Well, here it is. Sorry for the lateness, but unforeseen circumstances demanded I leave town for a few days. As always, click the cartoon to view it larger, and click on the Toon Thursday label for previous installments! Oh--and if you're not familiar with previous installments of "Common Species," it helps if you imagine the caption being read aloud by Sir David Attenborough.
Not to worry; Toon Thursday will indeed be taking place this week. Unfortunately, due to a last-minute emergency trip out of town, I don't have access to my scanner and other fun stuff. But the cartoon is ready, and if I can post it today, I will...otherwise, Toon Thursday will have to be Toon Saturday or Sunday. It'll be worth it, though! I promise!
In the meantime, here's another fun (and far more educational) cartoon-related item: via morfablog comes a neat web archive of early comics, from Medieval manuscript narratives to the famous Hogarth to more familiar toons of the 20s. Includes interesting visual documentation of the evolution of speech balloons and a great bibliography. Much fun.
if i can't do
what i want to do
then my job is to not
do what i don't want
to do
it's not the same thing
but it's the best i can
do
if i can't have
what i want . . . then
my job is to want
what i've got
and be satisfied
that at least there
is something more to want
since i can't go
where i need
to go . . . then i must . . . go
where the signs point
through always understanding
parallel movement
isn't lateral
when i can't express
what i really feel
i practice feeling
what i can express
and none of it is equal
i know
but that's why mankind
alone among the animals
learns to cry
- Yolanda Cornelia Nikki Giovanni
A fascinating find on display at the Oakland MOCHA (Museum of Children's Art - the show runs through June 3rd.) chronicles the same war from a child's point of view. The pictures were painted at a day care for children whose parents worked in the war effort. This is one of the paintings, which obviously shows a mind well aware of the world around them.It's always been my intention to occasionally revisit (or, in this case, visit) classic literature that often becomes required reading in English classrooms. I'm interested in thinking about it from a YA literature perspective, as well as from a personal standpoint. So, here goes.
Many of us over a certain age were required to read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (and, if you were lucky like I was, your teacher also let you watch and discuss the movie Apocalypse Now). Of course, Heart of Darkness portrays (and simultaneously critiques) a particularly Eurocentric perspective on the colonization of Africa, and even though its tone is sometimes critical, the story is still imbued with the perspective of the colonizers.
If you're interested in a different angle on the idea of European colonization of traditional Africa, Nigerian author Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart tells the story of an Ibo man, Okonkwo, who fancies himself a great warrior. Told from an omniscient, storyteller-like viewpoint, this book provides a detailed glimpse into the day-to-day lives of villagers dwelling in a clan-based society--a society that proves all too vulnerable to the incursions of white missionaries. Despite the attempts of Okonkwo to deny the changes in his society as well as those within his family, which he had a hand in causing, he is unable to stop the white man from building a church in his village, nor is he able to stop his alienated son Nwoye from leaving tradition behind.
Although I found the details about life, culture, and social structure to be interesting, and the ongoing story of Okonkwo and his family to be an appropriately tragic parallel to the social backdrop, I felt a bit distanced from the events of this story. Young adults studying the book for a class might experience this sense of distance as dry reading. Nevertheless, this is an important work, and could be of enormous benefit taught along with its flip side, Heart of Darkness. I mean, c'mon...somebody has to have written a thesis on that, right?? Anyone? Anyone?
I can't say I've done a great job of starting this week with a bang--I'm behind on blog reading, not to mention blog posting--but I did revise another chapter of my novel, and slowly but surely progress is being made. Eventually I'll get through the thing, and then I can submit my proposal, hoping that my first few chapters will really blow people away.
That's something writers have to spend a LOT of time on, especially new authors still trying to find an editor or agent--that all-important novel or story beginning. The right beginning can suck you right into a novel or story, or it can turn you off so that you put the book down and never finish it. Good chapter beginnings, too, can propel a story forward
Here at Finding Wonderland, we discuss craft issues like this from time to time in our already-existing writing group. But this week we've decided to hold an OPEN DISCUSSION ON CRAFT this Wednesday, April 25 (i.e., tomorrow) at 7:30 pm PST for about 30-45 minutes. If you're interested, please leave a comment or e-mail us directly and we will send you details about joining the chat. It will most likely be in a chat room on AOL Instant Messenger (though I must admit, all these YALSA events on Second Life are pretty intriguing...). Some questions to think about for our chat on BEGINNINGS:
There's a little bit of homework, too--If you've got time, find one or more examples of a novel/chapter beginning you REALLY LIKE and one or more examples of a beginning that really didn't work for you, and we can discuss why they worked, or didn't, during the chat. But even if you don't have time to do that, you're still welcome to participate or even just listen in. And remember: we don't have to discuss EVERYTHING in that list up there, nor are we limited to those topics. Think about what would be most helpful for YOU in your writing process, and what draws you as a reader. Hope to see some of you frequent commenters there!
his teacher since he's suddenly not speaking to me anymore, but hey, these things happen. Meanwhile, three cheers for Rod Septka, a rising star in the Marin school system, who was always one of the canniest and funniest people at Mills College and who worked harder than many of us getting his MFA while also getting his MA, if I recall correctly, and teaching middle school full-time the whole time.
God, that was fun. As long as weird, wild stuff is happening in the world of literature, I'll have great cartoon fodder. Happy Thursday night!
By now you probably know how much I adore the NPR program News and Notes. Yesterday I was given yet another reason to enjoy the show--an interesting interview and lovely reading (apropos of National Poetry Month!) by Ruth Forman from her new illustrated children's book, Young Cornrows Callin out the Moon. Forman is an instructor at our own local Vona Voices program, an alum of UC Berkeley (go Bears!), and a former student of June Jordan. To listen, click here.
I keep hearing on NPR sponsorship breaks about a book worth lusting after--Seattle librarian, Book Lust author, and action figure model Nancy Pearl has a new book about recommended reading for kids and teens called Book Crush. Says the NPR Shop website: Divided into three sections -- Easy Books, Middle-Grade Readers, and Young Adult -- Book Crush makes wonderful reading connections by theme, setting, voice, and ideas." I hope to find a copy--where else?--in my local library. I'll be very interested to see her recommendations...
Atlantis — A Lost Sonnet
By now you will probably have heard just about all you can take in response to the thought-provoking (and comment-provoking) post at Roger Sutton's blog. His post contributes to a discussion on, essentially, the value of blogs in general, kidlit blogs in particular, and informal review blogs in especial particular. Fuse #8's comments on the subject seemed to fire up the discussion, and soon Read Roger was host to some strong words on various sides of the issue (yes, I think there are more than two sides to this, and I think that some of the commenters made largely inaccurate generalizations about the community of kidlit review bloggers). There were some excellently worded responses from some members of the blogging community, and thoughtful posts from Jen Robinson, Liz B, and others.
As it turns out, I couldn't just leave this alone. I kept thinking about it all day, and what I kept returning to was the simple--or not-so-simple--question of why I blog. Why I review. Why TadMack and I are doing this, and what motivated us to start in the first place. Warning: This is LONG. I've been thinking about it all day. Then I wrote notes in a notebook. I e-mailed back and forth with TadMack. And she's the one who inspired my jumping-off point when she told me:
Our readers know what our standards are, or are not by reading what we write. We are not held accountable to anyone but ourselves; that's part of the beauty of the blog world, in that we're pointedly not doing this for money....
Mr. Sutton gets paid for his work [at Horn Book], does he not? ... So...he's accountable. We are not. This doesn't mean that we are any less qualified - through our opinions or degrees which many of us have - but that is not the point, nor has it ever been. ANYONE who reads a book has the right to review it, say whether or not they liked it, and why. Whether or not they are paid, accountable seasoned professionals does not matter, nor does it mean that our reviews are worthless.
I completely agree. I feel accountable to myself--my conscience, my commitment to our goals for this project; to my co-blogger, because this is a joint venture; and to the community of kidlit bloggers of which we are proud to be a part. We all share a common passion, regardless of our profession or educational background, and I have a lot of respect and awe for the people who devote so many hours of spare time to spreading information and sharing their thoughts and opinions simply because they love the books, and they hope the act of sharing their words will be helpful and meaningful.
We inform each other and learn from one another, and so yes, I do feel responsible for the quality of what appears here--I want it to be informative, or useful, or entertaining. Clearly this is more important than I'd thought, since it seems so easy to lose credibility. After all, who are we--us bloggers, that is? We aren't all librarians, or parents, or teachers. Some wear multiple hats. What we do share is a love of literature and writing--and an interest in the process of creation, the craft; an interest in those who practice that craft and have grasped that elusive merry-go-round ring that is not merely publishing success but achievement of a creative work that affects readers' hearts, minds, funny bones, or whatever.
TadMack and I blog as writers. We created our blog as a way to establish our own small community--within our writing group--for sharing ideas and information. But we soon discovered an enthusiastic and welcoming community "out there," as it were; a community where the ground is leveled and writers, publishers, agents, librarians, and fans alike interact--responsibly--in a way that never used to be possible. It's been an eye-opening experience.
There are times when I think I can see the point of those who aren't favorably disposed toward blogging; when I'm burned out by the whole thing; when the mere thought of posting something exhausts me; when I feel like I have nothing worthwhile to say; when the process of blogging seems like just a race to post links or, as one commenter on Read Roger put it, a desperate attempt to compete in some bizarre online popularity contest. Sometimes I feel a little ornery about it, as the individualist in me kicks in and says a loud "So what? Everyone's got a blog now. It's no longer exciting or unusual. Let's go dye our hair green instead." (Note: my hair is not currently green.)
That's why I am ultimately thankful for this discussion, because it's made me really consider and articulate my reasons for doing this. One of those reasons is that it revitalizes me as a writer to say connected with other writers and people in the literary community. It also benefits me professionally to stay abreast of news and events in the YA writing world, and to make connections with others who share my interests. I do that via other means as well, but blogging affords an interactivity and dialogue that other media don't. I also blog to practice writing, crafting words on a regular basis; words that articulate my thoughts about writing, creativity, etc. I blog to share thoughts, information, and interesting reading material.
I do NOT blog for the free review copies. I don't feel obliged to plug a book any more fawningly simply because a publisher sent me a copy, although I AM less likely to do a half-assed job if I know that a publisher might go back and read it. (That's a joke.) The material benefits of our blogging are negligible. But there are tangible benefits in terms of the support and vibrancy of the community that exists. I don't expect to become famous on the basis of my blog. I don't even make assumptions about how many or how few are actually reading it, or how much traffic we're getting, as long as those who ARE reading it are getting something out of it--a great link, a deep thought, a laugh.
And speaking of laughs, expect a less reverent revisitation of this topic on Toon Thursday...Oh yeah, it's coming...
Jess Jordan is a delightfully batty British teen who once thought it a keen idea to create false boobs with -- of course -- bags of liquid. (Plastic surgeons have done this for years, but it's doubtful that any of them have ever resorted to minestrone soup.) Out of one disaster and into another Jess staggers, trying desperately not only to stay afloat in the world of high school, with its quick alliances and quicker betrayals, but to be visible in her own friendship. Jess's best friend Flora is perfect - with her stunningly blonde hair and blue eyes, Jess wavers between wanting to pull her head off and bat it to left field, and loving her fiercely, even while worrying she'll always play second, even with her quick wit and funny one-liners. Gorgeous Flora one-ups Jess every time the incredible Ben Johnson is in the room; surely he'll never notice Jess. In the end, Jess isn't sure if that matters...
A funny-sweet-tender novel about the horror formerly known as junior high, Jenny Han's perfectly poised Shug is my new favorite junior high novel.
bust has developed -- really developed. Sandpiper knows she's attractive, but instead of being able to use her looks, they're using her... and they're adding dangerously to that horrible reputation. It's harder to get rid of than she thought... since it seems like other people aren't ready to let it go. Certainly not Derek and his two rock-headed friends, who suddenly show up wherever she is, talking crap about her, throwing rocks at her cat, and threatening her little sister. She didn't mean anything when she was with them, okay? So, why are they taking it -- and treating her -- so badly? Only one person seems not to see Piper - either in a good way or a bad way -- her friend the Walker. But he has demons of his own.When we last met Scott Westerfeld's Midnighters, there had been dramatic rescues, ever-more-spine-tingling battles against ancient evil darklings, and an astonishing discovery--another living midnighter in their small Oklahoma town of Bixby. Not to mention conspiracies to eradicate the previous generation of midnighters, which is why Madeleine is the only one left.
The midnighters--people born at the stroke of midnight--have access to the Secret Hour, an extra hour at midnight when time freezes and the midnighters alone roam the town...well, not quite alone, because there are also the darklings: ancient predators who were long-ago banished to the "blue time," as Bixby's teenage midnighters call it.
Throughout the trilogy, the five teenage midnighters, each with their special powers--Rex, the seer; Dess, the polymath; Jonathan, the flyboy; Melissa, the mindcaster, and Jessica, the flamebringer--have been fighting off increasingly aggressive attacks by darklings during the secret hour. And in Midnighters #3: Blue Noon, it becomes clear that the darklings are waiting for something. Something BIG. And when, one unforgettable day, the blue time comes in the middle of a morning pep rally, the midnighters start to get an idea of what the darklings might be so eager about.
This is another suspense-filled, creepy volume and an excellent ending to the trilogy. The way the books are structured, with constant references to time, dates of reckoning, etc., creates a fast-paced sense of urgency that makes it VERY difficult to put the book down and go be productive.
Also, don't miss TadMack's excellent review of this volume.
I went for a more topical approach this time...Bonus points if you can name two not-so-hidden literary references (besides the really obvious one).
Extra bonus points if you can name the world's funniest usage of the word "nutsack." (Hint #1: This isn't it. Hint #2: It involves Amy Poehler.)
Even if it's a one-time deal, I'm happy to resurrect my cartooning alter ego from my undergrad days, Helen Tarnation. I recently found a notebook of my old Helen Tarnation Productions and I must say, I'm much funnier now...Good thing I remained mostly anonymous...
FOG
I'm pausing for five minutes to look out and appreciate the world... okay, I could actually a.) shower, b.) put on street clothes, or c.) go outside, but reading blogs is my pajamas is my "outing" this hour...
Even though it's practically tomorrow, I wanted to post my National Poetry Month poem of the day... and I've just discovered that I can't. Oh well. Until Gran Died is an unusual poem written by an British children's Wes Magee... The poem is about death, a subject that causes more furor with Well Meaning Protectors Of Children's Innocence, almost more than sex. I'll not post it here, to observe copyright, but please go and read it here. It doesn't mince words about sadness, but it isn't overly sentimental either. I really liked it.
A celebrations of dragons in poetry, prose, fiction, and original folktales, Jane Yolen’s Here There Be Dragons joyously embraces the blank spots on the edge of the map, the what-ifs that make history and lore.
she was only four, and now, with the death of her grandmother, Kendall now seventeen and a struggling high school senior, is frantic to find any kind of mooring.
In the past, dragons rampaging villages have been soothed by a virgin sacrifice. Finding a virginal young girl and staking her out to a rock for some inexplicable reason calms dragons down, according to the Tradition, and so, when the people of Acadia are attacked by a dragon, this is what they do. In developing a lottery system whereby girls are chosen, there is what can only be a mistake. The Queen’s only daughter, Princess Andromeda is chosen. The kingdom reels as the brave young princess goes to fulfill her destiny for her people.
white hind he hunts, and are happy enough, but Keturah is not. The world around her is simple… her beloved grandmother, who still mourns her romantic and wonderful husband, her girlfriends, the village boys, and the Lord's son. These people whom she loves and entertains wish for simple things. The girls dream of marrying, the boys dream of hunting exploits, and Keturah dreams of she isn’t sure what.