Turn the Light Bulb On - Energize

If your in the business of educating, from elementary to college level, , you have heard of the STEM programs.  Science,Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum for students to advance their learning in one, two or all of the areas. The future looks bright in America for our students.

Link: http://stemfriday.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/stem-friday/  to find  children books by Nomad Press and learn more about  STEM Friday.  
Let me know if you use any of these books in your summer school and/or science camps this summer.  Create a STEM Friday.

Further readings to expand your science quota for the day:

Ocean Commotion: Life on the Reef by Janeen Mason   Pelican Publishing Gretna, LA    2010
  
Sea Turtle Summer by Nancy Stewart Bella and Britt Beach Series   Guardian Angel Publishing       St Louis MO    2011
http://www.GuardianAngelPublishing.com
http://www.nancystewartbooks.com

Rainy Day Readings

Books for Rainy Summer Days
   So many great summer reads highlighted in  magazines and Sunday newspapers. Which one do I pick to read first?   One book came to haunt me as I read the reviews on  WILD by Cheryl Strayed. 
     WILD is  a memoir about death of a parent and how it changed the writer/daughter/wife role of  Ms. Strayed, the author.  As I started the book, the thought of hiking the Pacific Trail from Mexico to Canada sounded crazy.  Not because a single women did this alone (we can achieve whatever we set our minds to) but the sheer commitment to months in the wilderness is too Wild for me. 

     BUT the first chapter had me crying.   The grief from the death of her mother and recent reality of the death of my father, who died of cancer in September 2012.  The two of them, different in age yet, thirty five days from discovery of cancer to death.
           A big question swelled out from my heart:  Will we ever find a cure for the many type of cancers?   Not many of us can say we don't know someone with cancer OR know someone who has died from cancer.   Is it the preservatives in food?  effects from war zone chemical exposures?  BGH (bovine growth hormone)?  How many things can you name that may be causing cancer?

     Pick up this book.... It is a great summer read!


Also, pick up or order online the book-   The Triggering Town  lectures and essays on poetry and writing by Richard Hugo   W.W. Norton & Company New York 1979

Poetry can help a writer become a better writer but does a writer become a better writer with or without being a reader?   Pick up the book and share the view points of the author or NOT! 

Another Great summer read for writers and authors!
                   

        

Take a Risk

Motivation to Write

Its not the answer that enlightens us, but the question.   Eugene Ionesco

When the time is ripe,  the vision will come.   Joyce Rupp

       The desire to write, "feel" the characters, and develop the story may not come easy.
        What works on a good day for some, isn't the answer for the rest of us. 

Try these:

• Stay excited about the possibilities- Let your imagination wander
• Change what you can- Let go of those things you can't change.
• Take a risk - Believe in yourself; be confident; take action   
• Enjoy the Ride - Search your inner creative spark
• Never reach your destination - Success comes to those that wait and find answers.

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in uncommon hours.  Henry David Thoreau   




       

Not Your Big Box Store

Sitting on a park bench at the American Playground, a sign on a small bookstore across the street caught my eye.  How could I not visit?      

WORD Bookstore- WWW.WORDBROOKLYN.COM

WORD's well-curated collection of children's books is awesome! 

An independent, community bookstore for literary-minded people in Greenpoint, BK.  Eighteen independently-owned businesses (including WORD) are located on Franklin Street.   

Take the G train to Greenpoint Ave. and Manhattan Ave., come to the street level, walk one block towards the East River  OR take the East River Ferry to Greenpoint on a warm summer day.           

Flying Leap

And the time came when the risk to remain a closed bud became infinitely more painful
than the risk to blossom. - Anais Nin


     Running in a road race, I train for hours and days.  My strategy - Just finish the 5K (3.1 miles).
     Not a far distance considering marathoners run 26 miles in a race.
    
     This writer can't imagine going farther than 3.1 miles.  I dress the part, lace up the shoes and grab a bottle of water.   Out the door and within ten minutes, I want to walk.  Not yet, keep going.  I turn the Ipod  louder. The song, Wrecking Ball by Bruce Springsteen, pounding in my ears as my feet hit the pavement.   Keep going!  Just Do It! 
      Practice over, race day on!. 
      Guess what, I do finish!  


        Writing stories that people want to read reminds me of running a road race.  I get your coffee in the morning, sit at my desk, and open the story that needs revision.   Ten minutes of writing, sip more coffee and stare at the black print on the page.  Now my strategy kicks in - turn the Ipod louder and keep going. Keep going! Just do it!
      Written drafts with revision on lots of stories.  Guess what,  I haven't finished!
     Practice keeps going... my writing group buddies one day will say, "It's really good, why don 't you start submitting it."  -  Race day on!    
     
      Stay tuned - My next post - Going the distance with writing and maintaining an inner peace.
    

Do I Need This Conference?

I took to heart the blog written by author, C. Hope Clark www.chopeclark.com, asking this very question.
       For two days, when I sat at my desk, I ask myself, "How could  the SCBWI regional conference @ Disney EPCOT  make a difference on my writing?  Did I want to spend the money?"
       I had been to the 2011 SCBWI regional conference in Miami.  While there, I met new writers I now call  friends, found a new writing group, and felt each session had talked right to me.
       So without hesitation, I signed up for SCBWI: Disney. Forget the money, it's worth it.  It will support  and encourage my need to write for children.
     To attend an SCBWI conference with debut authors (first time published) is huge. You can feel the  happiness in the room. You can feel the relief of the new authors when their book is being held and accepted by other writers/authors. 
      As a writer, I know my day will come.  That first published book will be my pride and joy. Yes, I am paying my dues - writing magazine articles, taking courses, writing draft picture book ideas and attending conferences.  It's not just that!  It's my writing group buddies, my new found friends and the support of everyone in business. 
      Conferences are worth  their weight in gold.  Use them for your need and desire after previewing the daily schedules,intensives and keynote speakers.  Make them fun. Learn and network!  You never know who you will meet.  Go forth!  See you on June 16th. I'll be in the Picture Book workshops feeling the love from all present and future published authors. 

  SCBWI.org