Holiday Party edition of our Kid Lit Drink Night - Los Angeles (and photos from our Halloween Costume Bash!)

Join other writers, illustrators, agents, editors, bloggers, librarians, educators, and people who just love children's and teen literature at a Kid Lit Community Holiday Party!

Cash Bar 

(pay as you order),

Cookies 

(bring and share),

Books for needy kids 

(donate unwrapped books, picture-books through YA, and feel all holiday-festive!)

Sat. December 3, 2011 

from 5p.m. - 8p.m. 

at The Wellesbourne  
10929 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064
(Across the street from the Landmark Theater and the Westside Pavilion Mall)

Your Picture Books through Middle Grade Novels will be donated to Knox Elementary School in South Central Los Angeles. They're a new school, and even though they don't have a librarian, their Principal, Ms. Ward, is a huge advocate of reading and has teachers take their students to the library to check out the books. They're incredible excited at the prospect of more and new books for their kids! New and gently used books are fine, ARCs are fine, and donating more than one book is better than fine!

Your Young Adult books will be donated to needy youth as well, and we'll announce the details of that as soon as we can.

***UPDATE SATURDAY DEC 3 - THE DAY OF THE PARTY!***

I got confirmation from Janet Seary, the principal of Central High School/Tri-C, that they would love to accept our YA book donations. They are a continuation school serving at risk youth, and they have 29 classrooms all across the LA school district. There is no main library for these 600-800 students, but each classroom tries to have some books for their teens. The teachers will choose which ones they want for their classrooms from the donations brought.

I'm very excited that we now have two very worthy schools to accept all the books that get donated during our holiday party!

And there's also a YA On the same day, you can also attend Carol M. Tanzman's book launch party for Dancergirl,  a young adult thriller published by Harlequin Teen. Carol's book launch is happening from 4 to 6 PM this Saturday at the Curve Line Space Gallery/Frame Store at 1577 Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock. Lots of people are planning to attend both. We actually extended the time of the Holiday Party so everyone could!

This event will feature live performances, Brooklyn Treats by Eagle Rock Bakery, book sales by Skylight Books, and, of course, Carol and her new book, Dancergirl!

***

It's going to be an amazing time.  Just check out how much fun we had at the Halloween Costume event!

This is my writing group: Sara Wilson Etienne (as Harriet The Spy), Rita Crayon Huang (as Bunnicula) and myself (as the artwork from "The Dot")

Check out more of the amazing costumes from the party:

Kid Lit people are the best.  Thanks to Rita Crayon Huang for the great photographs.  Kid Lit Drink Night - Los Angeles is always so much fun, and we hope you join us for our (and your) Holiday party!

You can RSVP (and see who else is planning on attending) at the party facebook page here, or in comments on this blog.

Namaste,
Lee

Awake - A GLBTQ Teen Anthology

Edited by Tracey Pennington, with a forward by Kathe Koja

Awake features four novellas by some wonderful authors...

Worth Waiting For, by Nancy Garden
When a young lesbian, Marina, falls in love and joins a gay-straight alliance, she learns just how her beloved, very religious mom feels about gay people, and is faced with an agonizing decision.

A Line in the Sand, by Robin Reardon
What could have been just another summer vacation on Hilton Head Island for 15-year-old, out-and-proud Dustin Hamilton takes turn after turn as his infatuation for the exotic Randy Aziz spins him in different directions. Dustin's clear but unspoken challenge to Randy, “Come out of the closet for me, just for a week,” receives first a tentative and then a joyful “Yes!” from Randy. The boys spend days, and a very special evening, on the beach together, learning that their lives are similar in some surprising ways. But coming out takes Randy in a direction neither boy predicted. It's a summer the boys—and their families—will never forget.

Shattered Diamonds, by Jordan Taylor
Told from the point of view of the bully who has made the effort to view the video journal entries of the boy he and his friends have unmercifully harassed. The story painfully inches toward the bully’s epiphany: “The truth—that tiny, precise spark which occasionally crosses my path—is that I do not know how to face his mother and say, ‘I killed your son.’”

Pervert, by Brian Katcher
The unnamed protagonist secretly dresses in his mother’s and his sister’s clothes and suffers the shame that attends any realization that one’s physical gender is just simply “wrong.” But the boy’s sister comes to the rescue and actually accepts him to the point of dressing him up herself. His sister concludes: “Sometimes holding something inside can just eat you up. Sometimes a secret isn’t so hard to deal with if you share it with someone.”


And here's something else really great about this anthology:  all net proceeds will benefit The Trevor Project, the 24 hour lifeline for GLBTQ & Allied youth in crisis at 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (1-866-488-7386.)

Add your review of "Awake" in comments!

Transgender People Undergoing Forced Sterilization in... Sweden? (And France, the Netherlands, Australia, and some U.S. States)!!!

It's shocking how gender non-conformity is so threatening.

I had no idea this was going on.  Check out this article at Huffington Post Gay Voices, about transgender actress Aleksa Lundberg and how she's fighting the laws that force transgender people like her to never be biological parents.

Wow.

Evidently, Italy and Germany just overturned similar laws.

There's lots of work still to do, and lots injustice still to fight.

Namaste,
Lee

p.s. - My thanks to Karol for sharing this with me, so I could share it with all of you.

Letters! (Some of my favorite things...)

"Thank You" letters from sixth graders

I recently got this batch of letters from students who participated in my Smashing Stereotypes Workshops. They're sixth graders at an independent school in Los Angeles, and clearly they were given the assignment "write a thank you letter to our speaker."  No matter the motivation for writing me, reading their thoughts about what they learned, and how the workshop effected them, is pretty awesome.

Here are ten of my favorites:

"Dear Mr. Wind,
Thank you so much for coming to talk to us.  Your "Smashing Stereotypes" workshop was amazing.  It was inspiring.  I've had people tease me about going to a private school and for being too white because my whole building is Latino.  I am Latino.  But now I feel like I have the power to stand up to them.  Thank you so much! Namaste,"

"Dear Mr. Wind,
Thank you so much for sharing "Smashing Stereotypes" with us.  I really appreciated the time and hard work you put into making the presentation.  I enjoyed the part where we put the stereotypes on the sticky notes and them crumpled them to show we were "smashing" them.  I will remember the part when you said that people need to know more than one thing about a person to then know all about them.  Your presentation will help me throughout my life. Namaste,"

"Dear Mr. Wind,
Thank you so much for coming to our school to explain stereotypes to us.  To me this is a very important concept that isn't recognized in our messed up world.  One of my stereotyped traits is that I am Persian.  In addition to that, I am a Jew.  I am very proud of my heritage but once someone asked me if I was a terrorist and I felt horrible after that.  Since then, I have always been against racial profiling and have tried to help as best I can because of my past experiences.  What really stood out to me were the examples of gay men or kids who actually killed themselves or were killed.  I really think that it was amazing and must be stopped.  I also liked how you gave us an activity that was really important.  I think I took away many things form [sic] your lesson, however, I thought that one stereotype that you may consider putting in your presentation is the one about Muslims being terrorists.  Thank you so much once again for coming. Sincerely,"

"Dear Mr. Wind,
Thank you so much for coming in.  I really enjoyed your talk because I have been the butt of some racist jokes before.  You are a great speaker and really touched on many different aspects of stereotypes.  You did a great job and it was one of the highlights of my week.  Thanks."

"Dear, Mr. Wind
You have taught me soo much and now I know how tough it can be to be bullied.  Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedual [sic.]"

"Dear Mr. Wind,
Thank you so much for coming to 6th grade to talk to us about "Smashing Stereotypes." I think that it  was very important for our class to hear about the children who committed suicide and others who were killed.  It helped us understand that bullying is completely wrong and that people shouldn't be teased for being who they are. What really stood out to me is that you didn't just focus on the negative things; you also focused on positive things.  I learned that just everyone should just accept who people are and that everyone is a bit different from another.  Everyone has a stereotype like if you are blonde you are dumb, or if you are Latino you are a laborer, or if you are Jewish you have an accent.  Your presentation taught me a bit more how stereotypes have been proved completely wrong.  I was inspired by your presentation and it helped me and my classmates smash stereotypes.  Yours Truly,"

"Dear Mr. Wind,
Thank you so much, for coming to our class to talk to us about stereotypes.  Like you, I'm glad we talked about it this year and no later.  I loved how you made us stomp on the stereotypes, and I especially enjoyed the video you showed us.  It's a very good thing you're doing, teaching kids that there is always hope.  Namaste,  THANK YOU!"

"Dear Mr. Wind,
Thank you for coming to present your workshop.  Your presentation was very well put together and really stood out to me.  I really liked how you showed us all of these pictures and now I have a completely different outlook on gay and lesbian people.  I took away with me that everyone is different in a good way.  Thank you again sooooooooooo much.  Namaste,"

"Dear Mr. Wind,
Thank you so much for coming to [our school] and presenting your amazing workshop.  Smashing Stereotypes made me really think about all the crazy stenotypes [sic] that go on in this world.  I really appreciate the program you run and how you stand for people who are being treated badly.  You made me, personally, really want to make a stand for stereotypes and "smash" them to.  I loved how you told us to write down stereotypes and then step on them and smash them at the end.  You made me think a lot about everything and every story you told.  Tango makes three really stood out to me.  It's crazy how it is the most DANGOUOUS [sic] book in the WORLD!  I loved the presentation and what you stand for.  Thank you so much for coming.  It made an impact on [our] school.  Namaste,"

"Dear Mr. Wind,
First of all, thank you so much for coming in to speak with us.  I [heart] every thing you stand 4.  I made me start thinkin' real hard, why is there sooo much HATE in this world?  I thought and I thought, but, I couldn't come to a logical conclusion.  However, what I did come to a logical conclusion about was that if we all try hard we can bring LOVE into this world.  Your whole presentation reminded me of a famous M.L.K. Jr. quote "Hate cannot drive out hate, only [heart] can do that."  What you do is so kind, and when you talked you had so much passion.  THANK YOU FOR TEACHING ME THAT EVERY STORY DESERVES A HAPPILY EVER AFTER!  Namaste,"

I love doing these workshops, engaging with students and empowering them to change our world for the better.  And I loved getting these letters in the mail.
Thanks for letting me share.

Namaste,
Lee

Conan O'Brien Officiates A Gay Wedding On His TV Show

This was awesome to watch.


Thanks Conan, and Scott and David, for sharing this moment with over three quarters of a million viewers.  And with us.

Enjoy,

Oh, the world is changing for the better.

Namaste,
Lee

And thanks to my husband for sharing it with me.  I'd marry you again, cameras or no cameras. 

The ACLU walks you through HOW TO START A Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Club at YOUR School!

I really liked this video, and hope you find it useful:



Good Luck with your GSA!

Namaste,
Lee

85A - A gay punk-rock 1980s novel

By Kyle Thomas Smith

It’s a subzero Chicago morning on January 23, 1989, and Seamus is at his fighting best. Braving the bitter cold at the 85A bus stop, Seamus rails against his repressive environment in anticipation of his “the-minute-I-turn-18” move to London.

Liberated by failure when kicked out of school for yet another late appearance, Seamus makes a break for London via an Amtrak to the mean streets of Late Eighties Manhattan.

Add your review of 85A in comments!

Gender 101, episode #16: The Alien Abduction Question

Okay, my conversation with our gender-queer friend Lucy really is about Masculinity, Femininity and Androgyny. About how we identify, on the outside and on the inside. And even about the gender-loaded terms "handsome" and "beautiful."

But the Alien question is in there.



Thanks, Lucy!

Namaste,
Lee

The Quarterback's Secret - Pride Pack #3

By Ruth Sims (writing as R.J. Hamilton)

Set in the mid-1990s, The Pride Pack is a group of teenagers who band together to help each other out in a time before teens were equipped with cell phones, when homework was done in a notebook rather than on a laptop, and when gay-straight alliances were nothing but a pipe dream.

Athletics remain largely homophobic environments. How will his teammates react if 16-year-old baseball pitching star Ben Reis admits he is gay? And so he mostly lies about his sexuality even when he is with the Pride Pack at the local gay and lesbian community center. All that may change however as the result of his falling through a sinkhole into an unknown cavern and learning The Quarterback’s Secret ...

This is book three in the Pride Pack series, with the first two, Who Framed Lorenzo Garcia? and The Case Of The Missing Mother being re-issued by Cheyenne Publishing with new covers:

And this is really cool - the author is donating her royalties from all three titles in this series to The Trevor Project. 

Add your review of "The Quarterback's Secret" in comments!

The Blair Academy in New Jersey Wrestling Team's It Gets Better Video, and Athlete Ally... Now what about YOUR school's teams?

Happy Halloween! 

In keeping with the American tradition of trick or treating (kids dressing up in costumes and going door to door to collect candy...) this post is divided up into one trick and one treat.

First, the treat:

Check out this amazing (and under one minute) It Gets Better Video, by the wrestling team at Blair Academy:



And Athlete Ally (started by Hudson Taylor) has a pledge on their home page:

I pledge to lead my athletic community to respect and welcome all persons, regardless of their perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Beginning right now, I will do my part to promote the best of athletics by making all players feel respected on and off the field.

I think that's pretty amazing. 

Then, the trick:

Here's a video of Hudson doing a crazy-impressive card trick!


Now, the changing our world for the better:

So how about it?  What about YOUR sports teams at your school?  Can you and your GSA club team up with them and encourage them to sign this pledge?  Can they make an It Gets Better video?

Hudson and these athletes at Blair are leading the way, and making things better.

Let's join them!

Namaste,
Lee

Rachel Maddow and the blog Good As You catch the anti-gay marriage campaign FAKING support in New Hampshire

Check this video out, it's outrageous:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And get this, at the Good As You blog, they show how after two days the anti-gay marriage organization took down the fake anti-gay rights photo Rachel showed above and replaced it with... wait for it... a photo from the New York City march against gay marriage. Um, still not actually showing support in New Hampshire for taking away gay people's right to marry.

It's so important for us to be savvy consumers of media and advertising, and this story really highlights how critical it is to have reporters and bloggers and the media as watchdogs to catch these kinds of tricks and expose them.

I love how Rachel says "Caught You!" at the end.

Yeah. We sure did.

Namaste,
Lee


ps- thanks to Kathryn for the heads-up about this!

Good News! I'm the new Captain of Team Blog and the new official Blogger for SCBWI!

I'm very excited to finally announce that the organization I adore so much, the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), is now an even bigger part of my journey, as I am part of theirs!

As of ten minutes ago my first post as their new official blogger is up at the newly re-designed SCBWI: THE BLOG.

Don't fear - I'll still be blogging here daily Monday through Friday, 50 weeks a year!

Blogging for SCBWI will let me do more and blog more in the world of children's literature, and I'm very grateful for that opportunity!

I hope you continue to share the adventure...

Namaste,
Lee

Gender 101, episode #15: transsexual, transgender, and drag queen/drag king

Join me for episode #15 - where Lucy defines and distinguishes between the terms "Transsexual," "Transgender," "Drag King" and "Drag Queen."



The movie Lucy mentions is "Paris is Burning" - I watched it years ago, and remember it being fascinating and really entertaining.  

As always with these discussions, I learned so much.  And I'm delighted to share these videos with all of you.

Namaste,
Lee

"Pop-It" by Raghava KK - an ipad picture book app I wish I'd had when I was a child

Check out this great TED talk that's less than 5 minutes:



It's how I heard about "Pop-It" - a charming non-narrative word-less app for the youngest kids (pre-school, really) that shows a family potty training, looking in a mirror, changing a diaper, at bath and play time. There are fun things readers can do by touching the screen - make the parent giggle, have the child make a silly face, have a baby elephant tiptoe out from behind a chair. The sound effects are a nice element, and they compliment the quirky illustrations.

But the real power of this picture book app is what happens when you shake the entire ipad. The two dad family becomes a two mom family. And then the two mom family becomes a one-mom-one-dad family. And then that one-mom-and-one-dad family becomes a two dad family again!

The story starts out showing the child with two dads

Shake the ipad, and the two dads transform to two moms!

That shift of perspective, and it's thematic message that love (and potty training, etc...) is the same in all kinds of families, is mind-blowing in both its simplicity and power.

I'm really excited about this picture book app, and I wish I'd had it to read and shake and read and shake when I was a little kid.

My thanks to Sarinah for letting me know about this, so I could share it with all of you!

Namaste,
Lee

Samuel comes out about the conversion therapy he faced at the hands of his own parents

It's pretty harrowing:



Whoa.

The father beating him.

The lies about how he was the last gay person in the country (the government had tracked down and killed the rest) and if they found him they'd kill him, too.

The moment with his mother on the roof - "I'll love you again if you change."

It's so sad that his parents can't accept their child for who he authentically is. As Samuel says,

"I can't change what I never chose."

Yes.

And that's the choice - not to be gay or not be gay, but if you are gay you choice is that you can either lie, or be authentic.

Kudos to Samuel for being authentic, and for telling his story to help let others know they're not alone.

This video was posted as part of the I'm From Driftwood project.

We have much still to do.

Namaste,
Lee