’s next book.
The Princess Bride and Cyrano de Bergerac? Yeah, I totally read like a Hufflepuff.
No surprise that librarians make excellent writers.
I am really distraught that the Lizzie Bennet Diaries is almost over, but it’s not over until we celebrate on Thursday! And I am SO happy to know they’ll live on via Kickstarter.
Not sure if Hemingway’s Instagram would be epic (bull fights! exotic locations!) or embarrassing (fishing? drunkface selfies?).
I’m not sure whether I should be laughing or crying.
Interesting (but, sadly, not entirely surprising) look at the correlation between heteronormativity and popularity in school.
East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop? I want to see Chicago Manual of Style vs. The Elements of Style rap battle.
Need the coffee shop ambiance without having to fight for an outlet? Try Coffivity. (via the Official SCBWI Blog)
Fellow 2014 debut author Natalie C. Parker talks about what kind of critiques there are and what makes a good critique partner (with Firefly gifs!!!)
Usually I begrudge celebrity authors, but Sonia Manzano (aka Sesame Street’s Maria) has, you know, some experience with children’s education and development.
The Horn Book looks at what makes a good YA coming-out novel. My favorite part: “Coming-out stories don’t unfold in a vacuum, and nor do teens’ own lives. The best books integrate queer teens’ coming-of-age stories into the rich and varied spectrum of human experience.”

Power Through the Slush

In recent book news, the New Yorker unknowingly rejected a story it had previously published. In fact, so did lots of other well-regarded literary journals. What submitter David Cameron learned from this experiment:

“Slush sucks. It’s as simple, and as unhelpful, as that…A part of me really wanted to be outed, to have some vigilant editor write back and say, “Nice try. Consider yourself blacklisted.” Or even to put me in the horribly awkward position of an acceptance!* That would mean there’s hope, that open submissions weren’t just, in so many cases, empty gestures.”

Okay, the slush pile does suck. It’s way easier for editors to overlook a slush gem than it is for them to pass on solicited story #54 by Famous Writer. Otherwise, my reaction to the experiment:

Submissions are all kind of a crap shoot, no matter how you look at it. Maybe the submitted story originally hit the New Yorker on a day when the exact right editor was reading and had the right amount of coffee and was really thinking about the story, not about her next meeting. Maybe when it was resubmitted, it was a really bad morning for that editor and she didn’t get captured quickly enough to counterbalance the lack of coffee. Or maybe it was read by an intern who is quick to hit reject on pretty much everything. Maybe it’s a story about dogs, and it was read by an editor who’s more of a cat person.

Basically, the submissions process is totally subjective. It depends entirely on one particular reading by one particular person at one particular moment. It doesn’t matter if this story is perfect or not. It could be the ideal story for that journal or publishing house or agency, and it could still get rejected. I’ve been on the reading side of the slush pile, and I’m sure I bypassed a lot of great stuff.

That said, it doesn’t mean that there’s no hope. You just have to wait for that moment the right editor at the right place will read your story at the right time. Does that suck? Kind of. But it’s the writing business. Literary journals and publishing houses aren’t putting together a puzzle and need one particular piece to fill their spaces. Anything can be rejected at any time. But that can also mean that this could be the moment that the right person reads your story.

The New Yorker experiment didn’t change any of my views about writing or publishing or submissions. Maybe it means I was cynical to begin with, or that I’m ridiculously optimistic. Either way, I’m powering on.

Get as Excited as Joseph Gordon Levitt About Your Favorite Book

You know how you know reading is cool? When celebrities get super excited about their favorite books, like a young Joseph Gordon Levitt did in this episode of (Teen Celebrity?) Jeopardy back in 1997:

Although I prefer Franny and Zooey, I dig Levitt’s style.

Confession: since I watched 3rd Rock from the Sun back in the day, a little part of me feels like I grew up with Joseph Gordon Levitt and am unreasonably proud of his current success as an actor. Like I expect to see him at the family reunion or something.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! Let’s kick off the weekend with some good ol’ fashioned fifteen-word book reviews.

1. Lidia’s Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali

Great recipes and glimpses into Italian-American communities. Can’t wait to try the Shrimp Fra Diavalo.

2. Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel

Fun folktale about changing perspectives. I used to pull this out all the time.

3. Happy Birthday, Molly! (American Girls: Molly #4) by Valerie Tripp

I learned about the Blitz during WWII from this book.

4. Speaking With the Angel ed. Nick Hornby

Short story collection with some great writers. Features my favorite work by Dave Eggers.

5. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Didn’t connect with me like I wanted. Probably read too close to quirky Weetzie Bat.

The Story Beyond Attainment, Beyond Help

I’ve confessed before that I’m not a Hemingway fan. But I was intrigued by his Nobel Prize speech and the circumstances surrounding it. He talks a little about the loneliness of writing, which I don’t tend to agree with, but I liked this part quite a bit:

“For a true writer each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment…It is because we have had such great writers in the past that a writer is driven far out past where he can go, out to where no one can help him.”

I like this idea of being driven out beyond help, beyond what you can conceive of for yourself. Because if you’re writing, it should be because this is a story that needs to be told and hasn’t been told before. This is your challenge and we’re always pushed further than before.

Make sure to check out the whole speech.

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

In honor of Mr. Rogers’ birthday today, YA author John Green shares a few cool facts about the man who helped make children’s public television a true force for learning and growth. There were lots of piece of trivia I didn’t know, so make sure to check out the video:

We should all endeavor to be as kind and thoughtful and curious as Mr. Rogers. Maybe instead of DFTBA we should say DFTBLF–Don’t Forget to Be Like Fred.

Happy birthday, Mr. Rogers!

PS–It’s also the birthday of one of my favorite children’s authors, Lois Lowry. Happy birthday, Lois! Thank you for bringing so many amazing books into the world.

Links Galore

Lots of great links to get us through Tuesday:

I love wild opening lines.
Concord is one of my favorite places to day trip! And lots of literary goodness still to check out there.
Being a strong YA heroine doesn’t just mean kicking ass and taking names; a great reminder that there are lots of ways to be strong.
I have very deep feelings about the comma.
Tin House on how to not be sexist in the literary world.
Congratulations to Natalie Babbitt and her win of the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Inaugural E. B. White Award!
I wish I were young and tortured enough to apply for the Tortured Artist Grant.
The Hunger Games was still a hot seller in 2012. Guessing that’ll continue when the Catching Fire movie is released this year.
Remember how awesome the Tortall book are? Relive all that goodness on Mark Reads. (H/T Elizabeth Brenner)