A Great Day for Nonfiction

I had the honor last weekend of joining an impressive panel of authors and illustrators to speak about writing nonfiction for children. The event took place at the annual convention for the National Council for the Teachers of English; it featured the creators of books that NCTE recognized on its 2011 Orbis Pictus award list, which distinguishes one top winner and five honor books.

Co-authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan and illustrator Brian Floca
discussed the intersections of collaboration and inspiration that resulted in Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring, which won the top Orbis Pictus award.

Marc Aronson, If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge, spoke about how the challenge of nonfiction—being beholden to the facts—adds to the thrill of writing in this genre, and how there will always be questions that haven’t yet been asked.

I spoke about indulging curiosity and seeking the human connection to scientific topics in reference to Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age.

Larry Dane Brimner, author of Birmingham Sunday, spoke about finding the specific details of history that make a story come to life,

Rebecca L. Johnson shared how a decade of ocean diving led her to write Journey Into the Deep: Discovering New Ocean Sea Creatures.

Michael O’Tunnell spoke about how serendipity and follow-through lead writers to powerful stories such as Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot."

Eight panelists spoke and we ended our hour-and-fifteen-minute session right on time. That’s worthy of an award in itself!

Plus I met many of the wonderful educators who have a passion for children’s literature and contribute their expertise and energy to serving on the Orbis Pictus Award Committee.

And as icing on the cake, when perusing the exhibit hall booths, I saw teachers admiring Hamline alumnus Molly Beth Griffin’s Loon Baby at the Houghton Mifflin booth. And they had already sold out of Claire’s Marching with Aunt Susan at the Peachtree booth.

It was a great day all round.

Huzzah!

Do you mind a little horn-tooting? The Children's Book Committee of the Bank Street College of Education has released its One Hundred Best Books of 2011 list, and on the list are titles by several Hamline faculty AND by two of our graduate assistants (Ricki Thompson, Nancy Bo Flood) AND one by one of our grads (Cheryl Bardoe). And a shout-out to Swati Avashti, who has taught in Hamline's other MFA program and was a guest speaker in ours--she has a book on the list too.

Marsha Chall, ONE PUP'S UP
Nancy Bo Flood, WARRIORS IN THE CROSSFIRE
Ricki Thompson, CITY OF CANNIBALS
Swati Avashti, SPLIT
Ron Koertge, SHAKESPEARE MAKES THE PLAYOFFS
Jackie Briggs Martin, THE CHIRU OF HIGH TIBET
Cheryl Bardoe, MAMMOTHS AND MASTODONS: TITANS OF THE ICE AGE

According to its website, "the Committee reviews over 6000 titles each year for accuracy and literary quality and considers their emotional impact on children." Then a list of 600 is made and announced. The 100 Best List is culled from those titles.

Hats off to all!

Hooray!

A quick shout out to an alum of the Hamline program, Cheryl Bardoe. Her book Mammoths and Mastodons is an NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor book!

Cheryl was an educator at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and wrote the book in conjunction with the museum's M & M exhibit.

Hats Off: Accomplishments of Hamline MFAC faculty 2010

It’s time for reflection, so here are a few things the Hamline faculty have accomplished this past year:

Marsha Wilson Chall: Her picture book, ONE PUP’S UP came out and won a National Parenting Publication Award (NAPPA) Gold Award.

Kelly Easton: Her adult novel, TIME IN THE REGION OF SKY, won first prize "The Golden Grace Note" in the Grace Notes Forthcoming Novel contest. It will be published this spring.

Lisa Jahn-Clough: Sold a YA novel, BLUE’S SHADOW to Houghton/Harcourt. Her picture book, FELICITY AND CORDELIA: A Tale of Two Bunnies (FSG) is released in February 2011 and was featured in a PW article on the sudden surge of bunny books.

Liza Ketchum: is passionately and furiously finishing her YA historical novel.

And, along with Phyllis Root, taught a Whole Novel Workshop in Historical Fiction, hosted by the Highlights Foundation.

Ron Koertge: SHAKESPEARE MAKES THE PLAYOFFS came out in the spring and received a starred review in The Horn Book. The Canadian magazine, “Prizm,” accepted three Flash Fiction pieces for publication in 2011. NOW PLAYING: STONER & SPAZ 2 is coming out in 2011.

Mary Logue: sold a picture book, SLEEP LIKE A TIGER to Houghton/Harcourt.

Jackie Briggs Martin: Her picture book THE CHIRU OF HIGH TIBET was released and has been named by Kirkus Reviews "Best Books of 2010.”

Claire Rudolf Murphy: Finally received the illustrator sketches for her picture book AUNT SUSAN, MAMA AND ME (Peachtree Books).

Marsha Qualey: Completed an Inkpot month-long poem a day challenge, sold a story to an educational publisher, started another adult novel, and is adapting one of her YA novels into a screenplay.

Phyllis Root: Got a starred review in Kirkus for her chapter book LILLY AND THE PIRATES. Her picture book, BIG BELCHING BOG has been released to great reviews.

Gary Schmidt: Sold a fantasy novel, WHAT CAME FROM THE STARS and a picture book, A ROSE IN THE DESERT: A Saint's Life of Martin de Porres, both with Clarion. OKAY FOR NOW (sequel to Wednesday Wars) is released this April.

Jane Resh Thomas: Along with Marsha Chall and Phyllis Root taught a Writing in the Woods workshop. Jane also bravely survived the installation of another titanium knee and a cracked tail bone (we're glad you're okay Jane!!)

Anne Ursu: Signed a two-book deal with Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins. The first book, BREADCRUMBS, will be out in 2011.

Hats off to all!