KidLit Cares: Thank you SO much! Plus an update on what&#8217;s next&#8230;

Teachers Write: Writing as Reflection Montclair Kimberley Academy Scholasti...

KidLit Cares: Thank you SO much! Plus an update on what’s next…

Many, many, many thanks to all of you who have donated auction items, spread the word via social media and your email groups, and bid on charity auctions from the KidLit Cares Children’s Book Community as we raise money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief effort in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. You are all amazing and have made me weepy more than once with your generosity and general awesomeness over the past few days . There are 42 auctions listed now — everything from manuscript and portfolio critiques to Skype author visits with signed books, and even a free pass to get your manuscript to a Chronicle Books editorial meeting. There are great opportunities for writers, illustrators, teachers, librarians, book clubs, and parents, and the full list is below, with links.

For now, we’re taking a short break from listing new auction items so that people have time to discover and bid on the great donations that are already here. But the good news is, there will be a second round of KidLit Cares auctions very, very soon. My friend & fellow Bloomsbury/Walker author Joanne Levy, is taking the reigns for this second phase of the fundraiser, which will be hosted here. (I have yet to meet Joanne in person but immediately liked her when I was in the middle of setting up Teachers Write last summer and she tweeted at me: “I am an organizational goddess. Is there anything I can do to help you?” Joanne is indeed one of the most organized people on the planet. She’s passionate about books and helping people, and she’d doing a great job with Round Two already.)

We’ve received incredible offers for auction items for this new round, including more agent & author manuscript critiques, signed book collections, a website design package, and original art from illustrators. So please watch for those. If you’d like to make a donation, too, you can email Joanne at the dedicated email address she’s set up for the next phase of KidLitCares: kidlitcares@joannelevy.com.

For now, please keep those bids coming and continue to help us spread the word about KidLid Cares by sharing our link for the current auctions with your friends. You can copy & paste this link for sharing:

http://www.katemessner.com/kid-lit-ca...

And our Twitter hashtag is #KidLitCares.

One more time…thanks. It’s a joy and an honor to be a part of this reading, writing, and teaching community online.