Grace Lin's Blog, page 42

This Saturday!

Check out the "I!" It's my friend Anna Alter's art! She'll be in the booth right next to me!
This Saturday, I'll be selling books & prints at the RISD Alumni Sale! This year, I'll be attending both sales--this one  as well as the Holiday Sale in December (have to earn some money to pay for the babysitter!) Come say hello to me, the Sasquatch and Rain Dragon!

Saturday, October 12th
10-4pm
Benefit Street
Between Waterman and Hopkins St in Providence, RI.

NCBLA Literary Lights Readers Theater!

special thanks to Richard Groth for the photosEven though I had my own performance, the real reason I was at the National Book Festival was because the NCBLA invited me to take part in their  Literary Lights Readers Theater. Readers Theater is a dramatic presentation, kind of like a radio play. This presentation was to feature literary stars like Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Susan Cooper and your truly! Okay, honestly,  I think I was invited because my old (as in former, not as in age) teacher Mary Brigid Barrett is the president of NCBLA and I might bribed her with a visit from Rain Dragon...

But it was worth it! The rehearsal alone was full of hilarity. Rain Dragon couldn't take her eyes off of the 1st Ambassador of Children's Literature, Jon Scieszka. She was star-struck...or, rather, octopus-stricken.

Rain Dragon recognized that the octopus' eyes were really balls (the awesome costume was made byElizabeth Barrett Groth and has made me envious the Halloween outfits she must be able to create) and has since called all octopi, "Ball!" since.

Jon didn't wear the costume for the whole time but Rain Dragon remained in awe of him the rest of the rehearsal.  Which made her behave well enough for the rest of us to practice the performance:

me, Susan Cooper, Carol Rasco from RIF, Linda Robb Johnson, Jon Scieszka, and Katherine Paterson! talk about rubbing elbows!And though Jon wore the costume at rehearsal, he did not during the performance. That honor went to Carol Rasco, CEO of Reading is Fundamental:


She and Cowboy Linda Robb Johnson, had to fight the paparazzi to the stage:



But they made it and the performance was a great success!


Squeeze me, I'm sitting next to the Susan Cooper! She's so classy, like the Helen Mirren of children's literature.


Which I guess would make Katherine Paterson and Jon Scieszka the King and Queen of children's literarture, as they were both Ambassadors:

should be crowns instead of medals, thenMy imagination fails to make any other analogies, especially as I cannot figure out a place for an octopus in British hierarchy. Needless to say, I was extremely honored to be in the company of ALL the performers and organizers!

Thanks so much NCBLA!

the NCBLA organizers/heroines of the event, Mary Brigid Barrett (my former teacher at RISD), Marilyn Ludolph and Geri Edins

National Book Festival

And we were in DC! Hello Capital!

special thanks to Richard Groth and Lorraine Tong for the photos!This was my first time at the National Book Festival and I wasn't sure what to expect. Unfortunately, it didn't begin auspiciously as there was a mix-up with the booksales (which I'm pretty sure was my fault, I think there was a form that I never got around to sending...ugh! I need an assistant for my life!) so they didn't have many of my books, and none of the  Ling and Ting books.

Also, my performance was right after Food Network Star's Giada De Laurentiis presented! So the overpacked tent quickly and disheartenedly thinned after she left.

But I persevered:


And things quickly took a turn for the better! The tent repopulated nicely:


And I pulled out my Starry River of the Sky presentation which is always a lot of fun:

and probably went over better than if I had done a Ling and Ting presentation anyway!
And I was whisked away for the book signing which was surprisingly long considering the book sale mix-up. Many readers brought their books from home, which was so nice to see.

though Rain Dragon got boredAnd even though there weren't any Ling and Ting books, I did get to meet a real life pair:

So a nice time was had by all! It was great fun, thanks DC and the National Book Festival! I hope we get to come again!

on my desk monday

On my desk are all the packaged up stickers and magnets for the winners of my

Thanks so much for entering!  Some book covers I painted very roughly, but that didn't seem to stop any of you--you are all sharp-eyed readers!! Here is a list of all the books I painted in:


1. The Chiru of High Tibet
2. Dim Sum For Everyone!
3. Madeline
4. Disappearing Desmond
5. The Little House
6. Ling and Ting:Not Exactly the Same
7.  Complete Adventures of Curious George
8. The Ugly Vegetables (anniversary edition)
9. Dare to Dream...Change the World
10. Year of the Rat
11. Three Little Kittens (by Anna Alter)
12. A Photo for  Greta
13. The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis
14. Dumpling Days
15. Pop! The Invention of Bubblegum
16. Year of the Dog
17. Seven Chinese Sisters
18. Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel
19. Little Bee
20. Make way for Ducklings
21. Fortune Cookie Fortunes
22. Goodnight, Gorilla
23. Blow Out the Moon
24. Francine's Day
25. Green Eggs and Ham
26. Runaway Bunny
27. Bringing in the New Year
28. Kite Flying
29. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
30. Starry River of the Sky
31.What Can You do with One Red Shoe?

winners of pocket Ling and Ting!

oops, I forgot to announce the winners of the Pocket Ling and Ting from the online birthday party! The winners, chosen at random, are (drumroll please)....

Pippi Mom
Liz

Yay! Please contact me at gracelin.manager@gmail.com  with your mailing address and pocket Ling & Ting will be moving in with you shortly!

fortune cookie friday

"Even for a tree of 10000 feet, it's leaves return to the root when they fall."
-Chinese Proverb

School Visit in DC

The Open Book Foundation, a foundation dedicated to promote literacy among disadvantaged children and teens in Washington, DC, invited me to visit a local school during my trip there to the National Book Festival. Luckily, it fit in the schedule and I did my first school visit of the year. 
all the photos were taken from the Open Book Foundation--that is why they are so nice!
It was at the Washington Middle School for Girls and it was lovely! The girls were so attentive while I gave my presentation:


and taught them how to draw a tiger:




And when I went to sign books, an old friend visited:

do you see Pocket Pacy? This is the Pocket Pacy that traveled to Barcelona (and even more places, which I will soon post!) It was fun to meet up with her again! But I have to admit, I might have enjoyed meeting some new friends even more:


I think this might be my favorite school visit photo ever
Thanks so much Open Book Foundation! Thanks so much Washington Middle School!

We ART Boston

I'm very proud to be a part of We ART Boston, a great fundraiser for the Emergency and Trauma Fund and Boston Children's Hospital (in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing). More than 40 children's illustrators are donating original works to be auctioned off, 100% of the proceeds for the hospital.  I donated a piece from Olvina Swims (I wanted to give an "athletic" piece, that was the most sports-oriented piece I had!).

But as well as donating the illustration, I also contributed to a special collaborative piece. Eleven different illustrators painted a letter to spell out We ART Boston. My friend (and new neighbor)  Jarrett was in charge of finding artists and I was happy he contacted me:

the handing off of the art--like a marathon baton!

to paint the second "O".  Here is the sketch:


All around my sketch is reference material but it's not placed there so that I can see it. It's placed there to protect the other artists' letters on the paper. Because the other artists' letters are amazing! AND my "O" was right next to a "T" by Eric Carle!!!


I was so nervous painting next to that!
But I did it:
I wanted to do something Boston Chinatown inspired, but the more obvious features--like the Chinatown gate--didn't make an "O" very well. So I decided to modify a Boston Chinatown telephone booth, added a mediating Boston Terrier for added Boston flavor and then had the whole thing levitate in a random homage to Dr. Who (the Sasquatch's favorite TV show). 
And the whole piece now looks like this:

Isn't it neat? Other letter artists include Joe McKendry (founder and creator of the project), Kelly Murphy, David Maculay,  Brian Lies, Adam Rex, Barbara McClintock, Matt Tavares, Jarrett Krosoczka, and Eric Carle! See why I was so nervous?
But now it needs the final letter...who will it be?  What will it look like? I can't wait to find out!*
The whole piece will go on auction with the other We ART Boston art, check the website or facebook page for more info!
* edited to add that the final letter  was done by Tony Diterlizzi and it looks like THIS!

on my desk monday

It's the author tag from the National Book Festival and some reference for a charity art auction I'm taking part of! More details on both to come!

fortune cookie friday

"Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star."
— Confucius