Marketing Story: Resources for SCBWI Austin (and Others)
Thank you SCBWI friends for joining Curious City for the webinar Marketing Story: Or How I was Bit by an Ora! Although, it was a little odd to talk at my laptop for 105 minutes, it was grand to know you were on the other end. I offered you some follow-up resources in those sweet minutes. Comment below if I missed any of those promised materials! Discovering Your Readers: An Exercise Use this exercise to investigate who in the reading universe will respond most to your story and how to reach them. Download here. Librarians=Amazon Warriors: Programming Guides Visit our educator and...
Read MoreLesley University Picture Book Seminar
Looking forward to talking picture book engagement at the invite of the indomitable picture book personality, author and MFA in Creative Writing faculty member, David Elliott. Lesley University Picture Book Seminar Sunday, 6/21/15 Marran Theater Lesley University Mellon Street, Cambridge, MA Sponsored by the MFA in Creative Writing 10:30 AM -12:00 PM You’re an Open Book While the world of writers, illustrators and publishers focus on the craft of the picture book, others must facilitate the discovery of and engagement with the final product. From parks to parades to pediatricians (and other...
Read MoreReading for Empathy, Reading for Distance
Looking back on 2013, what were the news stories that you could not get enough of? What stories did you need to avert your eyes from? Sometimes the veil of story allows us – as adult and child readers – to more deeply understand and bear the news of the day. In fact, in a study released by the journal Science, it was found that reading literary fiction makes us more empathetic, socially perceptive, and emotionally intelligent than reading non-fiction or the news. Read more in the New York Times article, “For Better Social Skills, Scientists Recommend a Little...
Read MoreWhy YA?
Curious City spoke with Chris Lenois on WKVT’s Live & Local about “Why YA?” Why is YA (or Young Adult Literature) on the rise amongst non-teen readers and filling movie screens? Listen to the podcast here. In the discussion I touched on the rise of Dystopian fiction and the harrowing fictional issues of war and destruction in these novels being a “first world problem.” I wrote about this topic for the Vermont College of Fine Arts journal Hunger Mountain in an article entitled, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”...
Read MoreAfrican American Children’s Lit on Live & Local
Once again joined the indomitable Chris Lenois on WKVT’s Live & Local to talk children’s literature. Listen here! This month, the conversation focused on President Obama’s call for America to do some “soul searching” about racial bias. One way to help children grow up with less bias is to feed them a steady diet of multicultural books. In honor of Trayvon Martin, we discussed contemporary African American (and cross-group friendship) books from toddler to teen. These books are a “mirror” for African American children showing them themselves in...
Read MoreAll Hat, No Cattle: Marketing Q&A
Thanks to all the creators that attended Curious City’s “All Hat and No Cattle Children’s Book Marketing in Today’s Wild, Wild West” talk at the SCBWI Wild, Wild Midwest Conference. You had great questions. I hope these are great answers. (For those with website or blog questions, I answered your questions over yonder.) CURIOUS CITY How does Curious City work with new clients? What do you cost? Does Curious City work with unpublished authors and illustrators? Self-published creators? Thanks for asking. That is swell of you. These questions are best answered on...
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