MELISSA GUION PRESENTS: BABY PENGUINS EVERYWHERE!

 

Want a chance to win a free copy of Melissa's book?  Leave a comment on this post.  I'll be picking one commenter at random to receive Baby Penguins Everywhere!

Congratulations are in order for Melissa Guion, whose first children's picture book, Baby Penguins Everywhere!, hit the shelves on December 6.

I first met Melissa Guion at Book Court in Brooklyn.  We were both there to hear children's literature expert Leonard Marcus read from Listening for Madeleine, his new treatise of A Wrinkle in Time author Madeleine L'Engle.

In her friendly way, Melissa reached out to me and asked what my connection to children's literature was.  In the course of our chat, she shared the exciting news that her first children's book was soon to debut.

Over the course of coffee and bagels, I learned more about Melissa and her fascinating journey to becoming a first-time book author and illustrator.

Melissa started our chat with a surprising fact: She used to be a hedge fund manager.  "People's eyes sometimes glaze over when I share that info," said Melissa, explaining that it's a big mental leap to process a move in between such different lines of work. 

In truth, Melissa has been writing and making art all her life.  Her work history reveals her ongoing dedication to the arts.  She has been a photographer and a member of an improvisational theater company.

So what exactly accounts for the move from hedge fund VP to children's book author/illustrator?

"All along, I was making art for myself, my friends, and my friends' children," shares Melissa. "At some point, a friend who was a former literary agent asked me 'Have you thought of doing children's books?"

Melissa got busy building a body of artwork and creating a website to make it public.  Her friend sent a link to Melissa's website to an agent at Writers House. The agent phoned Melissa and expressed great interest in her work. He suggested she try to come up with a story, then turn it into a rough 32-page picture book dummy. Melissa found it difficult to make progress on the task at hand after giving birth to her daughter, but eventually renting a studio space up the street made it easier to focus, as did receiving a modest art grant. 

Melissa's agent began making introductions between Melissa and folks in the world of children's book publishing. It was a promotional mailing initiated by her agent that got her art noticed by a wider audience.

"I had worked hard in isolation for a lot of years, so it was good for me to have this promotional postcard be so well-received," Melissa revealed.

It took a bit of time for Melissa to complete Baby Penguins Everywhere, but she did it!  And now Melissa is painting the town red as she visits different bookstores to do readings. 

My personal takeaway from Melissa's story?  It's never too late to go after a creative dream.  

I wish Melissa much success in her continued work in the world of children's literature!

Click HERE to find a listing of dates and places where Melissa will be reading her new book!

LEONARD MARCUS ON MADELEINE L'ENGLE

I was so excited when I head that Leonard Marcus would be making an appearance at Book Court to talk about his new book Listening for Madeleine: A Portrait of Madeleine L'Engle in Many Voices.  Earlier this year, I attended the 50th anniversary celebration of Madeleine's beloved children's chapter book A Wrinkle in Time. At the celebration,  Leonard got up and read from a chapter in Listening.  It was such a treat to hear from someone who had spend countless hours talking to people who had been part of Madeleine's life.

At his recent Book Court appearance, Leonard shared more details about what he had learned about Madeleine while putting together the book.

At one point, I asked Leonard what he thought made A Wrinkle in Time such a compelling read.  He responded by speaking to one of the relatable themes of the book - the quest for a distant parent.  He also mentioned that readers could identify with the highly idiosyncratic family of Meg, the main character.

Here are some other "take-aways" from his talk:

• Madeleine (who would have been 94 tomorrow) passed away in 2007.
• She had traveled through many countries and met many of her readers.  As Leonard said "She was an author who made house calls" who "changed the lives of millions of readers."
• Listening is a compilation of Marcus's efforts to engage a number of people who knew Madeleine best and who were aware of the contradictions of her life.  His wish is to present a kaleidoscope view of her so that readers may draw their own conclusions.
• Madeleine was born in New York City in the 1920s, and was born into a wealthy family.
• Her parents weren't around a lot to raise her; she had a nanny and was sent to boarding schools. Madeleine filled the emotional void by journaling and reading. 
• Her parents, hence Madeleine, were part of a world where "culture was of paramount importance." 
• Madeleine, a tall woman, performed for a time on the Broadway stage.
• She started publishing novels in her early 20s.
• A Wrinkle in Time, rejected by many publishers,  was a hot potato because of its references to Christianity.
• A Wrinkle was her 7th book (she wrote 60!), and won a Newbery Award. She was unwilling to acknowledge that it was a book for children.
• The book was a combination of fantasy, realism, religion, and science fiction.
• For 10 years, Madeleine lived in exhile with her husband.
• For more than 30 years, she was the librarian at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.  People would come to her there to get advice on manuscripts.  When not giving advice, she would work on her next book.

SYMPHONY SPACE CELEBRATES A WRINKLE IN TIME'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Symphony Space recently hosted a 50th Anniversary Celebration of A Wrinkle in Time.  What a treat to be amidst other people who were also fans of the children's book written by the late and fondly remembered Madeleine L'Engle.

The program opened with a humorous, well-crafted video which featured children as the actors and compressed the entire book into a 90-second format.  This opener was a perfect advertisement for the 90 Second Newbery competition.  What a fun challenge - to get a Newbery book into a 90 second format on video and then submit it to be considered for the film festival.  (Which, by the way, will be happening in December back at Symphony Space.  Stay tuned and get your tickets early!)

Betsy Bird, host of the event and author of the children's literature blog Fuse #8, welcomed the audience and shared "Meg Murray [the central character in the book] was my Harry Potter."  Right!  So good to have a children's chapter book in which the hero is female!

Charlotte L'Engle, Madeleine's granddaughter, took the mike.  She shared that Madeleine loved to be part of multigenerational parties.  She was the librarian and writer in residence at The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in the Morningside Heights neighborhood.

Charlotte explained that A Wrinkle in Time was the book that almost did not get published, with publishers thinking it was "much too hard for children."  On the contrary, explained Madelein's grand daughter, the book is too difficult for grownups!

Betsy Bird then introduced the all-star panel lineup:  Louis Lowry, author of The Giver and Count the Numbers; Katherine Patterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia; Rebecca Stead, author of When They Reach Us; and R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebump series.  Ms. Bird asked the panelists "If you  could ask Madeline one question, what would it be?"  One panelist replied "How do you write a book that affects children for the rest of their lives?"

There was then some debate over whether or not the Newbery Committee would pick A Wrinkle in Time today, given its religious references.  On another point of discussion, panelists talked about if A Wrinkle could be compared to The Hunger Games.

When the panel was over, actress Jane Curtin did a bang-up job of reading a passage from A Wrinkle. Following Ms. Curtin, a group of teenagers performed a dramatic reading of yet another section of the book.

Next, children's literature expert Leonard Marcus came before the audience and referred to people's memories of Ms. L'Engle as a gifted oral storyteller.  Also, he shared an interesting fact: Ms. L'Engle won The Newbery Award at the same time Ezra Jack Keats won The Caldecott Medal for A Snowy Day.  I'm looking forward to reading Mr. Marcus's book Listening for Madeleine, due to come out this fall.

BEST BROOKLYN CALENDAR FOUND ON HEART OF BROOKLYN

The Heart of Brooklyn is chock-full of resources for the die-hard Brooklynite or for the person who wants to get the most out of their visit to our great Borough.

The handiest thing about this website is their color-coded Calendar of Events which you can view by Week, Month, or Agenda.

If, like me, you love the tangible version of everything, I suggest that you pick up their pull-out paper calendar. You can often find it where you find the local newspaper dispensers. That's how I discovered Fleece Fest at the Prospect Park Zoo, and BPL's lecture by famous children's book historian Leonard Marcus about Margaret Wise Brown (of Goodnight Moon fame) on her 100th birthday.

Also, this Saturday at 1:00, BPL is hosting a musical version of Harry the Dirty Dog, one of my favorite children's books.

HOB is a cultural partnership that links together the following extraordinary institutions:

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden
• Brooklyn Children's Museum
• Brooklyn Museum
• Brooklyn Public Library
• Prospect Park
• Prospect Park Zoo