TOMORROW! COTUIT ARTS CENTER! POETS!
Just a quick hit to say, POETSPEAK 2012 tomorrow at the Cotuit Arts Center with poet Christine Rathbun Ernst. A workshop for TEEN poets. Come on down! Always attempt to register but, face it, poets aren’t always following the rules. Funded by a grant from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod.
A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness
Monsters. Nightmares, the kind you don’t know if they are real or not. Perhaps a title like ‘A Monster Calls’ will lead you to imagine fear, ripping skin, terror, horror and dark stories…but it’s not that way. Oh, yes, there is a Monster. This Monster - do you know your celtic/druidic lore? – is a yew tree come to life in Conor’s dreams, or rather nightmares. Is the Monster real? Real things happen that he talks to Conor about…but always the Monster asks, “What is your fear, Conor?” Conor’s life is in upheaval. Denial of his mother’s serious illness, denial of a father who isn’t choosing to be a present father for Conor, denial of emotions have seemed to bring this ‘Monster’ – an old yew tree he can see from his house – to very, scary life. And, yet, Conor isn’t afraid of the Monster, but the Monster knows what Conor fears. That’s why the Monster has ‘walked’ again.
Patrick Ness is the author of the Chaos Walking Chronicles. This story comes from an idea that Siobhan Down brought forth before her life was taken by cancer. A tale that is enhanced by the mythology, realism and human courage. It may sound ‘ho hum’, but it isn’t. And, for those families who have children, teens dealing with loss of a parent through illness, ‘A Monster Calls’ could be a cathartic read. It is well-written, well told and superbly illustrated by Jim Kay.
Walter Dean Myers – Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
One cannot really tell early on in life what’s in store for that particular life. And Walter Dean Myers, newly appointed National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is surely a testament to that. We all harbor potential. We harbor an individual will. We all are born into a particular family, a particular environment, and a free for all for the choices we make once we hit the earth running. Walter Dean Myers could have been something else besides an author who is respected for his authenticity of voice, his commitment to young people’s truths, and will now be a trumpeter to the tune of ‘Reading is Not Optional…”, his theme. Past Ambassadors have included Jon Sciezska and Katherine Paterson. Not too shabby a crew, I’d say. The following gives you a flavor of Myer’s modus operandi, in his own words, of writing for today’s youth:
Myers’ 2009 title, “Amiri and Odette: A Love Story,” is a modern retelling of “Swan Lake.” “I had seen the ballet of ‘Swan Lake’ as a child. But it was as an adult, when I saw a production featuring Erik Bruhn, that I first noticed how significant a part the ever-present threat of violence played. This juxtaposition of great beauty and grace with a backdrop of pure evil stayed with me for years. As a writer, I absorb stories, allow them to churn within my own head and heart — often for years — until I find a way of telling them that fits both my time and temperament.”
“In listening to Peter Tchaikovsky’s score,” Myers continues, “I found the violence muted, but slowly, in my head; the sometimes jarring rhythms of modern jazz and hip-hop began to intervene. I asked myself if there were modern dangers to young people similar to the magic spells of folklore. The answer of course, was a resounding yes, and I began to craft a modern, urban retelling of the ‘Swan Lake’ballet.”
If you could pick an author, poet, singer, rapper, artist who speaks to you…who would it be? Someone who says what you won’t out loud? Someone who risks what you aren’t ready to yet? Someone who tells their truth that in turn speaks to you? Someone whose words remnd you to ”Lighten up. It gets better.” That’s the value of those who go before us, sometimes a path is laid down that you can use as you build your own internal compass. And, I also think of Vanessa Gregory, a young adult Sandwich author, poet, college student whose truth is getting others to share their personal truths in writing, seriously and funningly (new word!). Walter Dean Myers would probably enjoy meeting Vanessa.
As a wrap, to those of you who even make it to this teeny, tiny, itsy-bitsy blog with erratic posts, keep your ears open for those Ambassadors of Young People’s Literature. They arrive in many shapes, ages and attitudes. And, please, do not forget…READING IS NOT OPTIONAL.
Peace Poetry contest
17th Annual Peace Week Poetry Contest
Veterans For Peace, Cape Cod invites submissions of poems to celebrate Peace Week, April 9–13, 2012. The poetry contest is open to all Cape & Islands writers. Winners will be selected from 14 categories from grades K–12 and adults.
Veterans For Peace, Cape Cod invites submissions of poems to celebrate Peace Week, April 9–13, 2012. The poetry contest is open to all Cape & Islands writers. Winners will be selected from 14 categories from grades K–12 and adults.
The submission & rules form is located in the Poetry contest(s) link site to your visual right.
Poetry Out Loud : Poetry Out Loud: In Their Own Words
Poetry Out Loud : Poetry Out Loud: In Their Own Words.
The age of inspiration…that’s you!
HALF LIFE….some REALLY interesting dragons…
I am halfway into the 6&7/8th Book Group January title, ‘Her Majesty’s Dragon’ by Naomi Novik. Thank you BJS for the suggestion. This is an involving read and if you are a little bit Eragon, Sherlock Holmes (that’s the language part), aviator/sailor(ess), altered history fan, read this one. Surprised by the story-line which does not seem hokey. There is only one part so far I would ask … how come dragons know the English language so well from Day One after hatching? It takes people years to put together a sentence. Oh well, that’s a dragon for you, and not just any dragon, a Chinese Imperial Dragon, most rare and precious. In this Chinese New Year of the Dragon – beginning January 23rd – this is just an added attraction to reading this title now. If you are in 6th,7th, or 8th grades and would like to read this one and then share your ideas, please come to the next meeting January 26th, Thursday at 5:15 pm. You do not have to come to every discussion, drop-ins ok but registering helps me figure out how much food to put down on the table. We meet in the Teen Reads area.
Where does e-waste end up? | Greenpeace International
Just a moment to say something about all those wonderful gadgets we keep getting to ‘get teched.’ Maybe ‘Wall-E’ had it right, but, just like it’s good to know where your food comes from, it’s also good to know where your trash ends up. Hint: It’s not your backyard. This is a link from Greenpeace, so there is a certain forthright ‘in your face’ about it but, heh, now you are in the know.
Dark Life and the 6&7/8ths Book Group
Wrap that year up and end it well. What a great group to meet with at the first 6&7/8th Book Group discussing Kat Fall’s ‘Dark Life.’ Conversation ranged - as it should – from tectonic plates (How did this world change so much?), to the validity of the ‘liquigen’ featured in the book, to Ray Bradbury’s story about ‘The Butterfly’ (or was it a moth?) changing the outcome of history to plain, old “Is this story” ?. For 6th-8th grade readers to meet and converse like this was great to be a part of. Our next read is Naomi Novik’s ”Her Majesty’s Dragon” (‘Temeraire’ saga), set during the Napoleonic Wars and guess what the secret weapon is? A little bit of steampunk here and history. So, our first read was sci-fi. The next, alt-hist and next? Don’t know yet. We’ll be meeting January 26th, Thursday. Go to Events Calendar to sign on. I have reserved a few of the books for the next read and you can pick them up at the library if you have registered. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! WHAT’S THE NEXT BIG STORY LINE? Vampires – over? at least waning?; Dystopian – in process; Romance (all kinds) – always; Steampunk? Graphic retelling of the Classics? Zombies? SciFi reborn?….tell me what you think.
Temeraire aka His Majesty's Dragon
The New and the Old…..
The New and the Old…books, friends, stories, technology and so forth. Goin’ back over 2011 and thinking about the books. My favorites that I read were the Hunger Games series, the Young Sherlock Holmes series; the incredible non-fiction book about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire – ‘Flesh and Blood So Cheap’; the books of Dana Reinhardt, particularly ‘The Things a Brother Knows’ (the PB came out this year) for instance. This was the 2nd year of The Bookies, and now we have a regular Bookie producer who has created two bookies so far for the blog. Another great way to find out about stories or get into the creative mode with YouTube and do your own review of something you’ve read and recommend. It was the year of ‘Louder Than a Bomb’ documentary highlighting the largest teen poetry slam in the nation in Chicago. Inspirational and kick-ass smart. Our Poet Speak 2011 was small but mighty this year, and coming up is Poet Speak 2012, this year funded in part by a grant from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. Poetry Workshop for teen slam poets/poets coming up in January at the Cotuit Center for the Arts with Christine Rathbun - FREE! The Year of The Rabbit brought the Chinese Folkarts Workshop back to Sandwich to perform at the high school. A incredible group of teens who present the arts of Taiwan so magnificently. It’s great to have friends from Taiwan! Summer sped by….but our Sandwich Junior Puppeteers put on another great show, ‘One Wolf, Many Stories’. Puppets bring out the best (even if your puppet is the villain) in puppeteers. Kudos for working so well together, SJP! This was the fall to revive the Teen Advisory Group. I must reinforce that our Teen Volunteers are amazing and so giving of their enthusiasm and time. Love ‘em. I know it is a busy world out there for them.
And so, the ebooks are here yet the old-fashioned kind continue to get checked out, too. Whatever your method, I think the story is tantamount to means. Dystopian genre seems to be the next Twilight type book fever but great realistic fiction books are churning out as well. Recently accessed to our collection are two videos for Teen Yoga. Want to try it in the comfort of your own home with a friend(s)? Check them out. The beauty of a public library – among other things – is that the services are free, accessible in many ways 24 hours a day (thanks to the internet) and responsive to our patrons. Reminder: You can request that we purchase a particular book for the library if it’s not in our collection. Frankly, there are a lot of readers who are WAY ahead of me on the what’s hot reading list. I love it.
Teen programming? Well, here’s where I need your suggestions, too. Poetry, books, arts, science, gaming, costume balls…what works for our community of teens? As the first screen adaptation of the Hunger Games books comes to the screen in March, planning for our own ‘Games Night’ seems appropriate. Not too deadly, of course.
This was just a thought cloud to get out there as 2011 winds down. Here’s wishing all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza Joy and simple Peace, Love and Understanding. 
