E. L. Konigsburg died on Friday. The author of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and The View from Saturday, both Newbery Award winners, and countless other great books, will be sadly missed.
StoryFUSION was so much fun. All you people who did NOT attend, well, too late now. You will have to wait until next year.
There is a chance...just a chance...that Antonio Sacre will be in the Lehigh/Berks County area next year. He is clever, amusing, touching, dramatic, and engaging, among other things. I saw his Children's Show - funny and enthusiastic. He had 200+ 4th and 5th graders eating out of his hand. I saw him interact with high school students. Antonio was so respectful and encouraging of the teens' storytelling efforts.
And then I watched his short presentation on Friday night and his Feature Performance on Saturday and I am a true Antonio-ite, now. Today, I took a workshop from him that concentrated on how to become a successful working storyteller. This man WORKS for his money. He is relentless in pursuing storytelling excellence. So, see what you missed? So Like him on Facebook, please. He deserves it.
I am telling tonight at StoryFUSION. (Northampton Community College's Lipkin Theater at 7 pm.) I will tell the first story of the night. I admit to being nnnnnnnnn-nn-nervous, a lll-l-little. So come out and give me friendly faces in the audience, please.
Also my Kutztown University Favorites of 2012 (and the very beginning of 2013) Book List is up on my Lists page. Check it out.
Must practice. Once upon a .... no, that's been done. A Little Old....no, maybe I should just do a little aside about domestic tranquility. But I only have 15 minutes to tell my story. Whewww.
StoryFUSION begins soon, very soon. Go to the StoryFUSION page for all the details but it is fabulous stuff.
Check my Storytelling page - above - for the Guerrilla storytelling events on Tuesday, April 16th and Wednesday, April 17th. These events are FREE and out in public places near you.
On Thursday, NCC and the members of the LVSG are offering FREE workshops at Northampton Community College. I am offering "Story in a SNAP", a workshop that will use improvisational exercises to combat both writer's block and stage fright. It will be a lot of fun and it would not be possible without the help of Professor Susan Petrole.
Story in a SNAP workshop - Thursday, April 18th at 11 am at Northampton Community College, in Room CC 165. (CC stands or College Center - the BIG building in the middle of the main campus.) FREE and open to everyone. Please join me.
To keep us all in the storytelling mood, I must share this video from just a year and a half ago. Kelly will be telling on Wednesday. Look for her.
TOON Books offers 11 of their titles for FREE online viewing. AWESOME for young readers, these books have a Read to Me option for younger kids, too. I love TOON.
The TOON library is all part of Professor Garfield's website. (That's Garfield, as in the orange cat?) Check it out. It looks like fun.
I have two passes to StoryFUSION!!! They can be used on Friday, April 19th OR Saturday, April 20th to hear Antonio Sacre - who is every bit as much fun to hear as he is to see! Honest. If you want these tickets, comment below.
You totally want to see this guy! Honestly!
I also have the COMPLETE hardbound works of Tom Angleberger, including Art2-D2's Guide to Folding and Doodling. However, I am giving these away at my Book Review session at the Kutztown University Children's Literature Conference ONLY. That's this Saturday, April 13th, at Kutztown University. So, sign up NOW! You will not only get a chance to win awesome books, you will also hear presentations by these great authors: Suzanne Fisher-Staples, illustrator Christopher Soentpiet and Janet Wong. Amazing.
April 6th is National Pillow Fight Day. Is that not awesome??? Truly. Grab a couple of pillows and swat away - on Saturday. You might want to practice beforehand.
Here are some picture books to share in preparation for - or during - National Pillow Fight Day.
What! cried Granny by Kate Lum. Patrick stays overnight at Granny's house where Granny has to make him a bed, a pillow, a blanket, a teddy bear, all from scratch.
Good Night, Pillow Fight by Sally Cook. Look inside a block of apartments as parents try to get their children to sleep. And then, someone yells "Pillow Fight!"
Charley's first night / Amy Hest ; illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. A little boy is eager to be the best puppy owner ever and spends the whole night with his new dog.
