Category Archives: books

11

Jul. ’11

Self and Other: Writing Biography

Ash Ketchum and Pikachu together in the pilot ...

Image via Wikipedia

Writing biographies is fun!  Many children love researching the lives of people that they admire and then producing mini-books about them.

I’ve also found that children respond with delight when they use the 3rd person to describe themselves or write the biography of imaginary characters!

Here is an example of a boy whose autobiography was predictable and mundane (I am 9 years old.  I have one sister.  I like Pokémon), but his biography (based on an interview he did with himself) is clever and full of voice.

Adam wants to be a college professor when he grows up because they make more money than teachers.  He knows a lot about science and animals (did you know a cricket uses its teeth to chirp?).  He loves to go to school because he gets to learn about things like magnets (did you know the cow magnet is the strongest of the weak magnets and it only has to be 3 cm away from metal to attract it?).   In his free time Adam likes to play Pokémon.  He likes that they have mysterious powers (did you know that some Pokémon’s contain electricity in their cheek pouches and when they get too much they are magnetized?).  Adam’s favorite book series is Diary of a Wimpy Kid because it’s so funny.

By Adam, 3rd grade

Third person gave Adam the distance he needed to see what makes him unique and wonderful!

by Marcia Chamberlain, Writers in the Schools

Posted by . Categories: books, homeschooling, humor, inspiration, Lesson plan, self-portrait, student, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: , . Leave a comment

27

May. ’11

The First Rule for Writers: Read

White Teeth

Image by life serial via Flickr

Zadie Smith, a British novelist whose first novel White Teeth was an instant bestseller when published in 2000, shared with Guardian some of her rules for writers, and I was struck with her first one:

When still a child, make sure you  read a lot of books. Spend more time doing this than anything else.

As a mother, teacher, and writer, I want my children and students to love writing as much as I do.   Sometimes, though, I fall headfirst into the black hole of assessments and testing.  I become obsessed with achievement as the district or the state defines and measures it.  I immerse myself in “best practices.”   I lose sight of the simplicity of Zadie Smith’s first rule for writers: read.

When I realize I’m in this black hole, I head directly to the library.  I browse the shelves for a good book to share with my students.  Then, I choose one for myself.  When I read for pleasure, I remember what I loved as child, which always allows me to write in more profound ways than a test question ever will.

by Marcia Chamberlain, Writers in the Schools

Posted by . Categories: books, education, inspiration, writers in the schools. Tags: , . Leave a comment

23

May. ’11

Get Thee to the Library!

Dome of the Thomas Jefferson Building of the L...

Image via Wikipedia

I will never forget the impact that Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet Laureate in 1985, had on me when she visited my high school and spoke to a small group of us in our school library.  She read a few poems, including ones from We Real Cool, and then answered questions.   One of the questions was about the Library of Congress.

She explained that the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, in terms of shelf space and number of books. It was built by Congress in 1800 and housed in the United States Capital until much of the collection was destroyed in the War of 1812.

Today the Library of Congress is housed in 3 different buildings and contains over 147 million items.  Although it is open to the public, only members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, and high-ranking government officials, including the Poet Laureate, may check out books.

I remember Ms. Brooks sweeping her arms in an arc across my high school library and saying that we must fill the libraries of the world with books by all sorts of people, not just the ones we relate to easily.

Thank you, Ms. Brooks.

by Marcia Chamberlain, Writers in the Schools

Posted by . Categories: books, Reading, travel. Tags: , , . Leave a comment

19

May. ’11

Students Respond to Civil Rights Exhibit Tonight at the Menil

Dan Budnik photograph, The Menil Collection

WITS invites you to The Watchful Eye Reading, at 7PM tonight at the Menil Collection, 1515 Sul Ross. Writers in the Schools (WITS) has developed a unique program (initiated with the support of The Menil Collection in 1989) in which students visiting the museum write poetry and prose inspired by the work on view. WITS is one of many community nonprofits commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the Freedom Rides through the Freedom Now Project, Houston’s effort to retrace the Civil Rights Movement through educational programs and initiatives. At this event, The Watchful Eye, students will read their work inspired by the photographs in the Civil Rights exhibit The Whole World Was Watching. Award-winning journalist and author Mignette Patrick Dorsey will deliver the keynote speech. Following is a poem written by Brittany who tells us what courage is in her own words.

Power

I am very brave

Who or what can

Stand in my way?

I am fighting for my rights.

I know right from wrong.

I am a black man

With a lot of power and

Might in my hands and

Yes, I have many worries.

I might not be understood

But I know my place in this

World. My eyes hold a lot of

Things. My future is in my

Dreams, and I’m happy to

Know where I stand.

By Brittany, 12th grade

Posted by . Categories: art, books, education, event, Houston, inspiration, poetry, Reading, story, student, writer, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: , , , . Leave a comment

18

May. ’11

Ryan Dilbert’s Book Tour Starts at Kaboom Books

WITS Writer Ryan Dilbert will launch the tour for his book, Time Crumbling Like a Wet             Cracker (No Record Press), on Thursday, May 19, 2011, 7:30 PM at Kaboom Books, located in the Heights at 3116 Houston Ave.

In a review of Ryan’s book, Jillian Lauren,  author of N.Y. Times bestselling memoir Some  Girls: My Life in a Harem, writes:

Audrey, a failed tattoo artist with a worthless  history degree, just fled an abusive marriage and  lost the footrace to the joint bank account.  Wallowing in self-pity, and hard up for cash, she hasn’t noticed that things are a little out of sync lately.

Was Benjamin Franklin really hit by a car outside a Taco Bell? Did Segway-riding Huns overrun the East Coast? How did Chevy Chase escape human sacrifice at the hands of the Aztecs, and why are archeologists unearthing Green Bay Packers helmets alongside the bones of neanderthal hunters?

Deep in Wisconsin woods, a deranged scientist is slipping back through time, in a quest to purge recorded history of evil. But this experiment has gone terribly wrong, and somehow it’s now up to Audrey to put things right before the world descends into chaos.

In Time Crumbling like a Wet Cracker, Ryan Dilbert deftly negotiates the surreal twists and turns of a unique time travel adventure.  Dilbert is as witty as he is poignant.  He exposes the complexities often embedded in our seemingly simple good intentions and allows us to look at the world with a radically titled and thought provoking perspective.

Join Ryan for an evening of fun at Kaboom Books!

by Marcia Chamberlain, WITS writer

Posted by . Categories: books, event, fiction, Houston, story, writers in the schools. Tags: , . Leave a comment

16

May. ’11

Father/Son Writing Duo

WITS writers often turn to Paul Fleischman when they teach choral poetry. His book Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices has delightful, double-column poems about insects. The poems, which include everything from a love affair between lice to fireflies writing in the sky, are written for two readers alternating turns.

What I did not realize until recently is that Paul’s father Sid Fleischman was also an accomplished writer, who like his son, is a recipient of a Newbery Award. In addition to writing screenplays, Sid is the author of notable children’s books such as The Whipping Boy.

For anyone interested in knowing what it is like to be a writer (and a magician), Sid Fleischman’s book The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer’s Life offers one picture. The book is divided into 43 short chapters that begin with humorous excerpts from letters that Fleischman has received over the years from children. One child, after being asked by his teacher to write a thank-you letter to Fleischman, the visiting author at his school, wastes no time getting to his main point, “Please don’t come back to my school. I hate to write letters.”

Try this:
Go to your local library this week and check out some books by Paul and Sid Fleischman! Then, write a poem for two voices. Record your poem with a friend or parent!

by Marcia Chamberlain, Writers in the Schools

Posted by . Categories: books, creativity, family, father, writer, writers in the schools, writing, writing prompts. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment

11

May. ’11

Child Authors

When our daughter turned 4 years old, we signed her up for the Summer Creative Writing Workshops sponsored by Writers in the Schools and Rice University’s School Literacy & Culture Project. Carrie wasn’t really “writing” at all when she started camp, but she was bursting with energy and ideas. By the end of camp, she had amassed, through dictation and scribbling and drawing, a stunning portfolio of stories and poems and illustrations. She announced to anyone who would listen, “I’m a writer.” And she was.

If you have a young child and you’re looking for a wonderful summer literacy experience, please visit our website to sign up for summer writing camp. You may be nurturing the next Hilda Conkling!

Hilda Conkling started writing poetry daily when she was just four years old. Her mother, a teacher at Smith College, began sending Hilda’s poems to magazines and when she was 10, she had one hundred poems collected and published entitled Poems by a Little Girl.

by Marcia Chamberlain, Writers in the Schools

Posted by . Categories: books, creativity, Houston, poetry, publishing, student, writer, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a comment

06

May. ’11

Book Jargon

These days I’m amazed and excited by all the new book jargon. In addition to nooks and kindles and kobo e-readers, there are terms such as POD, reflow, and XML. It makes me giddy.

On the other hand, I still love good old-fashioned book jargon too. When our oldest daughter was in kindergarten, she learned about the basic parts of the book: the cover, the spine, the table of contents. I smiled and smiled as she named and pointed to each one.

When I teach book jargon, I gravitate to the less practical terms. Who can resist the beauty of sticker ghost, the place where glue from a sticker has reacted chemically to discolor the surface leaving a ghost-like trace? My students always like words such as worming, the small hole in the page of a book left by a book worm, and dog-eared, when the corners of pages have been turned down like a dog’s ear.

Do you have a favorite book term? Share it with us in the comments section.

by Marcia Chamberlain, Writers in the Schools

Posted by . Categories: books, publishing, writers in the schools. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

14

Apr. ’11

Gulf Coast Reading Series this Friday at Brazos

What: WITS Writers Laura Eve Engel, Eric Kocher, and Kent Shaw will close the Gulf Coast Reading Series presented by the University of Houston’s English Department and Brazos Bookstore. Rid your tax-day troubles with a nice helping of  literature read by Houston’s finest.

When: Friday, April 15, 2011 at 7PM

Where: Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet

Cost: Free and open to the public

More about the Authors

Laura Eve Engel’s work has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Third Coast, Washington Square, Zone 3, Denver Quarterly, Caketrain and elsewhere. She finger-picks a mean guitar. Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, she returns to her hometown in the summer, where she works as the Head Counselor at the UVa Young Writers Workshop.

Eric Kocher is a third year MFA student at the University of Houston. His work has appeared (or is forthcoming) in Boston Review, Diagram, H_ngm_n, RATTLE, Third Coast, and Washington Square Review.

Kent Shaw’s first book Calenture was published by University of Tampa Press in 2008. His work has appeared in Denver Quarterly, Colorado Review, AGNI, The Journal and elsewhere. He is in his final year of his PhD at the University of Houston and works as a writer for Writers in the Schools.

Posted by . Categories: books, event, fiction, poetry, Reading, writer, writers in the schools. Tags: , , . Leave a comment

25

Mar. ’11

Brazos Launches It Gets Better Book Event Sat

WITS is a proud sponsor of the town hall meeting and book launch for It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living held this Saturday, March 26th from 4 to 6 PM at Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonet. The public is invited to an evening marked by selected readings, screening of YouTube testimonials, and open discussion. Refreshments will be served. Free.

Posted by . Categories: books, event, Houston, Reading, writers in the schools. Tags: , . Leave a comment

24

Mar. ’11

Inprint Cool Brains! Hosts Rebecca Stead

What: Cool Brains! Inprint Readings for Young People presents bestselling children’s author Rebecca Stead

When: Sunday, March 27, 2011, 3:00 PM

Where: Pershing Middle School, 3838 Blue Bonnet @ Stella Link

Cost: Free and open to the public

Click here for more information.

From Inprint:

Enjoy an afternoon with bestselling children’s author Rebecca Stead. Stead will make a lively presentation about her work, followed by an audience Q&A and book sale and signing, giving attendees a chance to visit with the author. Enter a drawing to win a poster signed by Rebecca Stead.

Rebecca Stead is the celebrated author of When You Reach Me, winner of the 2010 John Newbery Medal. The novel, partially inspired by Stead’s favorite childhood book, A Wrinkle in Time, became a New York Times Notable Book and hit the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. Centered around timely coming-of-age themes, the novel is a mystery set in the gritty reality of New York City in 1979, with glimpses into the future. The New York Times Book Review writes, “Every word, every sentence, has meaning and substance … [in this] smart and mesmerizing book.”

Stead’s first novel, First Light, a Junior Library Guild selection, is set during a scientific expedition to Greenland and touches on the challenge of climate change.

Posted by . Categories: books, event, Houston, Reading. Tags: , , . Leave a comment

16

Mar. ’11

Oops II

Cover of "Oops!"

Cover of Oops!

Because of the crushed house,

Because of the pig,

Because of the glass of

Milk, because of the spinning

Saw, because of the rock,

The house fell down.

So they bought a new

House.                  They bought a car,

A porch swing,

They bought a grill, and they

Bought a TV.

The pig got on the porch swing,

Swung high,

And did, mistakenly,

Of course, crash the car; the car

Knocked the grill, dropped

The pork belly. Oops!

Then the TV showed reruns over

And over until the TV

Broke, so Oops!

A pig child came out

Of the house, and played with his sword

And he sliced the pole

That held             the new house

Together and the house

Fell down. Oops!

Everything happened

Because of the pig and the swing!

By Michelle, 3rd grade

Posted by . Categories: animal, books, food, humor, writers in the schools. Tags: , , . 1 Comment

11

Feb. ’11

WITS Writers to Read Tonight at Brazos

What: WITS Writers Chuck Carlise and Ryler Dustin will share their work tonight at Brazos Bookstore as part of the Gulf Coast Reading Series, sponsored by the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program. This event is free and open to the public.

When: 7PM, February 11

Where: Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnett

About the Writers

Chuck Carlise was born in Canton, Ohio, and has since lived in twelve states and on two continents.  He holds degrees from Wittenberg University and the University of California at Davis, and has been awarded fellowships from the Mitchell Center, Wildacres, Inprint, and the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow.  His poetry and nonfiction appear in Southern Review, Quarterly West, Beloit Poetry Journal, Cimarron Review, and others.  He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in literature and creative writing at the University of Houston, where he is the nonfiction editor of the journal Gulf Coast.  He has taught with WITS for three years.

Ryler Dustin is originally from Bellingham, a small town near Seattle, but has traveled across the U.S. performing poetry and teaching poetry workshops in venues like New York’s Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe and the Berkley Poetry Slam. His collection Head Lead Birdsong was recently published by Write Bloody and has earned him a Pushcart nomination, the Sue C. Boynton Award, and the Bart Baxter Award. He has been a finalist in the Individual World Poetry Slam and is now an M.F.A. candidate at the University of Houston.

Posted by . Categories: books, event, fiction, Houston, publishing, Reading, writer, writers in the schools. Tags: , , , . Leave a comment

03

Feb. ’11

PBS Kids GO! Writers Contest Gives Green Light

Ready, set, go! Houston writers and artists in grades kindergarten – 3rd for the 2011 PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest now accepting entries until March 21st.  Sharpen your pencils and your thinking skills for a chance to write and illustrate your stories, and win prizes for your hard work. To enter, click here.

Posted by . Categories: art, books, contest, creativity, education, event, fiction, Houston, imagination, inspiration, story, student writing contest. Tags: , . Leave a comment

28

Jan. ’11

Reading Inside

Open Window SeasonI remember reading inside the cool living room on a hot summer day,
With my mom cutting fresh lettuce for dinner tonight,
With my grandmother humming an old song like a radio.
I remember reading inside the cool living room on a hot summer day,
With hundreds and hundreds of feet of damp grass in front of my eyes,
With the smooth eaves shaking as a light breeze blows, dancing on the wonderful stage.
I remember reading inside the cool living room on a hot summer day,
With my cousin playing a beautiful piano song,
With my mind calming down and my heart full of peace.
I feel there’s something around me, like a color.
Did you notice?

By Ashley, 6th grade

Photo by Chiot’s Run via Flickr

Posted by . Categories: books, family, memory, mother, place. Tags: , , , . Leave a comment