Thank you so much, Scholastic, for a wonderful time at the dance! xoxoxoxo
deborah wiles: field notes
mash-up...
... ALA'10, signing at the Smithsonian, finding Julia Child's kitchen (remember last year's boeuf bourguignon?), the Festival of American Folklife on the mall in D.C., Scholastic's Literary Brunch, on the floor at ALA, meeting and making friends, traversing the U-Street Corridor, jazz at Bohemian Caverns and more... a photo essay:
Tomorrow: Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. Home late Wednesday. Pacing myself.... sorta.
Thank you so much, Scholastic, for a wonderful time at the dance! xoxoxoxo
Thank you so much, Scholastic, for a wonderful time at the dance! xoxoxoxo
Me'n'ALA and GMA (Good Morning, America!)
Hey! I've been meaning to post links to fabulous Countdown reviews, and will do that as soon as I can breathe a bit -- this entire week is a race to the finish, with Jim's band playing in the Callanwolde Jazz in June series -- picnic dinner and jazz on the lawn in a beautiful setting, this Friday, June 25 -- come hang with us, Hotlanta peeps! -- I'm bringing the sweet tea and 'mater sammiches.
-- and then, I am flying off to ALA at 6am on Saturday morning -- and there's so much to get done before that.
I DID meet my Monday deadline for a draft of book two of the sixties trilogy -- it's definitely a draft, and will need a lot of work. But it's a draft -- that's huge. More on THIS, later, too --
AND -- big news! -- Countdown has been featured on Good Morning America as one of a host of fabulous books for kids' summer reading. I loved watching the feature as much for the banter in this segment as the actual books featured, which are stellar... to see Countdown among them is unbelievably humbling, and -- dare I say it? -- exciting.
Thank you, thank you, to all of you out there who are reaching out to this little book with such enthusiasm and devotion, who blog about it, review it, put it into the hands of young readers everywhere -- I am so thankful.
And now, to turn attentions to Friday's jazzy event, and Saturday's departure for ALA. If you're coming to ALA, come see me! I'm reading at the Scholastic Literary Brunch at the Westin on Sunday (June 27) at 10:30, and I'm signing at the Scholastic booth, #1520, at the D.C. Convention Center at 1pm.
AND -- if you are not going to the conference but live in the D.C. area, come see me at the Smithsonian's American History Museum on Saturday from 1-3. I'll be signing at the giftshop. (See? I'm right here, on the events page, along with Dorothy's ruby slippers!)
Hope to clap eyes on a bunch of you this coming weekend -- or at Shenandoah University's Children's Literature Conference (look at the line-up!) on Wed., June 30, in Winchester, Va.
On the road again! xo
-- and then, I am flying off to ALA at 6am on Saturday morning -- and there's so much to get done before that.
I DID meet my Monday deadline for a draft of book two of the sixties trilogy -- it's definitely a draft, and will need a lot of work. But it's a draft -- that's huge. More on THIS, later, too --
AND -- big news! -- Countdown has been featured on Good Morning America as one of a host of fabulous books for kids' summer reading. I loved watching the feature as much for the banter in this segment as the actual books featured, which are stellar... to see Countdown among them is unbelievably humbling, and -- dare I say it? -- exciting.
Thank you, thank you, to all of you out there who are reaching out to this little book with such enthusiasm and devotion, who blog about it, review it, put it into the hands of young readers everywhere -- I am so thankful.
And now, to turn attentions to Friday's jazzy event, and Saturday's departure for ALA. If you're coming to ALA, come see me! I'm reading at the Scholastic Literary Brunch at the Westin on Sunday (June 27) at 10:30, and I'm signing at the Scholastic booth, #1520, at the D.C. Convention Center at 1pm.
AND -- if you are not going to the conference but live in the D.C. area, come see me at the Smithsonian's American History Museum on Saturday from 1-3. I'll be signing at the giftshop. (See? I'm right here, on the events page, along with Dorothy's ruby slippers!)
Hope to clap eyes on a bunch of you this coming weekend -- or at Shenandoah University's Children's Literature Conference (look at the line-up!) on Wed., June 30, in Winchester, Va.
On the road again! xo
how to have a happy (grand)father's day
1. Put on suit, grab sheet music, and play steady Sunday morning church gig in Dunwoody.
2. Come home and toss sweet potatoes in the oven, dress in Marlon Brando outfit ("Stella!"), right down to a well-loved old tee-shirt (don't tell me you don't know and love someone who won't throw out a beloved, comfortable shirt even when it's a rag??) and sprawl on the couch to read while potatoes cook and wife taps away on 1966 novel in pink chair nearby.
3. Be wished a loving, ebullient, full-frontal Happy Father's Day! by grand-dog you are babysitting.
4. Love that dog!
Ha! After a run outdoors, they settled down happily together, Elvis the poodle and Jim the musician, waiting for the sweet potatoes, and maybe even a little something more... a little brown rice to go under the stir fry of summer vegetables.
Happy Father's Day, all. I often say "We are one another's mothers." Are we also one another's fathers? Dunno. I have never been a man, or a husband, but in my research for this 1966 book, I'm reading a lot about the women's movement of the sixties, and I stumbled across this fabulous short essay by Judy Syfers called "Why I Want a Wife."
Whoo! It makes me laugh! It makes me sit up and take notice! And rethink this Father's Day thing, or at least the relationships between men and women. This essay was published in the first issue of Ms. Magazine in 1971. I can't use it in Hang The Moon, book two of the sixties trilogy, but I'm certainly using the bubbling feelings from women in the sixties that led to this essay.
Okay. Time to check the sweet potatoes. I'm spending the day solidly in 1966. Draft due tomorrow. I'm in the pink chair for the duration.
2. Come home and toss sweet potatoes in the oven, dress in Marlon Brando outfit ("Stella!"), right down to a well-loved old tee-shirt (don't tell me you don't know and love someone who won't throw out a beloved, comfortable shirt even when it's a rag??) and sprawl on the couch to read while potatoes cook and wife taps away on 1966 novel in pink chair nearby.
3. Be wished a loving, ebullient, full-frontal Happy Father's Day! by grand-dog you are babysitting.
4. Love that dog!
Whoo! It makes me laugh! It makes me sit up and take notice! And rethink this Father's Day thing, or at least the relationships between men and women. This essay was published in the first issue of Ms. Magazine in 1971. I can't use it in Hang The Moon, book two of the sixties trilogy, but I'm certainly using the bubbling feelings from women in the sixties that led to this essay.
Okay. Time to check the sweet potatoes. I'm spending the day solidly in 1966. Draft due tomorrow. I'm in the pink chair for the duration.
i'm the pied piper
I owe a draft to my editor on Monday, so I've been sunk into the mire and amazement of 1966. I'll be tweeting, and on facebook, for brief updates. In the meantime -- here's how I start HANG THE MOON, book two of The Sixties Trilogy:
Oh, my!! Look at the SUIT! And look how composed he is, for a song that's so JOYFUL! Here are a couple more listens (love this one, that is so obviously overdubbed, but so FUN, even though Crispian seems to be at a loss just how to deal with all those screaming girls, not to mention a conga line!) that are a bit more animated, but still -- is it being a Brit, or is it just Crispian St. Peters? No matter, I LOVED this song. And I love being able to FINALLY write about the British Invasion, which had not happened yet in Countdown, in 1962.
Crispian, born Robert Peter Smith, died earlier this year after suffering a stroke. He was 71. In this song, he will always, always be a young, mop-headed Brit of 27 who was totally surprised by the fame that snuck up on him.
I listened to this song, as a 45rpm on my blue record player, over and over, as a 13-year-old kid. My kids in HANG THE MOON are 13. They are listening to not only this song in 1966, but also to The Rolling Stones singing "Satisfaction," and Barry Sadler singing "The Ballad of the Green Berets" -- number ONE in 1966.
WHOA. I have my work cut out for me -- wish me luck.
xoxo
Oh, my!! Look at the SUIT! And look how composed he is, for a song that's so JOYFUL! Here are a couple more listens (love this one, that is so obviously overdubbed, but so FUN, even though Crispian seems to be at a loss just how to deal with all those screaming girls, not to mention a conga line!) that are a bit more animated, but still -- is it being a Brit, or is it just Crispian St. Peters? No matter, I LOVED this song. And I love being able to FINALLY write about the British Invasion, which had not happened yet in Countdown, in 1962.
Crispian, born Robert Peter Smith, died earlier this year after suffering a stroke. He was 71. In this song, he will always, always be a young, mop-headed Brit of 27 who was totally surprised by the fame that snuck up on him.
I listened to this song, as a 45rpm on my blue record player, over and over, as a 13-year-old kid. My kids in HANG THE MOON are 13. They are listening to not only this song in 1966, but also to The Rolling Stones singing "Satisfaction," and Barry Sadler singing "The Ballad of the Green Berets" -- number ONE in 1966.
WHOA. I have my work cut out for me -- wish me luck.
xoxo
on belonging
The 7th annual Georgia Conference on Teaching Writing and Reading was a packed two days in June, attended by over 700 teachers from Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and a few scattered folks from even further away.
I worked with teachers on methods of teaching personal narrative writing, which is what I do when I visit schools. My good company included Karen Caine, Tim Rasinsky, Katie Wood Ray, Debbie Miller, Michael Smith, Lori Oczkus, Bob Wortman and Debra Hopkins. We spent two intense days teaching, and two fabulous evenings sharing stories and marvelous meals together, getting to know one another. What a treat.
I was so busy, and so engaged, I didn't take a single photo of people. This place will teem with prize pumpkins and tomatoes and quilts and sheep and music and food and people-people-people, when the Fair is in full swing in October. It was soothingly silent, the morning I arrived early to take a few photos.
This year, I'll go to the Fair, for the first time in the six years I've lived in Atlanta. And I will stay in touch with the good folks at Dodge Learning Resources, who organize the Georgia Conference on Teaching Writing and Reading. I could spout all day long on the wonderful things I learned in these two intense teaching days, on the joys of teaching as well. I sat in on sessions and couldn't take notes fast enough. I added wonderful tools to my teaching writing toolbox. And yet, one of my most important take-aways is something Al Dodge said to me on the first night we were all gathered together for supper, before the conference began.
"Thank you for inviting me," I said to Al, as I looked around the room at all these heavyweight presenters with their well-practiced skills and knowledgable books about writing, and their meaningful, useful statistics and anecdotes and methods.
Al looked me in the eye with great sincerity and said, "You belong here. You've always belonged here."
That was it. And isn't that what we long for in the world? To find places to belong, people to belong to, and something known and safe about our existence, which helps us to take risks, to learn and grow. It's what our students long for as well -- to belong. It's what writers hope for -- to find community. It's what we seek within our families of choice and chance.
It's what we actually teach, too, if you think about it... or it's what we don't teach, perhaps. Think about your classroom. How do you invite your students in? How do you say, every day, with conviction,
"Come in, come here. Welcome! You are part of us. You belong."
Was thinking of this, this morning, as I read this great piece at for the love of learning. Now I want to work with Joe Bower, too. I love teaching. And yet, I am always the student. I know you know what I mean.
Thank you, Al and Iris Dodge, Maria Karnik, and all the wonderful, talented, capable folks at Dodge Learning Resources, as well as the fabulous teachers I worked with in Perry -- may you have summers full of telling your stories, and a classroom next year where you can create that safe haven of belonging for every student... and yourself.
I worked with teachers on methods of teaching personal narrative writing, which is what I do when I visit schools. My good company included Karen Caine, Tim Rasinsky, Katie Wood Ray, Debbie Miller, Michael Smith, Lori Oczkus, Bob Wortman and Debra Hopkins. We spent two intense days teaching, and two fabulous evenings sharing stories and marvelous meals together, getting to know one another. What a treat.
I was so busy, and so engaged, I didn't take a single photo of people. This place will teem with prize pumpkins and tomatoes and quilts and sheep and music and food and people-people-people, when the Fair is in full swing in October. It was soothingly silent, the morning I arrived early to take a few photos.
"Thank you for inviting me," I said to Al, as I looked around the room at all these heavyweight presenters with their well-practiced skills and knowledgable books about writing, and their meaningful, useful statistics and anecdotes and methods.
Al looked me in the eye with great sincerity and said, "You belong here. You've always belonged here."
That was it. And isn't that what we long for in the world? To find places to belong, people to belong to, and something known and safe about our existence, which helps us to take risks, to learn and grow. It's what our students long for as well -- to belong. It's what writers hope for -- to find community. It's what we seek within our families of choice and chance.
It's what we actually teach, too, if you think about it... or it's what we don't teach, perhaps. Think about your classroom. How do you invite your students in? How do you say, every day, with conviction,
"Come in, come here. Welcome! You are part of us. You belong."
Was thinking of this, this morning, as I read this great piece at for the love of learning. Now I want to work with Joe Bower, too. I love teaching. And yet, I am always the student. I know you know what I mean.
Thank you, Al and Iris Dodge, Maria Karnik, and all the wonderful, talented, capable folks at Dodge Learning Resources, as well as the fabulous teachers I worked with in Perry -- may you have summers full of telling your stories, and a classroom next year where you can create that safe haven of belonging for every student... and yourself.
all kinds of giveaways
Hey! Busy writing here. I'm popping in quickly to let you know that the Countdown playlist giveaway is still running -- you have until July 1 to go HERE and leave a comment so you can be entered for an iMix that will come directly to your iTunes account so you can hear the ENTIRE PLAYLIST -- 46 songs and other spoken word pieces from 1962 -- a fabulous companion to the novel, and a $45 value.
AND.... I've got tickets for my hubby's concert at Callanwolde! If you live in the Hotlanta area and want to come hear great jazz, come to Callanwolde on Friday, June 25 at 7:30. Bring a picnic and chairs or blanket, or join us and bring pot luck on the lawn.
Jim and his entire band -- Jim on piano and vocals and snappy repartee, Eric South on sax, Paul Fallat on drums and L.A. Tuten on bass -- will be under the stars to entertain you, and there will be CDs as well, Tickets are $15 online at Callanwolde before the event, and $20 at the door. Come out an support the arts in Atlanta, and hang with us for an evening of great entertainment.
I've got five tickets to give away on the blog or on facebook, to the first five responders. Let me know you're comin'!
That is all. I feel as if I've just written a commercial. Maybe I have. Love to all. And how are YOU? I want to know.
xoxoxo Debbie
AND.... I've got tickets for my hubby's concert at Callanwolde! If you live in the Hotlanta area and want to come hear great jazz, come to Callanwolde on Friday, June 25 at 7:30. Bring a picnic and chairs or blanket, or join us and bring pot luck on the lawn.
I've got five tickets to give away on the blog or on facebook, to the first five responders. Let me know you're comin'!
That is all. I feel as if I've just written a commercial. Maybe I have. Love to all. And how are YOU? I want to know.
xoxoxo Debbie
georgia conference on teaching writing and reading
Hey, y'all. I'm here at the 7th annual Georgia Conference on Teaching Writing and Reading, organized by Dodge Learning Resources, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, Georgia. I'm talking with teachers, and learning from them, over the next couple of days.
Even in this difficult economy, more than 700 teachers have registered for this conference.
I'm ready to dissect Freedom Summer and talk about how that book came to be, and share what I've learned about reading like a writer, through using Freedom Summer's text, and many other wonderful picture books.
And then, as always, I'll talk about accessing your story -- how do you do that? How do you help your students understand that their lives contain the magical stuff of story -- many stories, important stories -- right there under their noses? And how do you help students find those stories? How do you help them write about "one clear moment in time," and shape that moment into personal narrative?
I love this work. And I'm going to love love love learning from my fellow presenters. Just look at the company I'm keeping this week (opens in pdf). Stellar. I'm humbled, and I'm lucky.
More from the other side of this day. I hope you are writing, reading, reflecting, doing, and saying yes to summer.
Even in this difficult economy, more than 700 teachers have registered for this conference.
I'm ready to dissect Freedom Summer and talk about how that book came to be, and share what I've learned about reading like a writer, through using Freedom Summer's text, and many other wonderful picture books.
And then, as always, I'll talk about accessing your story -- how do you do that? How do you help your students understand that their lives contain the magical stuff of story -- many stories, important stories -- right there under their noses? And how do you help students find those stories? How do you help them write about "one clear moment in time," and shape that moment into personal narrative?
I love this work. And I'm going to love love love learning from my fellow presenters. Just look at the company I'm keeping this week (opens in pdf). Stellar. I'm humbled, and I'm lucky.
More from the other side of this day. I hope you are writing, reading, reflecting, doing, and saying yes to summer.
countdown's playlist, part II
Hey, y'all. Back from Charleston, where we celebrated Jim's mother's birthday. I also came home to a host of email saying folks were having trouble commenting on the blog. Thought I had fixed this; evidently not. Now I think it's working again, and you can comment.
I mention this because so many said they wanted to comment on Countdown's playlist, the giveaway that was supposed to end today, June 1. I'll extend it for a month, in fairness.
To win one of two copies of an iTunes iMix (that will be gifted to your iTunes account) of all 46 original songs and snippets of speeches, sayings, and poems that appear in Countdown, all from the early sixties (and a few before)... go here.
I'll leave the comments open until July 1, and I'll try to do better at reminding folks to leave a comment (any comment will do; "yo!" is enough)....
You can find the iMix at the right column of my blog as well, here. There's lots of loveliness there, and a soundtrack to young Franny's life. It's a treasure trove of teachable moments for you, if you are a teacher, or a writer, or a parent... or any kind of reader, really. Resources... that's what this playlist offers. Resources, and lots of rich enhancement for any reader.
At the request of many, I'm working on an "essential tunes" list of the 12 or so tunes most important in Countdown. I'll post the link in a little bit.
So. One more chance to win the entire playlist. Let me hear from you!
I mention this because so many said they wanted to comment on Countdown's playlist, the giveaway that was supposed to end today, June 1. I'll extend it for a month, in fairness.
To win one of two copies of an iTunes iMix (that will be gifted to your iTunes account) of all 46 original songs and snippets of speeches, sayings, and poems that appear in Countdown, all from the early sixties (and a few before)... go here.
I'll leave the comments open until July 1, and I'll try to do better at reminding folks to leave a comment (any comment will do; "yo!" is enough)....
You can find the iMix at the right column of my blog as well, here. There's lots of loveliness there, and a soundtrack to young Franny's life. It's a treasure trove of teachable moments for you, if you are a teacher, or a writer, or a parent... or any kind of reader, really. Resources... that's what this playlist offers. Resources, and lots of rich enhancement for any reader.
At the request of many, I'm working on an "essential tunes" list of the 12 or so tunes most important in Countdown. I'll post the link in a little bit.
So. One more chance to win the entire playlist. Let me hear from you!
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