text:
Aleksey Pleshcheyev
|Aleksey Pleshcheyev
A. N. Pleshcheyev, 1880s
|Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev
4 December 1825
Kostroma, Russian Empire
|8 October 1893
(aged 67)
Paris, France
Political activist
|Alma mater
|Saint Petersburg State University
|political satire
children poetry
|A. A. Pleshcheyev (1858–1944)
Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev (Russian: Алексе́й Никола́евич Плеще́ев; 4 December [O.S. 22 November] 1825 – 8 October 1893) was a radical Russian poet of the 19th century, one of the Petrashevsky Circle.
Pleshcheyev's first book of poetry, published in 1846, made him famous: Step forward! Without fear or doubt... became widely known as "a Russian La Marseillaise" (and was sung as such, using French melody), Friends' calling... and We're brothers by the way we feel... were also adopted by the mid-1840s' Russian radical youth as revolutionary hymns.[1][2]
In 1849, as a member of Petrashevsky Circle, Pleshcheyev was arrested, sent (alongside Fyodor Dostoyevsky among others) to St. Petersburg and spent 8 months in Petropavlovskaya prison. Having initially been given a death sentence, Pleshcheyev was then deported to Uralsk, near Orenburg where he spent ten years in exile, serving first as a soldier, later as a junior officer.
In his latter life Pleshcheyev became widely known for his numerous translations (mostly from English and French) and also poems for children, some of which are now considered classic. Many of Pleshcheyev's poems have been set to music (by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff among others) to become popular Russian romances.[2]
Alexey Nikolayevich Plescheev was born in Kostroma on December 4, an heir to a noble family with ancient history and fine literary tradition. Among the future poet's ancestors were St. Alexis of Moscow and the 18th century writer Sergey Ivanovich Plescheev.[3][4]
Alexey's father Nikolai Sergeevich Plescheev was a state official, employed by Olonets, Vologda and Arkhangelsk governors.[5] He received a good home education and at the age of 13 joined the military school in Saint Petersburg which he left in 1834 without graduating to enroll into the Saint Petersburg University to study Oriental languages. Here among his friends were Fyodor Dostoyevsky, brothers Apollon and Valerian Maykov, Andrey Krayevsky, Ivan Goncharov, Dmitry Grigorovich, Mikhail Saltykov-Schedrin. It was to one of his older friends, the rector of Saint Petersburg University Pyotr Pletnyov to whom Pleshcheev sent his first collection of verse and received warm support.[2][6]
In 1845, infatuated with the Socialist ideas, Pleshcheev joined the Petrashevsky Circle which included several writers - notably, Dostoyevsky, Sergey Durov and Nikolay Speshnev, the latter exerting especially strong influence upon the young man.[7] Pleshcheev engaged himself in writing agitators' poetry (being perceived by others as "our very own André Chénier") and delivering manuscripts of banned books to his comrades. In a tandem with N.A.Mordvinov he translated the Word of a Believer by F.-R. de Lamennais which the Circle was planning to print and publish illegally.[8]
In 1845 due to financial difficulties Pleshcheev left the University. In 1846 his first collection of poetry was published, including Step forward! Without fear or doubt... (Vperyod! Bez strakha y somnenya...) which quickly gained the reputation of a Russian La Marseillaise. The book resonated strongly with the Russian cultural elite's moods and Plescheev acquired the status of a revolutionary poet, whose mission was to "profess the inevitable triumph of truth, love and brotherhood," according to critic Valerian Maykov.[9][10]
In 1847-1849 Pleshcheev's poems along with some prose, started to appear in magazines, notably, Otechestvennye Zapiski. Full of Aesopian language, some of them have still been credited as the first ever reaction to the French Revolution of 1848 in the Russian literature.[5] In an 1888 letter to Chekhov Pleshcheev remembered:
|For people of my kind - the late 1840s' men - France was very close to heart. With interior political scene shut off from any interference, what we were being brought upon and developed by were the French culture and the ideas of 1848. Later of course the disillusionment came, but to some of its principles we remained loyal.[11]
In the late 1840s Pleshcheev started to publish short stories and novelets. A 'natural school' piece called The Prank (Shalost, 1848) bore evident Gogol influence, while Friendly Advice (Druzheskye sovety, 1849) resembled White Nights by Dostoyevsky, the latter dedicated, incidentally, to Pleshcheev.[8][12]
In the late 1848 Plescheev started to invite members of the Petrashevsky Circle to his home. He belonged to the moderate flank of the organization, being skeptical about republican ideas and seeing Socialism as a continuation of the old humanist basics of Christianity.[13] In the spring of 1849 Pleshcheev sent a copy of the officially banned Vissarion Belinsky's letter to Gogol. The message was intercepted and on April 8 he was arrested in Moscow, then transported to Saint Petersburg. After spending nine months in the Petropavlovskaya fortress Pleshcheev found himself among 21 people sentenced to death. On December 22, with other convicts he was brought to the Semyonov Platz where, after a mock execution ceremony (later described in full detail by Dostoyevsky in his novel The Idiot), was given 4 years of hard labour. This verdict was softened and soon Pleshcheev went to the town of Uralsk where he joined the Special Orenburg Corps as a soldier, starting the service that lasted 8 years.[14] Initially life in exile for him was hard and return to writing was out of question.[7] Things changed when Count Perovsky, his mother's old friend, has learnt of the poet's plight and became his patron. Pleshcheev now has got access to books and stroke several friendships, notably with the family of Colonel Dandeville (whose wife he fell in love with, leaving several poems dedicated to her), Taras Shevchenko, radical poet Mikhail Mikhaylov and a group of Polish exiles, among them Zygmunt Sierakowski. According to the latter's biographer, the circle's members discussed such questions as granting freedom to peasants and the abolition of corporal punishment in the Russian army.[2][15]
In March 1853 Pleshcheev asked to be transferred to the 4th infantry battalion and took part in several Turkestan expeditions endeavored by General Perovsky, participating in the siege of the Ak-Mechet fortress in Kokand. He was honoured for bravery and promoted to the rank of junior officer, then in 1856 was granted a permission to become a civil servant. In May 1856 Pleshcheev retired from the Army, joined the Orenburg borderline Commission, then in September 1858 moved into the office of the Orenburg civil Governor's chancellery. That year he's got a permission to visit Moscow and Saint Petersburg (making this 4 months trip with his wife E.Rudneva whom he married a year later) and was returned all the privileges of hereditary dvoryanin he's been stripped off eight years earlier.[1]
In exile Pleshcheev resumed writing: his new poems appeared in 1856 in The Russian Messenger under the common title Old Songs Sung in a New Way (Starye pesni na novy lad). In 1858, ten years on after the debut one, his second collection of verses was issued, a stand-out being the piece called "On Reading Newspapers", an anti-Crimean War message, in tune with the feelings common among the Ukrainian and Polish political exiles of the time. The collection's major themes were the author's feelings towards "his enslaved motherland" and the need for spiritual awakening of a common Russian man, with his unthinking, passive attitude towards life. Nikolai Dobrolyubov later reviews the book with great sympathy and affection.[16] Then there was another long pause. Not a single poem from the 1849-1851 period remained and in 1853 Pleshcheev conceded he felt like he "was now forgetting how to write."[5]
In August 1859 Pleshcheev returned from his exile, settled in Moscow and started to contribute to Sovremennik, having maintained through the mutual friend Mikhail Mikhaylov strong personal contacts with Nekrasov, Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov. His works were also published by magazines Russkoye Slovo (1859-1854), Vremya (1861-1862) and Vek (1861), newspapers Denh (1861-1862) and Moskovsky Vestnik. In the late 1850s Pleshcheev started to publish a lot of prose, among his better known works being The Inheritance (Nasledstvo, 1857), Father and Daughter (Оtets y dotch, 1857), Budnev (1858), Pashintsev (1859) and Two Careers (Dve Karjery, 1859), the latter three vaguely autobiographical novelets. In 1860 A.N.Pleshcheev's Novelets and Shorts Stories in 2 volumes came out followed by two more collections of poetry, in 1861 and 1863, where he got closer to what scholars later describes as the "Nekrasov school" of protest verse. All the while contemporaries described him as a 'totally 1840s man' full of romanticism mixed with vague ideas of social justice. This alienated him from the emerging pragmatic radicals of the 1860s, and Pleshcheev admitted as much. "One is supposed to pronounce his very own New Word, but where it is supposed to come from?" he wondered, in a letter to Dostoyevsky.[7]
In December 1859 he was elected into the Russian Literary Society. A month earlier he joined the stuff of Moskovsky Vestnik newspaper seeing it as his mission to make the paper an ally of Saint Petersburg's Sovremennik, and for almost two years was its editor-in-chief.[5] Pleshcheev's translations of Dreams (Sny) by Taras Shevtcenko was this paper most politically charged publication. Pleshcheev continued contributing to Sovremennik up until the magazine's demise in 1866. His Moscow home became the center of literary and musical parties with people like Nekrasov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Pisemsky, Rubinstein, Chaikovsky and actors of Maly Theatre attending regularly.[17][18]
In the early 1860s Pleshcheev started to criticise the 1861 reforms which he initially was enthusiastic about and severed all ties with Mikhail Katkov's The Russian Messenger. His poetry became more radical, its leitmotif being the high mission of a revolutionary who's suffering from the society's indifference. The secret police in its reports mentioned Pleshcheev as a 'political conspirator' and in 1863 searched his house hoping to find evidence of his links with Zemlya i volya. There remained no documents supporting the case for Pleshcheev being Zemlya i volya member, but both Pyotr Boborykin and Maria Sleptsova later insisted that not only was he the active paper of the underground revolutionary circle but kept printing facilities in his Moscow home where the Young Russia manifest has been printed.[5]
By the end of the decade almost all of his friends have been either dead or imprisoned and Pleshcheev (who in 1864 even had to join Moscow Postal office revision department) could see for himself no way to continue as a professional writer. Things started to change in 1968 when Nikolai Nekrasov, now the head of Otechestvennye Zapiski, invited Pleshcheev to move to Saint Petersburg and take the post of the reformed journal's secretary. After Nekrasov's death Pleshcheev became the head of the poetry department and remained in OZ up until 1884.[2][7]
As the magazine got closed, Pleshcheev became active as a Severny Vestnik organizer, the magazine he stayed with until 1890, helping a lot (with money, too) young authors like Ivan Surikov (who at one point was close to suicide), Garshin, Serafimovich, Nadson and Merezhkovsky.[19] In the 1870s and 1880s Pleshcheev made a lot of important translations from German, French and English and several Slavic languages. Among the works he translated were "Ratcliff" by Heinrich Heine, "Magdalene" by Hebbel, "Struenze" by Michael Behr. Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir and Émile Zola's Le Ventre de Paris were first published in Pleshcheev's translations.[14] In 1887 The Complete A.N.Pleshcheev was published, re-issued in posthumously, in 1894 by the poet's son.
Pleshcheev has been deeply engaged with the Russian theatre, was a friend of Alexander Ostrovsky and a one time the administrator of the Artistic Circle, an active member of the Russian Dramatist Society. He wrote 13 original plays, most of them satirical miniatures dealing with the everyday life of a Russian rural gentry. Some of them (The Good Turn, Every Cloud Has It's Silver Lining, both 1860; The Happy Couple, The Woman Commander, both 1862; As It Often Happens, Brothers, both 1864) were produced by major Russian theatres. He adapted for stage productions more than 30 comedies of foreign authors.[2]
Pleshcheev's poetry for children, compiled in Snowdrop (1878) and Grandpa's Songs (1891), became immensely popular and for decades was featured in Russian textbooks. In 1861 with Fyodor Berg he compiled and published the Book for Children, then in 1873 (with N.A.Alekseev) another children literary anthology, A Holiday Reading. He initiated the project involving the publication of 7 textbooks in the Geography Sketches and Pictures. Many of Pleshcheev's poems have been set to music by composers like Rimsky-Korsakov, Musorgsky, Cui, Grechaninov, Rakhmaninov, Chaikovsky. The latter praised highly his children's cycle and cited it as a major source of inspiration. Among romances composed by Chaikovsky based on Pleshcheev's verses were "Oh, Not a Word, My Friend" (1869), "Sing Me the Same Song" (1872), "Only You" (1884), "If Only You'd Knew and Meekly Stars Were Shining Upon Us" (1886). Of Chaikovsky's 16 Songs for Children (1883) 14 had Pleshcheev's lyrics.[2]
Last years[edit]
Not long before his death, in 1890, Pleshcheev inherited a fortune from his Penza relative Aleksey Pavlovich Pleshchhev. He's settled in the Parisian "Mirabeau" hotel with two of his daughters and started to invite his literary friends to guest with him, organising sight-seeing and restaurant tours around the city.[7] According to Zinaida Gippius, he's never changed (except for losing weight due to the progressing illness), "received this manna with noble indifference and remained the same cordial host we've known him for being when he lived in a tiny flat on Preobrazhenskaya square..." "What use wealth could be for me? Thankfully, now my children are saved from poverty and I myself can have a breath of air before I die," he was saying, according to Gippius.[3] Pleshcheev has donated money to the Russian Literary Fund, himself organized two funds, naming them after Belinsky and Chernyshevsky. He supported financially the families of Gleb Uspensky and Semyon Nadson and started to finance the Russkoye Slovo magazine edited by Nikolai Mikhaylovsky and Vladimir Korolenko. One of his best friends in the later years Anton Chekhov was not a fan of Pleshcheev the poet but admired him as a person and also as a 'relic' of the 'Russia of old'.[2] In July 1892 Pleshcheev informed Chekhov that his left arm and leg were now paralized. In Autumn 1893, severely ill, Pleshcheev attempted to make a travel to Nice, France, and died on the road, from stroke. His body was taken to Moscow and he was buried in the Novodevichye Cemetery. The Russian authorities prohibited all kinds of obituaries, but huge croud, mainly of young people, gathered at the funeral, some of them (like Konstantin Balmont who pronounced a farewell speech) were to become well known years later.[7]
- ^ a b "Russian Writers and Poets. Brief Biographical Dictionary (Русские писатели и поэты. Краткий биографический словарь. Moscow.". ruscenter.ru. 2000. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Pleshcheev, Alexay Nikolayevich". The Krugosvet (Around the World) encyclopedia. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
- ^ a b Yuri Zobnin. Dmitry Merezhkovsky: Life and Moskow. Molodaya Gvardya. 2008. isbn=978-5-235-03072-5. ZhZL (Lives of Distinguished People) Series, Issue 1291 (1091). P.101
- ^ "2010 dates and jubilees". www.pskovlib.ru. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ a b c d e M.Y.Poliakov. "The Poetry by A.N.Plescheev (Поэзия А. Н. Плещеева)". plesheev.ouc.ru. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ^ "About Pleshcheev (О Плещееве)". www.litera.ru. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
- ^ a b c d e f Nikolai Bannikov. Alexey Pleshcheev. Poems. Sovyetskaya Rossia Publishers. Introduction. p.9
- ^ a b "Bibliography of A.N. Pleshcheev (Плещеев А. Н.: Библиографическая справка)". plesheev.ouc.ru. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
- ^ Otechestvennye zapiski, 1846. № 10. Vol. IV. pp. 39—40
- ^ Valerian Maykov. Literary Criticism. Leningrad. 1985. Pp. 272—278.
- ^ The Russian Library of Foreign Languages. Manuscripts dpt. The Chekhov Fund. A letter to Chekhov, September 12, 1888.
- ^ V.L. Komarovich. The Youth of Dostoyevsky. The Past anthology. 1924. № 23.
- ^ P.N. Sakulin. Alexey Nikolayevich Pleshcheev (1825-1893). // The History of the Russian 19th century Literature. Moscow. Mir Publishers. 1911. Vol. 3. Pp. 482-483
- ^ a b Pyotr Veinberg (1907). "A. Pleshcheev.". The Russian Autobiographical Dictionary // www.rulex.ru. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
- ^ J. Kowalski. Rewolucyjna demokracja rosyjska a powstanie styczniowe. W., 1955, str. 148.
- ^ Nikolai Dobrolyubov. Works in 4 volumes. Moscow. 1950/ Vol. 1. Pp. 620, 623.
- ^ The 1860s anthology, p. 454
- ^ Russkaya Mysl, 1913, № 1, р. 149.
- ^ "About Pleshceev. Russian Writers and Poets". plesheev.ouc.ru. Moscow, 2000. Retrieved 2010-04-08. Check date values in:
External links[edit]
Media related to Alexey Pleshcheyev at Wikimedia Commons
- Aleksey Plescheyev: Poems (Russian)


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Gear Review
So far so good
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Haven't had to use this probe in an emergency situation (knock on pow) but testing and stuff has been great. Easy to assemble, light weight, and seems pretty strong.
View More Details on Black Diamond QuickDraw Super Tour Probe 265

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text: HomeTVAll My ChildrenBREAKING NEWS: Agnes Nixon Reveals MAJOR Head Writer Changes at One Life to Live and All My Children! Jamey Giddens May 24, 2013 All My Children, General Hospital, Prospect Park, The Online Network, TOLN 91 Comments The behind-the-scenes shakeups keep coming for the new versions of All My Children and One Life to Live. Series creator Agnes Nixon has issued a statement revealing Chip Hayes and Lisa Connor are the new co-head writers of All My Children; while Jessica Klein and Marin Gazzaniga will now lead the writers' room at One Life to Live. Marlene McPherson initially served as co-head writer for Prospect Park's new version of AMC, alongside Elizabeth Snyder. Thom Racina had been the sole head writer of OLTL, since the exit of Susie Bedsow Horgan. See Nixon's full statement below: It is now my pleasure to announce that the future stories involving the lives of All My Children's beloved characters are from now on in the capable hands of the co-head writers Lisa Connor and Chip Hayes, both of whom have a long and stellar history with our program. Lisa Connor collaborated with me on the final draft of the All My Children Twenty – Fifth Anniversary Family Album. For two years she also served as a line producer of the program and was creatively involved in plotting and writing daily episodes since 2002. In addition to his six years as a producer on Melrose Place, Chip Hayes in 2003, became a vital member of those devising the ongoing drama of All My Children. He remains in this crucial work through its incarnation on the internet. I agree with Prospect Park's decision to replace the head writing team for All My Children. However, I particularly want to thank Marlene McPherson and Elizabeth Snyder for their incredibly positive dedication to the show and their constant helpful attitude during many long hours of intense work. It is greatly appreciated. Agnes Nixon Prospect Park issued the following statement about the changes: We are excited for the opportunity to put the lives of our characters in the capable hands of the new writing staff," said Prospect Park in a statement. "We appreciate their commitment to great storytelling that will build upon an already solid foundation for the residents of Llanview and Pine Valley." 91 Responses njtaurian May 24, 2013 I'm curious because the shows have been back for a month now and a lot of changes are taking place. Perhaps this is all in response to viewer feedback? Either way, being the true diehard fan that I am, I'm still on board for the longhaul! Log in to Reply Restless Fan May 24, 2013 I can't say I have really watched the online versions. Just saw the first few shows. If things are not working I applaud them for making the necessary changes quickly. The network soaps could learn from that. I'd like to see a qualified co-HW get hired at Y&R. Preferably someone who knows the show. I'd also like to see a different EP. Again preferably someone who knows the show (paging Ed Scott, David Shaughnessy) . In any event it sounds like the online versions are doing well in spite of the writing shake-ups. I see a lot of positive twitter chatter from both fans and critics alike. Good for them. Coming back with a vengeance. Log in to Reply Katiebug9624 May 24, 2013 Maybe they actually are listening to viewer feedback? I have actually kinda enjoyed AMC but OLTL has been missing the beats and AMC has been great for vets but not the younger cast. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 Im Lovin Marin & Jessica's scripts for OLTL when they write episodes. Lisa & Chip have a long history with AMC. I feel this will be great for both soaps. Log in to Reply zanefan May 24, 2013 In the words of virtually every tween on these shows: "What the shitty shit is going on? Shit!" Log in to Reply Scout May 24, 2013 Seems like these shows are going through major growing pains; it's to be expected. Log in to Reply katehhoward May 24, 2013 All of these changes and release statements have caused me to tune out. I love the shows but with every week something coming out about the behind the scenes problems I do not feel like investing into these shows and then having them pulled right off again. I wish I could feel positive about these happenings but I am worried. I think they should really have some of the actors come on and confirm with fans that the shows are here to stay. If Susan Lucci returns to AMC that will be the sign that the shows will stay on. Log in to Reply J Bernard Jones May 24, 2013 Scout wrote Seems like these shows are going through major growing pains; it's to be expected. We have a winner folks! ….but….there is very likely….more than meets the eye….viewer feedback is probably a TINY — quite tiny — part of this equation….and so it goes… Log in to Reply david46208 May 24, 2013 @Jamey Giddens: The changes were needed especially at OLTL because Thom Racina was just not cutting it nor was that of his former co-headwriter. They have a template for a soap, but writing a show is just problematic. Here is a recap of the issues I have previously posted: When I look at both All My Children and One Life To Live for this week, again I have to give it to AMC. Things are really moving full speed ahead. I kind of makes you wish you had more of episodes or longer. The Sex Trafficking stryline has been the lead. And Debbie and Darnell are working their asses off. The secondary story of JR's having to deal with the past post-coma is also good. And while the other stories are in various stages of development (like they should be), it is overall good. Yet, when it comes to OLTL, all the stories seem to be in their first stages. And this week was especially uninteresting. I seemingly watched a lot people talk about a lot of other people, talk about each other and talk to each other. There wasn't much excitement in the mix either. There should be at least one leading storyline that equals what is going-on on AMC. But there's none. The Todd/Victor feud falls flat because Victor is not even there to spice things up. And the focus on "Victor" and the tattoo on the dead body doesn't work either because we all know he is not dead. So even exploring comes up as lazy writing. I like that Vicki is having a crisis with running The Banner in the digital age. That is timely and relates to what is happening in the newspaper industry all around. But the crisis does not feel real enough. To make the idea of Vicki having to lay long-time staff members off that would cause such a conundrum, The Banner would have to be in state where she is going to have to declare bankruptcy on a principle loan from the past that kept the news organization afloat during the 2008 recession. Something is needed though to make me connect more with it. When it comes to Dani and Matthew it is as if the writers have clearly decided to alienate these two characters from the rest of the cast. Especially their parents and family members, just to try and push that they want the audience to view them as a future couple. And yet on AMC Pete/Celia and AJ/Miranda are anchored by their families. For Pete/Celia you have opal meddling in the life of her son and Evelyn in the life of Celia (thought she is no relation). For AJ/Miranda you have AJ dealing with the return of his father JR and Miranda being of support to him. Then you have Miranda dealing with her teenage issues and having AJ and her mother Bianca supporting her. So there is definitely multi-generational story telling going on there. So with OLTL I need to feel and see a connection between the characters, along with more multi-generational family storytelling and a bit more realism. Also I might need to add that this show started with Dani overdosing on drugs and since then she has not even taken another hit? This from a young woman who was to supposedly have fallen off the track due to her mother's distance from her and the loss of her dad. It appears to me from a writing and storytelling standpoint that Dani should be struggling more with drugs and having Matthew trying to save her as the source of what would draw them together. She should be a walking-talking bitch of an addict who goes through all the stages of addiction and would lead to an intervention of sorts. That is how this story should be told. Think of it as OLTL's version of Lindsay Lohan with a dash of Brittany Spears. I mean as a writer, and thinking in contemporary terms, that would work much better than this cookie cutter island pre-romance with curse words to make it sound hip and youthful. So if you are going to go there than take it allllllllllll the way! Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 PP is a M-E-S-S. They are telegraphing desperation even if that's not what they're feeling. Such a shame. Log in to Reply Katiebug9624 May 24, 2013 Can't we all agree that at least its not Dena Higley or Ellen Wheeler? Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 Promoting within means they trust the writers at the shoews. A desperate move would be new writers all around. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 Ok so fans bitched for years that daytime soaps took too long to replace writers. So when PP does it within the first 3 months, they are rushing it & being desperate??? WTF fans, which one is it? Can't be both. SMH!!! Log in to Reply mfarris70 May 24, 2013 Glory glory hallelujah! Glas to see that PP and Agnes Nixon took quick and decisive action before the shows went down to the murky deep. As it is they both need a lot of repair before they are see-worthy again. Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 Appleridge, they cut their episode order by 1/3 and now have replaced their writers in the space of one week not even a month after launch. Perhaps I'm being a bit traditionalist but that bespeaks real issues to me. Also, they were getting generally good feedback on the writing so far for both programs, so it's really not clear how the writers were the issue here. I'm calling a spade a spade. Log in to Reply Luke Kerr May 24, 2013 [quote=Katiebug9624]Can't we all agree that at least its not Dena Higley or Ellen Wheeler?[/quote] #AMEN Log in to Reply mfarris70 May 24, 2013 I would argue the idea that the shows were getting good feedback on their writing. The soap press has gone along with the illusion and has barely uttered a word about the fact that both shows don't measure up to their former selves or even to a lot of other online shows. There are a lot of dissatisfied fans and I'm sure that the viewership numbers reflect that. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 [quote=bishbay]Appleridge, they cut their episode order by 1/3 and now have replaced their writers in the space of one week not even a month after launch. Perhaps I'm being a bit traditionalist but that bespeaks real issues to me. Also, they were getting generally good feedback on the writing so far for both programs, so it's really not clear how the writers were the issue here. I'm calling a spade a spade.[/quote] PP promoted within on the two shows. That is not a desperate move. That is smart IMO & will be a smooth transition. Plus the people whose writing u have liked on both shows are now those shows HW's Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 mfarris, you may be correct–I was judging by the mixed but generally positive response on here and on a couple of other boards I read. That may or may not correlate with larger response. Nonetheless, they're not projecting stability. I get an image of people running around with their hair on fire in CT. appleridge, if you don't or won't accept the bigger picture that's being painted about the PP operation by these changes, I can't make you. I'll add that hiding behind Nixon's skirts on the AMC announcement wasn't cute. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 [quote=bishbay] appleridge, if you don't or won't accept the bigger picture that's being painted about the PP operation by these changes, I can't make you. I'll add that hiding behind Nixon's skirts on the AMC announcement wasn't cute.[/quote] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How do U know Agnes wasnt in on making the changes? PP did make a statement as well or did u just chose to ignore that part. Why dont u just take a break from your PP negativity for a least a day. it may do ur personality wonders. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 [quote=Ryan-Scott]Just listen to whatever Agnes tells you and listen well is all I have to say to these two coming in.[/quote] Yes. The writers were already on staff. Well there is a new scriptwriter for OLTL named Jed Log in to Reply aveRex May 24, 2013 My take is that people are a bit over-critical about the storyline on the shows. They are pure entertainment, not some masterpieces of drama. What will happen is the shows will go away again for good, and it will be because people expected them to be much more than they could live up to. All soaps are dumb–that's just the facts. I watch for the entertainment they provide and nothing else. AMC and OLTL will go away once again because people are never satisfied. And when that happens, it will be final. My suggestion is to lighten up and enjoy it as it is. Log in to Reply blake3b May 24, 2013 This is great that PP cares to fix what's wrong on their shows instead of letting them keep do so-so. I think it's a good sign, especially after the the episode drop! Log in to Reply Ryan-Scott May 24, 2013 Just listen to whatever Agnes tells you and listen well is all I have to say to these two pairs coming into this position. Log in to Reply MsAgentProvocateur1 May 24, 2013 Well, we're definitely not in Daytime Soapland, folks. These PP folks believe in ripping that band-aid right off! No lingering. If only Y&R had employed this strategy, MAB wouldn't have been around to inflict damage the likes Y&R is still trying to get out from under. Good luck to them in finding the right combination with these incarnations. Log in to Reply mfarris70 May 24, 2013 Keeping quiet about our opinions and "just be happy" that the shows are on is really stupid advice. Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 Translation of appleridge: Shut up and clap louder!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, appleridge, this is the first time I've been negative about PP. It sounds like you're the one who needs to take a break, dear, since you're screaming at shadows. Log in to Reply watcher5000 May 24, 2013 Actually, Jill Larson, Cady McClain and Vincent Irizarry have all posted on their Facebook pages that the shows are going strong. The changes in broadcast schedule and now the writing teams are an effort to improve the quality of the shows. I know they seem like knee jerk reactions, but they are actually responding to what does not work. The networks ignored all of the warning signs and refused to address what was going wrong until it was too late. They seem to be listening to what the viewers are saying about the quality of the writing and doing something about it. Perhaps the initial writing teams were brought on just to get the shows off the ground until they could find suitable people. The only downside I see is that since they have already completed five weeks of shooting, we won't see any storyline changes for SEVERAL months with only two shows airing each week. Also, we as fans can't give up watching them because we are afraid to invest in them in case they get cancelled. If we stop watching, then we have have GUARANTEED that they will get cancelled. Log in to Reply mfarris70 May 24, 2013 [quote=watcher5000]Also, we as fans can't give up watching them because we are afraid to invest in them in case they get cancelled. If we stop watching, then we have have GUARANTEED that they will get cancelled.[/quote] You're absolutely right! But we soap fans tend to be a fickle bunch so these new writers better get moving! Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 Susan not coming back wont kill AMC. Erica IMO has been so played out. Maybe not played out. But ABC did over play her. I for one am enjoying the Erica break. However am interested in what's in store when Erica does return. Log in to Reply zanefan May 24, 2013 This actually all reminds me a lot of the stuff that went on with MyNetworkTV's attempts at telenovelas a few years back. There was lots of talk about how it was going to revolutionize the way people watched soaps. Lots of pomp and circumstance. Then the shows debuted, and the quality varied between meh and awful. Within a few months, they were cut back to twice a week, then once a week. Then projects that had been announced never aired. Then they just disappeared without a trace. Hopefully PP can avoid the same path. Log in to Reply NORN23 May 24, 2013 It seems like they wouldn't bother replacing the writers if they weren't earnestly trying to make a go of it. So this gives me hope that they aren't just throwing in the towel! Log in to Reply pferrando May 24, 2013 Personally I don't think it's good news at all. PP seems to be having some major issues, and they had forever to plan this reboot. New writers already? For new viewers like myself, I don't know if what I'm seeing is good or bad regarding the history of the show. I do know that really none of the stories excites me or are cutting edge as was promised since they'd be online and could push boundaries. What's been pushed really? You can't have a constant rotation of staff. It won't work. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 These are writers that have been there since the shows started writing back In January. Its just some of those writers were promoted to new positions. Log in to Reply zanefan May 24, 2013 [quote=pferrando] I do know that really none of the stories excites me or are cutting edge as was promised since they'd be online and could push boundaries. What's been pushed really? [/quote] I agree whole heartedly with this. As much as I love both of these shows and as glad as I am to have them back, there were some missed opportunities here to really make the shows more modern (WITHOUT losing the heart and soul of what made them great to begin with.) Having every character say "shit" as often as they possibly can and having shadowy bjs isn't edgy. It's tacky. Hopefully the change in writers will allow the shows to really push the limits. (For what it's worth, the edgiest thing I saw them do was when Rama and her husband discussed having an open relationship… but that conversation happened so quickly and awkwardly that it defied any sort of logic or reality. The heart is in the right place, but the execution is lacking.) Log in to Reply Scout May 24, 2013 You know what? We are lucky to have these shows back at all and the bitching around here needs to come to an abrupt halt. PP isn't a big network, like the one who dumped these shows in the first place. This is a whole new thing from top to bottom with a limited budget for both shows and they need time to work out the kinks. This also isn't network television. This is truly a pioneering project. And despite their perceived creative shortcomings, both shows are better now than they have been in years. I gave up on ABC-AMC years ago, but I've seen every episode of PP-AMC and like it a lot better. So be grateful, gripers. PP doesn't owe any of us a damned thing. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 [quote=Scout]You know what? We are lucky to have these shows back at all and the bitching around here needs to come to an abrupt halt. PP isn't a big network, like the one who dumped these shows in the first place. This is a whole new thing from top to bottom with a limited budget for both shows and they need time to work out the kinks. This also isn't network television. This is truly a pioneering project. And despite their perceived creative shortcomings, both shows are better now than they have been in years. I gave up on ABC-AMC years ago, but I've seen every episode of PP-AMC and like it a lot better. So be grateful, gripers. PP doesn't owe any of us a damned thing.[/quote] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AMEN!!!!! Log in to Reply SoapSnob May 24, 2013 Appleridge, LOVE your optimism and the way you are standing up for AMC and OLTL. Scout, Yay!! Just YAY! Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 Unreal that the self-appointed censors on here are calling concerned observations "gripes" and "criticisms." I don't want PP to fail, but I'm not going to stop using my brain, either. Get a grip. ETA: No idea what "PP doesn't owe us anything" even means in this context. They're trying to make money. They need viewers. Their operation seems very troubled right now. That perception will not be helpful in keeping the viewers they have. This is a fact. Deal with it. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 No its an assumption that these projects are in trouble. There are NO FACTS to back that up. So maybe if dont want them to fail, then support them instead of spreading rumors as facts. Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 What rumors am I spreading? A company cuts output by 33% and replaces its board in a week. Observing that these are troubling signs is not the same as spreading rumors. I don't believe in magical thinking, appleridge. I'm not sorry about that. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 No one knows the reason. All Im saying is that if U want these shows around then lets watch and discuss what's on screen. Leave the bTS stuff to Agnes and PP Log in to Reply Scout May 24, 2013 [quote=bishbay]Unreal that the self-appointed censors on here are calling concerned observations "gripes" and "criticisms."[/quote] Most of what's being thrown out here are not concerned observations, but rather hysterical accusations. So PP is changing things to make the business model work better. Any new venture goes through changes in the beginning. Why must the sky always be falling? Log in to Reply Pocketfullofposies May 24, 2013 I thought the writers for nuAMC were doing a great job. I hope this doesn't change anything; they have some pretty awesome storylines going on right now. In regards to OLTL, they definitely needed a change. There is nothing happening on that show; just a lot of lollygagging. I still wanna see both shows succeed so I will support them despite all of these sudden and early changes. Log in to Reply Forever21 May 24, 2013 Being supportive and grateful doesnt mean that you have to take leave your senses. You still have to exercise that brain muscle in your head. Pointing out that something isnt right behind the scenes at PP given what has happened in the last couple of weeks doesnt mean that you arent supportive, it just means you are using your common sense. Its rather stupid to lash out at anyone who thinks things arent right bts at PP. If you are confident its all good then you shouldnt get upset that others expressing some criticsm and concern about what is taking place and this whole ignore your gut feeling or any feelings you have, be happpy and shut up because they brought back the shows is sooo stupid. If you are right that everything is fine then people expressing their "negative" views wont matter because its all good right? This should be a place where we can express both points of views without anyone trying to censor others. Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 Yes, yes, appleridge, you posted on this article about behind-the-scenes yourself but since I don't agree with your opinion about it I should just leave it to PP. You're not even making sense at this point. And Scout, I said nothing when they fired the first OLTL co-headwriter or when they cut the episode order. Nor did I say that I think the shows will be canceled in six months or whatever at any point on this thread. I said that these are troubling signs, and I think that's true. You and appleridge both need to keep your sides of the street clean and let people have their own opinions. This stifling of dissent that you're attempting is toxic. Log in to Reply appleridge May 24, 2013 Susie wasnt fired, she quit. That has been documented all over the internet. Google is your friend. Use it. Log in to Reply Forever21 May 24, 2013 [quote=appleridge]No one knows the reason. All Im saying is that if U want these shows around then lets watch and discuss what's on screen. Leave the bTS stuff to Agnes and PP[/quote] WTF This is DC where the majority of what makes headlines and take up a major part of the discussion is behind the scenes stuff. No one has to leave that discussion to Agness and PP LOL. We can discuss it here, may be you should leave the bts discussion to those who can handle it. What is this if you want the shows around shit? Discussing BTS stuff wont make the shows disappear and if you think your censoring PP discussion is the reason they will stick around then you are mistaken. Log in to Reply Scout May 24, 2013 My point is that you people bitch like you're on the board of directors of PP, like you're owed something by the people behind the scenes. The fact is that they're taking a chance on a couple of canceled soap operas at a time when most TV execs have tried to kill the entire genre. AMC was godawful the last few years, an unwatchable mess. The very fact that this show was even resurrected at all and had a little new life breathed into it is nothing short of a miracle. Whether or not this succeeds, every new episode is a gift to the viewers. As far as censorship goes — if that were true, then your uninformed whiny posts would already have been deleted. You all say you have brains, then use them! Whine away, whiners! Log in to Reply days4ever May 24, 2013 david46208 I agree with your assessment of both shows. AMC is the stronger show even though OLTL has more vets on staff (they are not using them properly). AMC just needs Tad, Kendall, and Erica (with Jackson) and they will be strong with great storylines. OLTL needs an overhaul and david46208 nailed it with everything that he said. Although Dani does seem to be drinking too much in her new apartment with the boys. Why would Tea allow her to move out if she knew she had a drug problem? Why doesn't Tea call her Daniella any longer? Log in to Reply david46208 May 24, 2013 @bishbay: As someone with a degree in business and have worked in the field for over 12 years now and in middle management. I know a lot. Companies go through all sorts of changes. Yet, in this case it is called "restructuring." And in any business "restructuring" plays a vital part of continuing to make sure the engine is running. For soaps we generally have had to deal with head writers and executive producer for years (if they were bad) before their contract ended. During this time-period show's ratings would drop and advertisers would wince, as well as network executives. Thus, what Prospect Park is doing is not waiting for the cow to stop making milk before they make the necessary changes to maintain these series on the web for the foreseeable future. And that is not optimism. That is just looking at from a business standpoint. So they have a learning curve here. And the same learning curve was there when soaps transitioned from the radio to the TV. So the rumor of their demise has been greatly exaggerated. Just as people thought that they would never make it onto the web. But they are here. So let's continue to critique. But critique in love. Because you want to make sure that these products remain around for years to come. And then chart the path for other soaps on-air to make the transition, possibly bring back a old favorite or two and make it possible for brand new soaps to emerge. But if you want to talk business we can talk business. Stocks, bonds, liquidity and haircuts. Just let me know! Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 Scout: Whining would be complaining that Susan Lucci isn't on the show or complaining about how many commercials there are on Hulu. Stating that these developments are bad signs is not whining. And Scout, they're trying to make money, not be nice people or run a charity. They paid money to license these properties and they want to make that money back, plus. This "It's a gift!!!!!!!!!!!!" stuff is just a club you're using to silence people with whom you don't agree. It's childish, frankly, and offensive. appleridge, FYI, there's varying views on what happened with Morina. I notice that you didn't respond to anything else I wrote–maybe I'm getting through to you? Log in to Reply bishbay May 24, 2013 david, I have a feeling that when it comes to business knowledge there's not much you could teach me, but I won't prove the point by listing my accomplishments or years of experience, since that smacks of insecurity. I think my tone was completely appropriate for what's happened, from a business perspective. Log in to Reply david46208 May 24, 2013 @days4ever: Hey I want these show's to be their best and at their best. I need my dividends at the end of the quarter. Before I come in and do a hostile takeover at the shareholder's meeting like Craig Montgomery! Log in to Reply Scout May 24, 2013 In all seriousness, bishbay, you are the one who truly needs to get a grip. Ya'll enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend. Life's too short. Log in to Reply soapjunkie88 May 24, 2013 Propect Park is a chocolate factory that makes wishes come true and anyone that doesn't believe in Santa anymore should just get lost. It's insane how people get attacked for their own or should I say different opinion about things if this is still allowed. This is a production company that wants to make money but is in way over their head. Promoting within the writing team or not it's a change that in their eyes neeeded to be done. Why sweet-talk it? It's a business and at the moment it doesn't scream "a successful one". Of course we should be happy to have these shows back, but that doesn't let shit turn into gold on a permant basis. So, now throw stones at me… Log in to Reply Forever21 May 24, 2013 [quote=Scout]My point is that you people bitch like you're on the board of directors of PP, like you're owed something by the people behind the scenes. The fact is that they're taking a chance on a couple of canceled soap operas at a time when most TV execs have tried to kill the entire genre. AMC was godawful the last few years, an unwatchable mess. The very fact that this show was even resurrected at all and had a little new life breathed into it is nothing short of a miracle. Whether or not this succeeds, every new episode is a gift to the viewers. As far as censorship goes — if that were true, then your uninformed whiny posts would already have been deleted. You all say you have brains, then use them! Whine away, whiners![/quote] I didnt see anyone act like they are owed anything. I saw people do what they have always done for years even when these shows were owned by ABC which is express their opinions about the latest soap news and then others throwing a tantrum because how dare anything other than praise be said about PP? As for your own informed post, if you were using your own brain you would realize that the reason the posts are still up is because you and Applerigde dont have the ability to delete posts of those people you deem ungrateful whiners because they dared to say something that wasnt glowing about PP. Your mode of censoring is to attack people to stop them from expressing their views or as Appleridge did tell them to leave the bts stuff to PP & Agnes (ignoring that DC is all about BTS juice and discussion). Log in to Reply david46208 May 24, 2013 @bishbay: Actually no it was not. It lacked clarity and a full assessment of things with PP from a business point-of-view. So we can list accomplishments and awards all day long. But that is not going to change the faults within your assessment. That is why I countered it. And that has been the key to MY success. But more so to an understanding of the daytime model and how it works from the front end to the back-end. So if you find your assessment worthwhile defend it. You remember we business men and women are competitive. So in the words of Victor Newman: "You put your business experience next to mines and we SEE how they stack up!" Log in to Reply mfarris70 May 24, 2013 [quote=Scout]My point is that you people bitch like you're on the board of directors of PP, like you're owed something by the people behind the scenes.[/quote] We are owed something by them– the quality shows they promised that got many of us to subscribe to Hulu Plus or buy episodes on iTunes. The idea that they're not the same as a network doesn't wash because they've been promoting themselves for two years as the future of televised entertainment. They haven't yet lived up to their boasting. Log in to Reply mfarris70 May 24, 2013 [quote=soapjunkie88]…but that doesn't let shit turn into gold on a permant basis.[/quote] Now that's a good use of a curse word that could be used on AMC or OLTL! ; ) Log in to Reply dattilofan1 May 25, 2013 I for one am glad for the new head writers. This version of both soaps is new to everyone and until it's perfect then there are going to changes and should be changes until they get it right. OLTL has been a little slow but it may be finding it's footing. Having Victor leave so very soon was a bad move. It's just left thing up in the air way too soon. Hopefully the new HW will resolve this issue and get things rolling along. What ever happens I'll support them because I love these shows. Log in to Reply nysam May 25, 2013 So after a month on the air and the shows being cut in half and now promoting 2 writers (at least for AMC who helped kill the show when it was on ABC) is a way to improve them? Not going to happen. I'm sticking by what I said a couple weeks ago. Come August or before, the plug will be pulled entirely. PP didn't take the time to hire the right teams to launch these shows. If you stick with the same people from the industry who helped tank them in the first place things aren't going to get better. Log in to Reply guilty pleasure May 25, 2013 @david46208: I remember back on the second online episode of OLTL that Cutter Wentworth asked his associate at the club Dean Trayger if he gave Dani any drugs, and a couple of episodes later, Dean enlisted a dirty cop from the Llanview Police Department named Bruce Hunter to provide more security at the club as a bouncer so no one will get in trouble, and Cutter told Dean he didn't want to know any of the details. I think Dani must've gotten the drugs from the club, and that Cutter is running a drug trafficking ring in the club with Dean and Bruce! I think they need to have Bo investigate what's happening at the club, and why Cutter is running a drug ring there! Log in to Reply david46208 May 25, 2013 @guilty pleasure & everyone: Yes they should investigate it. It would make real sense. They could also tie it into when Bo found the Oxycontin on Matthew in the first episode. If we pull the families in further than we can have Nora and Bo trying to keep Matthew away from "Hurricane Dani" as she continues to spiral out of control and Tea trying desperately to save her daughter, while coming to understand the neglect she has heaped upon her since her baby died. Imagine Tea and Nora going at it. Or Bo and Tea with Bo referring to Dani as a tramp! Then, as Dani continues to fall Matthew reconnects with Density as she and Jeffrey are just starting to heat up. Thus, having Destiny torn between her hot 'n' cold baby's daddy and the responsible man who has been like a father to Drew. Thus, after Matthew saves a drugged up Dani from almost getting raped and later pays off the drug dealer she owes money to, he is through with her. And as Dani feels alienated and alone, she decides to take her life. Dani writes nasty letters to everyone she feels has wronged or turned their backs on her. Then gets high one last time, takes off in her car and pledges over the side of the highway into a pond. Dani's life is saved. Yet when she comes to she learns that Tea has motioned the court for power-of-attorney over her as she has declared Dani mentally incompetent of taking care of her own life. While all this is going on Bo and the Llanview Narcotics Department plan a raid on The Shelter when they discover that someone on the inside is part of a drug ring that supplies drugs to club goers after a random clubber dies of a drug overdose. The raid leads them to finding large amounts of drugs hidden in the club. Blair and Cutter are arrested and receives federal racketeering and drug charges. The Shelter is shutdown. Jeffrey gets a bright idea to investigate and cover the case for The Banner's online website with the hopes he may figure out the truth to set Blair and Cutter free. Meanwhile, the bad press from The Banner on Blair's arrests helps to deepen the feud between Dorian and Vicki. As Dorian believes Vicki is loving every minute of her family's tragedy. Thus, due to the fact that Vicki refused to be bribed or threatened into not reporting on Blair's tragedies. Dorian becomes determined to take Vicki off her high horse when things settle down. Vicki is conflicted about The Banner reporting on Blair's downfall, but Clint reminds her that she has a staff and paper to save in a digital age. Plus, the online version of The Banner has been receiving record hits and newsstand sales are up. And that is what I have so far as further ideas for OLTL. I got a lot more I can write. But I'll stop there. Log in to Reply marknsprmo May 25, 2013 I do believe that new writers are probably called for, however I don't think these are new writers. It sounds like they are just being bumped up from the rank and file. The problem I see is not anything other than we are now in a model of a 2 day a week half hour shows. It is something that has not been on tv since the 60s as far as I know (Peyton Place). I think the pacing of the shows will definitely need to be rethought. A strong focus on one or two stories and quicker cuts in the scenes. I also think we need to get to the point and get on with it. We can't just drag out a story for months on end. I agree mostly with David46208 about the current assessment of both shows. AMC is certainly stronger in the story dept. They didn't build their show around actors that weren't staying. One thing I most certainly am missing on both shows is entertainment. Except for a couple of nearly nude boys a couple of times, I have not been entertained very much. I would like zippier dialog. Make every talk like Vickers and Dorian (not in the literal sense). People need to be more clever. And I don't need Bo and Nora to be more "in" or cool. What I need is smarter dialog, not hipster characters. What's wrong with being a cop and a lawyer? Those are interesting jobs and have wide spread possibilities (maybe there really are no drugs in Llanview like Blair believes. And of course no one ever gets beat up robbed or murdered either. I noticed that in Pine Valley, if one hits someone at a coffee shop, one can get suspended at school. God knows what would happen if he sassed his grandma in church. Expulsion?) Log in to Reply rapido May 25, 2013 Some fans seem desperate to prove the reboots are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I am not watching as I do not think the shows will last. All signals point to,poor viewership online. Now the cheerleaders will say differently. First they cut episodes in half and scrap filming until August. Now new writers. Again this says to me not enough watching and they are in full scale panic. The concept to produce original drama for online is very flawed when the show is a formerly cancelled soap. Log in to Reply Llanview76 May 25, 2013 I'm just impressed that many people – voicing good, bad or indifferent about this venture know so much of what happens behind the scenes. Do any of us who post on this board work at Prospect Park, or any of the L.A. based soaps? I get it, common sense, but it's really just common theory going off of Jamey's article and two statements released: one by the production company the other by Agnes Nixon…who, I'm sure is trying to calm our nerves outhere in audienceland with her statement – rare that she ever made these before but as pointed out this is the net, not net-work.. I'm just going to watch the programs for what they are: 30 minutes of escape from a world that is plagued with…too much information, anyways it seems. Log in to Reply guilty pleasure May 25, 2013 @david46208: If Cutter knew about the drugs being sold in the club since he asked Dean about them, and he owes shady people like Jamie Frankko money, then Cutter is really guilty since he's involved in the drug ring, and only Blair is the innocent one since she doesn't know anything about the drugs being sold in the club! Log in to Reply liason4real May 25, 2013 I am glad PP is listening to the fan feedback. ABCD ignored their soap opera fans for over a decade. Log in to Reply Scout May 25, 2013 Unfortunately, most so-called fans don't know their asses from a large hole in the ground but still seemingly know it all. You know who you are. Log in to Reply bishbay May 25, 2013 Still telling people to shut up and clap louder, Scout? Among other things, that attitude doesn't suggest you have confidence in your own position. Log in to Reply dsmwmn May 25, 2013 This is a really good move on PP part. With the switch to the 2 episodes a week the pacing and story telling needs to be adjusted and this is a good way to do it. OLTL really needs better writing regardless. PP ridiculous lawsuit (which was basically a big insult to Ron) seems even crazier considering the crap stories we have been given. I hop these changes will equal good things for the shows. Log in to Reply marknsprmo May 25, 2013 Hey all this fighting is getting really entertaining. It reminds me of Point Counter Point on Saturday Night Live. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SbsLILVM7-4 It is actually better than the shows that are being fought over. Log in to Reply Scout May 25, 2013 [quote=bishbay]Still telling people to shut up and clap louder, Scout? Among other things, that attitude doesn't suggest you have confidence in your own position.[/quote] I'm doing no such thing. Just as you have a right to your opinion, I am entitled (a word you seemingly love to apply to yourself as much as possible) to reject your ignorance and hysteria. The fact that you respond to this post personally when your name isn't even mentioned says it all about the confidence of your own position. Here's the thing: AMC wasn't worth saving in the first place. In its final years, before it was mercifully put out of its misery, it was manhandled and creatively cornholed by some of the biggest hacks in the industry, a charge gleefully led by Brian Frons. But no matter the reasons, viewers tuned out in droves — rightfully so. PP dropped the ball out of the gate, but the unions didn't help matters. This venture was so new, no one seemingly knew how to proceed with negotiations and, as is often the case with unions, things bogged down in an unmanageable mess. (SEE: Hostess Bakeries Inc.) So PP finally gets this project reasonably on track and proceeds to bring AMC back from the dead; well, not having Lucci and MEK makes it a risky proposition from the get-go, but PP went ahead with it anyway. Has PP-AMC been perfect every single minute of its run? No. But it's back. Even with two episodes a week, it is more than we had even two months ago. And, really, I gave up on ABC-AMC years ago. The Ryan-&-Greenlee Show just wasn't doing it for me. And it's not just them — there was plenty in every storyline to hate: from Erica's aborted abortion to Tad Martin committing what was tantamount to murder to the network's wheezy backhanded attitude toward homosexuals. What I see in PP-AMC, even without SL and MEK, is more of a return to form — potboiler mysteries, fantastical romance and a bit of camp, all without the gross factor and the cavalier attitude toward its dwindling fanbase. Things at PP may get better or they may get worse. Either way, they have spent a lot of time and money on this venture and it might just be a good idea to support it rather than tear it down — especially when no one really truly knows what goes on behind the scenes at the very moment, now do we? And, bishbay, since you seem to take all this personally, let me address you in such matter: yes, every new episode of AMC is a gift to its fans. After all the damage that was done to this show for at least a decade by ABC, AMC didn't really even really deserve a second life. Breathe easy… Log in to Reply bishbay May 25, 2013 Hon, edit. I'm not reading five paragraphs of boosterism. Keep it to two. Log in to Reply stoney07 May 25, 2013 I don't get why people expect soaps to be perfect these days. It's like we reflect back on the past, and we forget the "boring" episodes, or the bad, outrageous, over the top stories that made absolutely NO sense at the time. Agnes Nixon had her share, Bill Bell had his share, Irna Phillips had her share, etc… But what they Didn't have was these boards filled with some grouchy, overly critical, illogical people who watch mainly to find things to bitch about. It's easy to say "I would do THIS and THAT" when you're not the one writing. But we have to face the facts that we all like different things. Some like slow paced character driven, some like fast paced plot driven. Some like drama, some like camp. Some like action, etc… My thing is, let's calm down a little and give these changes a chance. Whether PP is desperate or not, it doesn't really matter. The decision has been made. Log in to Reply bishbay May 25, 2013 Stoney, if it doesn't really matter if PP is desperate it shouldn't matter that people say it. I like your comments in general, but you seem to be spending a lot of time complaining about how people are complaining recently. I hope you're not trying to tell people what they should and shouldn't write in their comments. Log in to Reply stoney07 May 25, 2013 I've said it a million times before…I don't care what people say in their comments. But when I'm annoyed, I speak on it, the same way people speak on when their annoyed with the show. I'm respectful to everyone. I just feel as if the behind the scenes stuff will NEVER fully be told. None of us really knows what's going on, we're just commenting on what is told to us. So the arguments over whether or not PP is desperate, etc..is kind of crazy to me. Log in to Reply Scout May 25, 2013 [quote=bishbay]Hon, edit. I'm not reading five paragraphs of boosterism. Keep it to two.[/quote] 'Cause you just can't handle being schooled. And it would be inappropriate and just plain wrong of me to tell you to shut the fuck up. So I won't. Log in to Reply bishbay May 25, 2013 Scout, thank you for keeping it short and to the point like I asked. Glad that you know how to listen. Have a great holiday and I hope your wittle feewings get better. Tantrums aren't cute in five-year-olds, let alone in women. Log in to Reply david46208 May 26, 2013 @bishbay: Says the person who told me they were far more accomplished business wise than I was. Yet didn't want to boast. Um hum… You know those of us with critiques are critiquing to improves these series. Jamey, Luke, Jillian etc… And this is across the daytime landscape. You (like a few others) just want to say "nothing is gonna work!" And the point is you have not put forth a competent argument. So I am still waiting for that business sense to kick-in. You let me know when you get it together. Because you don't want to tangle with me. Because I will give you an intellectual smack-down. And that's fact. And as always: "You put MY business skills next to yours and WE see how they stack up!" Log in to Reply bishbay May 26, 2013 David, I've never knce said or implied that nothing sill work. You're inventing. As an aside, I'll repeat to you what I said to Scout: Hon, edit. I don't read the fan fiction posts you sprinkle liberally throughout the site, either. Ain't got time for it. Log in to Reply david46208 May 26, 2013 Double Post. Log in to Reply david46208 May 26, 2013 @bishbay: You just can't even enter into the discussion about the economics of daytime and the production of a serial. Nor can you talk story. So you've proven my point. You don't have what it takes. So thanks for letting me know. I'll pat myself on the back as you snivel away. Your lack of competence is noteworthy. Log in to Reply bishbay May 26, 2013 Oh, David. Good luck with everything. You seem like you have something to prove. Log in to Reply david46208 May 26, 2013 @bishbay: Well I knew someone had to "get you together." You are just as I expected on this. Log in to Reply gato1 May 26, 2013 THE SHADE OF IT ALL!!!!!!!! Log in to Reply guilty pleasure May 26, 2013 @david46208: Why would you think Cutter is innocent along with Blair (who is really the only one who isn't aware of the drugs in her new club) in the drug trafficking ring at Shelter? It was obvious he knew about the drugs in the club when he asked his associate Dean if he sold any drugs to Dani after she overdosed on OxyContin pills on the opening night of the club! Log in to Reply david46208 May 26, 2013 @guilty pleasure: Oh he could be guilty too. Had to pay off an old debt. We can work with that. Thanks for the important the to remember. Log in to Reply guilty pleasure May 26, 2013 You're welcome, david46208! Log in to Reply Ryan-Scott May 29, 2013 For people who think PP still has those in charge of story direction who drove AMC into the ground its last several years I don't see their names when I watch new episodes…Julie H-C, Charles P., Donna S., David K., Megan M….all thankfully not seen… :beer: Log in to Reply Leave a Reply Cancel Reply You must be logged in to post a comment.


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- Running
- Cycling
- Triathlon
- Fitness
- Race Results
- More
About This Activity
The Race will kick off the community wide festival Snow Day. Snow Day attracts over 10,000 people into downtown Lake City. 30 tons of snow is brought in for children and families to enjoy, as well as 15 bounce house units, live entertainment, food vendors and the event concludes with the Lake City Christmas Parade. Proceeds will be used to purchase annual Christmas decorations to ensure that Lake City continues to have one of the most beautiful Christmas scenes in North Florida.
Awards Categories: Top Overall Male and Female Top Male and Female in the following age groups: 13 & under, 14-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 & over
Map & Direction
Saturday, December 8, 2012 @ 4:00 PM (EST)
Parking lot of Columbia County Courthouse 145 NE Hernando Avenue Lake City, FL 32025Get Directions


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Artist Booth Applications for the 2015 Edmonds Arts Festival are now OPEN.
Artist Booth Applications for the 2015 Edmonds Arts Festival are now OPEN.
The Port of Edmonds, Edmonds Arts Festival, and ArtWorks are co-sponsoring Artists In Action this summer on the Edmonds waterfront.
Local artists will demonstrate each Sunday from 1-3PM through the summer at the Port of Edmonds plaza (behind Anthony's restaurant, 456 Admiral Way). Enjoy the Sea Jazz Band while artists demonstrate how they work!
Click the link below for the full schedule:
The Edmonds Arts Festival Association heartily thanks the 500 plus volunteers who made the Festival such a wonderful event for our community.
The Festival was totally dependent on the time and effort our unpaid heroes donated; volunteers helped before, during and after the 3-day event. They checked in art, set the galleries, worked with children on Kids Create projects, provided booth relief to artists, manned the information booth and so much more. We could not do this event without volunteer help. We extend a huge Thank You to each of them.
If you would like to be part of the Edmonds Arts Festival next year, sign-ups will begin April 1, 2015, on the Our Volunteers link.
Edmonds Arts Festival
Terry Chasteen and Peg Weborg
Volunteer Directors
Father's Day Weekend,
June 13-15, 2014
Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.- 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Frances Anderson Cultural Center, 700 Main Street, Edmonds
Information: www.edmondsartsfestival.com www.facebook.com/edmondsartsfestival
Message Line: (425) 771-6412
It's the annual opening of the Edmonds Arts Festival and we hope you will join us!
The pARTy begins at 7pm at the Frances Anderson Center. Tickets available online now until June 6 at The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation.
The $55 per person ticket includes:
For more information, call 425-745-1079.
From left to right: Mike O'Day (Searching a Head); Dan LaChaussee (Lidded Feather Jar); Hung Nguyen (Wooden Boat #21); Sue Robertson (Mellow Yellow); Sam Scott (Black & White Vase); Andy Eccleshall (Havilla Sunset)


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Our scrumptious sugar cookies are the perfect treat for any special occasion. Cut cut into festive shapes and hand iced in vanilla buttercream, they're ideal as favors for parties, showers, gifts, or just a special dessert. Inscription available (short inscriptions only, please; can also be left blank). Call for other available shapes.
Seasonal Shape: Christmas Tree, Snowflake, Gingerbread Man


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Senior Member
eCommerce Associate
Riot Frosthaven
Riot Morgageddon
Player Support Tech Specialist
Morgageddon pops in.
Leave it to WizardCrab to have that magical timing I suppose ._.
I feel like something needs to happen. Something that gets people really involved with Riot as a company again. It's more than any one person can really accomplish alone, so it'd take a real initiative directed towards the community. I think people are just sort of starting to feel abandoned.
You guys are awesome - you, Eliv, Morg, etc. One day I'm going to have to pry you all away from your paying jobs to host some sort of fan-made event to get the connection between riot and the players going strong again.
Well, I have been playing in Riot vs. Community... it's been restarted and coordinated with rioters via Rhojin... we're 1-1 for the last two events...
sylvanas valeria
We have 3 rioters in this thread now. Who will be the fourth!
© 2014 Riot Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Riot Games, League of Legends and PvP.net are trademarks, services marks, or registered trademarks of Riot Games, Inc.


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Renewing Europe's Housing
Distributed for Policy Press at the University of Bristol
256 pages | 6 x 9
Many European cities suffer from an acute shortage of good-quality affordable housing, but the problem has never been as prominent in policy discussions and political programs as it should be. This book aims to change that through detailed comparative accounts of various housing renewal policies and practices in nine European nations in their physical, economic, social, community, and cultural aspects.
For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu
Google preview here
You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.


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Jane Says
News, Updates, and Thoughts from a Children's Book Author
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Young Authors Club at the Greater Boston JCC this Fall!
Excited to share that I will be teaching a kids' writing class at the Greater Boston JCC on Sundays this fall, starting Sept. 14th. The Young Authors Club combines fun writing exercises and a real professional writer-style critique group for kids in grades 4-6 (and advanced 3rd graders). We had a blast last winter, and I'm hoping for lots of new poets and storytellers. You do not need to be a JCC member or Jewish to sign up!
Posted by Jane Kohuth at 11:19 AM No comments:
Labels: appearances, events, Greater Boston JCC, teaching
Sunday, April 13, 2014
So . . . What's a Skype Author Visit and Should I Do It?
The Sock Poem
Soft, Sweaty, Smooth, Slippery, Stretchy
Soggy and Soaked!
by the first grade at Cleveland Road Elementary School in Bogart Georgia
First graders recited this original alliterative poem for me when I visited them to read and talk about my book, DUCK SOCK HOP. They were in Georgia. I was at home in Massachusetts. For the last few months, I've had the pleasure of doing quite a few Skype in the Classroom visits with schools around the world. It's been remarkable to sit down at my computer in my office and be able to talk with students in Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, British Columbia, Texas, and Grodno, Belarus, to name a few. (Next week, Xiamen, China!) Though it takes a little while to get the hang of interacting through a screen, seeing the faces and listening to the thoughtful questions of students and teachers has been a valuable experience for me as a presenter, a writer, and a person. You send your books into the world and imagine children reading them, enjoying them, and thinking about them, but how else would I have the opportunity to see HOW children are interacting with my words, what they are responding to, what makes them laugh, what makes them bounce. They may be learning from me, but I'm also learning from them. Also, it's been said many times before, but writing can be a lonely vocation, and actually seeing my tiny impact is something to hold onto when things get hard.
Art from the Malta Avenue School in Ballston Spa, New York
I do want to say that electronic visits aren't a full substitute for in-person visits. They let me go to far-flung places that neither schools nor I could otherwise afford, they help me out as a person with a disability who has trouble traveling distances. There's nothing quite like an in-person visit, though, at least for me. When I go to my local schools and libraries, I can be more interactive, more kinetic, and even more creative. So if you're a teacher or librarian, have local authors come in person, and have far-away authors come by screen.
And here's some frank talk. I get asked a lot if I get paid for Skype visits. Right now I'm offering twenty minute visits free. I get asked to low-income schools, which now have an opportunity to have an author visit when they never would have before. I want to be there for those kids. But writers are people, too, and we rely on selling books. So I hope that if schools can pay, they will. I hope they buy my books so that students can borrow them from the library after our visits. I've had one teacher (that I know of) reach into her pocket to buy DUCK SOCK HOP for her classroom. I'm going to send her the rest of my books. But I'm not sure we can go on this way. What do you think teachers? Authors?
Posted by Jane Kohuth at 9:18 PM No comments:
Labels: Duck Sock Hop, events, picture books, school visits, Skype visits
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Duck Sock Hop Christmas Tree!
website for more details. I will be signing books at the museum from 1pm - 4 pm on December 8th, along with several other authors and illustrators. I'd love to see you!
The Duck Sock Hop Tree was created by two very special artists, my mother Leslie Kohuth and my sister, Emily Kohuth. You can see some of Emily's other work in the Locket Scientist shop on Etsy.com.
The Duck Sock Hop Tree was created by two very special artists, my mother Leslie Kohuth and my sister, Emily Kohuth. You can see some of Emily's other work in the Locket Scientist shop on Etsy.com.
Posted by Jane Kohuth at 3:49 PM No comments:
Monday, September 16, 2013
One Thousand Words: Writing Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree
In one week, my first non-fiction book for children, Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree, will be published. Creating it was one of the greatest writing challenges of my life. I wrote about the experience for Shalom Magazine and am reposting it here with permission.
A sapling from Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree was planted on Boston Common in the summer of 2013.
(Boston Herald photo)
One Thousand Words: Writing Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree
by Jane Kohuth
It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see a world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. -- Anne Frank, 1944
The most challenging thing I've ever written was only one thousand words long. I write for young children, so I'm familiar with the challenge of keeping language simple and concise while also making it interesting. But in 2011, I received a call from my editor at Random House asking if I'd like to write an early reader about Anne Frank. I had written an early reader before, I had a background in Jewish Studies and had already published one Jewish interest book for children, so why wouldn't I want to tackle this? But I didn't say yes right away. The publisher wanted a book for early elementary school students. I wondered, how could someone explain Anne Frank to children without delving deeply into a complicated and dark time in history? Was I prepared for the enormous responsibility of writing a book that could be a child's introduction to the Holocaust? Was it possible to be both honest and gentle in writing about such terrible subject? And finally, how could I say anything about Anne Frank's experience that she hadn't said better herself?
I thought about the first time I learned about the Shoah, in a Hebrew School class in the 1980s. The lesson felt abrupt and dramatic, fascinating and confusing. The teacher tried her best, I believe, but a good book written for children might have helped her and helped us to better understand in a way that was appropriate for our age. Since that time many more children's books have been published about the Holocaust. Some are very good. But there isn't much out there for younger students about Anne Frank. I first read The Diary of a Young Girl when I was in middle school. And as with so many children before me, I felt like Anne was talking to me. Her voice made history real in a way that the photos and facts and numbers I'd been taught did not. I thought that if I could use as many of her words as possible, I could, perhaps, write a worthy book for children who were still too young to read her diary. Perhaps Anne could speak to them the way she had spoken to me.
I had one thousand words. I couldn't use complex vocabulary. I had to keep clauses to a minimum. I could have no more than thirty characters in a line and no more than twelve lines on a page. When I explained my project to people they thought it might not be possible. In the end, it helped that I needed to choose an "angle" -- a way in to Anne's story. Over and over, in her diary and stories, Anne returned to the agony of being shut inside and the power of nature to give her courage, to ease her suffering, and to help her overcome despair. She wrote about the attic window where she was able to see a sliver of sky and the branches of a chestnut tree. The tree, I learned, had become a symbol of hope to visitors of the Secret Annex, which is now the Anne Frank Museum. It had a story of its own, and its saplings, planted around the world, have come to represent Anne's legacy. (Just this June, one was planted on Boston Common.) This was an aspect of Anne's story I hadn't seen in another book. It was a way to talk about Anne's feelings that children might understand.
In researching and writing Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree, I also drew on my background in Jewish Studies and my experience teaching in Jewish classrooms. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, where I attended a Conservative synagogue. When I was fourteen, my parents moved to Falmouth, MA, where we became members of Falmouth Jewish Congregation, and I became active in NFTY. At Brandeis, I studied Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, along with English and Creative Writing. For graduate school, I attended Harvard Divinity School, where I focused on women in religion. I've been a teacher at several Hebrew schools, and spent time as a synagogue's Assistant Director of Education. I found that my reading over the years had already immersed me in Jewish History and given me an understanding of Anne Frank's era, while my classroom experience helped me to think about how children might relate to Anne's story and how teachers might be able to use my book in the classroom.
As Jewish educators and parents we find that we must, at some point, introduce our children to the reality of the Holocaust. I hope that in focusing on something a child can imagine -- being shut indoors and longing for outside -- I have written a book that will allow children to empathize with Anne, a book that is both honest and gentle, and a book that is true to Anne's view of the world.
Posted by Jane Kohuth at 8:49 PM No comments:
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Book Events Spin Cycle: Are You a Famous Author or Just the Entertainment? Helpful Hints I Hope
This past Saturday officially marked the end of a book event season that stretched for me from May, when my picture book Duck Sock Hop came out, through National Jewish Book Month and my local town's Holiday Stroll this November. In between I went to schools, libraries, bookstores, and community centers on the multi-pronged mission of promoting my books, developing a career as an author who teaches, and getting kids to love books and be excited by readings and writing.
Mostly, in the big world of books, I feel small. Most people don't know my name, and I don't know that they ever will. I've been lucky to get some great reviews, but nothing so far that has broken that invisible (though context dependent) barrier between known and unknown. And doing events can be a great way to experience the discombobulation of not knowing what your place in the world as a writer IS yet. Sometimes you get greeted like a star, with an excited audience, sometimes no one shows up. Sometimes people show up, but no one seems interested in talking to you, let alone having a book signed. Sometimes you get treated like the babysitter (a hazard of writing for very young children, I think) and sometimes you get treated like a guru. It can really take your self-image for a rough and tumble ride in the spin cycle.
I'd like to be helpful to other writers out there who are getting out and doing book events. What can I tell you that's useful? Here's an eclectic list of things I've learned as a writer/teacher/entertainer.
The role of children's author has changed. Sure you can just write your books. But you might not be able to get any more of them published if you don't do something to boost your sales and get your name out there. I'm an avid reader about the history of children's books, and I've also been lucky enough to hear some of the greats speak about how they got started. There were intimate bonds with editors, and not as much of a role for agents. Tours, if they happened, were arranged by publishers. And when you spoke, it was more like speaking at an adult book signing. You read from your book. You answered questions. That's how our elder statesman still do it. I recently attended a great talk by Lois Lowry about her new novel, Son. She stood on stage, next to poster on an easel, and talked. That's all.
The rest of us, though? We're expected to do much more. We're expected to teach and entertain. Unless we're lucky enough to have a big prize medal on one of our books (and maybe not even then), we need to sell stores and other venues on what else we can do to bring in folks who have so many choices of how to spend their time. What fascinating and fun activities can go along with your book? For Duck Sock Hop, I combed discount stores for wacky socks, made a colorful sock box like the one featured in my book, borrowed my mom's record player and rock and roll records from the 50's and 60's, and held sock hops for the preschool set. I provided white socks and fabric markers for a sock decorating craft. I read my book aloud, but I also became a dance leader and an art teacher. It can be sock boxes of fun, but also exhausting. And, see above, some groups may shower you with praise and others may treat you like the free entertainment. Develop a thick skin.
Preparation Will Take You Far, but You Never Know
Different places are different. Communicate as much as possible with your venue before you go. Make sure they know ahead of time what set-up and materials you need. Give them the details of what you plan to do, and hopefully they'll advertise. Advertise it yourself to the best of your ability. But even if you do all this, you never quite know what you'll find when you arrive. You might be greeted by enthusiastic booksellers or community program organizers ready to run around and get you whatever you need. Maybe you'll get a goody bag and a gift card and an escort to drive you from school to school. Maybe they'll have been talking up your program for weeks. Or maybe there will be one librarian on duty and a crammed room filled with overexcited children and parents who won't even help you get the kids to scoot backward so you have room to stand. Or maybe despite all your emails with the event coordinator, the booksellers on duty when you arrive are barely aware that you were meant to show up. Roll with it. You may still make some great connections with children and parents.
The Dilemma of Grown-ups
That brings me to grown-ups. If you write for children, you're probably a bit kid-centric in your planning. That's as it should be. I've found that my school visits tend to go more smoothly than my family events, in no small part because kids, even toddlers, pay more attention in a school group setting than they do when their parents are around. Did you know that moms and dads? It surprised me. When kids are with their parents they tend to be distracted by their parents as well as shyer about letting go of mom and dad and participating. Some parents are great at getting their kids interested and joining in, but others are more likely to sit in the back, not modeling the kind of involved behavior that their children might emulate. Others talk the entire time, which makes you have to repeatedly ask for quiet, which can really throw off a program. I know parents are stressed and sometimes overwhelmed. I wish that we could work together for a better experience. But how do I better involve the grown-ups? I've tried to bring things that might interest them (and older kids) and leave them where they can take a look. I try, if possible, to invite them to ask questions. But what else? Here I could use some advice. I'd love a good talk on this topic with other writers, especially those who do preschool presentations.
The Signing/Sales Table
What Makes It Worth It
A couple of days ago I received an envelope in the mail. It was full of letters from students at a school I had visited. The students wrote extremely well (great use of commas by 4th and 5th graders is very impressive), and I could tell from their letters that they had really listened to what I'd said and taken from it what I hoped they would. They talked about a new resolve to write despite feeling discouraged sometimes. One girl, inspired by my "never give up" mantra, thought she could be a doctor after all. Ultimately, this is what it's all for. So take that ride in the spin cycle. You might come out dizzy, but you'll also feel renewed.
Posted by Jane Kohuth at 10:03 PM No comments:
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Interview with Nancy Conescu, Executive Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers
Working with my editor Nancy Conescu on the text of Duck Sock Hop was a wonderful experience. She made clear suggestions that made the text stronger, was easy to have a positive back and forth with, had a great overall vision for the book, and has been very supportive of the book post-publication as well. She agreed to answer some questions here:
1. What qualities make you love a picture book manuscript when you receive it for consideration? What qualities do you look for in an illustrator's work that makes you want to work with him or her?
When I'm considering picture book manuscripts it's the voice and read-aloud quality that I'm drawn to immediately. I look for stories that I think will inspire repeated readings and characters I think have breakout potential. (I'll confess that I tend to favor well-intentioned but ill-behaved characters--the Pig Won't's of the world!) I also look for humor and consider the illustration potential a manuscript has. Oftentimes we'll receive strong texts that seem more targeted to parents than to kids, and those are never for me. I like books with genuine kid-appeal. As for seeking out illustrators, I look for artists with unique styles, memorable characters, kid- appeal, and the ability to convey movement and expression.
2. Do you ever have to turn down manuscripts you want? If so, why?
I do sometimes have to turn down manuscripts that I wish I could pursue, and it's always a little heartbreaking. It takes a whole team to publish a book successfully though, and if there's not enough collective enthusiasm for a project, I feel I'd be doing the author a disservice if I took on his or her work. That doesn't mean it's not disappointing to me and to the author though.
3. What drew you to Duck Sock Hop when you first saw the text?
Duck Sock Hop is the kind of text you can't possibly read without smiling. It's very Sandra Boynton-esque in its read-aloud quality, and I felt that kids and parents would truly enjoy reading it and sharing it. I also imagined it with Jane Porter's illustrations. I felt that her bright colors and bold lines would be a perfect match for Jane Kohuth's joyful text, and indeed it turned out to be a wonderful pairing.
4. What kinds of books do you like to read for pleasure? What are some of your favorites?
I always wish I had more time to read for pleasure, but a great deal of my reading time is devoted to submissions. I did just finish Jenny Lawson's memoir Let's Pretend this Never Happened, which I absolutely loved, and I'm in the midst of an adult non-fiction book right now. I sometimes find adult memoirs and non-fiction to be an interesting change of pace, but more often than not, my reading for pleasure is focused on middle-grade and YA. I recently read Wonder by R.J. Palacio, and I have Trent Stewart's latest Mysterious Benedict book and Kelly Barnhill's The Iron Hearted Giant on my to-read list along with lots and lots of other books I've stacked up at home and at work.
5. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
I feel very lucky to have a job that I love so much and that gives me the opportunity to work with so many inspiring people. It's incredibly gratifying to help authors and illustrators execute their vision, deliver their best work, and ultimately see the books that results from the process. I realize how much trust it requires authors and artists to put in me and in us, and I'm beyond grateful for their willingness to share their work.
6. What would your perfect day be like?
Hmmm….my perfect day? I'm not sure there's just one kind. I love finding new manuscripts and new artists, but I also love the moment when an author delivers a revision or an artist delivers their sketches or final art. Then, of course, there's the moment when finished books arrive, which never loses its magic. And, on a more basic level, it's always really rewarding when an author or artist connects with the notes you've sent and is excited and inspired to revise. So, I guess it's nice to have so many different things that can make my day. That's not to say that every day is perfect—we work very hard—but I think that when you're passionate about what you do, you're able to appreciate a great deal of the process.
Posted by Jane Kohuth at 7:17 PM 1 comment:
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Dance Party this Saturday!
Today's Booklist says about Duck Sock Hop, "The rhymes here are rollicking, alliterative, webbed-foot-tapping fun, and debut illustrator Porter's heavily lined, brightly patterned art extends the ducks' sheer joy. The funniest thing about the art? Giant socks housing skinny duck legs. This begs for a shoes-off storytime with toddlers doing some wiggling of their own."
Well, they read my mind. I'll be holding a shoes off storytime and dance party launch for Dock Sock Hop this Saturday at 3 pm at Wellesley Books in Wellesley, MA. This event is free and open to everyone. We'll have a wacky socks storytime, rock & roll on a real record player, sock crafts, and, snacks (because ducks love snacks).
And the NEXT sock hop will be just a week after that:
Saturday, May 26th, 11-1, Eight Cousins Bookstore, Falmouth, MA
Well, they read my mind. I'll be holding a shoes off storytime and dance party launch for Dock Sock Hop this Saturday at 3 pm at Wellesley Books in Wellesley, MA. This event is free and open to everyone. We'll have a wacky socks storytime, rock & roll on a real record player, sock crafts, and, snacks (because ducks love snacks).
And the NEXT sock hop will be just a week after that:
Saturday, May 26th, 11-1, Eight Cousins Bookstore, Falmouth, MA
Posted by Jane Kohuth at 4:35 PM 4 comments:
Labels: appearances, Booklist, Duck Sock Hop, ducks, Eight Cousins, events, Reviews, Wellesley Books
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