The New Kite Tales is Up!

Kite Tales is the quarterly, free publication of the SCBWI-Los Angeles chapter. If you are at all interested in writing or illustrating children's books, the whole issue, edited by Rilla Jaggia, is well worth checking out. It's free and chock full of interviews, updates, and information. And...

I'm excited to point you all to an article of mine called Twitter, Tweeting and You that starts on page 25 of this issue! The article tells you step by step how to set up an account, find people to follow, use direct messages, tweet effectively, and more. The publication is a PDF, and the link to Kite Tales will take you straight to the download page.

I hope you download Kite Tales and enjoy it... and if you have questions about Twitter or SCBWI-LA, ask away!

A Poetry Re-Issue: Garage Sale - a garage sale poem

Garage Sale
by
Gregory K.

Mrs. O'Leary from down the street
Owned a Chevy and also a Dodge.
She must've sold them both, I guess.
Why else would she sell her garage?


Originally posted here back in 2006 (complete with a comment from Leonardo Fibonacci!), the poem popped into my mind because we're hosting a garage sale today. I figure most of you can't come by and buy, but at least this way you can be with me in a poetic sense.

Please note, by the way, that the garage is not for sale, nor is the yard. If you make a great offer on the sidewalk, however....

Lazy Days of Summer Wherefore Art Thou?

Oh, sure... I'll kick back and take it easy. I'll write and relax this summer. Yeah... well... as you can tell by the fact that I don't have a Poetry Friday post up, there was no kicking back and just relaxing. It's all good, though, particularly since part of the day involved going to a hole in the wall donut joint I'd never been to before. Yum.

Here's another person who's not kicking back this summer - my friend Cynthea Liu who's celebrating the luanch ofher book Paris Pan Takes the Dare by hosting an auction full of critiques and the like to benefit a Title I school in Oklahoma. There are critiques from editors and authors and agents... and you can do some good, too.

I hope you'll head over and check out Cynthea's auction (with other ways to help out, too!).

No laziness this weekend for me, but no more donuts, either. Don't worry... I'll survive!

Writing 2day (and almost a contest!)

I have a post up over at The Happy Accident called, in part, 2 B or Not 2 B all about the importance of writing well on Twitter (and everywhere, really). And the title of the post got me thinking...

What rewrites could we do in Twitter/instant message/Internet-speak to children's book titles or quotes? Or could we update them to make them "hip and now"?

Here were a few of my ideas from the different categories....


2 Think Th@ I Saw it on Mulberry St.

Jacob Have I <3'd

Charlotte's Web - "Where's papa going with that Google search?"

Wikipedia Brown (and the Case of the Missing URL)


I'd love to see what you come up with. I didn't turn it into a full blown contest this time because I couldn't narrow the idea down (well, that and I'm tired!), but if y'all have fun with it... who knows where it'll lead in the future?

Would you believe...

I was looking for an old query letter of mine that predates this computer and sent me the dreaded "paper files." And looking through there, I found a picture book manuscript I had completely forgotten about.

It's not great or nothing, mind you, but the fact that I completely erased it from memory seemed highly unfair - it had no bad history nor was it deserving of such a fate.

Does this happen to you? Do you run into material that you are surprised to find? And is any of it ever fabulous? Cuz, like, if it is... I'm gonna dig some more!

The Return of the Search Fib

It's been a lonnnng time since I posted a Search Fib - wherein I create a Fib from the search terms that have led people to my blog from a rather staggering assortment of search engines. But today, the muse struck... mostly because of the search that turned into the last line of the poem. And so, with no further ado:

Search Fib (Untitled)

Greg
K.
Fib Day
Last week school!
Poem: really bad
Poetry for my bestest dad


Bestest, indeed! And while I wish a happy almost Father's Day to all you good, better, and bestest dads out there, I note that it's still Friday, and that means Poetry Friday is here. So head on over and check out the roundup of posts over at Carol's Corner. You'll find some great stuff if you go poking around... though probably nothing else quite like the Search Fib :-)

Go say "hi!"

Today I had a slightly paranoid moment, I must admit. Just a flash. But at first glance, I thought the email in my inbox said "Arthur A. Levine is following you." My editor? Wha???? He's onto me! Ah, but wait... the full subject line said "on Twitter" at the end.

Ahhhh. I get it!

So if you're on Twitter, why not head on out and start following @AALBooks? And if you're not on Twitter... well... maybe come join us!

And if you're in the traveling mood, there's been some great conversation over at Read Roger lately. If you're a blogging book reviewer or author or illustrator or editor or anyone interested in how the online world is challenging (or not) the print world in terms of reviews, criticism and marketing, the come jump on into the conversation (the posts Blogs and Buzz and "The fanboys can be merciless." being two current hot-spots).

Books! Books! Books!!!!!!

I haven't spoken as much this year about my volunteer school library gig, in no small part because I took a sorta-hiatus from the day-to-day of being the librarian. I miss the almost-daily readalouds but have enjoyed having solid blocks of time to work. The library is in fine hands... but it's not like I've disappeared totally!

Unfortunately, one of the challenges of running a library with no budget is that it's mighty hard to get new (as in recently released) books on the shelves. We've worked hard to make the library a place the kids love coming to, and it really helps being able to have, say, the Lightning Thief books or the Clementine books or or or hundreds and hundreds more. This is the area I keep working on, and I have to say that considering the budget, we've done more than okay. How? Because...

My secret weapon has been you, my online friends.

Thanks to each and every one of you who has sent books my school's way. Seriously - like major, major thanks. This year, I want to offer up a really super-duper big hat tip to Amanda at A Patchwork of Books and author-illustrator Antoinette Portis for particularly big piles o' book donations. But each one of you - reviewers, authors, illustrators, publishers, friends, bloggers, readers - who has gotten me even one book has made a difference for us. And kids love our library.

If any of you are ever in L.A. and want to see what you've helped create, please let me know, and I'll see if I can bring you by at least one of the two libraries we've got running. And once again "thanks!" on behalf of all the students, teachers, and parents at the school. The generosity of book lovers never ceases to amaze....

Summer? Reallllly?

Okay, I want to lodge a complaint with someone or another about the fact that almost half the year has gone past already. Who do I call?

Still, the arrival of summer does mean I'll be switching into summer mode here at GottaBook, though looking at my likely schedule these next few months, I don't think there'll be a huge impact. Just know that if I appear to be a little lazier, it's nothing personal - it's just summer!

Blogging poetry lovers weren't lazy today, so why not head on over to the Poetry Friday roundup over at the Critique de Mr. Chompchomp? Good links, good poetry, what more could you want (other than the last 5 months not to have gone so fast)?

What a Girl Wants....

Over at Chasing Ray, Colleen has kicked of a series with a post called "What a Girl Wants: The Books We Can't Forget." The series itself will tackle various issues for girls and books, with this entry serving as an introduction to the group who'll be having the conversation.

Reading was not as big for me growing up as it was for many of my book-loving friends or, for that matter, my book-devouring brother. So, there truly is no one book that holds a special place in my memory... though I will say that it was reading a slew of mystery and action-adventure books (hand picked by Mom!) that made me start to appreciate reading a whole lot more.

What about you? Is there a book you can't forget or a book that made a huge difference for you growing up? Feel free to mention it here or go on over to Chasing Ray and jump on in the conversation....

Do You Haiku? And...

I do like Haiku
Strict form, thriving on word choice...
And they are not Fibs!

I'm excited to tell you all that Nikki Grimes is running a month-long Haiku contest on her new Facebook page. You can win a signed book... just for writing poetry! Why wouldn't you?

And.... Yes, there was an and: I'm pleased to say that Children's Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman is now on Twitter! How cool is that?! That makes at least 20% of the 30 Poets/30 Days group who are there. Can the rest be far behind? I hope you'll come join us!

Doughnuts! Oh, Doughnuts! - a donut poem/a doughnut poem

Doughnuts! Oh, Doughnuts!
by
Greg Pincus

Doughnuts! Oh, doughnuts! Fried circles of yum.
You food that I simply adore.
You’re sure not nutritious, but you’re so delicious
I’m always left wishing for more.

I love you with frosting or covered in sprinkles.
I swoon for you, sweet, sugar raised!
When you’re filled with jelly, you warm up my belly...
While still leaving room for a glazed.

I’ll dip you in coffee or dunk you in milk.
I’ll eat you for breakfast or brunch.
I get so impassioned for simple old-fashioned
That sometimes I make them my lunch.

Doughnuts! Oh, doughnuts! Definers of yum.
You perfect fried circles of dough.
Although you’re caloric, you leave me euphoric...
So give me a dozen to go!

Today is not only Poetry Friday (with the roundup of posts hosted at Sara Lewis Holmes' Read Write Believe), but it's also National Doughnut Day (or, if you prefer, National Donut Day)! This certainly rates as one of my favorite "holidays" to celebrate, so this year I'm doing it with food AND poetry. And you? Wanna meet me at Stan's or Bob's or...?

You can find this poem and 53 others in my collection The Late Bird, available on Kindle (and all the free Kindle apps, too) and Nook. 

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

More soon, but now I'm off to dream of Bavarian Kreme....

Bright, Glowing Cheers!

I'm excited when any of my friends have new books out, and I love seeing them get good reviews, too. That'd make me doubly pleased to see that Chris Barton's The Day-Glo Brothers got a starred review in Kirkus. But I admit I'm even happier than normal.

You see, I met Chris at the very first SCBWI conference I attended - at the late, lamented open-mic night, specifically - and we've stayed in touch ever since. He and his blog are among the chief reasons I started blogging, in fact, and you'll see him over there as the first blog in my (waaaaaay out of date and in need of love) blogroll. I was excited when he sold Day-Glo, felt his angst as it was delayed and delayed, and now am thrilled to see that the wait and work was all worth it.

Congrats, Chris! And I'm looking forward to the rest of the books in the pipeline hitting the shelves....

Sights and Sites

I'm heading off to Washington D.C. and the Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference. I even have a few hours for some D.C. sight-seeing fun, something I always love. Since I can't take you all with me, I thought I'd give you some site-seeing ideas instead:

30 Poets/30 Days alum April Halprin Wayland's new site is up and running. Join her there and celebrate her new book, New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, too.

I mentioned my own new site yesterday, but I'll take another opportunity to send you over to The Happy Accident. I'll be talking about social media over there, while still talking children's books and poetry over here. Sometimes, no doubt, the topics will mix! I hope you'll come check it out.

Finally, why not head over to Lin Oliver's site? Lin is an incredibly funny writer and speaker, as well as being one of the founders of the SCBWI, an organization I strongly urge folks to check out (assuming you're interested in writing or illustrating for children, that is!). Not only that...

A handful of years back, I had a meeting with Lin about a TV project, but conversation quickly and serendipitously turned to children's books. By the time I left the meeting, I was a member of SCBWI. Within a year, I was at my first conference, meeting editors, writers, and illustrators and knowing for sure that this whole writing for children was something I had to pursue. Happy accidents, indeed....

So, thanks Lin! Now everyone off to her site... and I'll see you back here next week!

Made-up Words

Today, over at my new site, The Happy Accident, I've defined a brand new word: confrustewilderation. I've had fun making up words before, but I realized it's usually something I've done when I'm writing poetry. And, of course, poets have been doing that for a lonnnnnng time now.

So then I got to thinking: what are some of my favorite made up words (that aren't mine)?

I settled on two, and you probably won't be shocked that one is from Dr. Seuss. I coulda picked from many (nerd, perhaps?), but I've chosen "Grinch" because it is such a perfect description of someone who is... well... who's a grinch!

I also love Edgar Allen Poe's "tintinnabulation" from his poem, The Bells (excerpt below):

Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells -
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

Since today is Poetry Friday (with the round-up of posts hosted over at Irene Latham's Live. Love. Explore!), I picked my made-up words from poetry and verse. Still, I'd love it if you leave me a comment featuring your favorite made-up words... no matter the source!

Charles Ghigna - The 'If-You-Were' Poem

If You Were My Book
by
Charles Ghigna

If you were the pages of my book
And I were reading you,
I’d read as slow as I could go
So I never would get through.


I've been looking forward to putting up this post for more than a month now, ever since Charles Ghigna sent it to me. It's got some of his original poetry, which makes me very happy, and just like when his A Poem Is... appeared in 30 Poets/30 Days, there was more poetry than I could fit in a post! Sorry about that (though you have my word on it all being faboo). Plus, this post is a writing prompt, something I am often not clever enough to come up with myself.

These are fun, fun poems to write, and I hope you'll all give it a try (or give it to students to try). And please... feel free to leave your poems in the comments here at GottaBook.

And with that from me, I say "take it away, Father Goose!"

The If-You-Were Poem
by Charles Ghigna (Father Goose)

The If-You-Were poem consists of 4 lines (quatrain) and 2 rhymes (lines 2 & 4). It contains 2 comparisons (metaphors), one for the “I” of the poem and one for the “you.”

Instructions: Think of a person you like. Compare that person to some thing (inanimate object). Now compare yourself to some thing associated with the first object.

Examples:

If you were a shining star
And I were your midnight,
I’d let you shine above me,
You’d be my only light.

If you were a scoop of ice cream
And I were an ice cream cone,
I’d put you on my shoulders
And hold you for my own.

If you were a grand piano
And I were a sweet love song,
I’d let your keys tickle and tease
My melody all day long.


Just for the fun of it, you might want to reverse the process and write an If-I-Were poem!

If I were a bumblebee
And you were a buttercup,
I’d buzz around until I found
Your bright face looking up.

If I were the autumn wind
And you were a maple tree,
I’d lift your leaves with a gentle breeze
And hold them close to me.

If I were a lonely lighthouse
And you were a ship at sea,
I'd shine my light all through the night
Till you returned to me.

These poems also make great Valentines. Try writing one for each of your friends and family members. The titles of your poems can be your friends' and family members’ names. You might want to make a little book of them and decorate it with your drawings.

Have fun writing, drawing and sharing!

For more examples of the If-You-Were poems, please see the book If You Were My Valentine by Charles Ghigna (Simon & Schuster, 2005)

For a list of other poem formats, please visit the Classroom Fun section of Charles Ghigna's website!

A Question and a Tease

This morning at around 7:00 AM, the helicopters started circling. Sounds dramatic, I know, but in this case it was nothing more than the L.A. Marathon beginning. I've spoken with many folks who've run marathons, so I understand that desire... but I started to wonder if there are any good books for kids on the topic of marathons, either the history or compelling individual stories, or...? I came up with none on my own, but if y'all know of any, I'd love to hear about 'em!

As for the tease... I'm excited because Wednesday, Charles Ghigna returns to GottaBook with some poetry AND a poetry "prompt" and/or teaching idea. It's been a long time since I've had one of those here at GottaBook, and I'm really looking forward to it (plus I'd read Charles Ghigna's poetry any day!). I hope to see you all then!

Baseball + Poetry = Bardball!

As baseball great Yogi Berra once said, "It's like deja vu all over again!" Last Friday, I posted my original father-son-baseball poem A Perfect Game. This Friday, I'm pointing you to it again, but in a totally different place. Where, you ask?

On Bardball!

Bardball's sub-heading is "Reviving the Art of Baseball Doggerel" and as a lover of the game and the poetry around it, I was instantly a fan. Go on over and poke around for awhile. Find poems about your favorite team or maybe even a favorite player. Or go on over and leave the exact same comments on my poem there that you left me here! The idea is to have some fun and check it out. Just be sure to grab your popcorn, peanuts, and cracker jacks....

Then don't forget to check out the Poetry Friday roundup, hosted over at Susan Taylor Brown's blog. You'll find original poetry and so much more from around the Kidlitosphere. Good times, indeed.

Twittering away....

I have to say, I've been having a lot of poetic fun on Twitter, even with National Poetry Month over. It's not all children's poetry specific - in fact, most of it isn't - but it's not like that really creates a barrier to conversation: it's poetry! Plus, Twitter's how I ran across this Lewis Carroll poem. Oooh. Who wants to take up that form as a poetry prompt?

A bunch of us have been chatting every Thursday night (9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific, with details here), and poet/novelist Colin Kelley put together a great list of poets on Twitter, so I've met even more cool folks.

There are also great lists of YA authors on Twitter, picture book authors on Twitter and even a new list of middle grade authors on twitter.

If you're tweeting, I hope you'll find me on Twitter or let me know here, cuz it's not like I'm going anywhere. I'm just saying there's good times to be had! Although right now, I must admit sleep sounds like the best time of all right now, so I gotta book....

The Up Late Update

Last night - or this morning, really - I was up til 2:30. Unfortunately, I think it was a caffeinated-not-decaf coffee issue, but as I was lying in bed wide awake, I was flashing back to nights when I was up at the same time by choice... reading.

I know that the last book that I read waaaay past my bedtime was Adam Rex's The True Meaning of Smekday. I like to say I simply had to finish it because someone else was reading it, too, and would need it back in the morning... but that'd be stretching the truth. I was reading late cuz I was having a blast.

I know I'm not the only one who has found themselves pushing bedtime later and later... so what about you? What was the last book that kept you up late? Seems like a list-worthy topic to me, so drop me a note or a comment and let's see what we come up with!