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Congratulations to all the winners of the inaugural Patient Safety and Care Awards.
To view the winners please click here
To view the photos from the evening please click here
On the evening of the 15 July, over 1,000 senior healthcare managers, directors and practitioners gathered at Grosvenor House, Park Lane London to recognise those individuals and organisations that are proving successful at initiatives that are driving the quality, clinical efficiency, effectiveness and safety agendas at the same time
The judging panel and were overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of the entries received for the awards. Those that made the shortlist have proven that they are at the very top of their profession.
Jenni Middleton, Editor, Nursing Times said,
The Health Service Journal and Nursing Times would like to thank NHS Employers and Macmillan for the support they have given to this year's event. Thank-you too to all those that have entered. If you didn't win this year then next year may see a change of fortune!
Alder Hey Children's Hospital has claimed it may lose a £4m donation after a damning report by inspectors.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) placed the hospital in a "potentially high risk" category over standards including patient safety.
NHS reforms signal to end of staff 'gagging clauses'
So-called "gagging clauses" are to be removed from contracts when a member of staff leaves the NHS.
Health minister Alex Neil said a new standard settlement agreement will be drafted which does not include confidentiality clauses.
Stethoscopes 'more contaminated' than doctors' hands
Doctors should disinfect their stethoscopes after every examination because the instruments are heavily contaminated by bacteria, a study says.
Stethoscopes were found to carry as many bacteria as the palms of doctors' hands, and only doctors' fingertips were 'dirtier'.
Piggy Lane, Bicester care home safety criticised in report
Staffing levels at a care home in Oxfordshire could affect patient safety, an inspection has found.
The Piggy Lane unit for adults with learning and physical disabilities in Bicester was also criticised by the Care quality Commission (CQC) for its assessment of patients.
Patients 'are safer with better-educated nurses'
A Europe-wide study suggests that nurse education and patient to nursing staff ratios may impact on patient outcomes.


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AJ Jobs Board blog: Chris Romer-Lee on reading the advert
Studio Octopi director Chris Romer-Lee has written this week's AJ Jobs Board blog explaining why applicants should always read a job advert properly before applying
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Homespun Inspired Calligraphy Letterpress Invitations
Patricia Mumau wows us on the regular with her carefree calligraphy and illustrations. On this customization of our Balsam Calligraphy design, Sarah and John chose a mellow color palette paired with homespun touches like a jute envelope and textile inspired liner. They added a pop of color (and a shout-out to summer) with Watermelon colored edge painting.
letterpress inks: sand + deep blue | paper: bella cotton 2-ply white | edge painting: watermelon | hand calligraphy: harrison style by patricia mumau | envelope: jute | envelope liner: modern herringbone pattern in deep blue | customization #13893
Balsam Calligraphy wedding invitation in Black letterpress
We're suckers for hand calligraphy that doesn't take itself too seriously. Cue McKenzie and Branch's customization of our Balsam Calligraphy wedding invitation design. Patricia Mumau's Harrison hand calligraphy is simple, understated and just plain cool in crisp Black letterpress ink.
letterpress ink: black | paper: bella cotton ivory 2-ply | edge painting: antique gold | hand calligraphy: harrison style | customization #: 16975 | Simply Put
Nature Inspiration – Balsam Calligraphy Wedding Invitations
These Balsam Calligraphy wedding invitations (by Patricia Mumau) printed in taupe letterpress are looking positively nature inspired. Paired with a jute colored envelope, the rustic look is definitely alive. The couple chose to print all of their reply by details on the front of the reply postcard, with only an oversized branch motif on the reverse. Many thanks to Urbanic Paper Boutique for submitting these for us to print.
letterpress ink: taupe| calligraphy: Harrison hand by Patricia Mumau | paper: 1-ply white| printing: letterpress | invite size: A-7 | liner: elegant ombre in sherbet and shell |customization #: 17153 |
Balsam Calligraphy Invitation
We had the pleasure of working with Georgia Ann's Paperie on this spectacular Balsam Calligraphy letterpress suite. The espresso ink truly brings out the beauty of the custom hand calligraphy by Patricia Mumau. The envelope liner and letterpress printed pocketfold are the perfect way to tie everything together.
ink: espresso | calligraphy: the Harrison hand by Patricia Mumau| paper: 2-ply ivory | invite size: f8 for pocketfold | customization #: 15044 |
Surprise, Surprise – Balsam Calligraphy Letterpress Birthday Invites!
We love it when someone thinks outside of the box and customizes one of our letterpress wedding invitations for a separate occasion. These letterpress surprise birthday invitations feature Patricia Mumau's whimsical Balsam Calligraphy design. Our vine ink fits perfectly with the calligraphy leaf motif that repeats throughout the set. For maximum contrast a solid envelope liner in Chartreuse and edge painting were carefully selected. We could barely keep these a secret!
ink: vine | calligraphy: harrison hand calligraphy, by patricia mumau style | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: a7 | liner: the classic color pattern in chartreuse | edge painting: chartreuse | client coordinator: christie jones | in-house designer: lindsy aragona
Balsam Calligraphy Bar Mitzvah Save the Dates
It's not every day that we get to print cool letterpress save the dates for a bar mitzvah, so we love these Balsam Calligraphy save the dates that we printed for Joel's upcoming winter bar mitzvah celebration. This design showcases the gorgeous hand calligraphy of Patricia Mumau of Primele, letterpress printed in classic black ink.


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Get ready to be inspired! Learn the many different ways that cabochons can be incorporated into your jewelry collection in this 28-minute episode of Beads, Baubles, and Jewels.
Design one-of-a-kind components by manipulating filigree stamping with Debbi Simon, create your own tools to set the perfect cabochon with Mark Nelson, plus make a fabulous polymer clay cabochon with Patricia Kimle.
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Eire Society cites O'Donovan's 'authenticity, artistry'
By BIR News Room, July 2, 2014
The Eire Society of Boston presented its annual Gold Medal Award to the well-known radio host and musician Brian O'Donovan at a reception and dinner on Thurs., June 12, at the Neighborhood Club of Quincy. He and his wife Lindsay live in Cambridge. They have four children: Aoife, 31, Ciaran, 29, Aidan, 27, and Fionnualam 21.
Following are the text of the citation honoring a man who has spent the past four decades promoting Irish traditional music and other Celtic music in the New England region and excerpts from his remarks:
"Boston and America have benefited enormously from the spirit of adventure that has propelled scores of young men and women tour shores. They have enriched our culture, enlivened our talent base, and touched our communal soul with the full- throated vigor of the newly arrived.
"Our Eire Society honoree, Brian O'Donovan, has traveled that uncertain route, trod that path of striving and attainment. We have been the beneficiaries.
"From Clonakilty in West Cork he came fortuitously to Boston three decades ago to organize, entertain, and enlighten: a joyously welcome amalgam of authenticity and artistry.
"O' Donovan has leapt from success to success in two notable and demanding careers. For a dozen years Brian held vital leadership positions for Kraft Sports ranging from chief operating officer, Stadium GM, vice president of the Patriots, to COO of New England's Major League Soccer franchise, the Revolution.
"Heeding his heart, Brian extended his universe as the longtime host of WGBH's popular weekly Celtic Sojourn, and on stage, he has operated in full flight as entrepreneur, performer, producer, talent scout, and musical tour guide, enthralling a generation of music lovers. His Christmas shows, now in their second decade, are a sparkling, multifaceted addition to the NewEngland holiday season that reflect splendidly on its creator."
Brian O'Donovan: Thank you so much for having me here tonight. It is truly and I mean this, honestly, an honor for me to stand here in this beautiful place, and to look and see so many familiar faces, I am genuinely humbled.
"And that humility comes from a variety of sources but chief amongst them is that I feel this honor tonight is really for Irish culture itself, and for me, yes, I accept it, but only as a simple messenger, maybe a curator, if you will, but just one such curator/messenger/advocate for a culture that is powerful, and enduring, and transcending of commercialism or faddishness.
"A culture that has survived the very real human challenges of famine, dislocation, brutal discrimination, forced emigration, prejudice in the new land – right here in America, right here in Boston – and the uphill struggle to assimilate.
"And yet, here we are tonight in our beautiful surroundings in Quincy not far from where Abigail Adams looked on with her family as Charlestown erupted in the flames of revolution on June 17, 1775. Did she or her husband John envision at that point in history, that almost 250 years later, the Irish would have played such pivotal roles in creating what I believe strongly is one of the greatest cities in the world, certainly one of the best places to live.
"But it's at times like these, we need to remember who we are and how we came to be, so Irish and proudly American.
"In his book "Irish Boston," Michael Quinlan recounts the story of two Irish immigrants, each named Patrick Sullivan, who left their homes in the year 1847 and took passage to Boston. One of them flourished here; the other perished.
"The Sullivan who survived had boarded the Unicorn in London in July 1847, and sailed into Boston that August. His only skill was dancing, so he set up a dance academy (to teach the girls and boys of his adopted city). He married Swiss immigrant Adrienne List, a classically trained pianist, and they settled on Bennett Street in the South End, where the New England Medical Center is today.
"The other Patrick Sullivan spent his final days on this earth quarantined at Deer Island in Boston Harbor. He died on Nov. 11, 1847, at age 33. He was the 260th Irish immigrant to have died at the quarantine hospital after its opening on May 29 of that year. He was one of nine Sullivans who died on the island between June and December 1847.
"In September 1856 Sullivan the dancer and his Swiss wife had a son whom they named Louis. He went on to become the nation's foremost architect and is regarded as the Father of American Architecture.
"But the Patrick Sullivan who languished on Deer Island is also part of our history. He was one of several hundred men, women, and children who suffered a sad, painful, lonely death at a quarantine station in a harbor 3,000 miles away from home.
"Fate has always had a hand in Irish history and it's worth pondering what this Patrick Sullivan and the other Sullivans might have become had they actually made it to the Promised Land, which shimmered just five miles in the distance on the shores of America.
"Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican political leader of the early 20th century, said: "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots."
The Eire Society – all of you as curators of this proud legacy we have as Irish – have kept this knowledge alive in the area for over 70 years. As you heard me say, I am just the messenger, maybe a curator. In so many ways, you are also the messengers, the keepers of the flame.
"But in 2014, the Irish culture we celebrate is not backward. It is not inward- looking. Nor is it academic, to be dusted off now and then and analyzed. Our literature – drama, poetry, fiction – is known the world over and a new crop of writers like Colm Toibin, Emma Donoghue, Colm McGann, and Ann Enright continue to make impact in such an Irish way. Our visual arts, film and video, our actors, like Michael Fassbender, and Colin Farrell, Irish singers with names like Samantah Mumba, and Laura Izibor, indicate just where we are in the home country, pulsing at the edge of Europe.
"No, our Ireland, our Irishness is open and invitational and celebratory. It is in all of its forms, a narrative on who we are and where we have come from and a celebration of our being there, of our being here in America. Its language is about sharing. A traditional session in a kitchen or a pub, a festival in a field, a history lecture, a book reading , a short story re-discovered, a chorus of a song, a smile, a welcome, a poem from your childhood, a remembered proverb from your mother, a cup of tea with a friend in the old china."
"There is a poem I have become very fond of from a poet who deserves to be read far more widely than he is: Michael Coady, a retired teacher from Carrick on Suir. He captures so much of my sentiments on the subject of music, its position as a balance in a broken world:
Though there are torturers in the world,
There are also musicians.
Though, at this moment,
Men are screaming in prisons,
There are jazzmen raising storms
Of sensuous celebration,
And orchestras releasing
Glories of the Spirit.
Though the image of God
Is everywhere defiled,
A man in West Clare
Is playing the concertina,
The Sistine Choir is levitating
Under the dome of St. Peter's,
And a drunk man on the road
Is singing, for no reason.


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1. Used in Jerry Jackson films and the narrator is unable to pronounce "right", so the word rate is used. Oh No! is used in a high pitch voice during some episodes to create suspense and tension. Also animatiosn spelt incorrectly "animatens".
2. To rate someone (1-10)
2. To rate someone (1-10)
That is like rate funny, LMAO!
автор: scottysullivan 6 октября 2006
This is an acronym standing for "Rough Around The Edges" and it refers to people (usually used to describe certain women) who are a bit rugged in both appearance and personality (usually found with Type 1s).
That chick is a hardcore RATE but still I find her strangely appealing. Other Ratish women turn me on too.
автор: Sateeb 14 августа 2009
A term used in insurance underwriting that means the applicant will have to pay additional premiums for the coverage for which he or she has applied. Underwriters often rate a policy arbitrarily to increase the company's "bottom line."
"Damn, if I'm going to get that bonus next year, I'm going to have to get off of my ass and rate some policies."
автор: Insurance Man 4 апреля 2006
Used in the military, most specifically the Marine Corps, as another word for "deserve."
1. Hey, buddy! How's it going?
2. ......
3. What the fuck? I don't RATE a response, asshole?
2. ......
3. What the fuck? I don't RATE a response, asshole?
автор: Rock Coxman 7 января 2010
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Should I Worry about Creatinine Level of 3.12012-11-23 16:03
Creatinine is the metabolic waste of creatin produced from muscle metabolism. It is itself not bad, but is an important indicator of kidney functions. While doing kidney function examination, people sometimes find that their serum creatinine is higher than the normal range while urine creatinine is lower.
Creatinine level of 3.1mg/dl is higher than the normal value (0.5-1.2mg/dl), but it is not serious enough to begin dialysis. So should patients worry about it and what should patients do to prevent further increase of creatinine and protect remaining kidney functions?
First we need to know what will cause high creatinine level and here are the main reasons:
For kidney disease patients:
1. In case of infections including cold, pneumonia, intestinal infection, urinary tract infection, etc, there can be creatinine increase in a short time.
2. If patients have renal toxic medicines or drugs, creatinine can increase and this can sometimes be irreversible.
3. In case of oliguria or even anuria due to illness relapse, there can be acute renal insufficiency resulting in high creatinine.
In addition, if patients have hypertension and the blood pressure is badly controlled, long term high blood pressure and moderate to large amount of proteinuria (24-hour urinary protein is more than 1-1.5g) can slowly cause elevated creatinine
Another cause is loss of water in the body, for example fever, much sweating, inadequate water intake or diuresis period can cause blood concentration and reduced blood flow in the kidneys. In this case, there can be increase of creatinine level.
Therefore in case of high creatinine of 3.1, do not worry and the first step is to find out the underlying cause and treat it from both the primary and secondary aspects.
If it is confirmed that high creatinine is caused by kidney damages, proper and effective treatments should be received as soon as possible. High creatinine will cause much harm to the body and many cardio-cerebral pulmonary complications are due to excessive accumulation of creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and other toxins.
Only if the damaged renal functions are recovered can the creatinine be discharged and high creatinine is reduced.
Renal damage is a gradual process and effective treatments should focus on those renal tissues where fibrosis and scar have not been completely formed because they still have chance to be repaired and recovered.
- Tag: creatinine High Creatinine Causes
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Box Office Ace Predictions: Anchorman 2, American Hustle, Saving Mr. Banks, Walking with Dinosaurs
Rounders and Shakespeare In Love sequels developing as Weinsteins Regain Control of Miramax Library
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Teaser Poster
Paul Walkers brother to help with Fast and Furious 7
Paramount Rebooting The Naked Gun; Ed Helms Is the New Leslie Nielsen
Peter Jackson Says He'll Still Make That Tintin Sequel After The Hobbit
Safe House Writer in Talks to Pen Bad Boys 3
Jason Momoa in Talks for Batman vs. Superman
Jack Reacher Sequel a go
HowardCantour.com writer/director Shia LaBeouf Plagiarizes
Sony Expands Spider-Man Cinematic Universe With Venom and Sinister Six Movies
Chico & Rita
The Postman
Trailer Addict:
22 Jump Street
Edge of Tomorrow
Jupiter Ascending
Bad Words
Plus much more, tune in now!
MP3 Direct Link - Click to play; right click to download.
Please rate and review us in iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever you use to subscribe and listen with. We need your support and help in getting the word out about this great movie podcast - thanks to all our fans!
This is my list of my top five favorite gambling movies. Gambling has been the center of many films, and lends itself to defining some great characters. Dirty and gritty these people walk a thin line – some are fast talkers, others only speak with their eyes. Most are down and out, but they usually find their wins in extreme situations, and we find entertainment in the tug of war possibility between riches and death. After checking out my top five gambling films be sure and see this list of top casino movies.
Box Office Gross: $52,293,982 Adjusted: $0
Oscar-nominated in 1961 for his performance as pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler, Paul Newman won that award a quarter century later when he reprised the role in The Color of Money. At the end of The Hustler, Felson was banned for life from playing the game professionally. In the intervening years, he has become what the despicable George C. Scott was in the 1961 film: a front man for younger hustlers, claiming the lion's share of the winnings. His latest "client" is arrogant young Tom Cruise, who is goaded into accepting Felson's patronage by his avaricious girl friend Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Cruise learns not only the refinements of the game, but also the dirty trickery that will help him lure in the suckers. As Cruise becomes successful on these terms, Felson seethes with jealousy, hitting the bottle and carelessly allowing himself to fall victim to another hustler. He tells Cruise to get lost, and vows to make an honest comeback. It is inevitable from this point onward that the younger and the older player will square off in a game for the biggest stakes of all: Fast Eddie Felson's self-respect.
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Thule Ranger 500 Soft Box Black /Silver
Thule Ranger 500 Soft Box Black /Silver The Ranger 500 Soft Box is perfect for those who do not have space to store a solid roof box or wish to have a box they can store once they get to their holiday destination. Made from a durable waterproof fabric .
Product Name Extra Info
- Easy Snap Mounting system
- Singleside opening
- Suitable to carry two pairs of Ski's (Max Length 185cm)
- Fully foadable when not in use
- 50kg load capacity
- 5 year Thule warranty
- 260 Litre Volume Capacity
- TÜV/GS approved; fullfills CityCrash norms
How can I get it?
Not available to collect
Delivery not available
- Roofbar fitting and demo from only £14.99
- Roofbox fitting and demo only £12.99


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I've never had a paperback cover that was different from the hardcover before, but for Seven Stories Up, we decided to freshen things up.
What do you think???
I've never had a paperback cover that was different from the hardcover before, but for Seven Stories Up, we decided to freshen things up.
What do you think???
I seem to be locked out of my hotmail account, which I've used in the past for corresponding through the site. If you're having trouble getting in touch, or you haven't received a reply, please email email@example.com
Today, Lew and I had an hour to kill, before we needed to pick Mose up from school. I decided to run some errands, and stopped home to pick up a big bag of clothes for the thrift shop, as well as a laundry basket full of books…
Lew did NOT like my idea of donating the basket of books.
But then we drove by a Little Free Library, situated right at Lew's old preschool, and he said he thought it might be okay to donate a few books to the Ormewood School. So we did that.
Then we drove a little further down Woodland, and found…. THIS!
Wow, Lew was really impressed with the metalworking! He rewarded the library with a few books.
We continued to head to the thrift shop, but guess what we ran into, right on that same street?
After that we dropped off the big bag of clothes, and it was time to head back to the school to get Mose. But on our way we got a little sidetracked…
And then, at the elementary school itself, we simply couldn't resist…
By now we only had about half the books left! And when Mose heard what we'd be doing, he wanted in on the fun. So we drive the 2 miles home verrrry slowly home, and we found…
All on our drive home from school!
Now we were down to four books (which someone insisted we could NOT give away). So we decided to go home for a snack.
But not without doubling back to one of our previous stops first. Because, as Lew explained, "Mose, you have GOT to see the faucet."
Faucet? What faucet?
How fun! What a great way to spend a day.
A day? It was under an hour! But now I DO want to spend a day that way…
It would be a neat way to visit a city.
Thanks Laurel for documenting all these little gems!
Thanks Laurel for documenting all of these little gems!
Every year, about this time, we start to see lots of posts and comments online about the upcoming ALA awards. It's one of my favorite seasons for this very reason. I love following the blogs, engaging in discussions about the frontrunners, learning from what other people have to say. I like to read prediction posts, and to hear about the mock Caldecott clubs around the country. I like to discover new books.
But every year I'm a little dismayed by how overwhelmingly women illustrators seem to get overlooked in early Caldecott conversations.
To be clear– I LOVE the books that win. I love the men who (mostly) make the books that win. Many of these men are my friends, and I believe that they are talented and creative and brilliant and worthy of awards. ABSOLUTELY. Last year, despite all my ranting about gender-bias, my own top pick for the medal was illustrated by a man.
I also believe women are worthy. Yet, somehow, when we start to generate buzz within our own little community, we PREDICT success for men. Which creates a certain sense of inevitability.
How does it begin? I don't know. Maybe there are more marketing dollars for dudes. Maybe men are more inclined to illustrate. Maybe we, the women who buy most of the books, simply adore dudes. Maybe men are more inclined to make "Caldecott-style" illustrations. Or maybe MEN ARE SIMPLY BETTER AT ART THAN WOMEN AND I AM WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER SAID ON THE MATTER.
In any case, it happens. Statistically.
Last year I made this list of AMAZING PICTURE BOOKS CREATED BY WOMEN. It was great fun, and I heard from a lot of folks that they were introduced to books they hadn't seen before. I know some folks even sold a few books via the list.
So I invite you to help me make a 2014 edition, by leaving a comment below, with your very favorite woman-illustrated picture book of the year. Please don't self-nominate or self-promote in this space. If you've truly created something awesome, no doubt someone else will mention it for you! Just link to your favorite book in a comment, and I'll pull an image of the cover, and add it below.
And if you're a list-maker yourself, a blogger or journalist or librarian who runs a mock Caldecott… and you find yourself with a dude-heavy list, consider adding a few women to the mix. If women-illustrated titles don't jump immediately to mind, you might want to ask yourself why that is…
I'll kick things off myself, with a few favorites of my own:
A BOY AND A JAGUAR, by Alan Rabinowitz, illustrations by Catia Chien
LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT of EVERYTHING, by Maira Kalman
TELEPHONE, by Mac Barnett, illustrations by Jen Corace
NANA IN THE CITY, by Lauren Castillo
FIREFLY JULY, by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrations by Melissa Sweet
EXTRAORDINARY JANE, by Hannah E Harrison
AVIARY WONDERS, INC, by Kate Samworth
FLIGHT SCHOOL, by Lita Judge
VIVA FRIDAY, by Yuyi MOrales
FLASHLIGHT, by Lizi Boyd
A PIECE OF CAKE, by LeUyen Pham
A Piece of Cake by LeUyen Pham!
I realize this might officially come out today, but thought I'd include The Right Word, Melissa Sweet. http://www.eerdmans.com/Products/5385/the-right-word.aspx Also Maple (Lori Nichols). I never know if graphic novels count or not, but it is my dream for El Deafo (Cece Bell) to win big.
Oh, and Louise Loves Art!
And the Numberlys…
I don't see why Cece couldn't win it! How awesome would that be?
If Selznick could win for HUGO CABRET, I don't see why El Deafo would somehow be out of the running. Picture books are wild and diverse and MIGHTY.
I'm pulling over a bunch of FB suggestions too, btw, these aren't all mine…
I love Louise Loves Art! But man, it is TIME for Melissa Sweet to get a Caldecott. I am TEAM MELISSA SWEET this year. We'll see. I think Beekle is the monster to beat, and Beekle is a very strong contender.
This may be a *teensy* bit self-promotion, as the illustrator is my boss's client, but I had no hand in it and would think it was a gorgeous book anyway:
WHERE'S MOMMY? by Beverly Donofrio and illustrated by Barbara McClintock http://www.randomhouse.com/book/41968/wheres-mommy-by-beverly-donofrio
I think we'll allow it.
I finished my novel. And author visits for the year.
Also, school ended for Mose and Lew.
So… now… VACATION IS HERE.
We're hanging around, eating noodles and stuff.
See you in the fall!
The lovely and brilliant Melissa Wiley recently tagged me for this, and though I almost never blog, it seemed like a fun thing to do, in part because I've just finished a manuscript, and am thinking a lot about process, in retrospect.
But before I answer the tour questions, you should know that Melissa's book, The Prairie Thief, would make a wonderful summer read for anyone who likes my books. (Melissa and I share a lot of the same literary loves). SLJ called it : "A charming, inventive tale that reads like a delightful mash-up of Little House on the Prairie and The Spiderwick Chronicles…Mystery and suspense keep the pages turning. [A] top-notch story." Also, look how cute it is!
Okay, so, here are the questions, and my answers…
I always have a slew of open files on my laptop. So much so that it's a little embarrassing. I also work on certain picture book manuscripts in hard copy, longhand– things I need to see laid out across the page. Currently I'm fiddling with a Choose-your-own-adventure book called Oh, Snap! as well as a followup book for Charlie and Mouse (2016, Chronicle), a little chapter book attempt called Tula Bloom Runs Away, (about a snarky fairy and an elderly unicorn named Bob), a collection of songs for neglected holidays, and some poems.
That said, I generally have one main project I'm focused on. This year it's been a novel called The Orphan Island, which I just finished up a draft of. It's a weird one. A story about 9 kids who live alone on a well-stocked (and slightly magical) island. Every year a boat arrives at the island, and carries away the oldest child, leaving a new toddler in his/her place…
Oh, wow. I don't know. My books are all in dialogue with classics, I think. My books are all stand-alones. My books are all just a little bit magical. My books rarely have villains in them. I don't believe in villains, I don't think.
I don't know how to answer that question.
I write what interests me. I write until I make myself cry, or laugh, or until I get stuck and confused.
Maybe I try write the books my child-self would have wanted to read? I write books that help me learn things about human nature, that teach me something about the world, that let me think about and wrestle with questions I find worthwhile.
I write a lot of books that can never be published. I also write a lot of adult poems nobody will ever see.
In a lot of ways, I'm very selfish. I don't want to please the largest number of kids possible. I don't think about reluctant readers. I don't think about sales or the market, really. At least not when I'm drafting. I think about language and ideas. Writing is a puzzle for me. When the result is a book, that's great! When it isn't, that's also pretty great.
I scribble. I write down ideas in a little notebook I carry with me, or a box of post-its I keep beside my bed. I often open up a blank document, type one sentence in it, and then forget I did that.
Eventually, if that scribble sticks in my brain enough that I remember it exists, I go back to it. I stare at it. I try to figure out if it might be worth keeping. Sometimes the scribble gets fit into a WIP, and sometimes the scribble becomes a first line or a title. Often with picture books, I sit down with the scribble, and the words tumble out, and in an hour I have a book. Usually, that book isn't worth showing to anyone or revising. I have hundreds of "failed" projects like that.
With novels, I usually begin with a question. For Bread Box the question was, "What if a kid could wish for anything they wanted, but then they discovered they were stealing?" For Seven Stories Up, the question was, "Can one person ever really change another person?"
The hardest part with the novels, for me, is sitting down to start. Believing that the question I'm asking is worth spending a year on. I think about the question, develop the characters, sketch out an outline. And eventually there's a day when I take a deep breath, and start typing. That's the hardest part for me. The first paragraph can take weeks. And then, ALWAYS, I end up slicing the first page off the manuscript. After all that, it never sticks.
But I write. And I write. And eventually, I have a draft. I use an outline, but it always shifts and changes, as the book grows. As I write, I get to know the characters better, and I come to realize my outline was wrong. The characters are NOT people who can make the choices I wanted them to. The end is almost always entirely different from the end I had planned.
And then I rewrite the book 2 or 5 or 7 times. And then, maybe, if I'm lucky, it's a book.
With my current manuscript, THE ORPHAN ISLAND, I actually did something new. I painted the island, and the characters. I found I was having trouble seeing the people and the place, and an artist friend suggested I try accessing the story in a visual way. It was amazing.
For this one I also began in longhand, on legal pads. I gave up after about 50 pages, because it hurt my hands (I have arthritis). But that was really important for me, I think. I felt like I was a kid again, scribbling, generating ideas, having fun thoughts. I needed to get away from the seriousness of writing as a job. I needed not to think about publishing.
I think that may be the most important part of my process. Remembering what it feels like to play. To be a kid alone with new ideas. To be excited by invention, engaged fully with my own imagination. To let the book be MINE.
Like I said, I'm selfish…
I feel totally uncomfortable tagging people for something like this. So I tag YOU! If you want to share your process, let me know, and I'll post a bit about you and your books in the space below. How's that?
I did this meme a few weeks ago, but I'll pretend you tagged me and this is new!
I love love love your answers. And actually, I think being "selfish" is one of the hardest parts of this writing thing, for me. Along with forgetting (or at least putting aside) the business aspect of things…
It's that time of year, when an author's thoughts turn to…
ANd while I've tried to keep my travel down the last few years, this fall I don't have a new book out, that I have to do promotional events for, which frees me up to visit more schools.
If you've never seen an author visit in action, I'm here to say that (whether or not the author is me) it's something kids never forget.
My author visits fall into three basic types:
1. TRADITIONAL AUTHOR TALK(which to be honest, remains my favorite): DUring which I tell kids about how I started writing when I was 8 years old. I focus on how THOSE books were my true first books, even if they were made of wallpaper scraps. I show them artifacts from my writing life, and explain how I made my own childhood dreams come true. I stress things like THE IMPORTANCE OF BOREDOM AND FAILURE. I give them explicit instructions on HOW TO GET BORED. Seriously! And I promise, they love it!
2. WRITING WORKSHOP: usually for older kids, and smaller groups, I offer a workshop in how character and plot are interwoven. We create our own character, set them loose in a story, and see what paths they choose. We talk about precision of language, narrative structure, "going deep," and all sorts of other awesome things. This is a ton of fun, and I always suggest that the class pick up where we leave off, and turn the story into a longer illustrated class project.
3. HISTORY ISN'T BORING: my most recent book, Seven Stories Up, is set in 1937 Baltimore, and it's a lot of fun to walk the kids through the process of learning how to do historical research. I show them slides of images (from gross old fashioned candy to vintage underpants), and snippets of songs and films. I explain how we need to submerge ourselves not just in the facts, but in the feelings. We discuss the things THEY might like to research (ninjas, princesses, video games) if they were writing a book.
I'm also always willing to put together special events to meet the needs of any given school, and have developed programs about everything from Jewish picture books to poetry, both in-class and via skype. Let me know what you need!
SCHOOL VISITS ARE GREAT! But you don't have to take my word for it. Here are a few of the teachers I've worked with!
"Ask your kids about Laurel Snyder!! This children's book author visited SSA this week to speak to our grades 2-6 students about growing up with an imagination and a strong love for writing. Her unexpected tales and exceptional story telling skills captivated her audience and captured their hearts. The grade 6 students even broke out into a spontaneous standing ovation!" (Solomon Schechter Academy, Montreal)
"Today was an incredible day, and the energy that the kids had about Laurel's books and writing was electric. They had so many ideas stirring in their minds. I can't wait to see the stories that students create after this inspiring day. Thank you, Laurel!" (David C Barrow Elementary, Athens, GA)
"Intimacy, humor, tenderness and inspiration: you can't do better than that with a visiting author." (Paideia Elementary, Atlanta, GA)
If you're interested in booking a school visit, drop me a line, and we can discuss the arrangements!
I would love for you to come to our school. If you could travel to MA I was wondering if you could send me information about a visit that I could forward to my administration. Thank you so much!
Jason Lewis @jasontes5th
Almost exactly a year ago, after finishing four books I'd sold on proposal, I decided I needed to go back to writing alone. I needed to work at my own pace, however slow that was. I needed to write weird, if that was what came. I needed to get back to feeling like I felt as a kid, and a poet– just a girl playing with words. Flying blind.
I promised myself I wouldn't even show my agent.
And then I spent 6 months outlining, and staring at the ceiling. I watercolored characters and setting. I wrote the first few chapters with a mechanical pencil, on a yellow legal pad. I played. And eventually, I hit my stride.
Well… last week I typed the words THE END, and took a week away. Then, today I read my rough draft of The Orphan Island, and I LIKE IT. A LOT!
Weird it is! It's too short, and it straddles the MG/YA line in a funny way. It's got a kind of slight magic that people may be bored by. It's full of fish guts and fig-drying and bee hives and sand. It ends with a kind of cliffhanger, to an equally weird sequel, a book that may or may not be called The Wordless World.
But I'm proud of the work I've done. And I'm proud that I did it without a net. It's good to know I can still write just for me, alone.
So there's that.
Good for you, Laurel! Just fyi, I'll read it because you already have me curious.
When I was a kid, I lived at the library. Both our school library at Roland Park Public Elementary/Middle School and also the Enoch Pratt Library– Govans, Hampden, and especially Roland Park branches.
I really can't imagine who I'd be without those places– calm and happy and full of ideas and readers, when my life was not always so calm.
My own kids have an amazing school library, for which I'm beyond grateful. But I see budget cuts happening in the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Systemand my heart sinks.
What can you say about a culture that doesn't value its libraries? Some things MUST be valued in non-monetary terms. There HAVE to be entities that survive beyond the ruthless nature of the "free market."
Libraries are islands of culture and intellect, in a world that often moves too fast to ponder, investigate, or dream. I wish some billionaire would step up and endow the libraries.
They may not generate their own revenue in the short-term, but I truly believe our country will suffer greatly for the loss of them.
In 2010 I published a middle grade novel called Penny Dreadful. It was a fun book. Some people liked it. It went on to become an EB White Readaloud HONOR book. Huzzah!
But I get a lot of emails about it. Because in the book there is a very minor character, a boy named Twent, who happens to have two mommies.
Last night I received one such email, and because I was having a very hard week, I ignored the email. Typically I respond to these emails. I try to explain. Because maybe (just maybe) the author of the letter is not only writing me a mean letter. MAYBE they are open to a response. I don't want to miss that chance, if it's real. But last night I didn't.
S0 I thought I could respond here, today. ANd then, in the future, when I get these emails, I can direct readers here…
Anastasia writes of Twent (among other things):
"How do you explain that? OUR FAMILY IS VERY AGAINST THAT."
And I will answer her:
Ahhh, Anastasia, good question! How do I explain it? It's really very simple.
The world is very full of people. No two people are alike. They live many different kinds of lives. Some of them are nuns. Some of them are corporate lawyers. Some of them are the owners of magical chocolate factories. But we cannot all be nuns, or magical chocolatiers. For this reason, we have many different kinds of books. To reflect the many kinds of lives people live. In some cases, we expect people to SEE THEMSELVES in the pages of books. In other cases, we expect books to expand the way people see the world. Maybe YOU have never met a magical chocolatier, but thanks to Roald Dahl, you can!
When someone writes a book, they cannot ask, "Who will I offend with this particular book?" Because every book will offend someone. A writer can only tell a story, and if they are fortunate enough to find a publisher, hope some people want to read it.
It makes me sad to hear you were offended by my book. I didn't mean to do that. I wasn't writing it for YOU. But I'm not sorry for Twent's moms either. I won't apologize for them.
I wrote Penny Dreadful to reflect the world I live in. A world populated by many kinds of people, not just nuns and corporate lawyers and magical chocolatiers. My neighborhood has many gay families in it, in addition to people who aren't white, and Jews like me. There are also some folks who have hearing loss, or are blind. My neighborhood has musicians in it, and artists, and world travelers, and gardeners, and women with very long hair, and people who like to make their own jam. All of these people climbed into my book when I wrote it, because I wanted the book to reflect the world I inhabit.
Honestly the book has received criticism for being "unbelievably diverse." People find this difficult to accept, especially since the book is set in the south. I would argue that the people who make these complaints are not comparing my book to the actual world of humans, but to the very whitewashed landscape of traditional nuclear families in which most children's books have been set. I would further argue that the people who argue that THE SOUTH is not diverse in this way should try visiting the actual south. That is just another stereotype.
In any case, this is how I "EXPLAIN" Twent's two moms. Twent has two moms because many kids I know have two moms. Twent is a minor character, a friend Penny meets along the way. The same way that I, a girl with a mom and a dad, have friends with two moms or two dads. Should I not have written the world I love and inhabit?
I'm guessing what upset you most about the book was that you got no WARNING. There is no backmatter to inform readers that they might encounter diversity in this book. You may feel that your daughter should have had a chance to choose for herself that she was about to encounter a few lines of text in which there were gay people. I don't know how this would work. Should I have also included a warning label: WARNING: THIS BOOK HAS SOME JEWS IN IT?
Books are the best way I know for kids to encounter the world beyond their own experience. Books build empathy and understanding. They get kids ready for what they're going to stumble into when they take their first job, or open a copy of the New York Times (yeah, I know that's unlikely, but I still get the paper myself, so play along).
I don't expect your kid to turn gay. I don't actually want your kid to turn gay, or Jewish, or into a magical chocolatier. I'd just like to think that when she encounters magical chocolatiers in books, you won't scare her away from them. I'd like to think that you, as her mother, will engage with her question. That you'll explain that you understand her surprise, since she's never met a chocolatier before. You can explain that YOUR family doesn't make chocolate, personally. But yes, the world has chocolate in it, made by magical chocolatiers, and isn't it nice that the world is such an amazing place, full of surprises and mysteries…
Hear! Hear! A great open-eyed response to a closed-minded question.
What a wonderful response. This is one of the big reasons we write for children. To shine light on all sorts of different people, living different lives, to encourage empathy and understanding of others.
Now, I must search out your book. It sounds fantastic.
What a beautiful and perfect response. I love Penny Dreadful so much!
Penny Dreadful you say? Sounds wonderful (and how did I miss this four years ago?) Must find! And a great post, Laurel.
I will be sure my children read this book! We do live in a white neighborhood with NOT much diversity and they DO need books to live a little outside this very small Island we live on (MV) and get a glimpse of the real world and the beauty of all her people. Good for you!
Beautiful and perfect response!
I love this so much.
Okay, I'll admit, so when I signed up for World Read Aloud Day again this year, it was with a sense of "doing something nice for the kids" and "giving back a little." I was patting myself on the back. Taking time from my busy week to read to children (besides Mose and Lew).
But here's the thing… WRAD isn't just for them. It's for us too.
I remember, a few years back at AWP, my amazing sister was on a panel with Richard Ford, about writers in the schools, and how wonderful it is to work with kids. And my sister made a point I'd never heard someone make. She said. "People see it as service. But they should be begging to volunteer their time in a school. If they knew how wonderful it was, they would." (or something like that. I didn't write down exactly what she said.)
Her point was that writers work alone, and they use up a lot of their energy writing. They get drained. They tap out. They forget why they began writing in the first place. They focus on the work of it. They lose their joy.
But kids? Kids are FULL of joy and eagerness and energy. They fill you back up! They might tire you in other ways, but you can't spend an hour with a bunch of excited kids, full of awesome questions, and awe and admiration for the fact that you MAKE BOOKS, and not come away reinvigorated. You can't work with kids and writing, and not remember why you started writing.
So today I skyped with eleven schools. Eleven! Oh, the wonders of technology. Schools from all over the country. I read the kids picture books (my next book, Charlie & Mouse, as well as my old favorite, Rain Makes Applesauce, by Julian Scheer) and novels (both Seven Stories Up and my WIP, The Orphan Island). I answered questions, and I told them about my day. I introduced them to Lucy (my assistant, who works for carrot-bits and chew toys).
And now? I feel so ready to write. I feel so IN LOVE with The Orphan Island. I feel so… connected. Re-dedicated.
So now, while I have that boost, I need to take a little time away, to crank out a draft. (I'm shooting for April). I'm putting a moratorium on new skypes for the spring. But I'll be back in the fall. I promise.
And I will always always always do WRAD.
You should too.
When we assume that boys won't read books with girls on the cover, and then institutionalize that assumption by leaving the "girlie" books out of award nominations (as well as school wide reads, story times, etc.), we insult them. By suggesting that on the whole our boys have a limited capacity for empathy, an inability to imagine a world beyond their own most obvious understanding, and an unwillingness to stretch.
In the same stroke, we neglect our girls. Not because they can't read "boy books" (they do and will). But because when they see those awards, they also learn something —to accept a world in which they are rarely the central players. They learn, at a formative age, that the "best" books are the ones about boys. (Or dogs, as previously mentioned. Dogs are good.)
It's a problem. And when we play into it, when we accept it as THE TRUTH, we're reaching for the simplest solution, not the best one. Because the best solution would require us to push against the gender bias in the world, and in ourselves. It's easier to say, "Boys naturally gravitate to these things, and we want them to read, don't we?"
But when a kid likes candy and French fries, we do not feed them candy and French fries…
(Follow my collection, over at Medium, for more kidlit-related rants)
Today is the day. It's PUB DAY!
After three years of researching and writing and revising and tweaking and starting over, and beginning again, and tearing my hair out…
If you want to know more about how I wrote the book, and what inspired it, you can read here. (warning, it's a bit sad)
If you'd like to read the first chapter of the book, and see a picture of my grandmother, you can do that here.
If you want to listen to a podcast in which I talk about how this book taught me (finally!) how to enjoy research, you can tune in here!
And if you want to see some old pictures that I used to keep my in the world of 1937, you can take a peek at my Pinterest page for the book!
I'd love to think that you might also go and purchase a copy of the book, or maybe request it from your local library! You can add it to your Goodreads list or tell your kid's teacher about it too!
People have said very very nice things about Seven Stories Up already, which makes this day much nicer. It was selected as #4 on the Indienext List for winter! And look:
"Time travel is the least of the magic in the sublime Seven Stories Up, which gently and lovingly demonstrates how the right friend at the right time can heal a heart and even change a life. Like Judy Blume before her, Laurel Snyder writes characters that feel like your best friend. I wish I'd had this book when I was a kid; I would have read it a hundred times and slept with it under my pillow." –Anne Ursu, author of The Real Boy
"Friendship, connection, and understanding are at the heart of this warm, introspective story about the events that shape a person." –Publishers Weekly
"The perfectly paced time-travel conundrum is well balanced within the larger plot, and the entire book is imbued with the same sort of forward-driving adventure as Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me (2009) or Laurel Snyder's Bigger Than a Bread Box (2011, both Random). A wide variety of readers will find this book wonderfully satisfying and hard to put down." –SLJ
"Snyder infuses her novel with a touch of magical realism (and, of course, time travel), and many readers will wonder what the grown-ups in their lives were like as kids. Filled with historical facts that weave seamlessly with the narrative, this is a heartwarming story about knowing, and truly understanding, your family." –Booklist
This week we celebrated Tu B'Shevat.
So here in Atlanta, we got dirty…
Here's a snapshot, and a silly little ditty to go with it.
Trees, trees, glorious trees,
Full of raccoons and beetles and bees,
Full of red robins and woodpeckers too,
And if you've a tree house, perhaps full of YOU!
It isn't just meant for the bark and the leaves,
The roots and the branches that wave in the breeze.
Tu B'shevat means you should stop for a minute,
In front of a tree, and think of what's IN IT!
There are good reviews and bad reviews. Not every book can be a bestseller or award winner.
But we don't write for reviews. We write for kids, readers…
And when you see a picture like this, how can you help but feel gloriously happy?
So… I just realized I have exactly one week left in my thirties. One last little week.
This means, of course, that I've actually just finished living my fortieth year. Wow. Forty years seems like a lot. But the last decade has flown, and it has been, without a doubt, my favorite.
On January 12, it will have been exactly ten years since the day I got hitched. Shortly after that, we moved to Atlanta. A year later, Mose was born, and then Lew. Somewhere in there I published my first book, and then another 13. It's more than I would have dared ask for or expect.
There have been some hard, sad moments. I'm older. I can feel it in my bones, and see it in the mirror. I have RA and crowns on a few teeth. A few gray hairs. I don't take exotic trips abroad anymore or close down the bars. But I'm glad to be forty. No part of me is scared of the number.
At the same time, I think back to what I thought of FORTY as a kid, and I'm pretty sure I thought that forty was boring and wrinkly. I don't feel boring and wrinkly. Though I wouldn't object to an exotic trip abroad.
But tonight, for the first time, Mose asked me to help him pick a book to read to himself, and it felt truly momentous. Like a gift he was giving me. I've spent this decade building books and people, and now the two are coming together, and I don't know why, but… it's a big deal to me. Magical, in fact. Like I could see the last decade of my life right there in front of my face.
All this to say… whatever happens in this next decade, I feel very very very very lucky to be living my particular life. It's good.
Thank you, everyone, for being part of it. Nobody constructs their own world. It's made up of tiny bricks from other people. I'm grateful.
So… I'm up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. Thinking about how 2013 is somehow already ending. How did that happen?
One weird thing about being a blogger is that I have archives of my thoughts, so I get to leapfrog back to past resolutions each year, to see if I've accomplished my goals. It's a funny kind of time travel. Tonight I'm looking back at where I was a year ago.
I've been a little worried about this moment. I haven't been feeling terribly focused lately. But it's okay! Last year I said I had only two goals.
#1 was "I want this to be the year I start taking better care of myself physically."
And #2 was "I want to try very very hard not to think about selling the books I write."
Honestly, I only half tackled the first goal. I did NOT go back to dance class. I did NOT start running. So I'll roll all that exercise over to next year. AND I MEAN THAT, REALLY, THIS TIME I WILL. THIS TIME NEXT YEAR I'LL BE IN AMAZING SHAPE. (Ahem) But I DID do a much better job with other kinds of health stuff. I've been taking my vitamins, and my teeth are in much better shape! Ta da! So that's fine. We'll round up.
But I'd forgotten about the second goal, and I did tackle that one. It's been a really good thing for me. Important.
Last spring I finished and turned in the book I was working on, SEVEN STORIES UP, which will be out next month. (Yay!!) But the revision process for that book was a tough one, and so when I was done, instead of trying to crank out a proposal for the next book, I just let myself scribble all kinds of different things. All spring I scribbled poems and picture books, and into the summer. I wrote a lot of manuscripts nobody will ever see in that time, and I didn't finish THE MAGICAL THAT (mentioned in the post from a year ago), but I published some little essays, and in the end a few of the not-thinking-about-selling scribbles resulted in actual sales, namely CHARLIE & MOUSE, and CHARLIE & MOUSE & GRUMPY. Books I am deeply connected to. They're so personal for me. I'm very happy about them.
But also– now I have a PILE of new picture books to revise, and I have drafts of 2 totally different chapter books, (as well as several false starts I never finished, but might someday). Also I have a very very clear outline, and the first chapters of a new novel, THE ORPHAN ISLAND. Which I'm insanely excited about.
It was good, this letting-go-of-thinking-about-selling. I didn't stop making work. Rather, I was hugely productive. I only let go of my focus, my worry. I let myself fiddle and poke at my novel slowly, taking my time and not thinking about what exactly I was producing. Just letting the words come, in bits and snippets. Sitting on the couch, lazily. The way I used to journal, as a kid. Or the way I wrote poems in college. It felt different… and I feel much better.
Now, here's what I find fascinating…
When I made my resolution last year, I felt like I needed a new model. A better way to work. I wasn't in love with my ideas at that moment, and I was at the end of writing a novel, needing a break. I felt a little uninspired. Burned out. So I took some time.
But you know what's funny? I just realized that was my SHMITA.
You know shmita?
In Jewish tradition, farmers leave their fields to lie fallow every seven years, so that the earth has a chance to replenish. It's a sabbatical year. They can water and nurture the land. But they aren't supposed to farm it, to work it. They call that shmita.
2007 was the year I really began my career as a children's author. That was the year I revised UP AND DOWN THE SCRATCHY MOUNTAINS for Random House. The year I learned about "marketing a book." I was getting ready to become an author in 2007. I saw my first galleys and my first line edits. I had my first meetings in New York. A door opened, and I walked through it. My life got INTENSE in a whole new way It was thrilling. And for six years, I put my head down and WORKED.
For SIX YEARS. Then I took a break, without exactly meaning to.
Now, obviously I haven't been on vacation for a year. I've been watering and fertilizing. But I really did let up on myself in a lot of ways. I didn't have a novel come out , so I traveled a lot less. But the main thing was this shift in how I thought about my work. I worked slow and sloppy. I let myself wander. in 2013 I let the fields lie fallow. I let my earth renew itself. I took a sabbatical. And it was good.
It never fails to amaze me how much wisdom there is in the Jewish tradition. So often I find a metaphor there, an analogy to my own life, though I'm not terribly observant. I'd been thinking until today that this slow and sloppy way of working was just my new method. That it was time to step away from the head-down word-count-a-day mode.
But maybe not. Now, thinking about shmita, I'm feeling the opposite. Maybe it's exactly the time to get back out there in the fields with my plough, reap the bountiful harvest this renewed earth is supposed to yield.
I'm not ready to make resolutions yet, but I'm thinking about them.
What about you?
Thanks, Publisher's Weekly!
"Snyder returns with a story that, like her Bigger Than a Breadbox (2011), offers a relatable heroine and a touch of magic. When 12-year-old Annie Jaffin and her mother visit Annie's estranged, dying grandmother in the shuttered Baltimore hotel she grew up in, the woman Annie encounters is angry and aggressive. After a strange storm, however, Annie wakes up 50 years earlier, in 1937, where she meets her grandmother as a curious, kind, and deeply isolated child. Molly spends her days cloistered away in her "Lonely Room" because of her asthma; she wished for a friend and has no clue that Annie is actually her granddaughter. Because Annie knows that Molly will live to old age, they escape Molly's locked room via the fire escape and seize the day. Through their adventures, Molly's eyes gradually open to the realities outside the hotel walls, while Annie worries about getting home and whether she's changing the future for better or worse. Friendship, connection, and understanding are at the heart of this warm, introspective story about the events that shape a person. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Jan.)"
"Everything is the same color–one enormous listless gray world where not a breath stirs and the birds don't sing."
I'm sad tonight. Charlotte Zolotow has died.
I'll leave it to someone else to talk about Zolotow's contribution to children's literature. I can only speak to how much she contributed to me, personally.
My grandmother loved her books, and I have a handful of signed first editions that she got for me. They entered my life when I was just the right age for them.
Zolotow's books were special to me. Different from other books. Calm. Complex,
I loved The Storm Book.
I loved Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present. Deeply.
"She likes birds in trees."
But wow. I loved My Grandson Lew best of all.
I had a grandpa who died when I was little myself. And I think Zolotow captured something in that book… the memory, the sense of loss, the vague memory. But the presence of a death, as well as the absence.
Somehow, I got that, as a kid…
Though as an adult… I see it differently.
(My Lew with Zolotow's Lew)
So I am going to sit down tonight, and read CZ's books to my kids, and think about the power of a good book at the right time.
Not a joke. Not a "hook." Not a product. But a book.
The right book. Speaking in a calm ture voice to the people who need to hear it…
Just the way a grandfather might speak. With a crinkled eye, and a quiet laugh, or a wistful smile.
So that he can't possibly be forgotten.
Not even when he's gone.
we will remember him together
and neither of us
will be so lonely
as we would be
if we had to remember him
(My Grandson Lew)
Laurel, this is so nice. I'm in the midst of reading picture books for the Cybils Awards, and I going to keep in mind your words: "not a joke, not a hook…"
What a wonderful post, Laurel! I had no idea how much Charlotte's books meant to you–and how wonderful to see that enchanting handwriting of hers.
what a wonderful tribute. When I found out this morning, buying a NYT (a luxury for me) at Starbucks, I turned it over to see "Charlotte Zolotow, 98." I stood waiting for my latte with tears streaming down my face. She is one of my dearest and favorite children's authors and editors. I did research on her in Library School, and follow her daughter Crescent D. on Twitter and FB. Thank you for writing this.
xo (and cupcakes)
WHEN the Wind Stops!
Lately, my favorites are Where the Wind Stops and My Grandson Lew.
Thank you for loving my mother and her books so deeply.
I'm honored by your comment, and so moved by the story of how you've cared for her. It's something we should all aspire to.
Also, a fan of your work too!
Laurel… thank you. So glad her work meant so much to you… lessens my own sadness…
Ready to have your mind blown?
So… I have this friend named Aaron. We've known each other a long long looooong time. Since before I could write a full sentence or he knew not to stick his paintbrush in his ear.
Nowadays, he's busy making the most beautiful wordless picture books you've ever seen. But years ago, before either of us had published a book, he and I tried to collaborate.
First, on a picture book that will never exist, called Lily and the Wily Corn Bears…
And then on Inside the Slidy Diner, which would become my first picture book, though with other art.
I guess the world just wasn't ready for us *yet…
But Aaron found these old images on a CDRom today. Isn't that cool?
*in fact, Aaron DID do the cover of my adult anthology, Half/Life, but adult books don't count. Everyone knows that.
Aww.I'm sure he won't remember me but tell him I said hi anyway.
Last night I noticed that Geek Dad had posted his favorite picture books, and so I popped over to check out the list. And was shocked to find that they were almost all by men. This made me cranky. But I figured, "Eh, he's just one guy."
Then, this morning, I noticed that the Goodreads "Best of" is also virtually all men. And that… is more complicated. Because WE made that list. We, the readers of the world.
Now, if there weren't a ton of amazing 2013 picture books by women, I could maybe accept this. But there TOTALLY are. Which begs the question… WHAT'S GOING ON?
Do men actually just make better picture books than women? Do men get better marketing and publicity budgets than women for picture books? Or… as I'm beginning to fear… do we, the (largely) women who buy and blog about picture books have a tendency to elevate books by men?
I want to make a list to post today, of the 2013 BEST PICTURE BOOKS BY WOMEN. Help me out? What's your favorite? I'll add them later.
A few of mine, for starters:
City Cat, by Lauren Castillo
Jane, the Fox, and Me, by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault
If You Want to See a Whale, by Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead
Seriously, add them up! We'll make a Goodreads list later, and I'll add the covers here too…
And I'd like to add that I'm a HUGE FAN of the books on Geek Dad's list. These are some of my favorite authors and illustrators too. But the list is incomplete.
Let's fix that.
And the funny books! Why aren't there more women writing hysterically funny books, I ask you? I love THE PET PROJECT by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Zachariah OHora and TEA PARTY RULES by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by K.G. Campbell. OH! Also HOW TO BE A CAT by Nikki McClure. And Cynthia Rylant's version of STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER, illustrated by Jen Corace.
Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUNNY by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. My daughter insisted on getting a rocking zebra for her third birthday because of that sweet book. (You know how easy it is to find a rocking zebra? Not easy, let me tell you.)
OCTOPUS ALONE by Divya Srinivasan.
I love Stephanie Watson's THE WEE HOURS, illustrated by Mary GrandPre.
Mustache Baby! By Bridget Heos and Joy Ang. So funny. Gorgeous illustrations.
The books of Margaret Wise Brown's books have been loved by several generations. Goodnight Moon, The Little Fur Family, Runaway Bunny. Also, Beatrix Potter. Do couples count? I love Janet & Allan Ahlberg's Jolly Postman & Each Peach, Pear, Plum. Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag.
Not a picture book but a kids book – My Father's Dragon written & illustrated by Ruth Stiles Gannett.
If you're counting illustrators, I love Harry the Dirty Dog, pictures by Margaret Bloy Graham.
My favorite of 2013 is SOPHIE'S SQUASH by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Can't wait to see the new improved list!
For 2013? Author-illustrator Yuyi Morales' NINO WRESTLES THE WORLD, Cynthia Rylant's GOD GOT A DOG, illus by Marla Frazee. Author-illustrator Molly Idle's FLORA & THE FLAMINGO, Andrea Beaty's ROSIE REVERE, ENGINEER. My books are all packed up, but I'll list more as I remember them.
MY BLUE IS HAPPY by Jessica Young, illustrated by Catia Chien.
i sooo agree!!! i am going to pull together a list but really think you have raised such important questions which need exploration. thank you!!!!
Byron loves STEAM TRAIN DREAM TRAIN by Shari Duskey Rinker and DREAM FRIENDS by You Byun (that ones' a favorite of mine, too. The pictures are mesmerizing.)
Andrea Beatty's ROSIE REVERE, ENGINEER is whoa. And huge, huge, huge fan of everything Melissa Sweet this year. And Jennifer Berne's ON A BEAM OF LIGHT. Oh, and Emily Hughes' WILD.
I love THE BOY WHO LOVED MATH by Deb Heiligman and LeUyen Pham–the math in the art is astounding. SOPHIE'S SQUASH by Pat Zietlow Miller and Anne Wilsdorf might be my fave of the year for sheer sweetness laced with lots of wit. Loved TEA PARTY RULES by Ame Dyckman and K.G. Campbell (though he is a guy, I believe).
Okay, neither do I… not really. This was published long before I was born.
But I had a lot of books as a kid that had been my mom's, and my dad's, and belonged to their parents before them, or come to them from used book stores. So I remember what it felt like to read and read, and wait for the next amazing color plate. Or skip to it, because I couldn't wait for the pretty shiny picture.
Like the one above.
Or like this one.
Little Women! Treasure Island! The Happy Prince! East O the Sun and West O the Moon! The Cuckoo Clock! These books all had amazing color plates in them, and I carry those pictures with me to this day.
I wonder if some evil wizard or conjurer has stolen all the art away? WHAT OTHER EXPLANATION CAN THERE POSSIBLY BE?
This morning I'm thinking about how graphic novels are hugely HUGELY popular.
And I'm thinking about how big visual glowing movies like Hugo or Hunger Games or Narnia are being made from middle grade books.
And I'm thinking about how often I hear people lament about "What can we do to get the kids reading?"
And I'm thinking about how, last night, Mose and Lew asked me to read picture books instead of starting a new readaloud novel. "Because we like the pictures."
And I'm wondering… WHY ARE WE REMOVING ALL THE INTERIOR ART FROM THE MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS?
I mean, I know full color plates are too expensive to consider, but I so so so so love books with art in them. Who decided that only baby books should have pictures?
Totally, totally agree!
This was one of the multiple reasons I left Putnam and started doing things myself. I wanted the Doc Wilde books to be fully illustrated, and to be visually appealing to folks of all ages; they wanted goofy typographical effects that made the books look like they were intended just for eight year olds. The new edition of DOC WILDE AND THE FROGS OF DOOM is a visual feast, thanks to lots of hard work by artist Gary Chaloner, and I'm much prouder of it than the original edition.
Hey now, I object to picture books being called baby books.
Just because they have fewer words it does not diminish the content for older kids and adults.
Personally I've grown really tired of the obsession with the volume of words we expect young kids to get into.
I image that most folks believe that reading Hunger Games is better than a book of haikus.
More I not better.
(Unless, of course, it means more pictures.)
This is why I spend a LOT of time on Ebay and Etsy, buying the editions I grew up on (Tasha Tudor's Little Women, etc). I looked for my childhood book of bible stories for 3 years and finally found it….because the pictures really do make a difference.
It wasn't me, I swear!
I've wondered this very thing for years. YEARS. Because my goal in life for a long time was to be an illustrator, or a cartoonist, or an animator, or a SOMETHING WITH ART. And then books started to have fewer and fewer pictures in them, especially the more grown-up you got. Sad that we're now doing that to kids' books, too.
Of course back in the old days there just weren't so many books or such a variety as there is today! There are still a lot of middle grade books with pictures–and they are almost all the humorous ones and often the ones geared to boys. All the James Paterson and co-writer books, Wimpy, Timmy, etc etc. I just spent hours in an Indie the other day and it was a bonanza of illustrated middle grade books. And then of course all the early chapter books (which are new in the scheme of children's books) are filled with art. What I miss are the ones with super pretty pictures. I was a huge OZ fan and the art is what drew me. Tasha Tudor did beautiful interiors for Secret Garden etc. I think it varies from kid to kid though, and not all kids are visual. My 8 year-old boy reported to not caring about the pictures unless they are funny. He said either way he wants a really good story and that is pretty much about it. He just read Three Times Lucky and LOVED it. No art and it even had a dead person, which (you know) he hates. Anyway, I think that the "literary works" are the ones that are more likely to get shorted on the art. Assumption being a) audience is kids who read anyway and don't need art to entice and b) not going to sell as many copies and would like to publish the book not at a loss. And graphic novels are only very selectively hugely popular. Remember all the writers who also wrote and illustrated? And also the pairs Eager and Bodeker etc. We can have fun talking this one through some time!
I wish I wish I wish I could make my own art. Unfortunately, I'd have to write books with handless people in them.
I loved the color plates! I skipped to them before beginning the story many times. There are a few that are still being made with pictures, but not nearly enough. I loved the middle grade chapter book Malcolm at Midnight for that very reason. It has wonderful illustrations throughout.
I think it was the mass market rack that did in illustrations, or maybe it was AR. Books I've shared with the kids that had plenty of art: Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series of steampunky WWI derring-do, and Philip Reeve's lavishly illustrated Larklight series, which is also steampunky, albeit Victorian rather than Edwardian, and features many adventures. Hmmm. Westerfeld's writing on what how illustrations guide the text is fascinating stuff. Maybe Adam Rex will be as successful as Brian Selznick, and then everyone will be doing it?
Because, yeah, no matter how old we are, and no matter how high our reading level, we do still enjoy the pretty, pretty art.
Today, if you're curious, you can read the first chapter of Seven Stories Up!
Now, before it's even published…
Over at Medium.
Let's say you have a family of four, and you need to decide whether to pay for a dental plan, and the plan will cost an extra $150 a month. Does that sound like a lot to you?
The plan will cover basic checkups twice a year, or about 85 percent of the cost for them. It will cover 50 percent of major dental work. So… $150 a month is $1800 a year. That's a lot, yeah. And you still have to pay for some stuff. Ugh.
But as a parent I assume you plan to go for visits twice a year, right? Because you know that good dental care is something kids need to develop, right? And modeling that care yourself is the best way to teach them? And you also know that preventative care of your teeth can help with things like heart disease?
So now let's figure 8 visits (4 people twice a year) for basic exams and teeth cleaning. And figure the exams and cleanings, even without X-rays and scaling and stuff, are $150 each. So that's roughly $1200 you're "saving." (and I'm doing this rough and dirty, not calculating the co-pays, but that's cheap for dental work, and you WILL need X-rays and so on, so this is conservative, trust me)
Now– all you have to do is have one procedure a year among the four of you that costs $600, and your dental coverage has paid for itself. Right? One kid with a cracked tooth. One root canal. Maybe two and a half small fillings on regular teeth. Or an irrigation for gum issues.
But these numbers are actually looking pretty close. So maybe I'm wrong, and you'd do just as well to pay out of pocket, right? Especially in years when you don't need any fillings? Maybe you're better off skipping the dental insurance, after all…
Because the kicker is that you WOULD NOT. You would NOT go to the dentist twice a year if you had to pay $150 bucks just for the visit. You would NOT opt for the X-rays, if you had to pay extra for them. Maybe you'd take the kids in on schedule, because you feel bad not doing it, and the pediatrician might ask, but you'd TOTALLY skip your own visits. You'd save the $150 and spend it on something else. You would suffer a tooth ache, and hope it goes away. You would wait… and wait… and wait. You'd wait years.
And then, one day, you would find yourself at the ER in the night, because of sudden intolerable pain. And the doc at the ER would say, "Wow, this is serious. You've got a major infection in there. We need to take out these two teeth and you might have a malignancy in the bone. I SURE HOPE YOU HAVE INSURANCE!"
And in that moment you will cringe. Because what you're about to have done to your teeth–the surgery that could have been prevented with a $150 visit twice a year–it will cost thousands and thousands of dollars. (and be painful, and mean you'll miss work too, which is another cost, actually, that we aren't averaging in)
And once you've taken out a special medical credit card to pay for the abscess and the extraction, you'll have to decide whether you want to get a tooth implant too, which will be another couple thousand. Ouch.
So you'll look back, at that moment, and think, "Why does stuff like this always happen to ME?" And the answer will be, "Because you didn't have health insurance."
I know how obnoxious this sounds. I know I seem priggish. But this is so so so so important. It really is. And trust me, I'VE BEEN THERE.
And you know what else? The other stuff, the non-teeth stuff? It's all exactly like the teeth-stuff. Only way scarier. I've been there too.
ANd unfortunately, you'll be there one day yourself. You will. Because you are a human being. A soft machine, made of bone and tissue, and you WILL break down. It's only a matter of time. And when that happens, it will seem unfair, and unpredictable. WHO COULD HAVE EXPECTED SUCH A THING???
You could have.
When we avoid the actual math, or we try not to think about the long game, I think it has to do with our basic fear of mortality. We want to believe we WON'T get sick. We want to believe our kids won't break bones, or (God forbid) anything worse. We prefer to be shocked and horrified when someone gets really sick or hurt. "How could this happen to such a nice young man?"
But it's not shocking at all. It's inevitable. Every human being alive WILL GET SICK. Every human being alive WILL LOSE TEETH. Every human being alive WILL NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR. ANd then we'll ALL DIE. In fact, about 40% of us will get cancer. Probably more, as we live longer and longer. Nobody wants to think about these things, but they are FACTS.
And the only thing you can do is floss your teeth and eat your kale and go see the doctor regularly. Get tests run periodically. Do your best. Preventative care makes life cheaper in the long run, and gives us the best chance of living a longer, less painful life. Preventative care.
Which you are (statistically) far more likely to bother with… if you have reliable comprehensive insurance.
(and for the record… I am NOT AN EXPERT. Unless you regularly turn to children's book authors for help with your finances and heath issues. I have no reason to be ranting about this, and you have no reason to listen to me. But sometimes, a girl's just got to yell)


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Friends remember Ben Bradlee as lion of journalism
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Washington National Cathedral, in Northwest D.C., is in the running for a substantial amount of money as it continues healing from an earthquake that rocked the region.
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Colin Kaepernick has one of the most unique pets you will ever see. If you ask me, the thing is awesome. While most people who want an enormous pet might convince their parents to buy them a Great Dane or a St. Bernard, Colin talked his parents into letting him get a tortoise when he was 10 years old. He named it Sammy. As we learned in this story about Kaepernick last year, Sammy fit into the palm of Kaepernick's hand when he first got him. Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, Colin's parents, probably thought the thing would stay in a tank in Colin's room, but Sammy grew into a lovable 115-pound reptile. Here is another photo of the turtle that Rick Kaepernick shared on Twitter: Now that's what I call a man's best friend. As far as we know, Sammy isn't dangerous like this reptile or others of its kind. On the contrary, Sammy seems like a boss. Blurry photo via Colin Kaepernick's Instagram account H/T Buzzfeed
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The Foundation announced on August 7, 2014 that it had been awarded a $500,000
challenge grant from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous. From this
date forward, all new donations will be matched dollar for dollar,
until reaching the total match of $500,000. This challenge grant will
help the Foundation accelerate its efforts to fund the next phase of
the preservation of the Carmel Mission complex. The Foundation is deeply
grateful to this most generous donor.
The Foundation has just announced that new plans for the remaining preservation
work on the Mission's historic structures are nearing completion. Following
the $5.5 million Basilica restoration last year, the Foundation began
a comprehensive new study of the remaining historic structures in the
Carmel Mission complex. Included are five museums, California's First
Library, and the Orchard House, California's oldest continuously occupied
residence, built c. 1774. This next phase will encompass seismic retrofits
and infrastructure upgrades on historic structures, courtyard restorations,
visitor traffic flow, accessibility improvements, and enhancements
to the museum experience.
The same preservation team, including the general contractor, Blach Construction,
that did such an outstanding job on the Basilica restoration, has now
been re-assembled for this next phase. Currently, the project is being
analyzed to determine optimum preservation work sequencing, while minimizing
Mission disruptions. The project will be about twice the size and complexity
of the Basilica restoration. Additional discovery and pre-construction
work now needs to be completed, including design drawings and permitting.
Once the permits have been obtained and depending on funding, construction
work may begin within one year.
Photo courtesy of K.C.
Courtesy of Architectural
Resources Group and Franks Brenkwitz & Associates
Preservation Team meets with Docents and parishioners
Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain visited
the Carmel Mission on Wednesday, November 13, in honor of Junipero
Serra's 300th birthday later this month. Vic Grabrian, President of
the Carmel Mission Foundation, briefed the royal couple on the history
of the Carmel Mission and the recently completed seismic retrofit and
restoration of the Basilica. They then placed a wreath on the tomb
of Junípero Serra and, after touring the Convento Museum, joined about
90 guests for a private reception in the Mission's main courtyard.
Accompanying the Prince was the Spanish Ambassador to the United States
and the President of the Balearic Islands. For more information see
the KSBW TV news video.


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Basics: starting at $4.96/yd Collection Prints: $4.16/yd 100% Quilting Cotton • Never a charge for cutting
Arriba! Arriba! Quilt Kitby Mari Martin From the Fiesta collection
Retail: $74.99$67.49 12.75 yards
Where to begin, this quilt has so many fun elements to look at! This vibrant design will have you shouting with joy every time you look at.
Kit includes: free pattern, 12-1/2 yards of fabric. | Backing: 5-1/2 yards needed. | Techniques: applique, piecing | Skill Level: intermediate
70-1/2" x 86-1/2" Item No. 6527 Retail: $74.99
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Saturday noon tune(s): The day Michael Jackson took over the world
Two years ago today, Michael Jackson died at the age of 50. By the time of his death, for many, he'd become a pop-culture freak show, a religious icon and a punchline. Lost in all of that - and in the manslaughter trial against his physician that is still meandering through the courts (here's the latest "development") - was the performer himself.
For a refresher on what a game-changer Jackson was, here's the moment he did it: his performance of "Billie Jean" during the taping of the TV special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" in March 1983. Entertainment Weekly has a nice archival write-up on Jackson's performance, and its impact, here; when Fred Astaire calls you at home to tell you "you're a hell of a mover," you know something new is in the wind. »Read Full Blog Post
AT&T drops Al Jazeera America news channel just before debut
Al Jazeera America, the first all news cable network since Fox News Channel debuted in 1996, begins broadcasting at 2 p.m. Tuesday. But shortly before its debut AT&T U-verse announced it would not carry the channel in a contract dispute, according to The Wrap.
It is also not carried by Time Warner Cable. It will be carried by DirecTV (Channel 358) and DISH (Channel 215). It will be in less half as many TV homes as CNN and Fox. »Read Full Blog Post(104)
New Berlin grad makes Betty White leap for joy on 'Tonight Show' segment
New Berlin — New Berlin West High School graduate Kevin Bania appeared on the Aug. 8 "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in a segment called "Does This Delight Betty White?" »Read Full Article
Milwaukee Film Festival announces music movie program
Film and music are twin siblings from another mother. Because they are so alike in creative spirit, it's not surprising when filmmakers explore the musical impulse, and vice versa.
This is particularly evident from the 2013 Milwaukee Film Festival's eight-film Sound Vision lineup, announced Tuesday. »Read Full Blog Post(1)
On Tap Today: Wanted - Seeking Milwaukee teen pop fans to 'Call Me Maybe'
Carly Rae Jepsen, pictured here opening for Justin Bieber at the BMO Harris Bradley Center last October, will co-headline the Riverside Theater tonight with boy band the Wanted. Journal Sentinel photo by Mike De Sisti. »Read Full Blog Post


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The Jalopy Journal
Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Dog427435, Dec 18, 2009.
Boy would I like to know more about this car. Seems to be a factory backed Morris Minor. Cool picture indeed.
What better way to watch the news?
Buffalo NY
The S & W cafeteria was a local Richmond Virginia tradition. This was at Willow lawn Shopping center about 1967...........
Is that a " known " band or just some kid Gargae band ??
^^^^^I don't know who the band is, but that's a very cool Farfisa organ the kid's playing. They were the rage back in the mid '60s. Think Question Mark and the Mysterians "96 Tears."
here is a few I found
Separate names with a comma.
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We have a 4 hour minimum charge of $84.00 if the customer provides all the cleaning equipment and supplies or $92.00 if supplies are brought by the cleaning person or team. So, if one of our employees cleans for 1, 2, 3 or 4 hours the customer will be charged either $84.00 or $92.00.
The minimum charge is met by one person cleaning for up to 4 hours or a team of two cleaning for up to 2 hours each. Always count total hours, which is the number of hours worked times the number of our employees doing the cleaning. For example: 4 hours x 1 employee = 4 hours of cleaning if one employee is cleaning or 2 hours x 2 employees = 4 hours of cleaning if a team of two employees is cleaning.
Certain outlying areas are subject to an additional transportation charge.
We normally schedule for 4, 6 or 8 eight hours. After the minimum charge our hourly rates are:
$21.00 per hour per person if the customer provides
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See our rate table.
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Call - 922-4382 - or email us for office space cleaning pricing.
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