Showing posts with label children's author. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's author. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
E.L. Konigsburg
The awesome woman for Wednesday, October 19, is Elaine Lobi Konigsburg (E.L. Konigsburg), b. February 10, 1930, U.S. children's author, probably best known for her novel "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" http://www.amazon.com/Mixe
Konigsburg was born in NYC but was reared in small towns in PA. She said of her upringing, "Growing up in a small town gives you two things: a sense of your place and a feeling of self-consciousness--self-consciousness about one's education and exposure, both of which tend to be limited. On the other hand, limited possibilities also means creating your own options. A small town allows you to grow in your own direction, without a bombardment of outside stimulation. You can get a sense of yourself in relation to yourself, not to a host of accomplished others." http://cms.westport.k12.ct
WRT reading: "Reading was tolerated in my house, but it wasn't sanctioned like dusting furniture or baking cookies. My parents never minded what I read, but they did mind when (like before the dishes were done) and where (there was only one bathroom in our house)." Id.
Elaine was an excellent student and became the first member of her family to go to college. She had planned to work a year, study a year, work a year, etc., to pay for school, but one of her professors helped her get a scholarship. She majored in chemistry and loved the creative side of the subject, but she hated the lab work. She continued her studies, though, marrying and going to grad school, and eventually began teaching chemistry at a private girls' school, where she "began to suspect that chemistry was not my field. Not only did I always ask my students to light my Bunsen burner, having become match-shy, but I became more interested in what was going on inside them than what was going on inside the test tubes." Id.
She left the position before her son was born in 1955 and had two more kids within four years. The family moved to New York in 1962, and when her youngest child started school, she began to write. In secret!
Except for her family. When her kids would come home for lunch, she would read them what she had written and watch their expressions.
"I recognized that I wanted to write something that reflected their kind of growing up, something that addressed the problems that come about even though you don't have to worry if you wear out your shoes whether your parents can buy you a new pair, something that tackles the basic problems of who am I? What makes me the same as everyone else? What makes me different?" Id.
E. L. Konigsburg advises would-be writers: "Finish. The difference between being a writer and being a person of talent is the discipline it takes to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and finish. Don't talk about doing it. Do it. Finish."
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
J.K. Rowling
Today’s WOD is ♥ ♥ J. K. Rowling (Joanne "Jo" Rowling) born 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. She is the author of the wildly popular Harry Potter Series. The Harry Potter series has won multiple awards, sold more than 400 million copies but most importantly she got kids to READ. She caused an overnight sensation with her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorceror's Stone in the United States), which rose to the top of the children's best-seller lists in 1998. Even before publication, publishers in the United States were competing for rights to the book, with the top bidder paying one hundred thousand dollars—the most ever for a first novel by a children's book author. Rowling is perhaps equally famous for her "rags to riches" life story, in which she progressed from living on benefits to multi-millionaire status within five years.
Joanne K. Rowling grew up with a younger sister and an intense interest in storytelling. Rabbits played a large part in her early tales, for Rowling and her sister badly wanted a rabbit. Her first story, at age five or six, involved a rabbit named, quite logically, Rabbit, who got the measles and visited his friend, a giant bee named Miss Bee. Rowling said in J. K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter , "Ever since Rabbit and Miss Bee, I have wanted to be a writer, though I rarely told anyone so. I was afraid they'd tell me I didn't have a hope."
From Tutshill Primary, Rowling went to Wyedean Comprehensive School. A quiet and unathletic child, English was her favorite subject, and she created stories for her friends at lunchtime, tales involving heroic deeds. Contact lenses soon sorted out any feelings of inferiority in the young Rowling; writing became more impulsive and less of a hobby in her teenage years. Attending Exeter University, Rowling studied French after her parents had advised her that bilingualism (speaking two languages) would lead to a successful career as a secretary.
Working at Amnesty International, Rowling discovered one thing to like about life as a secretary: she could use the computer to type up her own stories during quiet times. At age twenty-six, Rowling gave up her office job to teach English in Portugal. It was there that she began yet another story that might become a book, about a boy who is sent off to wizard school. All during the time she spent in Portugal, Rowling took notes on this story and added bits and pieces to the life of her main character, Harry Potter. In Portugal she also met the man who became her husband, and they had a daughter. They later got divorced.
Seven years after graduating from university, Rowling saw herself as "the biggest failure I knew." Her marriage had failed, she was jobless with a dependent child, but she described her failure as liberating:
“Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one area where I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter, and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life”. – J. K. Rowling, Harvard commencement address, 2008.
Back in England, Rowling decided to settle in Edinburgh and prepared to raise her daughter as a single mother. Accepting a job as a French teacher, she set herself a goal: to finish her novel before her teaching job began. This was no easy task with an active toddler in hand. Rowling confined her writing to her daughter's nap time, much of it spent in coffee-houses where the understanding management allowed her space for her papers. She was able to send off her typed manuscript to two publishers before beginning her teaching post, but it was not until several months later that the happy news arrived: her book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, would be published in England. And then a few months later, the American rights were bought for an amazing price, and Rowling said good-bye to teaching.
In November 2001, Harry Potter gained even more fame when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone graced the big screen as a major motion picture. Rowling's magical creations cast a spell over theatergoers as the movie was both a commercial and critical success. The film was extended to a series of films based on the entire book series, which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts in the series of films as well as maintaining creative control by serving as a producer on the final instalment. Rowling lives in Scotland with her daughter, Jessica, and second husband, Neil Murray, whom she married in December 2000.
In October 2010, J. K. Rowling was named 'Most Influential Woman in Britain' by leading magazine editors. She has become a notable philanthropist, supporting such charities as Comic Relief, One Parent Families, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, and Lumos.
AWU post and comments at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2257955294379&set=o.343338393054&type=1
Joanne K. Rowling grew up with a younger sister and an intense interest in storytelling. Rabbits played a large part in her early tales, for Rowling and her sister badly wanted a rabbit. Her first story, at age five or six, involved a rabbit named, quite logically, Rabbit, who got the measles and visited his friend, a giant bee named Miss Bee. Rowling said in J. K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter , "Ever since Rabbit and Miss Bee, I have wanted to be a writer, though I rarely told anyone so. I was afraid they'd tell me I didn't have a hope."
From Tutshill Primary, Rowling went to Wyedean Comprehensive School. A quiet and unathletic child, English was her favorite subject, and she created stories for her friends at lunchtime, tales involving heroic deeds. Contact lenses soon sorted out any feelings of inferiority in the young Rowling; writing became more impulsive and less of a hobby in her teenage years. Attending Exeter University, Rowling studied French after her parents had advised her that bilingualism (speaking two languages) would lead to a successful career as a secretary.
Working at Amnesty International, Rowling discovered one thing to like about life as a secretary: she could use the computer to type up her own stories during quiet times. At age twenty-six, Rowling gave up her office job to teach English in Portugal. It was there that she began yet another story that might become a book, about a boy who is sent off to wizard school. All during the time she spent in Portugal, Rowling took notes on this story and added bits and pieces to the life of her main character, Harry Potter. In Portugal she also met the man who became her husband, and they had a daughter. They later got divorced.
Seven years after graduating from university, Rowling saw herself as "the biggest failure I knew." Her marriage had failed, she was jobless with a dependent child, but she described her failure as liberating:
“Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one area where I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter, and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life”. – J. K. Rowling, Harvard commencement address, 2008.
Back in England, Rowling decided to settle in Edinburgh and prepared to raise her daughter as a single mother. Accepting a job as a French teacher, she set herself a goal: to finish her novel before her teaching job began. This was no easy task with an active toddler in hand. Rowling confined her writing to her daughter's nap time, much of it spent in coffee-houses where the understanding management allowed her space for her papers. She was able to send off her typed manuscript to two publishers before beginning her teaching post, but it was not until several months later that the happy news arrived: her book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, would be published in England. And then a few months later, the American rights were bought for an amazing price, and Rowling said good-bye to teaching.
In November 2001, Harry Potter gained even more fame when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone graced the big screen as a major motion picture. Rowling's magical creations cast a spell over theatergoers as the movie was both a commercial and critical success. The film was extended to a series of films based on the entire book series, which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts in the series of films as well as maintaining creative control by serving as a producer on the final instalment. Rowling lives in Scotland with her daughter, Jessica, and second husband, Neil Murray, whom she married in December 2000.
In October 2010, J. K. Rowling was named 'Most Influential Woman in Britain' by leading magazine editors. She has become a notable philanthropist, supporting such charities as Comic Relief, One Parent Families, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, and Lumos.
AWU post and comments at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2257955294379&set=o.343338393054&type=1
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Valerie Tripp
Today’s WOD is Valerie Tripp, Born 1951, in Mount Kisco, NY. I had the pleasure to meet Ms. Tripp and her husband at the Constitution Center with my girls and my friend’s daughters. The Constitution Center in Philadelphia had an exhibit of American Girl Dolls. If you have little girls you might have heard of the American Girl Dolls, Valerie Tripp is the genius behind Molly (my Favorite), Samantha, Felicity, Josephina and Kit.
"American Girl" books focus on young women growing up during different periods in American history. Among the girls Tripp has written about are Molly, a nine year old whose father serves in England during World War II; Samantha, an orphan who lives with her aunt and uncle in turn-of-the-twentieth-century New York City; Felicity, who lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, during the outbreak of the American Revolution; Josephina, a young Hispanic girl living in early-nineteenth-century New Mexico; and Kit, who lives in Cincinnati during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
My daughters and my friends daughters went to a lecture by Tripp at the Constitution Center where she told the girls how she got into writing, how difficult it was to deal with the rejection and how she never gave up. She explained to them how the writing and editing process worked and how her work was often changed and cut to fit the publisher’s needs. She talked about the extensive research she does for each girl that she takes on because she wants her stories to be as historically accurate as possible. She was such a delight and she obviously loved all the little girls, she stayed ALL DAY and took their questions and we ran into her several times throughout the day (our girls considered her a bit of a Rock Star). She was so very encouraging and by the end of the day she knew all of our girls names and what each one of them wanted to do with their lives.
Valerie’s work has opened up a world to young girls all over the country, all of the books feature a young girl who, for some reason, has to overcome circumstances beyond their control and each girl is portrayed as strong and capable. They are amazing role models for little girls, it empowers them knowing that other girls their age have overcome as bad if not worse circumstances then they find themselves in. In addition, as a special bonus, these girls learn American History through the story’s of these characters. It is a win win!! Ms. Tripp's books have won many awards, but she is most proud of the Children's Choice awards. Ms. Tripp was honored as a March of Dimes Mother of the Year for voluntary work in the local elementary schools and public libraries of Montgomery County, MD. She lives in Silver Spring with her husband who is a professor of American history, their daughter, and their golden retriever, Bingley.
AWU post and comments at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2222886937692&set=o.343338393054&type=1
"American Girl" books focus on young women growing up during different periods in American history. Among the girls Tripp has written about are Molly, a nine year old whose father serves in England during World War II; Samantha, an orphan who lives with her aunt and uncle in turn-of-the-twentieth-century New York City; Felicity, who lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, during the outbreak of the American Revolution; Josephina, a young Hispanic girl living in early-nineteenth-century New Mexico; and Kit, who lives in Cincinnati during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Valerie’s work has opened up a world to young girls all over the country, all of the books feature a young girl who, for some reason, has to overcome circumstances beyond their control and each girl is portrayed as strong and capable. They are amazing role models for little girls, it empowers them knowing that other girls their age have overcome as bad if not worse circumstances then they find themselves in. In addition, as a special bonus, these girls learn American History through the story’s of these characters. It is a win win!! Ms. Tripp's books have won many awards, but she is most proud of the Children's Choice awards. Ms. Tripp was honored as a March of Dimes Mother of the Year for voluntary work in the local elementary schools and public libraries of Montgomery County, MD. She lives in Silver Spring with her husband who is a professor of American history, their daughter, and their golden retriever, Bingley.
AWU post and comments at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2222886937692&set=o.343338393054&type=1
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