A Few Quick Kidlitosphere Announcements
January 02, 2009
Clearly, people are back at their blogs this weekend, after many a holiday hiatus. My Google Reader is hopping on this rainy afternoon. I thought I'd share a few announcements of potential interest, before I shut down the computer to start a movie marathon with Mheir (he's out picking up the Chinese food right now).
Omnivoracious has an in-depth tribute to author Donald Westlake, who died Wednesday night. Mystery fans from around the world are saddened by his passing.
Leila from Bookshelves of Doom is starting an ambitious new project: TBR Tallboy. She says: "TBR Tallboy is a very low-tech chapbook-style fiction magazine. A more detailed description will follow, say, after the first issue has been printed." She's seeking submissions now, explaining: "I’ll consider middle grade and YA fiction of any genre* as well as adult fiction that could have crossover potential, anywhere from 500 – 5,000 words." My guess is that TBR Tallboy will be a lot of fun.
Author Mitali Perkins is launching her new book, Secret Keeper, on January 13th. She says: "I'll be reading, signing books, and offering writing workshops in the San Francisco and Seattle areas, as well as just plain partying in Bellevue, Palo Alto, and Newtonville." I'm planning to attend her Palo Alto event: Book Signing and Chai, Thursday Jan. 15, 2009, 6:00 - 7:00 pm, Not Your Mother's Book Club, Books Inc., Town & Country Village, 855 El Camino Real #74, Palo Alto, CA. Phone: 650-321-0600. This event will be followed by a writing workshop, and promises to be fun all around. I hope to see some of you there!
Loree Griffin Burns reports that 2009 is the Year of Science. She has all of the details, including the themes for each month. She adds: "In thinking of ways that I might join the celebration, I have decided to adjust my reading for the year. I’d like to explore these topics each month through the books I read, and I will share the best of them here on my blog." Sounds cool, doesn't it?
Over at The Well-Read Child, Jill is hosting a Parents Roundtable (where she uses "parent" loosely, to include anyone who has a reading relationship with a particular child). Her question is: "Do you have a reading routine with your child? If so, please describe it. For example: When do you read? Do you read out loud? What types of books do you read?". There are already several responses, and I hope to see lots of people participate.
Today's Poetry Friday Round-Up is at A Year of Reading. Also at A Year of Reading, an announcement that The Electric Company is returning to PBS in January.
Last but not least, this year's Golden Fuse awards are now up at A Fuse #8 Production. The Fuse awards are Betsy Bird's always-entertaining take on the year's children's books, with categories ranging from Best Endpapers to Worst Mother of the Year. My favorite section is "weirdo trends and similarities between books". Don't miss this post!
Happy reading! Hope that you're all relaxing and enjoying a lovely four-day weekend.