« Anchor Aweigh | Main | Around the World in 60 Miles »
July 25, 2006
No Needles in this Haystack
Did you know that there are 28 hours in every day during the Haystack Conference? There have to be -- otherwise conference founder extraordinaire, Linda Zuckerman, would not be able to squeeze everything in.
The conference was held on the idyllic Reed College campus, three hours south of me in Seattle. Road trip! I listened to The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon, on tape -- all six tapes! Except for getting so lost in the story that I didn't remember driving about 150 miles of I-5, it was smooth sailing.
I've attended many conferences, both as presenter and attendee, and this ranks up there with one of the most intimate, warm and helpful ever. Everyone eats meals together, so there is plenty of time for casual conversation. And students at Reed have it pretty good -- the food was actually tasty! Though I ate more than my share of cookies, I managed to lose a pound with all the walking we did.
Where to begin with the highlights? First was seeing dear friend and walking partner, Ann Whitford Paul, who kept me from stepping into the middle of the street when I got a phone call with good news from my editor. Ann is the queen of picture books and of poetry. Our sessions were opposite one another so I didn't get to sit in this time, but students were abuzz about the 6 Ws of picture book intros (Who, What, Why, Where, When and Wow!). If you ever have the chance to study with Ann, do so.
Anyone who thinks nonfiction is boring has never met Susan Goldman Rubin. I have a feeling Susan spent more than her share of time in the principal's office as a kid -- her eyes just glitter with mischief. But they also glitter with passion for sharing this fascinating world and the people who live in it with children. Her two newest books, Andy Warhol, Pop Painter and The Cat with the Yellow Star, are stunning. Here's her advice to writers of nonfiction books for young readers: "Think of scenes, like a cinematographer; you're not writing a master's thesis." About her process, she says, "I do all the research that the grown-ups do but I look for the nuggets that will appeal to kids."
As a writer, I so appreciated hearing both Elsa Warnick and Marla Frazee speak. Elsa explained that the "illustrator's primary role is as translator, translating written language to visual language." She walked us through her process as the illustrator for a new book, Hugs on the Wind. Marla showed us how different shapes and patterns contribute to our emotional understanding of an illustration. She also shephered ten or so talented illustrators during the conference. One of the most poignant sessions of the whole week occurred when the illustrators showed the way they "translated" writing prompts provided by participants. Next time, I'll bring Kleenex! Though there were many touching moments, the whole crew roared with laughter at Jaime Temairk's brilliant, fresh and hysterical interpretation of a text about a pirate who wouldn't say "Arrr."
Editor supreme, Steve Geck, of Greenwillow publishing, spoke to what was happening in middle grade fiction. He recently judged a works in progress grant for SCBWI and noticed that about one-fourth of the entries were fantasy, one-fourth contemporary and one-half historical. Only one of the many manuscripts he judged was "humorous or carefree." Though he noted, "Dying is easy; comedy is hard," he would love to see more humorous manuscripts for middle grade and tween readers.
Other highlights included Susan Blackaby's (Rembrandt's Hat) talk on writing for the educational market. If she ever decides she's tired of that, she's got a great future in stand up comedy. Nancy Osa encouraged those present to consider series writing as a way to hone their skills. Linda Zuckerman opened the conference, setting the tone for the week -- warmth, encouragement and honesty were the bywords. She worked her usual first pages magic, reading first pages submitted by participants and responding to them as a harried editor might. Her lovely new picture book, I Will Hold You 'Til You Sleep (ill. by Jon Muth), made its debut at the conference. David Gifaldi closed our full week with an inspirational and honest keynote address. He spoke of "rousing the cockroaches of doubt from the dark corners" of our minds and pointed out that the most common phrase in Lewis and Clark's journals was "We proceeded on." He urged us all to do the same.
It was not only an honor to be on the faculty with such gracious, smart and generous folks, it was an honor to work with the 60 participants. The quality of work was fabulous. I know we will see participants' names in print someday.
I've already blocked off my calendar to attend Haystack next year. I'd encourage you to consider it, too, if you want to follow Emeril's advice and kick it up a notch in your writing.
Posted by kirby at July 25, 2006 03:32 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.kirbylarson.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/24