From the Kidlitosphere Conference

Blogging novice and award-winning author Barbara Shoup attended Robin Brande's 1st Annual Kidlitosphere Conference last weekend in Chicago. She was good enough to send this report:

The alarm rang at 5 a.m. last Saturday. Oh man, what I really wanted to do was turn it off, go back to sleep, get up when I felt like and hang out with my husband all day. But I was determined to learn about blogging, so I dragged myself out of bed, showered, dressed and hit the road for Robin Brande’s first annual Kidlitosphere in Chicago. I had a great book on tape and there was zero traffic between Indianapolis and the Windy City (what nut gets up at that time on a Saturday?) So except for an inadvertent segue through O’Hare airport, it was an okay trip.

Confession: I’m so out of it that when I got to Kidlitosphere that morning, I didn’t even really know what blogging was. The thought of blogging myself was pretty much incomprehensible. Where would I start? Kidlitosphere gave me a crash course in all that—and more. Plus, who wouldn’t want to be part of such a smart, friendly, funny community of people who are crazy about books?

Thank God, I was almost immediately adopted by Maureen Kearney—children’s librarian by day, blogger (Confessions of a Bibliovore) by every other spare minute. She answered all my (dumb) questions and those I’d never have thought to ask. Plus, she kindly included me in her Steak & Shake lunch group—along with Betsy Bird, the voice behind what seemed like everyone’s favorite blog, Fuse 8; Lisa Chellman, another blogging librarian—who made my day when she asked, “Didn’t you write Wish You Were Here*?; and the very hilarious author/blogger Ellen Klages. The conversation—partly involving how to create cool (small, safe) explosions with soda (diet, not regular, because doesn’t leave a sticky residue on the walls) was as good as (maybe better than) my cheeseburger, fries and gargantuan chocolate shake—which means something, coming from me. I love Steak & Shake!

Every single session was packed with information and practical advice—from how to set up a blog, how to find your voice, how to get arcs (advanced review copies, for those who were as clueless as I was before Saturday) and how to podcast. And it was fun to watch the bloggers meeting each other—most for the first time. “You’re just like your voice,” they kept saying.

My favorite session was “Blogging for Authors,” where about thirty people crammed cozily (standing room only) in a conference room and shared tips about...everything. Talking about the ethics or just plain decentness of blogging, Robin Brande cut to the chase, sharing this simple philosophy: Don’t be a dick. (Are we allowed to say that in a blog?) We’re all in this together. What’s good for one of us is good for everyone who loves books.

Amen to that! And to the whole idea of Kidlitosphere. Thanks, Robin! It was a really great day.

* Yes, she did, obviously. And we'll be re-releasing it this May (the Children's Book Council voted it the book they'd most like to see back in print; so we obliged). And Barbara's new novel (and recipient of the Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship) Everything You Want will release this April.

Varian Johnson on the Art of the Chart

Bad Mutha Fluxa Varian Johnson has an article in the most recent Writer's Digest on incorporating doodles, charts, and other non-narrative and non-verbal elements to a novel without alienating the reader--something he does to great effect in his upcoming novel My Life as a Rhombus. Sounds like a useful article. Check it out.

Kudos for The Tree Shepherd's Daughter

Gillian Summer's The Tree Shepherd's Daughter has earned Top Choice honors on the review site Flamingnet.com. Congratulations to Gillian Summers!

From the review of a teen reader:

"I can't wait until the next book comes out and I want to read it ASAP! This is a must-read for all of the book lovers like me out there. I recommend this fabulous novel to everyone but mainly to those who are intrigued by fantasy."

Say no to "vapid innocuous euphemism"

It's almost the end of banned books week, and I haven't posted anything about it. Must fix that . . .


Several landmark court cases have paved the way for artists to be able to explore the full range of verbal expression without fear of being prosecuted for indecency or obscenity. One of the most important was a ruling that Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" was not, in fact "obscene" or "indecent" under the law, a ruling which was handed down in California 50 years ago yesterday.


The presiding judge in the case wrote in his opinion: “Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemism?” Indeed.


So, all of you who support David Levithan and Rachel Cohn's right to explore every conceivable usage of the word "fuck" or Ellen Wittlinger's right to write frankly about oral sex or Brian Mandabach's right to explore just how screwed up American schools can be, say thank you to Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Howl's original publisher. They fought the good fight.


You can listen to Howl, read by Allen Ginsberg, and a whole host of interviews and feature on the story here. You'll also discover how much the ruling has been eroded in practice, especially on broadcast media, in the past decades--a very disturbing development.

Have to share . . .

Next summer, we're going to release a book called Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss. It's fun stuff, naturally (says the former band nerd), but I'm reading a draft right now, and something she wrote strikes me as an excellent specimen of its type (a type I've seen a lot lately): the parental college meltdown. In this useful YA set piece, a character shows something that might be mistaken for indifference or even just lack of enthusiasm toward the prospect of college. At this point, even ordinarily rational parents lose their minds and visions of Helen Hunt jumping out of a window in "Angel Dusted" flash through their heads*. Josie captures it very nicely.

I sullenly looked up at them. “I said, who cares. You guys have made college such a big deal. And I’m sick of talking about it.”

“Ellie, what’s gotten into you?” Mom asked. “You’ve been talking about college practically since you started high school.”

“We thought you were excited about it,” continued Dad. “Is something wrong?”

“Are you depressed?” asked Mom, fearfully.

“Are you doing okay in your classes?” Dad asked.

"Oh, God, you aren’t addicted to crystal meth, are you?” Mom practically shrieked. "Did you know they make that with poison?”

Ah yes, zero to crystal meth in four seconds flat. Nice.

*Unfortunately, I couldn't find a YouTube of Helen Hunt in "Angel Dusted"--you'll have to ask Hank Green--but I did find her smoking weed on "The Facts of Life."

New books!

October is here and so we've passed the official release dates of a couple new books, including a first for Flux.

Christine Kole MacLean's YA debut How It's Done is now available in paperback. Christine's gorgeous novel was a BookSense Pick, as well as a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age.

Jon Ripslinger's latest novel, Last Kiss, is a dark mystery and it's on shelves now, too.

The prolific and multitalented Nina Wright has a sequel to her Homefree out now. It's called Sensitive, and aside from being a great, ghostly story, it's got one of my favorite covers.

Finally, everyone should check out Brian Mandabach's debut novel Or Not. Not only is it stunning piece or writing and imagination with one of the most maddening and endearing heroines I've ever read, but Brian is an author very close to the world of his main character. He's an eighth grade teach and wrote his novel with extensive feedback from his students and former students. Check out his MySpace page for their no-holds-barred comments.

There's a novel or three in here

The New York Times has a fascinating article on female high school athletes and concussions. I don't care if you're not interested in books with sports. There are much bigger issues here, too.

This was a particularly interesting passage:

Kate Pellin, a standout basketball player in Suffield, Conn., has sustained at least four concussions, three times being knocked unconscious while diving for balls or being slammed to the hardwood by other players. “I get offended when people say girls don’t play sports as hard as boys,” she said.

What an interesting state of affairs thirty-five years after Title IX.

Also interesting to note that it's the number-one forwarded article in NYTimes Sports at the moment (and this on a day when when they've got a piece about A-Rod and the playoffs).