 | | Welcome Meish Goldish |
|
| | |
Meet MEISH GOLDISH
Writing Friend
Here's Meish -- Meish Goldish, that is. I met Meish in the early 1990s. I had just started my writing career and I wanted so much to know other writers . . . "real" writers, people who loved writing as much as I did. I was also teaching first grade and had a student teacher, Barbara Burton (Thurber). Barbara and I spent hours and hours discussing our love of teaching and my love of writing. Then one day she told me about Kelly, a friend of hers, who knew a "real" writer. "Ahh, wouldn't it be wonderful if he would come to our class and give a book talk," I mused.
So, I asked Barbara to ask Kelly to ask Meish if he would come to our class. (Sounds so highschool-ish, doesn't it, but I was scared out of my mind to call him.) But, when I finally did call him, he was so nice and I was shocked when he said he would come to do a book talk with my class. Way back then I didn't realize that writers charge a lot of money to do these visits, but Meish wouldn't take any money. He did it for the love of the craft.
I quickly ran out and bought his book titled, THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT and began reading it to my class over and over and over. It was a rhyming book and the Kiddles loved it. They loved to chime in on the last word of each couplet. "Mr. Little lived in Glome. In a cozy little _ _ _ _." (The missing word is "home," but you knew that.) Soon, the Kiddles had the book just about memorized. It became such a part of our classroom and each Kiddle wanted his very own book. So, I arranged for each to purchase a copy. What fun it was to see their proud faces when Meish gladly autographed their books for them. |
|
|
| |  | Meish
sharing his new book |
| | |
More than ten years have passed since I first met Meish and he still comes to my classroom every year bringing his newest creations to share with the Kiddles and me. We look forward to his visit all year as we read some of his many books. Here are some of our favorite titles.
ANIMAL POEMS FROM A to Z
JOKES, RIDDLES, and POEMS
PAPER PARTY
GIRAFFE GROWS UP
HOW PLANTS GET FOOD
WHAT is a FOSSIL?
101 SCIENCE POEMS and SONGS for YOUNG READERS
Thank you, Meish! |
|
|
 | Barbara Seuling
Writer, Mentor, Friend |
| | | |
Meet BARBARA SEULING
Writing Friend & Mentor
I first got to know Barbara while I was a chat host for the Children’s Writers Workshop on AOL America OnLine in 1995. Many times Barbara would join our OPEN CHAT to share her ideas and a few laughs with writers and illustrators from around the country. Since we also featured publishing world guests on the chat, one evening I interviewed her to get her perspective on the writing and publishing world.
Later Barbara offered several online writing-for-children courses, and I took about three or four of them. I produced several very good stories under her guidance including TEACHER'S PET, which she thought would some day be published. (I’m still waiting.) Some other stories I worked on in Barbara's classes were POOR HANNAH, COREY'S QUARTER, and THE BEST PEST.
Although Barbara and I aren’t able to see each other very often, we keep in touch via email and, of course, at writing conferences like SCBWI, (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Kindling Words, and the Vermont Workshop, which she hosts. You can learn more about Barbara at http://www.barbaraseuling.com.
I am very happy to call Barbara a friend.
Here are just a few of Barbara's books.
WHOSE HOUSE?
OH NO, IT'S ROBERT
ROBERT AND THE GREAT PEPPERONI
SPRING SONG
HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S BOOK AND GET IT PUBLISHED
|
|
|
 | Barbara and I
just hanging out |
| |  | Writers, Laura Stevenson and Franklin Reeve
also spent a day discussing their writing endeavors.
(Franklin Reeve is the father
of the late Christopher Reeve, Superman) |
|
 | Paula Morrow, Executive Editor of Ladybug &
Babybug was a featured guest, as was
her writer, husband, Bob Morrow. |
| |  | | Vermont Workshop Writers |
|
| | |
Meet the VERMONT WRITERS
Every year Barbara hosts a writing retreat near her Vermont home. Writers gather from all over the country to talk writing and practice their craft. In 2004 I trekked to Vermont to share in this experience.
|
|
|
 | Vermont Writers
Walking
Vermont Pathways |
| |  | Vermont Writers
at
The Landgrove Inn |
|
 | | Babbling Brook |
| |  | Writing
is a
Lot of Fun |
| |  | | Vermont Farmhouse |
|
 | Writing is
Hard Work |
| |  | | I Love That Line! |
| |  | Relaxing, Listening
to the
Readings |
|
| | |
THE VERMONT COUNTRYSIDE . . .
. . . was so quiet. No planes! No trains, subways, or taxis! In this very rural area of Vermont, there were very few cars, too. It was a writer's paradise. When we weren't working on our lastest piece or assignment, we did take time to stroll through the dirt roads listening to sounds of birds, horses and babbling streams . . . just hearing the quiet.
|
|
|
|
