Wrecked!

We love a book event for a good cause! Anna Davies is in Seattle doing readings for her YA novel Wrecked! 

First event:

Secret Garden Books in Ballard, 7pm on Friday, June 8th. 10% of book sale proceeds from this event will go to Camp Goodtimes West, a camp for children with cancer and their siblings. 

Second event:

Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo, 4pm on Saturday, June 9th.

Anna is also an editor at Cosmopolitan magazine and ghostwrote a few Gossip Girl novels and Vampire Diaries books and (off-the-record!) is happy to discuss all of these at the signing. 

Tweet annakdavies with questions—and there will be cupcakes at the events! 

Location: Secret Garden Books, 2214 NW Market St, Seattle, WA

secretgardenbooks.com

Time: 7pm, Friday, June 8th

Location: Liberty Bay Books, 18881 Front St NE

libertybaybooks.com

Time: 4pm, Saturday, June 9th

How to Write Like I Do

How to Write Like I Do

Not like I do. Like they do.

826 Seattle presents their 2011 Series of Adult Writing Workshops, starting in March with Keef Knight's "How to be a Working Cartoonist- or just look like one!" Guest speakers offer monthly workshops on all aspects of the writing craft, and the proceeds go to help kids at 826 Seattle, a writing and tutoring center for kids.

Win and WIN.

Go check out the lineup and sign up now! All of the delicious details can be found here.

Dish Up Literacy!

Save the cooking for another night and help out Page Ahead! Tomorrow night, Thursday, September 30th, you can stop by Smokin Pete's BBQ, Tutta Bella, or another participating eatery, and they'll donate at least 20% of the proceeds. Help one of our favorite local organizations and spare yourself of having to do the dishes.

More details can be found here.

Help Tennessee flood victims

This comes from Tracy Barrett, the RAE from the SCBWI Midsouth chapter: 

Most of you have heard, I'm sure, about the horrendous rains and flooding in Nashville and surrounding areas. As far as I know, all Midsouth members are accounted for. Cheryl's home was four houses away from the evacuation zone! Several of my friends have lost everything, and one had to be rescued from a second-floor window in a canoe.

Many people didn't have flood insurance because they don't live in a flood plain. This flooding is truly an unheard-of event, so this doesn't mean they were careless or lax. Two of the Midsouth's enterprising members, Amanda Morgan and Myra McEntire, have put together a relief effort called "Do the Write Thing for Nashville" where they will auction off all sorts of writing-related goodies, including critiques by agents and editors. I don't know who these agents and editors are, but Amanda reports that the site has had a great response. There will also be signed books and other goodies.

Please alert your readers to this site and to their Facebook page, as there will be some great services to bid on. It would be great if you or your members wanted to make a donation of a book or a critique too, of course!

Operation Teen Book Drop! #operationtbd

Oh, the excitement!

- 10,000 books donated by publishers are being delivered to teens on Native reservations and tribal lands. (Learn more here.)
- Regular folk are buying books off the Powell's wish list to send to two additional schools.
- Authors around the country are leaving books in secret locations for teens to find.

If you'd like to join in the fun, leave a book and tweet about it using the hash tag #operationtbd. It'll go up on the readergirlz blog today. It can be one of yours, one of someone else's--the idea is to spread the joy of reading far and wide.

Afterward, go to the blog at 6 p.m. Pacific for a chat with a ton of cool participants.

Operation Teen Book Drop was founded by readergirlz (made of many local members), and is done in partnership with GuysLitWire, YALSA, and If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything.

Join Kirby Larson at a luncheon for Page Ahead

If you care about kids and books, consider joining Kirby Larson at a table for 10 at the Page Ahead luncheon fundraiser on May 12! There are only two seats left at the table! Please join in to help raise money for an organization whose goal is to give a book to every single at-risk child in the state of Washington! And not just any book, but a book of the child's choice.

Lunch is free but if you come, please bring a checkbook. Page Ahead is hoping that each guest will donate $165; donations of $250 or more will be matched by corporate sponsors.

Please email kirby, kirby AT kirbylarson.com by April 22 if you are interested.

Help save a moon bear

Check out this inspiring effort to save an endangered Asian bear called the Moon Bear, part of a promotional effort around Brenda Z. Guiberson's book, MOON BEAR.

See the campaign here.

Mentor a student

The following comes from a student who's looking for a mentor:

Dear Writers,

Hello, my name is Shayla Smith and I am currently a senior at Everett High School. As a graduation requirement we must complete a project that relates to something we want to pursue in the future. I personally have always loved writing and so for my project I wanted to write a children’s picture book story. I need a mentor for the project and I was wondering if any SCBWI authors would be interested in helping me. To be my mentor there are a few things you would need to do. First you would need to fill out an Everett Public Schools volunteer form, which I could e-mail to you. I have an idea for the story already so all I would really need is for you to read a couple drafts of the story and give me some comments and feedbacks that I could use to improve the story and whatnot. At the end I believe there is also a mentor feedback form you would need to fill out and I would need to interview you as a source for the project. So, thank you for reading this. It would just be awesome to have an author as my mentor. Please contact my librarian, Ms. Payne, at dpayne AT everettsd.org if you are interested in mentoring me. She will forward the message to me.

Hone your skills, contribute to a great cause

Katherine Grace Bond (who recently got an agent--congratulations!) has put together a terrific writing workshop to raise money for a music program.

Here are the details:

Call & Response: An All-Day Event for Writers & Dreamers
Saturday, March 27 from 9:30-4:00 in Monroe, $25!

Who: Janet Lee Carey, Margaret D. Smith, Molly Blaisdell, Katherine Grace Bond, Heidi Pettit, Dawn Knight
What: Sessions in Fiction Writing, Journaling, Songwriting, Writing for Children, Writing Your Life, and Creative Process Groups
Where: Monroe Community Chapel, 23515 Old Owen Road, Monroe, WA 98272
When: Saturday, March 27 9:30-4:00
How Much: $25 (Additional donations welcome. Checks payable to Monroe Community Chapel)
To Register: robinh@monroechapel.org (please send the registration form below)

Here’s an article about One A-Chord in the Monroe Monitor. Scroll down to “School of Shrock”


Workshop Registration for all classes
Workshop__________________________
Name___________________
Birthdate ________________
Parent/Guardian Names _________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________
Phone _______________________cell______________________________
E-mail__________________________________
Emergency Contact____________________________Phone_________________
MD__________________________Phone________________________
Allergies____________________________________________________
Medical Conditions___________________________________________
Medications needed during camp/workshop___________________________________
Other pertinent information_________________________________________
How did you hear about us?__________________________________________
Session choices (pick 3):
___Fiction Writing
___Journaling
___Songwriting
___Writing for Children
___Writing Your Life
___Creative Process Groups


If under 18:
I give my permission for my child, ____________________ to attend a writing workshop with Katherine Grace Bond. Portions of the course may be held outdoors on or off the workshop site. I understand that Katherine Bond will make every reasonable effort to provide a safe environment, although I am fully aware of the special dangers and risks inherent in participating in the activity. These could include physical injury, death and other consequences arising or resulting from the activity.

In the event of an accident or illness, I understand that every reasonable effort will be made to contact me, the parent immediately. However, if I am unavailable, I authorize Katherine Bond to secure emergency medical care as needed.
__________________________________
(Parent signature)


For “Call & Response,” send check payable to Monroe Community Chapel to:
Robin Hilt
Monroe Community Chapel
23515 Old Owen Rd.
Monroe, WA 98272

Arts funding in jeopardy

Dana Sullivan sent this along:

Friends - This is a little dense but important. I'm writing to ask you to help 4Culture out with its legislation currently being considered in both houses of the legislature in Olympia. Please write your legislators today to ask for their support of arts and culture funding in King County. Tonight will not be too late. No need to specify a bill number - simply ask for support of funding for arts and heritage in King County, and include the benefit that you see for yourself and your community.

Here is the website where you can find your legislators and email them: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx Here is the Advocate 4Culture blog where you can keep updated: http://advocate4culture.blogspot.com/ Please share this information with your friends and colleagues by forwarding or speaking with them.

4Culture funds arts and cultural organizations throughout the count; supports local arts agencies; funds sustained support (the running of an organization) for small heritage museums and arts organizations like the Seattle Opera, Village Theater and Northwest Ballet as well as project and equipment support for those same organizations; individual artists and artist groups like Seattle Print Arts, Hugo House, Barbara Robertson, Heather Oakson, Tess Martin, Dan Corson and Dan Webb as well as writers like Nancy Rawles whose book, My Jim, was a Seattle Reads selection last year; Lucia Neare's incredible Lullaby Moon performances and the like through Site Specific programming; opportunities to exhibit at Gallery 4Culture for emerging artists like Dawn Cerny, Zack and Gala Bent. Hotel Motel funding supports overhead for Public Art, supporting artwork in public spaces and fantastic artworks by Sheila Klein, Cris Bruch, Buster Simpson, Glenn Rudolph and the beloved Poetry on Buses program.

Most of you have a relationship with 4Culture; even those of you who haven't gotten direct funding benefit from 4Culture's programming. Here is the deal: If 4Culture does not get its funding renewed by the end of this session - March 11 - then 2011 will be spent downsizing from roughly $15,000,000 to $1,500,000. This will mean closing the office, reducing to a much smaller staff and, obviously, much smaller granting capability. Organizations and individuals and the work they do will be affected. Public Art will be reduced to a few project managers and the curator. Though we will still be able to lobby the legislature next year we will not be able to count on funding, so will be downsizing.

Laptop rally from 5-7 tonight at Stellar Pizza in Georgetown. Come join us in writing to your legislators.

Lois Harris's book launch to benefit kids

Lois writes:

I’d like to let everyone know about an update to my Charlie Russell: Tale-Telling Cowboy Artist book launch on Tues., 3/2 at 10 AM at Barnes & Noble, University Village, Seattle.

The Barnes & Noble BookFair will feature St. George School in south Seattle on 3/2 and for the following seven days.

B&N will give a percentage of their proceeds during that time to the kindergarten class of St. George School in south Seattle. Amy Pollington, the kindergarten teacher, wrote me saying many children in her classroom are second language English students and do not speak English at home. St. George’s has a tight budget with little money for items beyond textbooks. If you would like to help these children, show the attached voucher when purchasing a book during the specified time.

If you have any questions, Amy Pollington’s e-mail is a.pollington AT hotmail.com. If you would like to donate a book to the St. George Library, the Librarian’s name is Liz Walsh-Boyd, St. George School, 5117 13th Ave. South, Seattle, WA 98108.

(This is the best I could do in reproducing the voucher. -- Martha)

2675 NE U village St.


St. George School

10151769

Barnes & Noble


supporting
St. George
School

Tuesday, March 2nd,
Barnes & Noble
University Village

• See our school wish list for library book donations

• Get your picture taken with young reader’s author Lois Harris

• Don’t miss Storytime at 10:00AM

• Visit our school website address
or call Amy Pollington for more information



Tuesday, March 2nd

826 Seattle needs volunteers

826 Seattle, a non-profit writing center for kids, needs a hand. Here's where you can get your good karma and spend time listening to and observing kids. How many volunteer opportunities will actually improve your writing?

Drop-In Heroes Needed: Recent changes in semester and work schedules have pulled a number of volunteer tutors from our ranks and we are looking for new or reactivated tutors to join us in helping our incredibly grateful students at drop-in tutoring. Drop-in tutoring requires nothing but the following: a willingness to be adored by 1-5 (and possibly more) children, a yearning to encourage and co-navigate a variety of homework tasks, and a desire to make a weekly commitment to one (or more) 3 hour shifts on any day(s) Monday through Thursday, 3:00 – 6:00. Training and support are plentiful. Contact Kathleen at Kathleen@826seattle.org to learn more.

Broadview Thomson In-School Tutors: True, the chairs are small but the satisfaction is huge! Tutors are needed on Wednesdays from about 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 to join Samar and a small crew that journeys weekly into 3rd grade classrooms at Broadview Thomson (Greenwood Ave. N & 130th) to support small groups of students during their writers workshop time. Tutors are there to encourage, read drafts, ask questions, connect with kids and support the teacher's lesson. Contact Samar at samar@826seattle.org to learn more.

OST (Out of School Time) Broadview Thomson: If we build it, (and we bring it to them) they will come. Kathleen is looking for folks to join her at Broadview Thomson for abbreviated drop-in tutoring shifts during the second semester (Feb-Jun). 826 Seattle is piloting a satellite location at B-T to serve the homework and writing support needs of middle school students who participate in the OST program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:45 – 4:15 p.m. Contact Kathleen at Kathleen@826seattle.org to learn more.

Join The Beloved Field Trip Army: You will never feel more popular than you will when you join the field trip army. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m., 25+ students and their teacher and chaperones can be seen eagerly and excitedly waiting outside of the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co.—want to know why? Then you better contact Kathleen at Kathleen@826seattle.org. These fantastic field trip experiences could absolutely not be offered to our local school children without the two amazing teams of volunteers that deliver them—a variety of roles are available, either on Tuesdays or Thursdays, mentorship, training and fun is absolutely included!

Thanks to Brenda Winter Hansen for the info.

Buy a Greg Ruth print, benefit Haiti

Lida Enche sends word that Greg Ruth, who illustrates graphic novels and children's books, is selling prints to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti. If you're interested, visit his Etsy shop.

Books to benefit orphans in Africa

Here's an opportunity to help via our colleague, Michele Torrey:

As many of you know, in 2007 I co-founded Orphans Africa (OA). Part of our mission is to educate some of the 2.5 million orphans in Tanzania, East Africa. On February 27, 2010, we are holding a benefit dinner and auction at the Liberty Theater in Puyallup to help raise funds for OA. These funds will go toward building a kitchen and dining hall and finishing construction on the dormitories for our Marilynn Primary and Nursery School. The dormitories will house 72 orphans, ages 3-12.

So, I'm pulling in any and all favors from all my dear writer-friends and asking you to please donate at least one signed copy of one of your books. I'd like to create book baskets according to age; the baskets will be auctioned to our guests. (Books for adults are fine, too! New books only, please.)

Please send books to: Michele Torrey, PO Box 1371, South Bend, WA 98586-1371. Please try to get them to me no later than February 10; if you want your donation listed in our evening program, I must receive them by the 1st of February.

You can read about my work in Tanzania by visiting my spankin' new OA website! And I'd LOVE it if you'd come to the benefit! Consider this an official invitation! We'll be auctioning such things as photo safaris in South Africa and vacations in Maui, as well as TONS of other cool stuff! For more info on the benefit, including how to order tickets, visit our OA Benefit Blog.

Operation Teen Book Drop

Each year Operation Teen Book Drop--an annual event started by our own readergirlz--delivers about 10,000 new books to teens in need. In 2008 and 2009, rgz, YALSA and GuysLitWire worked with publishers to deliver 20,000 books to teens in hospitals.

This year, another 10,000 books will go to teens on Native American Reservations and tribal lands, with help from If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything.

We can get involved in the fun by pledging to drop a YA novel in a public place on April 15, which also happens to be Support Teen Literature Day. When you do, please tweet about it and help spread the word about the importance of teen literature.

For more information, visit readergirlz. Or, check out the Operation TBD trailer, put together by Holly Cupala.

Bridget Zinn auction open

Bridget is the YA author who got an agent--and a cancer diagnosis--in the same month. The community is holding auctions to raise money for the many uncovered medical expenses.

Auction items can be viewed at http://www.32auctions.com/view_auction?id=bridget&pwd=rules - or just go to www.32auctions.com and use the Auction ID: bridget and Password: rules (as in: Bridget rules!!) .

You will need to create an account on the site in order to bid on auction items. (Creating an account simply requires your name, email address, and a password, and it is required so that the organizers can contact you if you win an item.)

The auction opened today with 59 items listed. More items will be added through today.

Good news for Bridget: her debut, POISON, just sold to Disney/Hyperion.

Good cause alert

Here's a Facebook support group for Bridget Zinn, who got cancer and a book deal in the same month. The book just sold and she's doing well with cancer treatments, many of which are not covered by insurance. There's going to be another auction. To learn more, go to the Facebook page.

And, Adam Rex is growing a mustache to raise money for kids. Please help make it go away with a donation.

Support indie bookstores Nov. 21

This news release went out to indie bookstore fans on Facebook. Indie bookstores are really important for new and emerging authors; very often these stores have a wider selection than chains (and certainly than book discounters). These are the stores most likely to carry your books, and most likely to hand-sell them if they are beloved by staff.

I don't think there's any such thing as a bad bookseller, but if you can shop at one in your area, here are some additional benefits:

UNCHAINING FOR ONE DAY MEANS MILLIONS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

The Independent Booksellers Facebook cause is urging the citizens of Facebook to unchain themselves on November 21—to do any business they plan to do on that day only at local independent businesses. Facebook Unchained! is part of America Unchained, a national campaign of the American Business Alliance (AMIBA).

“We aim to reach every citizen to come together in support of (Community) through demonstrating that their personal spending decisions affect the whole community, both now and for the future,” said Rob, creator of the Facebook cause page.

“If every citizen does their planned business, shopping and dining out on that day with only locally-owned businesses this year, we can inject millions of dollars into our local economy. Of course, we hope that everyone will think about this not only on November 21, but every day—and particularly with holiday shopping upon us,” said Rob.

“We also want to encourage folks, while they’re taking part in Facebook Unchained, to make a point of thanking our local business owners for their contributions to the community, both in goods and services, but also to local charities and organizations. Small businesses give a greater percentage of their business income back to the community than their larger competitors. Local Business provides financial support for fire, police and emergency services. We support our schools and local non-profits. Our communities rely on our local businesses for so much more than just providing products or services,” stated Rob.

“Studies from small towns in Maine to sizeable cities like Austin, Texas found that local independent businesses create about three and a half times the local economic activity as chains do. A study released in 2004 looked at the local economic impact of 10 independent businesses and 10 chains in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago and found that the independents generate 70 percent more local economic impact per square foot than chain stores,” said American Independent Business Alliance director Jennifer Rockne. “Why? Because our independent businesses pay local employees, use the goods and services of other local independent businesses and give back to community institutions far more than chains.” said Rockne.

“Your home town stands to gain in every way by supporting our independent businesses. They provide us with essential goods and services, well-paying jobs, and continued opportunities for citizens to own their own business here. They are critical parts of the social, cultural and economic health of the place that you call home. Supporting them is good for us personally and our community.”

See the Facebook group.

Thanks, SCBWI Western Washington

A number of us donated signed books to benefit the Water 1st auction, which raised a total of $500,000 to build water systems for the world's poorest communities.

Our signed books generated enough to provide clean water for four children FOR LIFE. It's sort of amazing, isn't it? Water-borne illnesses are the leading killer of children around the world, and we can feel really great about sparing fellow four human beings a great deal of suffering--and giving them a shot at a much better life.

Find more information about Water 1st here.

Help support school libraries

Deb Lund sent along a plea and I will be coordinating replies. If you care about school libraries, read on:

I don't know if you've heard that the Bellevue School District eliminated all the middle school and high school library positions last May. This year, there is no instruction in Information Literacy Skills that occurs after the 4th grade in Bellevue. The remaining librarians are hoping to shine a light on this issue in any way possible. One of the elementary librarians, Kristine McLane, discussed this issue with the authors Brandon Mull and Michael Buckley at the WLMA conference. Each of them wrote a statement on the situation. We would like to collect more statements on the importance of libraries and librarians particularly at the secondary level from writers from our region.

I believe you are a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I'm hoping you would write a statement for us and, if it's not too much to ask, that you would ask other members of the society to write a statement too. I'm not sure what exactly we are going to do with these statements, but I do know that we will share them with the school board, superintendent, and principals.

Anyone who has time to write a statement in support of librarians for students at this grade level can send it to martha AT marthabee.com. Please use "library support" as a subject line. I will compile these statements and send them back to the librarian. Thank you!