Here & There and Banned Books Week: September 27, 2010

For Banned Books Week

Check out my most recent Poetry Friday post at Blue Rose Girls: Poems for Banned Books Week (September 25-October 2, 2010). The post includes a video of Laurie Halse Anderson reading her poem Listen, Manifesto, a poem that author Ellen Hopkins wrote for Banned Books Week in 2009, and two poems I wrote some time ago. You’ll also find links to other articles and information about Banned Books Week from the American Library Association.

From School Library Journal—Anderson's Speak Under Attack, Again
By Rocco Staino September 23, 2010

Alvina Ling has an excellent book-related post at Blue Rose Girls titled Speak Loudly, which was mentioned in an article at Huffington Post last week.

Here’s a link to the Huffington Post article that mentioned Alvina's post—Young Adult Novels Called 'Soft Porn': Attack Ignites Storm Of Responses From Publishing Community (POLL)

Also from Huffington Post--Banned Books Week 2010: 15 Iconic Movies Based On Banned Books (PHOTOS)


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Here & There

From Publishers Weekly (9/22/2010)
Selling Color in a White Town
Elizabeth Bluemle

Excerpt:
When we moved to Vermont from Manhattan, the biggest shock wasn’t the change from city to country; it was the shift from color to (not black-and-) white. We couldn’t get used to the lack of diversity. It felt unnatural, limited, and wrong. When tourists of color happened into the store, we embarrassed ourselves with our enthusiasm. For the first year, I even had a hard time telling some of my customers apart; in addition to the uniform Caucasian-ness, there was a sameness of dress—cotton turtlenecks, fleece vests, jeans*—and hair, lots of straight, shoulder-length hair. (Josie’s Mediterranean Jewish ringlets are quite exotic here.) Up until 14 years ago, Josie and I spent our individual lives in areas of the country that were richly multicultural.

Last I checked, Vermont had the United States’ least diverse population. I think we’re at 97+% white. In Vermont’s defense, its record for equal treatment is excellent; we may not have a big nonwhite population, but folks that do live here have equivalent opportunities and salaries as their white counterparts. But the point I’m making is, Dorothy, we’re not in New York City anymore.

All that by way of saying, we understand the challenge of making ‘books of color’ mainstream purchases for white audiences.

At the New England Independent Booksellers Association trade show next week, the Children’s Bookselling Advisory Council is holding a panel discussion on this topic. I’d love for booksellers, authors, publishers and editors, sales reps and publicists to attend and share their successful strategies for getting past reluctant or stymied gatekeepers and reaching across color lines to share wonderful, diverse books with kids. I’ll be posting a follow-up in ShelfTalker after the panel.

Here’s the description:
Friday, October 1, 10:15-11:45 am
Multicultural Kids Books: Selling Color in a White World
We all want to support and sell wonderful multicultural books, but many of us live in areas with fairly homogenous populations. How do we get past unconscious color barriers, both our own and our customers’, and put great books featuring characters of all colors in the hands of children? Participants will leave with helpful resources, including sample booktalks, tips for successful conversations with hesitant customers, resources for meeting the needs of multiracial families in your neighborhood, a list of helpful websites, and an annotated bibliography of great multicultural books by age. Panelists will include bookseller Elizabeth Bluemle (The Flying Pig Bookstore, Shelburne, Vt.), author Mitali Perkins, Stacy Whitman (Editorial Director of Tu Publishing), and Karen Lotz (President and Publisher of Candlewick Press).


From Publishers Weekly (9/22/2010): The Stars So Far by Elizabeth Bluemle
http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/?p=2451

Excerpt:
SIX STARRED REVIEWS

• CONSPIRACY OF KINGS, A. Megan Whalen Turner. (Harper/Greenwillow, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061870934.
  
• COSMIC. Frank Cottrell Boyce. (HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99) ISBN 978-0061836831
  
• DREAMER, THE. Pam Muñoz Ryan. Illustrated by Peter Sís. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0439269704
  
• WAR TO END ALL WARS, THE. Russell Freedman. (Clarion, $22) ISBN 978-00547026862

FIVE STARRED REVIEWS

• FEVER CRUMB. Philip Reeve. (Scholastic, $17.99) ISBN 978-0545207195
  
• INCARCERON. Catherine Fisher. (Dial, $17.99) ISBN 978-0803733961
  
• KAKAPO RESCUE: SAVING THE WORLD’S STRANGEST PARROT. Sy Montgomery. Illustrated by Nic Bishop. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18) ISBN 978-0618494170
  
• MIRROR, MIRROR: A BOOK OF REVERSIBLE VERSE. Marilyn Singer, illus. by Josée Masse. Dutton, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0525479017
  
• NOTHING. Janne Teller, trans. from the Danish by Martin Aitken. (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.99) ISBN 978-1416985792
  
• SIR CHARLIE: THE FUNNIEST MAN IN THE WORLD. Sid Fleischman. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $19.99) ISBN 978-0061896408
  
• UBIQUITOUS: CELEBRATING NATURE’S SURVIVORS. Joyce Sidman, illus. by Beckie Prange. (Harcourt, $17) ISBN 978-0618717194
  
  

From School Library Journal
Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog

It's My Birthday
By SLJ Staff September 23, 2010

Boy Story: Do you really want guys in your library?
By Helen Cox
September 1, 2010