|
|
|
The Maxwelton Fourth of July parade is pure Whidbey Island. Folks dress
up and decorate anything that moves, which this year included tricycles,
unicycles (no, I didn’t take mine out), a solar-powered racer, and horses
of course. Music, candy, and political statements accompany the entries.
Afterwards, we picnic and play on the beach. June 29, 2007It’s Family Day! Three years ago, Sandra and Jean joined our family.
It was a little office in Haiti where we all waited for the documents
to be prepared and signed. We stayed on for a few more days, arriving
home on July 2. Three years! In many ways it seems like more, in others,
much less. They add a lot to our lives, and we can barely remember the
times without them.
June 28, 2007A summer ritual for us is the Lions’ Club swimming lessons at Admiral’s Cove. Last year was Jean’s first year, and this year he was in level 3. Sandra was in 4, and Kaj in 5. He was excited to know he’d be moving up next year, fending off having Sandra in his group for at least one more season.
Karl headed off with the Shifty Sailors to the east coast for a couple
weeks. They meet up with the Tall Ships every other summer, adding to
their huge fan list. Kaj didn’t join them on the trip, but sings with
them often. June 23, 2007With school barely out, we crossed the mountain pass, boated through Lake Chelan, and rode a school bus eight miles through switchbacks to get to Holden Village, a retreat center in the Cascades. It’s a home-away-from-home for our family. Karl was invited to lead music for the week, and I taught a writing class. Hiking, writing, singing, and ice-cream eating are among our favorite Holden activities.
June 12, 2007Just a few days left of the school year for our kids. Kaj will be moving on to fifth grade with his teacher and most of his classmates. Sandra is thrilled about winning the house below in a drawing at school. They made it in her reading class with art teacher Tacy Bigelow. When I picked it up, I told Tacy we had a drawing at our house for an old swing set; she won, and would need to pick it up soon.
May 29, 2007About half way on my drive “up north” from Minneapolis, I turned on the radio to hear “Who says you can’t go back home.” Menahga Elementary welcomed me with a cake (by Diane, their talented librarian) and a surprise monetary gift at my school visit there. Kids performed a reader’s theater piece based on my dinobooks. They were students of my cousin Barb last year when they wrote it, and some were now in my friend Judy’s class. So many memories, so many familiar faces, only slightly changed. Must be from good living. Two other classmates of mine were working at Park Rapids Century Elementary during my visit there. Tammy, the librarian, was the perfect host. Another treat of the day was meeting Jennifer at Beagle Books. After mourning the loss of Jill when they sold the store, I was relieved to find the new owners carrying on the same friendly service with an obvious love for books. Family and friends visited me at my mom’s that evening. So fun to catch up with everyone. New and old friends everywhere today! May 28, 2007Menahga, Minnesota. My hometown. I have vivid memories from my early childhood – a few of the strongest from before I was two. We lived in my Grandmother’s house while our home was being built. I remember baths in her tub, especially when I had a pine bubble bath. That was when they discovered I was allergic to pine. No one knew why I’d break out now and then living there in the trees of northern Minnesota. My grandmother’s garage still stands, but the house was torn down when a grocery store was built next to it years ago. This is my sister’s 50th birthday. On her 7th birthday, my dad put up a teeter-totter. He said the boards were shelves as he worked on them in the basement. Cindy and I were very different in many ways, and very much the same in others. The Christmas I asked for a toy tractor, she wanted a bride doll. When they bought look-alike dresses for us, mine were blue and hers were pink. A friend of my grandmother’s visited us one summer, walking past me with her new husband up to Cindy. “Here’s the beautiful girl I told you about.” She was and she is. My little sister just turned 50. How did that happen? The only one who knew all our rules – how to extend Monopoly games for days, how Barbie dolls were not teenage beauties but moms with little kids we bought from Green’s Drugstore, and how to make paper doll clothes from Sears catalogs. I forgive you for cutting my paper doll in half, and I forgive you for being too cute. Happy Birthday, Cindy! Cindy, remember how I used to find garter snakes and torment you with them? Here’s Kaj and Sandra, just to help you relive those moments…
At least it wasn’t a spider, right? You probably prefer this one of Jean and “Sparkle” – the cat who adopted us…
May 26, 2007My book event at the Red Balloon in St. Paul was like no other. Friendly Minnesota folks who went out of their way to show their hospitality, fun kids who had us all giggling with their dinosailor singing and acting, and signing the “author chair” all added to the charm of this already charming Grand Avenue destination. If you’ve been to the Red Balloon, you know why people travel many miles to shop there. Other highlights included several friends, and a couple new friends. Vicki and Steve Palmquist traveled from Maple Grove to St. Paul for my signing. I “met” Vicki online through their organization “Children’s Literature Network.” it’s been a great way for authors, teachers, parents, and librarians to be in a community of children’s book lovers. It’s expanding its offerings, and now is a great opportunity to be a part of its growth. Check them out at www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org. Membership is $30 this year, a third of the normal rate. After the Red Balloon, I hopped in my cute red Corolla rental and zipped over to the Loft in Minneapolis. 26 writers registered for my afternoon class. Those of you familiar with the Loft will understand why it’s one of those places I hated to leave when I moved west. Minnesota writers have a gem there. Thank you to Mary and the others who run the Loft, and to the crowd who showed up on a Memorial weekend Saturday. Here’s what we did… Playing on the Page: Writing for ChildrenWhether you’ve only dreamed of writing children’s books or have oodles of manuscripts (if so, bring one in), picture book author Deb Lund will entertain and guide you from inspiration to publication. Your tour will touch on the inside story of submissions, illustrator selection, editorial expectations, and marketing. Through writing exercises, feedback on your writing, and examples of written work by Deb and others, you’ll learn ways to generate ideas, to create characters, to play with words, to critique and revise, to bring stories to life, and to discern your writing goals. Dare to delight both your inner child and outer adult. To see more Loft offerings, visit www.loft.org. May 20, 2007If you've had enough cake to eat, you politely decline another piece, unless you’re our children.
May 17, 2007Teachers don't often hear how they influenced their students' lives. I got lucky. A couple decades ago, I taught fifth grade with Denise Dittrich, now a Minnesota state representative, Half a dozen years after I moved to Whidbey Island in Washington, Denise mailed me a column she saw in the Elk River paper. “Who's Your Hero?” was written by my former student, DaNette (Byers) Robeck. “Ms. Lund was one of the first teachers who taught me what life was about…She proved to me everyone can make a difference.” “The first couple of days of Ms. Lund's class made me skeptical of whether I would enjoy her teaching style. But it didn't take me long to realize Ms. Lund was teaching from her heart, not her books. She had us write stories and many poems of our life and how we as 10-year-olds looked at it… Ever since fifth grade, I have pursued writing. Ms. Lund was the founder for my interest and will always be held in highest respect by me as well as my fifth grade classmates.” DaNette had no idea I’d see the article. I sent DaNette a note through the newspaper. She responded, amazed that her piece found me. I thought about my own fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Enney, who sent a poem of mine in to be published in a volume of student writing called “Wonder Writers.” Unfortunately, Mrs. Enney wasn’t around for me to “pay forward” what DaNette had done for me. Now, a dozen years after receiving that article, as I worked on a book about teaching writing to children, I wished I had kept in touch with DaNette. I wondered how to get in touch with her – where did she live? What was her last name? That's when the email arrived. DaNette had been walking through a Target store, saw my picture books, and found my website. I mentioned her article in a later phone call. She laughed and told me that another student of mine, Joe Fryer, now a Minnesota KARE-11 reporter, had said at the time, “But Ms. Lund is my hero!” Check out Joe’s bio and blog at /www.kare11.com. My favorite part, of course, is where he says, “In 5th grade, I realized I wanted to be a writer.” When Joe was a first grader, I taught music half time at Rogers. I saw him every morning for music, and in the afternoon, I student-taught in his classroom as I finished up my classroom degree. When I traveled to Washington to interview for a teaching position, I had the usual letters of recommendation from principals in my placement file, and one from fifth-grade Joe. I got the job. So, to copy DaNette’s idea, if you’ve had teachers or other “heroes” who
made a difference in your life, let them know. We teach and live from
who we are, and if we’re lucky, we hear about it. May 3, 2007The Lund Olsen clan is in mid-sports season. One to three kid sports events every Monday to Saturday keeps us running (and batting, kicking, catching…). You’re wondering why such non-sports folks like us are into this? Well, the “non-sport” aspect is why. Though I grew up as a runner and cracker-jack catcher of baseballs (thanks to my Dad who burned them into my glove), the years and knees have slowed me down. We now let others play sports with our kids. Seen a T-ball game lately? I highly recommend it.
My’93 Eurovan (weekender model) with its handy dandy pop-up table
in the back has made an efficient portable office during practices.
With the season extending into mid-June, we authors with little kids get
resourceful. Speaking of offices, I’m finally going to have a writing room of
my own in the next month or two. Whew! No more squeezing in minutes between
the kitchen, bathroom, and family room – “Excuse me, Mama…” My
husband is not only a talented musician, but a creative “project
guy” as well. We had a balcony off our bedroom, which is now framed
in, waiting for more embellishments before I move in the computer and
electric teapot. Who needs a balcony in the woods of rural Whidbey Island
anyway? April 21, 2007“Writing For & With Children,” a class I taught at All For Kids Books & Music (www.allforkidsbooks.com) through Heritage Institute, was a grand success. What better place to host a class like this than a bookstore – especially one like Chauni’s behind University Village. Only two of the twenty-some participants had ever been in the store before – hard to believe for a group of relatively-local teachers in a nationally recognized store. Any author who is anyone is going to appear at All For Kids. If you’re not on their email list, sign up at their website. One of the teachers said she got more out of this one class than all her other classes combined. Wow. Thanks! But then, to be fair, there was also the participant who said that hearing about publishing was boring. Oh, well. We hope to make this class an annual event. The other big event for our family on this day was the recording of the Shifty Kids for the Shifty Sailors children’s CD. The Shifties are a group of maritime singers created and led by my energetic, ever-hugging brother-in-law Vern Olsen. My book Dinosailors is dedicated to him and the group. My guys Karl and Kaj, father and son, are featured on this project. Look for it in July, or contact the Sailors at www.shiftysailors.net.
April 9, 2007My buddy George Shannon and I met in Port Townsend for a day of wandering,
eating, talking books, and critiquing manuscripts. It was a treat to show
him around on his first visit there. We visited with our illustrator friend,
Richard Jesse Watson, at his delightful gallery above Imprint books (another
favorite PT spot). I picked up Art & Fear when George and a couple
others all recommended the book to me within a two-week period. What a
day! Time with George is always insightful and fun. If I’ve been
to your school lately and you need a suggestion for another author to
work with your students, get in touch with George at www.georgeshannon.org. March 23, 2007The Olsen clan got away for a few days on Guemes Island – a gift from Vern and Martha. Beach time, a fire truck visit, playing at the playground, and decorating Peeps were some of our highlights.
March 9, 2007Happy Birthday, Mom! Kelley Bright, Super Parent from Whitney Elementary in Anacortes, organized an author visit for me. What an amazing little school. I felt lucky to be there before its reconfiguration next year. We sang songs, acted out stories, talked about story structure and writing, and created stories “on the spot.” The staff treated me to an incredible potluck lunch. Anyone have the recipe for that interesting salad? Principal Kevin Schwartz sent me this picture later…
March 5, 2007Jane Yolen presented at the Oak Harbor library Thursday afternoon after a couple school visits earlier in the day. I picked her up and drove her down to her lodging in Langley where she’d be presenting at the Whidbey Island Writers Conference over the weekend. I first met Jane over a decade ago, and get to see her periodically. We worked with the same editor for awhile, but now I mostly keep up on her life through her web site. Last time Jane was on Whidbey, she bought a copy of Dinosailors for her grandson David. He’s a few years older now, and it was fun to give her a copy of All Aboard the Dinotrain to bring back for him. Ann Tobias presented at the Whidbey conference this year again as well. We had met a couple years ago at the conference, taking walks whenever we had breaks in the schedule. The weather didn’t allow for that this year, but we had a lovely dinner together. Ann is both an editor and children’s writers’ agent. She works a couple days each week at Handprint Books, and has her own literary agency. Ann has a strong editorial background and really “gets” what a manuscript needs. If you have a chance to work with her, however, you’ll find that her real asset is her compassion. It was a treat to spend time with both Jane and Ann on their Whidbey visit. I facilitated at the chat house where they both presented, along with my friend Bonny Becker. Bonny and I have been in the same writing circles around the Seattle area for years. She’s a talented writer and teacher, as well as a fun colleague. It’s hard to believe the Whidbey conference will celebrate its tenth anniversary next year. What a tribute to all the hard-working conference crew, and to the conference’s founding and current directors, Celeste Mergens and Elizabeth Guss. February 28, 2007Throughout January and February I taught a “Writing for Children” class through the Whidbey Island Writers Association. Seven women took the class, and, as I told them, I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. I’ve always loved my teaching, but this group of diverse writers supported each other, laughed, critiqued, and wrote, wrote, wrote. February 26. 2007My visit to Norman Rockwell Elementary in Redmond was a treat. Diane Davenport, the librarian at Rockwell, lives in Mukilteo, so she picked me up at the ferry and hauled me back after school. I didn’t have to drive and navigate, and she got to use the carpool lane. But that wasn’t the highlight of my day. I saw groups of classes ranging from kindergarten to sixth. The little kids acted out Dinosailors, created stories with me, sang songs, and learned my secrets about writing. Sorry, I can’t share those with you right now. The big kids kept me busy with an interactive discussion about writing and publishing. When I read Tell Me My Story, Mama to them, they were glued to every word. It was absolutely silent as they leaned their smiling faces in to take in the story. Teachers are sometimes a little nervous about me reading this book to older kids. They’re worried the kids will get silly, or that it’s below them. After the reading, I shared that observation with the kids, and asked them why the story works so well with older kids. A girl raised her hand and said, “Because it’s our story, too.” And it is. The details don’t matter. We all have our stories, and we need to encourage the telling of those stories. I’ve been hearing from teachers at Rockwell who appreciated my experience and knowledge of teaching writing to kids. I fielded several questions not only from kids, but also from teachers during presentations, in hallways, the staff lounge, and later on emails. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to share more than books with them. Thanks, Rockwell. Keep writing! February 22, 2007The Coupeville Young Authors program this year is made up of about 20 kids from grades 2-5. They’re working on books to share at a young authors’ conference in March. I visited them to talk about writing and to (as their teacher requested) motivate them to get their pieces completed. I taught them a couple writing strategies and exercises that lead some of the kids to create new pieces for the conference instead of the ones they’ve been working on for weeks now. I’ve been visiting this group each year, but this year is extra special since my children Kaj and Sandra are both attending. Sandra is working on a piece called Prince John, and Kaj has a lively one called The Return of the Rat King. He’s loved the Nutcracker since he was two, and he’s been after me to write a sequel for some time now. He finally gave up and wrote his own. Now that the work is well underway, maybe I’ll have to take another look at that. Hmmm… Jane Yolen co-authors books with her kids… February 16, 2007Karl, Vern, and I performed at the grand reopening of the Freeland library here on Whidbey. There’s a new children’s room, among other improvements, and we opened the space with stories and songs. I had hoped to read All Aboard the Dinotrain, but didn’t have any copies at home. I called all the libraries, but the copies weren’t available. I guess that’s good news, right? Anne from the Coupeville branch suggested I try the schools. I found one at Coupeville Elementary, drove there to pick it up, got down to Freeland, and when it was time to read, the book was gone. We had everyone in the place hunting, but it didn’t show up until later as I was listening to speeches. We were still sitting in the children’s room, and as the words flowed by me, my eyes moved up and down the shelves. A familiar orange spine caught my attention. The words seemed to be about the right length. Yup. There it was, shelved by some well-meaning child – or adult! – too late for my reading. Oh well! February 2-9, 2007Except for the birthday extravaganza, I spent most of the first week of February retreating with Christina Baldwin and several alums from her “Self as the Source of the Story” workshops. I took the original class in April 1996 following my dad’s death. By the end of the week, I figured out I was pregnant. If you’ve ever attended Christina’s workshops, you know they’re life-changing events. The connections you make rival life-long friendships, and Christina’s coaching brings the books inside you to life. This week was no different. I found myself focusing on two areas I’ve been meaning to write more about. One is our adoption process. The other is about teaching writing to kids – not the usual “how to” book, but more of an opinionated rambling from someone who’s been there. It’s a more irreverent approach than my master’s paper with the same focus a couple decades ago. A highlight of my week with fellow “S.A.S.” alums was reconnecting with my friend Kerry Sandomursky, an actor from Vancouver, BC. We got caught up on the changes in our lives since our meeting at our first Christina Baldwin course over a decade earlier. Kerry and all my new friends from this more recent retreat are with me as I write these days.
February 3, 2007Dinoauthor Deb Lund’s birthday dinoparty at award-winning Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett, Washington drew 1100 people. Performing with Deb was her partner, musician Karl Olsen. “What a hit!” says Creative Arts Manager Raniere. “If I had to pick one thing that made the event great, I would have to say it was the DinosongsCraftsPuzzlesToysCookiesandFantasticDinostories!” Though the young participants may have seen things differently, Deb says this birthday does not make her a dinosaur.
January 30, 2007The Everett Public libraries were wonderful hosts as I told stories and sang with children from area schools. Liz Hawkins arranged the visit to the Evergreen Library and the Everett Main Library. It was encouraging to see such a strong library program and great facilities available for the people of Everett. Thanks to all the library staff who were so warm and welcoming. January 19-22
In my librarian days, I couldn’t wait for our Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) conferences. It was a chance for all the librarians in the state to regroup, pick up the latest book and information ideas, and just hang out with other like-minded souls. I had never attended the American Library Association conferences until this year, now that I’m no longer a librarian. In addition to the types of benefits we got from our WLMA conferences, this huge event was filled with countless book discussions and it had an Oscar-like buzz about it because of the awards that would be presented later. The exhibit hall was like a conference in itself. Our local SCBWI had a booth – the first time that’s happened with a regional SCBWI chapter. Thirty of us took turns at the booth, talking with librarians, giving away books in raffles, meeting, greeting, sharing stories.
Harcourt wined and dined their local authors and illustrators – I love my publisher. It was a lively, yummy evening. To meet all the wonderful folks who have made my books what they are was a treat. And to find out how caring, personable, and delightful they were made it even more special. Many other editors I’ve met over the years also attended ALA. The Scholastic bunch was especially fun to meet. Their booth had folks from the school divisions, so it was good to connect with people who work with my old library colleagues. I stayed with my friend and birthday buddy Clare Hodson Meeker. Clare and I celebrated our birthday (February 7) in New York one year. A much different celebration than the one I’ll have this year with kids at Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett. Clare writes creative nonfiction books for kids. Our family’s favorite is Hansa. Hansa is an elephant at Woodland Park Zoo. Seattle authors made a good showing at ALA for more reasons than our booth. Laura Kvasnovsky, well-known for her Zelda and Ivy books, took home the 2007 Geisel Medal. With her winning words and art, Laura is one of those author-illustrators that can do it all exceptionally well. My friend Kirby Larson seemed a bit dejected the day before the announcements of the awards. When I asked her about it, she explained that the rows and rows of books throughout the exhibit hall had her wondering how her book Hattie Big Sky could even be noticed. If you follow children’s books, you know that she got a Newbery Honor for Hattie. I remember having lunch with Kirby years ago when she was just beginning to work on Hattie’s story. She had information on her grandmother, had done some research, and felt like the project was taking on a life of its own, though she didn’t know where it was going. Kirby’s grandmother must have been dancing through the ALA corridors along with Kirby. Thanks for sharing your spotlight with us, sweetie. You so deserve this for so many reasons. January 15, 2007
I have an amazing writing group. We’re an odd sort, writing all kinds of things, but we’re a loyal, “brutal” bunch – working hard to support each other. Meeting days are marked with a WOW! on my calendar. WOW for “Writers on Whidbey.” We celebrated our 10th anniversary this November. A few members have come and gone, but a couple of us have been here since the beginning. I was pregnant when we started the group, and Kaj often joined me as a baby. We’d be at Sally’s, where we’d turn on the fan to entertain him no matter how warm or cold it was. A decade of learning our craft together… January 14, 2007
Kaj’s first double-digit birthday was December 30, but that was Christmas vacation, as it always is, and this year, we decided to wait and celebrate it right. We rented the Roller Barn in Oak Harbor for a couple hours so we could invite his entire class and other friends. Kaj suggested to friends that they donate money to send to Haiti to support kids there instead of buying him a present. He still got plenty of fun gifts himself, and one of his good friends got his own gift – a broken arm. We’re so sorry, Orion. Hope that heals fast and you two can get back on the floor again. January 3, 2007Each January, our Seattle SCBWI chapter hosts “The Great Critique.” Several authors are invited to lead critique groups. The group I facilitated had exceptionally good pieces to share. We read, listened, discussed, offered suggestions, and enjoyed getting to know one another. I’m sure I’ll be reading more of their writing in the future. Return
to current blog | 2007 blog | 2006 blog | 2005 blog | 2004
blog |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
