This weekend an “earth-shaking” literature event is taking place: Reading the World X, a conference dedicated to multicultural literature education, held in San Francisco, CA at USF. I say earth-shaking because my lovely neighboring city of San Francisco, is rumbling with the footsteps of attendees from all over CA and other states, who have gathered together to celebrate, educate and share with one another—a wealth of voices in multicultural literature. Guest speakers include: Ashley Bryan, Naomi Shihab Nye, Alma Flor Ada, Leslie Tryon, Laurence Yep, Sarah Ellis, Peter Sís, Rita Williams Garcia, Jack Zipes and Doris Orgel.

I’m honored to participate as a presenter my first year at this event. Today, I’m putting on a workshop titled From Hawaiian Talk Story to Printed Page. I’ll be leaving shortly and will update this post with stories, updates and hopefully, pictures. Stay tuned…

The above image is from the picture book, Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sís, which graced this year’s Reading the World X posters and promotional materials.

Peter Sís tells an evoctive, multi-layered tale of growing up behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia in his picture book, The Wall. I couldn’t put this book down even after it turned dark and I had to read with just the inside car lights on. (I brought the picture book along on an errand, hoping to squeeze it into my day–which I did!)

In the car’s dim lighting, I learned how the seemingly innocuous, yet twisted schooling of the boy, mounted up to a lifestyle of paranoia and fear. He hears of a relative being thrown into prison for planning to defect to the West. His parents no longer speak freely in front of him and his sister for fear of being ratted on by them. However, the boy’s internal walls, erected and reinforced by Soviet society, begin to crumble long before the Berlin wall does, thanks to his love of drawing and hunger for artistic expression.

Sís captures the flavor of youth’s innocence amid sordid world views through stunning pen and ink illustrations, graced with sensitive, carefully-placed color washes. Read this book and relish the visuals, but take time to read the timelines at the beginning and end of the book. Much more than a memoir, it summons a fresh take on Communism and the Cold War. Other reviews on The Wall can be found here (must sign into the NY Times) and here.

I look forward to hearing Mr. Sís speak, along with other children’s literature luminaries, at Reading The World X, a multicultural literature conference held next month at USF–it promises to be an enriching event. I’ll be an attendee, as well as, presenting insights on Hawaiian storytelling. Stay tuned!

Thanksgiving ‘07.

I brought my daughter’s copy of THE GIVER by Lois Lowry on our annual Thanksgiving trip to the east coast. Kai lauds THE GIVER as her favorite book “of all time.” Not a surprise. It sported the worn and tattered look of a well-loved book.

To my delight, THE GIVER was an excellent holiday read. You see, I’ve grown weary of all the holiday hullabaloo pressuring us into a spending frenzy. Don’t get me wrong. One of my favorite things about the season is gift-giving. However, what is the true meaning of gift and giving, especially in today’s culture? These words have been stripped of their true lustre thanks to the bombardment of holiday advertising, spend-now-pay-later deals and other commercial trappings. THE GIVER pulls us in, neck deep, into rushing waters forcing us to tread on the genuine meaning of giving and receiving.

A riveting tale set in a pristine, ideal community, THE GIVER suggests that a smooth ride in life is not without bumpy, disjointed truths, or dangerous consequences, even if things are perfect. I love Lowry’s voice—her expert build-up of tension, clarity of storytelling and poetic description satisfied me to the bone. Although it took me away from my NanoWriMo writing, the story was a welcome distraction. I was inspired and rejuvenated by Lowry’s words, secretly wishing that her gift of language would rub off on me. (Okay, it’s not a secret anymore.) THE GIVER earned the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1994.

Photo: My friend’s daughter, Sophia. Too cute!

Today, I’m sharing kid lit wisdom in the form of “Threebies,” a trio of kid lit insights and quotes from veteran authors & illustrators. Enjoy!

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“I write and illustrate picture books because I’ve never outgrown a deep childhood urge to enter a magical world.”

~ Elisa Kleven

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WHEN I’M STARTING A NOVEL, I’m like a dog circling and circling before it settles down to sleep. I might circle for days, weeks, or months before dropping into the focused, dreamy state in which a story becomes so engaging and alluring that it pulls me along. Sometimes it feels like a fight to find the main thread of a story, and during those times my writing schedule is more erratic. But overall, I’m very disciplined, in the sense that once I commit to a story I see it through, no matter how long it takes.

~ Deborah Davis

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Select excerpts from Aaron Shepard’s intro chapter in his book, THE BUSINESS OF WRITING FOR CHILDREN

DANGEROUS MYTHS AND TERRIBLE TRUTHS
By Aaron Shepard

MYTH: Children’s books are easier to write than adult books.
TRUTH: Good writing is difficult no matter what the reader’s age—and children deserve the best.

MYTH: Picture books are the easiest children’s books to write.
TRUTH: Picture books may be the hardest—because they demand conciseness, simplicity, and a visual sense. Also, the competition is greater, because more people try them.

MYTH: A children’s book writer must first write for magazines.
TRUTH: Writing for magazines can teach you a lot, but it is different in some ways from book writing. And though magazine credits may catch a book editor’s eye, they won’t sell your manuscript. If books are your goal, you might do well to jump right in.

MYTH: Children’s stories should teach lessons.
TRUTH: Good children’s stories do not preach. Instead, they educate for life, by exploring significant themes—as do good adult stories.

MYTH: Since my kids/neighbors/students like my story, it will make a great book.
TRUTH: Your kids/neighbors/students may like it only because it’s yours, or because they enjoy your reading. This does not impress editors.

I’m doing NaNoWriMo! November is National Novel Writing Month. I signed up October 31st and started off with a new Alphasmart on my doorstep and a story at my fingertips.

However, there were a few obstacles. The Alphasmart model I received was defective. After several email and phone conversations, the helpful folks at Renaissance Learning are sending another one on the way. Also, the Nano site was extremely slow and had glitches in the widget word count program, so that’s been off-limits for a few days.

This less than perfect start hasn’t deterred me from writing though. I was able to carve out bits of time to write and am currently at 4563 words in my YA novel. FYI, YA is definitely not the norm for me. I tend to write short pieces like poetry and PB’s. In 2005, I had started Nano on the second week and I proudly reached 35k words. I know I’ll need to pick up my pace to reach 50k this time. I want to earn a Nano medal. And if I get a decent story from this, all the better.

The above image is from the Nano store. I will buy myself one when I reach 25k words—half-way to the finish for a shiny, new red mug!

That’s right. Church Lady has a contest and a cool weekend of trivia questions about children’s book authors at A Bench Press blog. Church Lady will insist on the lowdown in this heavenly business of writing and publishing for children. Join the fun and meet authors, Gretchen Laskas on Friday, Elizabeth Bunce on Saturday and yours truly on Sunday. Yikes, I’m slightly behind in posting this but it’s not too late to join the contest today and tomorrow!

Oh yes, there will be prizes! Church Lady believes in prizes, too! For more info visit A Bench Press.

UPDATE 1: September 16th, my day of reckoning with Church Lady can be found here. There were some hilarious answers. I applaud all who tried to guess what kalo, ‘ulu and poi were. THANKS for playing!

UPDATE 2: The winners have been announced! Thanks to all who played–I loved all the anwers! However, there can only be one winner for Sunday and that is none other than Bill~Congrats, Bill~who answered Church Lady’s questions with all the cleverness and charm of a poet, as well as, displayed enviable guesstimation skills. He will recieve a signed copy of my book, The Sleeping Giant: A Tale From Kaua’i, as well as, a copy of my successful query letter.