#SCBWI09 Check out the flow of Magic and Fun from Lee's Twitter Feed!

And as the sparks and stars continue to fly from the magical concoction we all created in the SCBWI Summer Conference, I do feel that the stuff that went by on twitter was fantastic! So just to make sure you all have a taste of the amazing flow of events, here's a view of my personal twitter feed for the 4 day Blog-O-Rama!

***

And we're off! The conference begins... #scbwi09 http://yfrog.com/5d77ytj

Jay Asher and Ellen Hopkins dual words: "Banned Books!" #scbwi09 parade of faculty

Best conference attendee profession: "handsome rogue!" Lin Oliver's intro #scbwi09 the audience LOLed!

I had no idea that Sherman Alexie was so funny and heartfelt... Now I can't wait to read his award winning novel! #scbwi09

Standing ovation for Sherman Alexie! #scbwi09 http://yfrog.com/5dur7mj

Will David Wiesner use any WORDS in his keynote??? We'll find out in a second... #scbwi09

#scbwi09 Yes! David Wiesner speaks!

With Frankenstein movie clips! #scbwi09 David Wiesner rocks!

Don't miss a tweet! #scbwi09 SCBWI TEAM BLOG @PaulaYoo @leewind @jaimetem @suzanne_young #followfriday @alicepope @cuppajolie

#scbwi09 @EgmontGal use the Austin Powers accent when reading this: "Oh, Be-have!"

Over 400 conference attendees submitted manuscripts or portfolios for a professional critique! #scbwi09

@EgmontGal Elizabeth Law, manuscript critique critiqued: witty, insightful, kind... Thank You! #scbwi09

#scbwi09 Paula blogged the heck out of our GLBTQ craft &mktg discussion! 40 attendees participated http://bit.ly/SvWnE

#scbwi09 Melinda Long session: 12 years of rejections before her first acceptance!

#scbwi09 Melinda Long tweet tip from her session: Tone is really about the vocabulary you use and how you put words together!

#scbwi09 Get your read hot (get it?) copies of CWIM 2010 at the bookshop! http://yfrog.com/0diiej

@PaulaYoo : NaPiNoWriWee 2009 Reunion! Blog post is up! http://bit.ly/gjA5n #scbwi09

RT @JennBailey Tweet-Up tonight. 9pm Lobby bar. #scbwi09

The tweet-up is jumping! Come hop with us! #scbwi09

This woman knows how to self promote! @jennbailey #scbwi09 http://yfrog.com/18x6ej

RT @edithcohn: am stupidly tired but inspired. #scbwi09 Me three, but that's the best rhyme I can do for now.

#SCBWI09 OK, links in for my Friday "OFFICIAL" posts + extras here: http://www.leewind.org More tomorrow (errr... later today!)

ALL my Links and PHOTOS for Yesterday's #SCBWI09 posts are UP! http://bit.ly/4hKmJY

@PaulAertker 3 minutes. Damn you, Paul! I have been out-tweeted! Aaaaaaaarrrrrrghhhhhhhhhh... Okay, I'm over it. Good morning!

RT @lkmadigan: If u ever have a chance to attend an Elizabeth Law talk ... Do it. She's funny & savvy. #scbwi09 YES!

What makes an extaordinary picture book pane in progress! http://yfrog.com/0kx8gj

#scbwi09 What makes an extraordinary picture book panel, going on now! http://yfrog.com/5h2zgj

#scbwi09 it took 6 and a half YEARS between Melinda's signed contract and the publishing date of her HIBAP PB!

#scbwi09 Melinda Long says she thinks in WORDS, not pictures. Interesting contrast with Eve's answer!

Lin Oliver really gets the POWER of fiction - in intro to Karen Cushman's Keynote - influence of strong girl characters! #scbwi

Karen Cushman quotes Margaret Mead in her keynote, "post-menopausal zest!" Awesome! #scbwi09

Karen Cushman: It's not write what you know, it's write what you WANT to know" #scbwi09

#SCBWI09 Linda Sue Park: "White space is like an invisible word that says, take a breath."

#SCBWI09 rapt session participants in Linda Sue Park's scene building workshop http://yfrog.com/5awj5mwqj

#SCBWI09 Ellen Hopkins' 6th novel, Tricks, will be out this month!

Lin asked to give the agents a moment to gather their final thoughts- everyone whistled the Jeopardy theme song! LOL

Ingrid Law wrote Savvy and never wanted to use the word "magic" so it could apply to everyone if they want it to. #SCBWI09

Ingrid Law's great advice about doing a writing exercise: Be playful, Be creative, & don't think too hard! #SCBWI09

The bookishly blue butterflies arrive... With Max! #SCBWI09 http://yfrog.com/7h774dxxj

#Scbwi09 Tracy, Kimberly, & Elizabeth discover that the moon is indeed made of... Well it's heady! http://yfrog.com/12z6tyj

#scbwi09 Sarah Frances, Katie, & Stephanie look awesome in indigo! http://yfrog.com/epag0j

@dulemba got her drink to match her dress... Or is it the other way around? #SCBWI09 http://yfrog.com/3o1w9j

#SCBWI09 Thalia goes glamourpuss and I feel the love! http://yfrog.com/5gsproj

Claudia Harrington (RA extraordinaire) goes blue with her posse! #SCBWI09 http://yfrog.com/5e9bmlj

Mother Goose and the Goosettes! #SCBWI09 http://yfrog.com/5hp4bj

#SCBWI09 What a party! What a night! And oh boy, what a day we have ahead! http://www.leewind.org

@PaulaYoo I can't wait to hear them! (Paula did a series of "conference attendee tips!")

#SCBWI09 updates from yesterday's conference sessions and pics from the Blue Moon Ball! http://bit.ly/2OpHZ

#SCBWI09 Jim Averbeck is giving great tips for writing for picture books!

@JennBailey Yes! I'd be honored! (Jenn had asked to use a screen shot of "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" to use in her conference session on how to do blogging right!)

@EgmontGal A first! Your PM Keynote will have 2 color commentators! @PaulaYoo & me. Mwa-huh-hah! #SCBWI09

#SCBWI09 The famous (Infamous?) Golden Kite Chicken! @Suzanne_Young thinks it's... http://yfrog.com/66xr7j

#SCBWI09 The Golden Kite Awards roll... Right Now! http://scbwiconference.blog...

#SCBWI09 "In real life there is no gifted program." Richard Peck makes the room ROAR. http://bit.ly/2FsC3O

#SCBWI09 spotted in the audience of Ellen Hopkin's session on voice: Her editor Emma Drydon!

RT @gregpincus: Day four of #scbwi09 Tired. maybe I'll keep my tweets to 130 characters today to conserve energy - LOL!

RT @PaulaYoo: #scbwi09 comment on our live blogs at www.scbwiconference.blogspo... We want 2 encourage a live interactive forum!

#SCBWI09 Day Four Element: Creative Fire! http://bit.ly/1WxuQv

@SCBWI09 Bonnie Bader's Pitch-A-Thon going on now!

@SCBWI09 Bonnie Bader Advice: Don't read your 10 minute long poem into an editor's voicemail!

#SCBWI09 Linda Sue Park wrote 4 historicals before she crossed genres to picture books.

#SCBWI09 great stuff on crossing genres! http://tinyurl.com/ltwd7n

#SCBWI09 Thank you, SCBWI, for the gift and acknowledgement! What an amazing experience, being part of SCBWI Team Blog!

#SCBWI09 conference is over. Home now. So much great stuff to process. Sleep first. Then, http://scbwiconference.blog...

RT @gregpincus Tomorrow (!!!) at 9 pm Eastern/6 pm Pacific, it's #kidlitchat. Hope to see many #scbwi09 folks there!

Awake. Blogging about #SCBWI09 Must visit conference blog to see what I missed! http://scbwiconference.blog...

#SCBWI09 My Day Four of the Summer conference Updates are UP! http://tinyurl.com/llus3m

#SCBWI09 4 Days. 5 Elements. The Alchemy of Magic: The SCBWI 2009 Summer Conference http://tinyurl.com/nxjjyv


***

WOW.

Check out the links above, and of course, all the information on the official SCBWI Conference Blog! And come follow me on twitter!

Namaste,

Lee

Four Days. Five Elements. The Alchemy of Magic: The SCBWI 2009 Summer Conference

Blogging the 4-Day conference, as part of SCBWI Team Blog, was exhausting, exhilarating, and one of the best professional experiences ever! Thank you, SCBWI Team Captain Alice Pope, SCBWI Director of Communications and Creative Director Aaron Hartzler, SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver, and my fellow Team Bloggers Paula Yoo, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekley, and Suzanne Young, for letting me be part of this Magical adventure!

So many moments swirl for me.

The Water: The incredible flow of information I was part of creating, on the official conference blog and on the twitter feeds. I personally posted over 50 blog posts in the four day period, and tweeted over 100 times (quotes, impressions, conference photos) on both the official @scbwi twitter feed and on my own @leewind

The Air: Getting to learn from stratospherically talented writers who are so accomplished in their craft was heady! Linda Sue Park. Holly Black. Kathleen Duey. Ellen Hopkins. Melinda Long. And so. many. more!

The Earth: Getting to listen to and talk with brilliant editors, and agents, and illustrators, and fellow writers - all of whom, like me, are passionate about children's books! That shared foundation of energy was energizing and so much fun! We - the children's book community, and the members of SCBWI, are part of a tribe, and I felt - more than ever before - that I have found MY place. My people. My friends.

The Fire: I feel so inspired! All the advice, and writing tips, and career counsel, and brainstorming, and writing exercises... I want - no, I NEED - to write!

The Fifth, Secret Ingredient: All the KINDNESS that was shown to me, and that I witnessed. So many moments of generosity of time, and spirit, and knowledge, and more...

And in the alchemy of the past four days at the LA SCBWI Summer Conference, all five of these elements came together... and I had a BLAST!

I know that it will take me the better part of the next two weeks to process through all the amazing things I experienced.

For today, here's one photo I truly love. It shows one of my conference Highlights: My Story's Spine getting a Chiropractic Adjustment from Holly Black!

My friend and fabulous writer Rita Crayon Huang (on the left),
the unbelievably smart and generous Holly Black (in the middle),
and Me (on the right!)

#SCBWI09 - The SCBWI Summer Conference - was magical for me. I hope it was transformative for you, too. And if you weren't able to make it, check out all the amazing information here and on the official conference blog for a taste of it.

And hopefully after that taste, you'll be inspired to come to the next one. And you'll get to experience the full BLAST of magic, and of SCBWI, yourself!

Namaste,
Lee

SCBWI SUMMER 2009 CONFERENCE, DAY FOUR. THEME: FIRE

Today's theme is FIRE, as in CREATIVE FIRE! This final day of the conference will stoke the creative fires within each of us! And hopefully, we'll each head home "all fired up" to create our own passionate masterworks!


I'm really excited that today Kathleen Duey (author of the National Book Award Finalist "Skin Hunger") will add fuel to each of our creative fires with her Final Keynote of the conference at 2:15pm, "TRANSMUTATION: Books That Matter" And if you haven't checked out Kathleen's twitter NOVEL in progress, Russet, do it now!

And the finale of the conference is the autograph party, where creativity will literally surround us - the books, the authors, the conference attendees!!!


Remember to check out our Official SCBWI Conference Blog for all the blog updates throughout the day!

And, for your twittering pleasure, SCBWI Team Blog is tweeting with the tag

#SCBWI09

***UPDATE***

Here are Links to my official conference blog posts from this last day of the conference!

Bonnie Bader: Pitch-A-Thon!

Bonnie Bader: Pitch-A-Thon HOT TIP!

Crossover Writing: Linda Sue Park, Lisa Yee, and Arthur A. Levine

Crossover Writing: Linda Sue Park, Lisa Yee, and Arthur A. Levine, part 2

SCBWI Team Blog - Hard At Work, for YOU!

Conference Take-Aways: Stephen Bramucci

Conference Take-Aways: Kimberly Shumay

Conference Take-Aways: Nathalie Mvondo

Conference Take-Aways: Edith Cohn

Farewell and Autograph Party

Namaste,
Lee


p.s.: I found this amazing creative fire image here.

SCBWI SUMMER 2009 CONFERENCE, DAY THREE. THEME: EARTH

Today's theme is EARTH, because sometimes, using everything in our world for inspiration, you CREATE your OWN FANTASY WORLD for the stories you write.

If you do, then you'll be as excited as I am to hear Holly Black's 9:30am keynote "Examining the Strange: The Basics of Fantasy Writing." For a peek at the incredible intellect and creativity we're in store for, read my interview with Holly here!


Remember to check out our Official SCBWI Conference Blog for all the blog updates throughout the day!

And, for your twittering pleasure, SCBWI Team Blog is tweeting with the tag

#SCBWI09

***UPDATE***

What a day! Here are some photo highlights - links to come soon...

SCBWI Team Blog's Suzanne Young
and the famous Golden Kite "Rubber Chicken!"

Paula Yoo and I hard at work on our
Color Commentary Coverage
of Elizabeth Law's afternoon keynote.

Ellen Hopkins and... Me!

And here are links to all the sessions I live blogged from today's conference!

Holly Black Keynote! Basics of Fantasy - A Live-Blog, Book One

Holly Black Keynote! Basics of Fantasy - The Sequel!

Jim Averbeck's Session! Opening The Door: Writing For Illustration

Jim Averbeck's session: HOT TIP for picture book writers!

Everyone's Getting Ready for the Golden Kite Luncheon!!!

Golden Kite Awards: Hyewon Yum

Richard Peck's special Keynote at the Golden Kite Luncheon

Ellen Hopkins on VOICE!

Ellen Hopkins on Voice: HOT TIP!

Color Commentary on Elizabeth Law's Keynote!

Elizabeth Law Color Commentary, Pt. 2

Elizabeth Law Color Commentary, Part 3

Elizabeth Law Color Commentary, Pt. 4

Elizabeth Law Color Commentary, Part 5 - taking it home

SCBWI Regional Advisors Word Parade

Peer Critiques!

So much amazing stuff... and one more full day to come!

Namaste,
Lee

SCBWI SUMMER 2009 CONFERENCE, DAY TWO. THEME: AIR

Look, up in the sky!

It's a bird.

It's a plane.

It's Super Conference Attendees!

Today's theme is AIR, for two great reasons:

1. Ellen Hopkin's 1:30pm keynote "Not For The Faint Of Heart: The Climb To The Top" should take us to the heights. Check out my exclusive SCBWI Team Blog interview with Ellen to get a preview of what a smart and inspiring speaker she's going to be!

2. Tonight's "Blue Moon Ball" - Inspired by the moon (up there in the... uh, air of... space...go with me on this), and the color blue, and the excuse to dress up and get down... and boogie!


Remember to check out our Official SCBWI Conference Blog for all the blog updates throughout the day!

And, for your twittering pleasure, SCBWI Team Blog is tweeting with the tag

#SCBWI09

Yesterday there were literally 100s of tweets and fistfuls of PHOTOS throughout the day, offering bite-sized "headline" coverage of things that didn't make it onto the main conference blog.

Be sure to check out all the great links to my SCBWI Team Blog posts AND PHOTOS FROM THE CONFERENCE FLOOR AND LOBBY in the UPDATE added to yesterday's post!

***TODAY'S UPDATE***

Here are my blog posts from the day:

Melinda Long on What Makes An Extra-ordinary Picture Book Panel

The "What Makes An Extraordinary Picture Book" Panel in Progress

Karen Cushman tells a story...

Linda Sue Park's Scene Building Premium Workshop

Linda Sue Park's SCENE BUILDING Workshop. Play Along!

Ellen Hopkins Keynote: Not for the Faint of Heart; The Climb to the Top! The start...

Ellen Hopkins Keynote! Not for the Faint of Heart: The Climb to the Top! The early path...

Ellen Hopkins Keynote! Not for the Faint of Heart: The Climb to the Top! The middle...

Ellen Hopkins Keynote! The TOP!

The AGENTS are here! The AGENTS are here!

Agents Panel: Daniel Lazar, Writers House - An Introduction

Daniel Lazar, Agents Panel: Submission Info, and what's Agent's role compared to Editor's role

Ingrid Law: Villains or No Villains

Ingrid Law: NO Villains: Play Along!

Ingrid Law Loves Middle Grade... But WHY?

LAYAS Meet Up! (Los Angeles Young Adult Authors Drink and Cheer!)

And check out these AMAZING Pictures from the Blue Moon Ball!

Edith Thornton Cohn, Sarah Wilson Etienne (as Max!) and friends party on!

The Moon is made of heady stuff... cheese!

Elizabeth Dulemba got a drink to match her dress...
or was it a dress to match her drink?


It's blurry, but that's Steven Mooser boogy-ing on down!


Ladies in Indigo!


The Blue Moon Ball Costume Contest Winner!!!

Namaste,
Lee

SCBWI SUMMER 2009 CONFERENCE, DAY ONE. THEME: WATER

So much to do. So much to learn. So many people to meet and greet!


Today's theme is WATER, because from 12:45pm - 2:00pm I'm hosting the GLBTQ Poolside Lunch Chat (check out my interview with the Lunchtime gathering's special guest Charles Flowers, the Executive Director of The Lambda Literary Foundation, here!)

So come by the pool, look for the Gay Pride Rainbow Flag, and join in the conversation about the who, how, what, where, and why of including GLBTQ characters and themes in childrens and YA books. Because the answer to "when" is NOW!

Remember to check out our Official SCBWI Conference Blog for all the blog updates throughout the day!

And, for your twittering pleasure, SCBWI Team Blog is tweeting with the tag

#SCBWI09

New #scbwi09 visitors, if you'd like to follow me on Twitter, I'm here!

Namaste,
Lee

***UPDATE***

Click to see the SCBWI Team Blog Parade of Words Video, here!

Check out the amazing Paula Yoo's blog post at the official blog site on the GLBTQ By The Pool Lunch - 40 attendees showed!

Check out my official SCBWI Team Blog posts on the amazing Melinda Long session. (She's the author of picture books like "How I Became A Pirate":

Melinda Long: Starting and Stopping, part 1

Melinda Long: part 2

Melinda Long: part 3

And try to wrap YOUR mouth around the NaPiBoWriWee Reunion, Like Paula Yoo and her writing daredevils!

And if you follow us (and the #scbwi09) on twitter, you also get PHOTOS from the conference floor and events throughout the day. Like THESE:

The Conference Starts!

Alice Pope and the NEW Edition of
Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market!

The GLBTQ Chat, overflowing the poolside cabana!

Melinda Long at her session on Starting and Stopping!

The NaPiBoWriWee Reunion!

Jenn Bailey knows how to self-promote!
LOVE that T-shirt!

THE BIG SCBWI SUMMER 2009 CONFERENCE STARTS TOMORROW!

I am officially excited!

I've done my homework: reading and writing (most of it, anyway!)

I'm still figuring out how to use my gadgets (I keep telling myself "I can be a tech nerd. Really!" And then I laugh.)

And SCBWI Team Blog is meeting today - all of us in person - for the very first time!

Here's our (and YOUR) Team lineup:

Team Captain,

Alice Pope

Suzanne Young

Jaime Temairik

Jolie Stekly

Paula Yoo

And ME, Lee Wind!

And that's SCBWI TEAM BLOG.... GO, TEAM!


And now, here's some essential information for YOU!

If you want to follow along with the conference Twitters,

#SCBWI09

will be part of every tweet from the conference from all of us on SCBWI Team Blog!

And bookmark this url

http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

Because that's the official SCBWI conference blog where all the virtual action will be happening over the next four amazing - and packed - days!

So buckle up, click on by, and if you're there in person, say "Hi!"

Namaste,
Lee



p.s.: And, amazingly, if you have no idea what I'm blogging about, go here and you can catch up about this Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators Conference!

Charles Flowers, Director of The Lambda Literary Foundation: An Exclusive SCBWI Team Blog Interview!

Charles Flowers is the executive director of The Lambda Literary Foundation, and he’ll be the special guest at our Friday August 7th, 2009 GLBTQ Poolside Lunch Chat, taking place during the upcoming Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators’ 38th Annual Summer Conference on Writing and Illustrating for Children, in Los Angeles.

The Lunch will be a unique opportunity to meet and talk with editors, writers, illustrators, and other kid lit industry professionals about creating books with GLBTQ characters and themes.

Similar to attending a high school Gay-Straight Alliance meeting, you don’t have to be GLBTQ to attend – you just have to be cool enough to understand that Children’s Literature with Gay (GLBTQ) content is important!

Here, for your enjoyment, is our virtual (via Facebook IM/Chat) conversation!

Lee: Thanks Charles, for agreeing to this pre-lunch interview! Here we go:

How would you explain to someone who has never heard of your organization what The Lambda Literary Foundation is all about?


Charles: We've finally settled upon a succinct description: Celebrating and Serving LGBT Writers, which will debut on our totally revamped website in a few weeks. Our actual mission statement is: "The Lambda Literary Foundation seeks to elevate the status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people throughout society by rewarding and promoting excellence among openly LGBT writers who use their work to explore LGBT lives.


Lee: I like them both! But the succinct one is snappier (and I can practically see the T-shirts!)


Charles: We accomplish this mission in a few ways: the Lambda Literary Awards, the Lambda Book Report, the Retreat for Emerging LGBT Writers, and our new website, which will "kick ass," is the term I would use.


Lee: Part of "celebrating" are the Awards - and you've been giving out a "Lammie" in the childrens/young adult category since 1989. 20 years! What patterns, if any, have you seen in terms of submissions?


Charles: Recently, there's been an explosion of LGBT narratives for young adults -- although I think it was the children's picture books, such as "Heather Has Two Mommies" by Leslea Newman that first drew attention to the audience. The majority of books are focused on young adult, rather than children or middle school age, so there's room to expand there. Authors and judges usually ask that we separate those two, but we don't at the moment, because there are not enough picture books or chapter books to justify a separate category.


Lee: It'll be a good day when there are so many GLBTQ themed books that you'll need the separate categories!

One of the other awards you give out is the "Pioneer Awards" and there's been some controversy in the blogosphere about Lambda Literary's choice of recipients being "elitist." What's your take on that?


Charles: I guess it depends on what folks mean by "elitist" -- Lambda Literary does recognize and honor many kinds of writing, not just fiction and poetry, but Mystery, Romance, Erotica, Sci-fi, as well as Young Adult. So it's a little bizarre to be labeled elitist. In terms of Pioneer Awards, we've recognized Ann Bannon who wrote "pulp", Marijane Meeker who wrote pulp and later young adult. I guess I would need to know more about the specific complaint, but I feel that Lambda Literary does a good job about recognizing all the kinds of writing that appeal to LGBT readers.


Lee: I think it's going to always be a challenge, when you're selecting people for those kind of "lifetime achievement awards" to make everyone happy...

While we're Speaking of Pioneers, your remembrance of E. Lynn Harris for the Advocate was really beautiful. I know we both feel his books (and his being a successful, out gay man) made a difference in our world.


Charles: Thanks for your kind words about E. Lynn -- there's a prime example of a "popular" or "commercial" writer who some people did not like, but who, nonetheless, positively affected the lives of many, many gay and bisexual men.


Lee: Where do you see books in the battle for hearts and minds vis-a-vis Gay (GLBTQ) equality?


Charles: Call me crazy, but I think books rule -- it's all about narrative -- think of "Brokeback Mountain" or "Tales of the City" -- these movies/miniseries began as stories, and their big-and small-screen adaptations made a huge difference. I think it would affect our political fight more if more Americans read, but they don't. Where we are most effective is in reaching young readers, who feel they are alone and need affirmation that it's okay to be gay. For many of us (my generation and older), books were the first place we "saw" gay people -- today's kids can see them on tv or movies, for better or for worse, but I'd rather them read Alex Sanchez or Nancy Garden or Jim Howe or Jackie Woodson, than pay attention to Perez Hilton.


Lee: Yeah, I've always thought that since reading a book is an internal experience, where you are creating the world from the words on the page, that books get deeper in towards the mythic level than other forms of storytelling. And for me, that's why books with GLBTQ characters are SO important - happy, successful, fascinating Gay lives need to be part of the myths everyone grows up with!


Charles: Exactly -- I love the novels now that have gay teens in everyday teen stories -- it's not about coming out and accepting yourself, but assuming a role in the world. How you deal with your parents, your best friend, etc. Gay people and teens are becoming less "exotic," as it were.


Lee: Yes! It's like a whole new kind of story can (and is) being told!

Now the "serving" GLBT writers - that must be the Retreat for Emerging LGBT Writers you mentioned. Tell us more about that, please.


Charles: "Serving" lgbt writers can happen in many ways, big and small -- we have the retreat, which is very intensive, and about becoming a better writer, finding a community of peers, mentoring, all of that.


Lee: When does that happen?


Charles: The retreat happened in August 2007 and August 2008 -- we decided not to hold one in 2009 because of the economy, but we're already trying to organize 2010.

We also want to serve writers in a larger sense of bringing attention to their work -- reviewing them, recognizing them as a finalist or winner in the awards -- also nuts and bolts, on our new website, we have a "Writer's Toolbox" area that includes essays about craft, calls for submissions, interviews with authors -- things that can help a writer become a better writer, as well as become published.


Lee: That sounds great! So, the new website will kiss ass, huh? Tell me more!


Charles: "kick" ass, darling, not "kiss ass" :):)

the website i mean


Lee: LOL!

whoops! The perils of fast typing!


Charles: I say "kick ass" because face it, where can folks go to get real reviews (not amazon gushes and character assassinations) about gay books, and to connect with other writers and readers -- it doesn't exist, and we're going to make it happen.

And it will very much be community-driven - the site will be as good as we, and I do mean, "we" in the collective sense, make it -- send us ideas about features, volunteer to review books, send us great new blogs or calls for submissions, send us literary events you're participating in or organizing -- really, we want this to be a "one-stop" shop for lgbt writers and readers- and it will be free! We'll have ads, sure, but no underwear ads or manhunt links (sorry, guys)!@


Lee: There seem to be enough underwear ad sites already!


Charles: Exactly.


Lee: The new website sounds great - I'll be first in line to check it out!

So, what are you most looking forward to in Friday's SCBWI conference lunchtime Poolside GLBTQ Chat?


Charles: I love meeting people who are on the frontlines of the next generation - I want to figure out how Lambda can help and support these writers


Lee: And I'm really looking forward to hosting the poolside chat on SCBWI's behalf. There's so much more to discuss!

Thank you Charles, this was wonderful. See you Friday the 7th!


Charles: Fabulous, thanks Lee!

So, if YOU’LL be at the conference (you can still register, here!) we hope you can come on by and join us Friday Aug 7th, from 12:45pm – 2pm. Bring your lunch, and look for the Gay Pride Rainbow Flag by the pool!

Hope to see you there!

Namaste,
Lee

Ellen Hopkins: An Exclusive SCBWI Team Blog Interview!

Ellen Hopkins is not afraid. She’s an awesomely brave and staggeringly honest writer, who explores some of the depths of human experience in her books. Suicide, Cutting, Sexual Abuse, Addiction, Sex, Friendship, Love – the palate of her stories seem to go darker than most. Written as novels where each page and moment is its own concrete poem, the shapes of the words on the page and the spare emotions of the characters sear under our skin. Reading her books, like the New York Times Bestsellers “Crank” and “Impulse,” is an addictive, bitter-sweet, and wrenching experience. She’s a huge talent, and I’m a huge fan.

I had the great fortune to land an exclusive SCBWI Team Blog interview with Ellen Hopkins as part of the countdown to SCBWI’s 38th Annual Summer Conference on Writing and Illustrating for Children, coming up August 7-10, 2009 in Los Angeles. (You can still register!)

Here, for your enjoyment, is our virtual conversation.

Lee: Hi, Ellen. Thanks so much doing this interview with me. I’m super excited about it. Okay, First question: There’s all this noise out in the news media about how fictional character’s mid-deeds lead to real-world teens mis-behaving. Like, in some movie, kids lie down in the middle of the street so cars will drive over them, and then some idiots do that in real life. And all these people blame the movie. And yet, catharsis has- at its core - the exchange of watching someone else make bad decisions so in a sense we’re freed from making those same mistakes ourselves.

You have characters making terrible decisions with serious consequences in your novels – what’s your take on fictional bad decisions – are they bad role modeling? Or are they cathartic?


Ellen: I've had many, many readers write to thank me for allowing them to live vicariously through my characters, and that they will now NEVER do drugs or cut or any of the issues that touch my characters' lives. By seeing how these actions affect not only the person doing them, but also those around them, it gives a real insight into the end result of bad behaviors. I doubt many readers finish CRANK then want to go try it!


Lee: Yeah, absolutely! That's what I believe, too.

Continuing with the idea that fictional characters are stand-ins for real people making choices, I wonder what’s your take on the way authors represent minority characters – there’s a pressure out there that since there are so few representations, the characters can’t be BAD – because then it’s like you’re stereotyping the whole group. How do you deal with this?


Ellen: I think you have to be true to the character whatever their race or sexual orientation. If you listen to your characters, they will speak for themselves. Obviously, there are Latino and black gangs. If you're writing urban fiction, I don't see how you can NOT write those things into your story. Be true to your story, be true to your characters and who cares what the naysayers think!


Lee: In “Impulse,” connecting Tony’s “gay” identity with the abuse he’d experienced made me pretty nervous as a reader. Yet, because other characters were abused and didn’t end up “gay,” and because Tony was so multi-dimensional, it worked for me. Did that connection (abuse to gay orientation) concern you when you worked on the story?


Ellen: Tony is actually my favorite character out of all of them. His sexuality interested me a lot because as I see him, he wasn't "gay" per se. All his early sexual experiences were with men, and because his mother dared to tell him as a little boy that he must be gay, or why would her boyfriend want him, he wasn't sure who he was. I had a gay bookseller once say something about Tony, but he came to think by the end of the book, that "love is love." I see it that way, too.


Lee: Yeah, Love is Love. And sexuality is complex. I think you were really brave in how you handled the fluidity of that character's self-awareness and sexuality.

You tackle some dark spaces in your novels - “Crank” pulled no punches and left me raw. Nowdays the line between YA and Adult books seems to be blurring (Often the way to tell is how much explicit sexual content is there and what’s the age of the protagonist.) And yet, I wonder if there’s something about the themes, or some sense of hope, that makes a YA book different. Do you think YA books are intrinsically different?


Ellen: I think YA authors generally approach issues with a different sensibility than adult authors do. Let's face it. Teens are either having sex or thinking about having sex, so isn't it better to provide adult perspective to something that is such a deep part of every human? Can we not show how important it is to have love be part of sex? I think YA approaches it that way, rather than as titillation.


Lee: That makes a ton of sense to me. Sorry it doesn't fly for so many in West Bend, Wisconsin (with their whole book burning controversy)!


Ellen: Book banning is a real hot button issue for me. And burning? AAAAGH! No one has the right to choose for everyone what is or isn't "fit" to read.


Lee: Yeah. It makes me want to scream, but that's not so effective. People who want to shut off information to other people aren't keeping their minds open to discourse... So I think the best response is to use the controversy to promote the heck out of the books - and hope that MORE people read them after a challenge than before - that may be the only way to ultimately stop the conservative impulse to remove books from other people's reach.


Ellen: As the article said, put "You May Not Read This" on the cover, who wouldn't want to read it to find out why not? Especially teens!


Lee: LOL - I'm remembering being a teenager and scanning the TV Guide for movies rated "R" - I didn't really care what they were about, I was just soooo curious. It was such a quintessential teenager moment for me.


Ellen: Well see, as a teen myself, there wasn't a lot of great YA available... Judy Blume was about it. So I went straight to very adult fare, including Erica Jong and Jacqueline Susann.


Lee: That's reading UP! And, speaking of that, we hear all the time that kids read UP. But, sometimes (like when I hear about a third grader reading “Twilight”) I get nervous that they’re reading too far up. What’s your feeling about the age of YOUR readers?


Ellen: Every teen's experience is so different, it's hard to really say what is "too young." I've had readers as young as 11 write (seems very young, but they seemed very mature) and as old as 72. There is some fairly heavy content in my books--some more than others. TRICKS, which releases next month, is about teen prostitution. No way to write that book "real" without including some fairly graphic scenes. That, I guess, is where parents come in to look at what their kids are reading and say okay or not.


Lee: Yeah, as a parent, I care what my kid reads! I do want to ask, since we're talking about keeping books "real"... You are a MASTER at voice - your characters do feel "real!" Is there a tip you can share with us, for ‘how to find the voice of your character?’


Ellen: Well, I will go more in depth with this at the teen voice workshop I'm presenting in LA, but basically I know my characters well before I write anything. Then I let them talk not only to me, but through me. I don't dumb down language. Don't try for vernacular. I just listen.


Lee: That sounds like an amazing workshop - I can't wait! Since you're both a NYTimes Bestselling Author AND a SCBWI Regional Advisor (for Nevada), what single piece of advice would you offer to someone planning to attend this summer's conference?


Ellen: LA is an amazing conference, but with so much there, it can feel overwhelming. Don't try to do everything. Look at the schedule and decide what you HAVE to see. Then let it be okay to take an hour to nap or write or just unwind somewhere.


Lee: That's great advice. Some of the best conference moments for me in years past were when I skipped a session in favor of sitting down to talk with someone more...


Ellen: Oh yeah. The networking is one of the best parts. I've made great, lifetime friends in LA.


Lee: And speaking of more, we're almost done! 2 questions left:

You are also a MASTER at social networking and marketing your books. (Of course, your work is brilliant, so once people check it out, they’re hooked – but you get them to check it out!) You mentioned at the SCBWI Asilomar Conference this past February that you have a ton of fans on myspace (16,556 as of today!), I’ve seen you on Twitter, and this interview is being done through your facebook and my facebook IM/Chat feature. For most of the rest of us mortals, it’s hard to do it all. Can you help prioritize and explain the differences as you see it between Myspace, Facebook and Twitter?


Ellen: A YA author needs MySpace, where you really connect with a wide range of readers. Facebook tends to be older readers, or at least a bit more mature. Many of my old MySpace readers are now on Facebook. Twitter for me is a real connection to industry professionals. Yes, readers are following my "tweets," but most of the "talking" I do there is with other authors, editors, agents, etc. This also lets our "followers" feel like they're almost voyeurs, I think.


Lee: I just started on Twitter this week - it's a fascinating beast. (140 characters at a time!)

Last question: Can you let me scoop the name of your keynote at the conference? (also, if you give me the day and time, I'll include that!)


Ellen: Saturday, 1:45 (after lunch). Not For the Faint of Heart: The Climb to the Top


Lee: Wonderful! I'll be there, in the front row! Thank you so much, Ellen. We covered some great stuff, and I can't wait to see you at the Summer Conference!


Ellen: Thanks, Lee.


Lee: You ROCK!

Isn't Ellen AMAZING?

Thanks for reading this in-depth interview - and keep clicking back for more great SCBWI Summer Conference scoops and interviews as we continue the countdown to the summer conference! (Now only 11 days away!!!)

Namaste,
Lee

Holly Black: An exclusive SCBWI Team Blog Interview!

Holly Black is one of my heroes. She’s an incredibly talented writer, obsessed (in the best way) with the fantasy worlds of the faerie, and she takes us, her readers, on amazing nail-biting journeys. In “Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale,” a wonderful dark and edge-of-your-seat fantasy, while it was the story of 16 year old Kaye, it was also the story of Corny, a gay teen. For including Corny in the world of Faerie, for including gay people in her staggering flight of fantasy, I will always be one of Holly Black’s most enthusiastic fans.

I had the good fortune to land an exclusive SCBWI Team Blog interview with Holly Black as part of the countdown to SCBWI’s 38th Annual Summer Conference on Writing and Illustrating for Children, coming up August 7-10, 2009 in Los Angeles. (You can still register for it!)

Here, for your enjoyment, is our virtual conversation.

Lee: Hi, Holly. First, let me thank you for agreeing to be interviewed here. I’m really looking forward to this. Ready? Here goes. First question: What’s a perfect writing day for you?


Holly: A perfect writing day is a day where I get a ton of pages written and am able to jot down lots of notes for the book as a whole. Maybe it's the day when I figure out the important twist or something that makes a character I've been struggling with come alive. It's when the pages I produce won't have to be massively revised; instead, they're full of lines that express exactly the feeling I was hoping for.

The perfect writing day almost never happens.


Lee: That made me laugh - but it's good to know what a perfect day WOULD be. You write both Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. Can you tell us what you see as the difference in how you approach those stories?


Holly: I think that whenever I am writing a book, I try and cast myself in the characters' headspace. And when I'm writing middle grade, I try to remember what it felt like to be nine and ten and twelve. What I noticed. What I was interested in. When I'm writing teen books I try to remember what it was like to be sixteen or eighteen or twenty. What I was really doing. What's true. And from there, it's easy to differentiate the way the stories will go.


Lee: That's makes so much sense. Kind of like we writers have to have these multiple ages of arrested development, so we can remember what it was like to be our character's ages!

Here's something I've been wondering: In the world of picture books, there is very little interaction between the writer and the illustrator (unless of course, they’re the same person!) You’ve worked with Tony DiTerlizzi (a writer and illustrator) on the many amazing books in the Spiderwick Chronicles series, and with Ted Naifeh (an illustrator) on the awesome graphic novel “The Good Neighbors.” What’s your vision on the collaboration between words and pictures?


Holly: Actually, what I learned from those experiences was how different it was to work with different artists. With Tony, we'd sit down and discuss the plot together, then I'd go off and write while he drew and we'd send work back and forth with comments. With Ted, we had a much more traditional collaboration. I wrote each of the books and we did briefly discuss the plot (Ted gave me a great idea, in fact - one that changed the whole series) but mostly we each did our work in relative isolation. Right now I am working on a project with the illustrator Rebecca Guay tentatively titled Angels Fall - and that's different too. Like all relationships, each collaboration has its natural flow and finding that is the challenge and, ideally, the fun.


Lee: That makes a lot of sense - just like any two creative people would have different ways of collaborating. You know, I actually listened to the Spiderwick Chronicles as an audio book in my car before I ever saw any of the illustrations, and it completely worked for me. Then I got the books out from the library, and it was so interesting to "see" the characters from Tony's artistic vision. I imagine that if I'd read them with the illustrations first, it would also have been wonderful, but it would have been a different KIND of wonderful. You have books in print, books on audio, and even books made into movies. What do you feel is the ideal way (or order) for people to encounter your stories?


Holly: I feel like as a writer, I hope people will read my books. Listening to them (and certainly viewing them as a film) changes the experience, which is fine too. People should choose the way they like best. There's no wrong way.


Lee: I find that sometimes, there’s this sense that if the literature is going to have so few representations of a minority, there’s an effort to not show that minority character in a bad light - which sometimes leads to them lacking any flaws, and thus being boring. The flip side is that any “bad” traits of the character can seem like you’re stereotyping the entire group.

When you’re writing a character who is part of an under-represented group (like Corny, the gay teen in “Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale”), how do you deal with the pressure of “role modeling” the character?


Holly: The more a character is a complex, layered person, the less that character stands in for any one group, but it's also our job as writers to be responsible in our portrayals. Knowing stereotypes is important, not just in terms of avoiding them but also because the character would be aware of them. And I think it's important to know people in the group being represented.

With Corny, I wanted to reflect some of my gay friends who aren't great a picking out clothes, love computers and other geeky stuff, and who don't fit in easily to mainstream culture, even mainstream gay culture. But Corny's got a lot of other stuff going on with him. Although far from perfect, he's probably the person I identify the best with in all the Modern Faerie Tale books. All his mistakes are ones I think I would make if I was suddenly allowed access to Faerie. I'm glad, though, that in Ironside, he had a chance to work through some of what happened to him in Tithe and also to get a much happier (and deservedly so - he was really put through the wringer) ending.


Lee: Yeah, I loved Corny's character. And I thought you were very brave in including the implied masochistic aspects of Corny’s initial attraction to Nephamael. Can you talk about that choice?


Holly: I think in any kind of relationship where one person has all the power and can literally convince you that pain causes you pleasure, there is going to be a masochistic aspect.

Tithe, as a book, has a lot of power games going on with all the characters. Kaye has total control over Roiben who is also being controlled by Nicnevin because of a promise of servitude he gave to Silarial. Corny is controlled by Nephamael (Nephamael also has control over Roiben at a later part of the book). Faeries are capricious beings, except when bound by promises. It's the only thing rigid about their nature and I was really interested in that. I don't think that Corny is the only person in the book who comes off as a bit of a masochist.


Lee: Yes, the power games were fascinating. I love how you were brave enough to make your gay character a full player!

You had this beautiful pivot moment in “The Good Neighbors. Book One: Kin” where the teen girl character says (pg. 79, for those of you reading along), “A lot of kids have this fantasy that secretly they’re really the princess of a foreign country. Turns out that pretty much sucks.” That theme, that access to a secret world changes you and you can’t go back to your “normal” life before, is something I also see in the world of Tithe, and in the Spiderwick Chronicles. What are the through-lines YOU see in your writing?


Holly: I write a lot about going back home - both metaphorically like where the Grace kids return to a family home, but one they personally have never been in and in the sense of Kaye literally returning to the place where she grew up. I also write a lot about balancing between two worlds or two aspects of yourself. Kaye doesn't want to stay in Faerie forever, Roiben has to figure out how to balance beween the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and in the Spiderwick books Arthur Spiderwick illustrates the perils of a life out of balance.


Lee: I love how you put that. So, with the Summer SCBWI conference quickly approaching, what single piece of advice would you offer to someone planning to attend?


Holly: It's good, I think, to have some goals going in. Maybe you want to focus on some aspect of technique that's really bothering you--like figuring out how to improve your dialogue. Maybe you want to connect with other people for a critique group. Maybe you want to hear about new and interesting agents. Having something [as] a focus helps me remember that it's not possible to do everything. Other than that, have fun and let all the rest happen spontaneously.


Lee: I agree that going into the four day "kidbookapalooza" with a specific intent - at the same time as being open to serendipity - is a great way to approach it. And, the final question of our interview... Would you let me scoop the name of your talk at the conference? (Also, if you know the day and time you'll be speaking I'll include that info for the interview readers!)


Holly: I'm going to be talking about the basics of fantasy writing on Saturday the 9th at 9:30AM. I will be guzzling a lot of coffee to be awake at that hour. Hope you'll come out so I can meet you in person, Lee.


Lee: I'll be there, even if I have to arrive astride a kelpie!

Thank you Holly, for a wonderful interview. I hope all our readers will enjoy it as much as I did!

Namaste,
Lee

Countdown to the Summer SCBWI Conference... 4 weeks to go until the 4 day "Kidbookapalooza!"

Okay, 24 days until the big 38th Annual Summer Conference on Writing and Illustrating for Children, August 7-10, 2009, in Los Angeles, CA!

The conference will be AMAZING, with opportunities to learn and schmooze and grow with writers and editors and agents and illustrators and art directors and other industry professionals!

And, to help us all get excited about the veritable candy-store of good stuff that the four day conference will present, as part of SCBWI TEAM BLOG,

I know, I know, perhaps it's a bit too much "branding,"
but I like having the logo!

I'll be sharing some exclusive interviews with some incredible people over the next 23 days...

I'd tell you who now, but then, where would the surprise be?

Here's what's NOT a surprise - this list of jaw-droppingly talented people speaking at the conference!

Can you believe we'll get to hear luminaries like these???

Holly Black (Tithe! Spiderwick Chronicles!) New York Times Bestseller and Andre Norton Award Winner!

Ellen Hopkins (Crank! Impulse!) New York Times Bestseller!

Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian!) National Book Award Winner!

David Wiesner (Flotsam! Tuesday!) All those amazing no-word picturebooks! Multiple Caldecott Award Winner!

Kathleen Duey (Skin Hunger!) National Book Award Finalist!

And all these Golden Kite Award Winners!

Honestly, it's going to be amazing. You can still register!

And stay tuned here at "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" for some GREAT early Conference SCOOPS!

All right, can you tell I'm excited about this? Or have I been too subtle, having used 19 exclamation points in, um... (wait, I'm counting...) 16 sentences?

Hey, let me know in comments if you're planning to be there! (argh! 20! oh no, that makes 22, I can't control it...)

Namaste,
Lee