Kimberly Hirsh

As a public school teacher, I am distinctly aware of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its various incarnations, including Goals 2000 and No Child Left Behind.  As an avid reader and formerly low-income elementary school student, I was a direct beneficiary of the Reading Is Fundamental program.  I believe I still have the books I got from them.  At a time when my family could not afford new books and we rarely had time to go to the library, RIF provided new reading material for me.

Here is a message/press release from the president and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental:

President Bush Eliminates Funding for Reading Is Fundamental’s Historic Book Distribution Program Serving 4.6 Million Children

Statement from Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO, of Reading Is Fundamental

"President Bush’s proposed budget calling for the elimination of Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF) Inexpensive Book Distribution program would be devastating to the 4.6 million children and their families who receive free books and reading encouragement from RIF programs at nearly 20,000 locations throughout the U.S.

“Unless Congress reinstates $25.5 million in funding for this program, RIF would not be able to distribute 16 million books annually to the nation’s youngest and most at-risk children. RIF programs in schools, childcare centers, migrant programs, military bases, and other locations serve children from low-income families, children with disabilities, foster and homeless children, and children without access to libraries.  The Inexpensive Book Distribution program is authorized under the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (SEC.5451 Inexpensive Book Distribution Program for Reading Motivation) and is not funded through earmarks. It has been funded by Congress and six Administrations without interruption since 1975.

“Since its founding in 1966, RIF’s programs have played an important role in improving literacy in this country.  The U.S. Department of Education has shown that the number of books in a child’s home is a significant predictor of academic achievement. In addition, RIF programs also support academic achievement by involving hundreds of thousands of volunteers and other caring adults in encouraging children to read for fun. We urge all Americans to contact their Congressional representatives and ask them to reinstate funding for this important program.” 

 

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.6 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources each year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit RIF’s website at www.rif.org.

 Discover the Joy!

For more information, contact:
Layla Wright-Contreras,
Media Relations Manager
202-536-3528
lwright@rif.org

TO TAKE ACTION, CLICK HERE AND WRITE THE PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT, AND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS.

Hello, litosphere.  Remember me?

As mentioned in my last post, I haven’t had the attention span for fiction of late.  And I picked up Vale of the Vole from the library, and promptly set it down somewhere that will require me to look for it before I can find it.  So yesterday at the library, I roamed the YA shelves and picked up Tanith Lee’s Indigara.  Then I went over to the JF section and picked up The Princess Diaries.  I looked at a lot of books, and if the first paragraph didn’t capture my attention, I knew now was not the time for that book.  So, I’ll start with these and see how I do.  I’ve no set reading goal for this year.

The other day in Target I picked up The Lightning Thief, and was enthralled by the first little bit.  But I decided to get it from the library rather than buy it.  It’s such a popular book, of course, that there’s a waiting list.  So I’m on that.  And once I read that I can get cracking on in media res, my site devoted to the classics in modern media.  The first focus will be on the Olympians, so I’ll include the Percy Jackson series, the God of War video games, and I’ll try to find a movie or two as well.  Right now I’m having trouble because all the movies I can think of that involve Olympians are better suited to a Heroes unit.  So if you have any suggestions, let me know.

I’ve realized that I need to get back to the purpose of this blog, if I’m going to maintain it.  And in my Writing Blogs post, I stated that this blog was “a place to keep track of my own musings on reading."  So that’s what it will be, when I post.  And sometimes I might participate in multi-blog events, and sometimes I might write formal reviews.  But generally, it’s just going to be a journal.

Last year I wanted to write a review of every book I read, and I only failed to do that for 9 of them.  Pretty good, really.  There are a few that I should write reviews for because I specifically requested them from publishers and/or authors, and I’ll fit those in once I get some momentum going.   But for now, it has to be about what captures my imagination, or it won’t happen at all.

I have been out and about.  I haven't had the attention span for fiction in weeks.  So I've been reading non-fiction.  I recently finished Craft, Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco.  I'm reading The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine by Rozsika Parker.

I think to get me out of my refusing-to-read-fiction rut I need something familiar, but still new enough to maintain my interest.  I prescribe Piers Anthony: Vale of the Vole.  Just requested it from the library.

Over at Becky’s Book Reviews, Becky is hosting the Celebrate the Author Challenge.   The basic idea is that each month of 2008, you read a book by an author born in that month.  Go to the post I linked earlier for more details.

Here’s my tentative author list:
January - Lloyd Alexander (hopefully ALL of the Vesper Holly series)
February - Meg Cabot
March - Libba Bray
April - Micol Ostow
May - Scott Westerfeld
June - Annette Curtis Klause
July - Christopher Golden (born the day after me but a few years earlier)
August - Piers Anthony
September - Melissa de la Cruz
October - Gabrielle Zevin
November - Holly Black
December - Stephanie Meyer

I found this through a quick googling:

There weren’t any chimneys, but that caused no gloom,
for Santa came in through the Florida room.
He stopped at each house….stayed only a minute,
emptying his sack of stuff that was in it.

Before he departed, he treated himself
to a glass of papaya juice upon the shelf.
He turned with a jerk and bounced to the car,
remembering he still had to go very far.

You can read the whole poem here. 

Most people think Christmas requires cold and snow, but for me a temperature of no lower than 60 degrees seems just about right.

One year, the thing I wanted the very most for Christmas was a navel orange.  Santa brought me one, and it was the most beautiful orange ever.  I refused to eat it, it was so beautiful.

It molded.  That was less pretty.

Still, I fondly recall my Christmas orange.

2008 is The Year of Ambition for me.  I am going to take my dreams of various sorts and see what I can do to make them become reality.

One project I've had rolling around in my brain for three or four years now is a blog/website devoted to portrayals of the ancient Mediterranean in modern media.  My favorite part of teaching Latin is helping students make connections between the ancient world and the modern world, and I lovelovelove taking part in movies, books, video games, and music that reference the ancient world.  So I've wanted for a long time to bring that interest online.

I've set up a blog for this purpose and titled it in media res.  I thought it was a clever pun.  Here's the mission statement for the blog:

In a numbered list, no less!

1. My reading goal for the year was 30 books.  I’ve already surpassed that, if audio books count, and am at 34 right now.
2. Today I bought Twilight as my airplane book for my Saturday trip to Florida.  (I’ll be there a little less than a week.)  Thanks to everyone who expressed opinions on it and other books.  I’ve been meaning to read it a while now, and the library wait is quite long, and it was just looking at me there on the shelf in Target at $2 off cover, so, now it is mine.
3. Re: Last week’s bad day - it was mainly because of a sinus infection I was developing, which today was diagnosed and antibioticized.  So in a few days I should be having much better days, both because the sinus infection will be clearing up, and I’ll be on vacation in the best state in the union.  i. e., Florida.  The Sunshine Except For That Thunderstorm At 3 PM State.  Thanks for all the bad day book recommendations.  I think I ended up just getting in bed, sadly.

I’m having a bad day.  What do you like to read when you’re having a bad day? 

It's a Theatrey weekend for me. Tonight I'm going to see The Little Prince, and then tomorrow it's Damn Yankees. I thought in honor of the festivities I'd post some theatre-related poetry. I googled "theatre poetry," and it gave me Poetry Theatre:

Our mission is to continue the oral tradition utilizing modern technology. Poetry Theatre presents actors performing their favorite poems, a glossary of terms and a biography of the poet. Its website gives poetry to everyone to inspire, to enjoy and to learn. 

I don't have time to explore the site now, but it's exciting, isn't it?  And Tandy Cronyn is the artistic director.  I had the privilege of seeing her star in Wit.  She was phenomenal.  (And brought Hume Cronyn around the theatre; the boyf got to meet him but had no sense of the magnitude of the event.)

From their selections, I chose one by one of my favorite poets, John Donne.  (I'm actually in the process of writing a John Donne cento as a gift for aforementioned boyfriend.)

GO and catch a falling star
by John Donne

GO and catch a falling star,
   Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
   Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
   Or to keep off envy's stinging,
            And find
            What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.

If thou be'st born to strange sights,
   Things invisible to see,
Ride ten thousand days and nights,
   Till age snow white hairs on thee,
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,
All strange wonders that befell thee,
            And swear,
            No where
Lives a woman true and fair.

If thou find'st one, let me know,
   Such a pilgrimage were sweet;
Yet do not, I would not go,
   Though at next door we might meet,
Though she were true, when you met her,
And last, till you write your letter,
            Yet she
            Will be
False, ere I come, to two, or three.

It’s been more than a couple of weeks since I last posted.  I’ve been in a non-litty headspace.  But after a conversation with the boyf today about what I do and don’t like, and what is and is not important to me, I may be ready to come back.

Today I was discussing with my students what things were “Roman” pursuits and what things were “Greek” pursuits.  We’ve been reading about this in their text.  We reviewed the “Roman” activities: building roads and bridges; farming; fighting wars.  The students agreed that these were “physical” pursuits, “work."  We then reviewed the “Greek” activities: sculpting, painting, reading.  I said, “And what kind of activities are these?"  I was thinking “intellectual” here, as that’s what folks generally oppose to the physical.

Their response?  “Boring." That just made me sad.  After further discussion, I realized that the students know being able to read is important; they simply didn’t value it as a leisure pursuit.

Of course, that’s just one class.  In a different class, we could have booktalks just about every day.  They’re almost all heavy readers in that class.  At any given time, at least a third of the class has a novel to pull out in case of free time.  So that was reassuring.

So, yeah.  Reading is important.  I get it, universe.  I’m with you.

I just finished reading The Golden Compass.  What have you been reading?

…

The other pursuit that takes up my time and often keeps me away from the kidlitosphere is craft.  My preferred craft is crochet, though I love to read about others.  Fortunately, a relatively new blog has united these two realms.  Children’s Lit ’n Knit is written by Shelly Hattan, an engineer, knitter, and reader.  Shelly’s lit-knit began with a Captain Underpants she made for her nephew, and has continued with various other suggestions.  She’s soliciting ideas for the blog, so if you’ve got a brilliant idea for a toy/book pairing, drop her a line!  My favorite entry is Where the Wild Things Are.  I am all about crowns and cat hats.

…

See you soon, I hope!

 

I'd be interested to know what their methodology is for that.  It's appropriate, though, as I spend most of my time attempting to communicate with high school students.

I've noticed on my friends list a lot of author types and others returning from NCTE.  That's thrilling, and it makes me wish there would be authors and kidlit bloggers at the American Classical League Institute, though I don't imagine there are.  We should really get Rick Riordan there, you know?  And several others.

About a year ago I took up reading paranormal romance of the chick-lit variety; clever vampire women or perhaps wiccans with vampire boyfriends.  I had a lot of fun.  Then I went on my YA run, and that's been my primary reading material for the past several months.  I'm currently reading The Golden Compass in hopes of finishing it before the film is released.  (My time is otherwise spent working, playing with website design, and finding other ways to avoid working on my NaNoWriMo novel.  I'm almost 20,000 words behind now, I think.  But I have not given up yet.)

Anyway - and I know this is my reader place and not my writer place, but the two do overlap, of course - I have considered joining SCBWI, but there is not a lot of local SCBWI activity, while the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers are very active.  So I was thinking, "How do I write something, or position myself to be interested in/planning on writing something, that helps me fit in with these people?"  Because, quite honestly, I only seem to be able to write teenaged protagonists.  (I tried a grad student last year.  I think I got about 2000 words in.)

My NaNo this year is not even a little bit a romance - there has, in fact, been no mention of a romantic interest of any sort for any character, unless you count the main character's parents as romance interests for one another.

I have been thinking, however, that there is the category of Young Adult Romance.  And further, there are subdivisions in that which include Fantasy, Sci Fi, and Paranormal.  So.  Once I finish Golden Compass I am going to head over to the library and start reading that genre to see how I like it, starting with Lisa Jane Smith.

Anyone who has recommendations to offer in this genre, please do so.  They would be very welcome.  My tastes tend to run towards stories where the MC is a headstrong female.  Things should be either incredibly gothicly serious or have a strong sense of humor.  If I think of more, I'll let you know.

I’ve seen a lot of folks posting Thanksgiving poems today, which makes sense as it is the last Friday before Thanksgiving.  So I am going to post my own, here.

Now, this is not a proper haiku: it contains no reference to the seasons and it is distinctly lacking in nature-metaphor.  But it fits the syllable scheme, so we’ll call it a Haiku anyway.

Thanksgiving Haiku
by Kimberly aka lectitans reading

My little sister,
Oh do not fear the turkey:
I will eat him.  Yum.

(My sister has an intense fear of turkeys.  At the NC Museum of Life and Science they used to let their turkey wander free all over the farm, and when she was about 3 or so, it chased her all over the farmyard.  It was bigger than she was.  Apparently, being the mean and evil sister I am, I was too busy paying attention to my 4-H lambs, Scooter and Skeeter, to help her out.  So now I am spending the rest of my life making up for this betrayal of her.  Making up for it BY EATING TURKEY.  Is there a better way to pay back a debt?  I think not.  Also, now they keep the turkey penned up, so I guess it scared some other kids, too.  Probably a different turkey these 18 years later, now that I think about it.)

This is going to be a stream-of-consciousness entry.  Consider yourself warned.

In the past few weeks, a few of the kidlit bloggers have been reconsidering their intentions for their blog.  I was in this same place as well, but not talking about it so much.  But I think today I am ready to talk about it.

I came into this back in March full-tilt.  Over my spring break I tore through several books and blogged about them.  Over the summer I participated in the Summer Blog Blast Tour, and since then have been a part of many events.  But in July, I started moving away from this blog for various reasons, and though I tried to renew my dedication in August, work got in my way.

I began this blog as a place to explore my own reactions to books.  And it has grown into my part of the larger conversation.  But I have become so overwhelmed by other parts of my life that I am not really participating in the conversation anymore.

So it is important that I bring this blog back to its origins:

This is my place to talk about my own feelings about what I am reading, have read, or will read.

Its purpose is for me to have reactions and reviews.  I haven’t reviewed a book in a long, long time, because I got scared.  I started to worry too much about the review content.  It is silly.  I am not going to do that anymore.

So, here is what I will be doing:
1. Participating in group activities and memes as I am comfortable.
2. Writing up my own responses to books, as I originally intended.
3. Other things as I feel moved to do so.

Anyway.  Yeah.

So that’s where I am, in case you were wondering.

As you know if you've been visiting any children's book blogs for the past few weeks, Robert's Snow is an online auction that benefits Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over 200 children's book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates. The snowflakes will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to cancer research. You can view all of the 2007 snowflakes here. Jules and Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have found a way for bloggers to help with this effort, by blogging about individual illustrators and their snowflakes. The idea is to drive traffic to the Robert's Snow site so that many snowflakes will be sold, and much money raised to fight cancer. The illustrator profiles have been wonderful so far - diverse and creative and colorful. And there are lots more to go.

Here's the schedule for Week 5, which starts Monday. As previously, this early schedule links to the participating blogs, instead of to the individual posts. You can find links to the posts themselves, and any last-minute updates, each morning at 7-Imp. Jules and Eisha have also set up a special page at 7-Imp containing a comprehensive list of links to the profiles posted so far. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa's post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.

Monday, November 12

• John Nez at ChatRabbit
  
  
• Liza Woodruff at Check It Out
  
  
• Jane Dippold at Just Like the Nut
  
  
• Mike Wohnoutka at laurasalas

Tuesday, November 13

• Cynthia Decker at The Silver Lining
  
  
• Cecily Lang at Kate's Book Blog
  
  
• Jane Dyer at Whimsy Books
  
  
• Gutierrez at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos
  
  
• Lee White at Please Come Flying

Wednesday, November 14

• Philomena O'Neill at Jo's Journal
  
  
• Maggie Swanson at Chicken Spaghetti
  
  
• Timothy Bush at Here in the Bonny Glen
  
  
• Peter Emmerich at Loree Griffin Burns: A Life in Books

Thursday, November 15

• Yangsook Choi at What Adrienne Thinks About That
  
  
• Laura Jacques at cynthialord's Journal
  
  
• Mary Newell Depalma at Wild Rose Reader
  
  
• Leanne Franson at Just Like the Nut

Friday, November 16

• Mary Haverfield at Your Neighborhood Librarian
  
  
• Lisa Kopelke at Lisa's Little Corner of the Internet
  
  
• Salley Mavor at ChatRabbit
  
  
• Greg Newbold at The Longstockings
  
  
• Elizabeth Sayles at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos

Saturday, November 17

• Paul Brewer at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
  
  
• Aaron Zenz at Jo's Journal
  
  
• Wendy Edelson at What Adrienne Thinks About That
  
  
• Joan Waites at Chicken Spaghetti

Sunday, November 18

• Giles Laroche at Book, Book, Book
  
  
• Annie Patterson at Check It Out
  
  
• Teri Sloat at The Miss Rumphius Effect
  
  
• Annette Heiberg at Lisa's Little Corner of the Internet
  
  
• Wade Zahares at Wild Rose Reader

Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

See also the following note from Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader:

Note to Blog Readers about Blogging for a Cure: When Jules of 7-Imp put out her call in September for bloggers to interview/feature artists who had created snowflakes for Robert’s Snow 2007 at their blogs, a number of artists had not yet sent in their snowflakes to Dana-Farber. As time was of the essence to get Blogging for a Cure underway, we worked with the list of artists whose snowflakes were already in possession of Dana-Farber. Therefore, not all the participating artists will be featured. This in no way diminishes our appreciation for their contributions to this worthy cause. We hope everyone will understand that once the list of artists was emailed to bloggers and it was determined which bloggers would feature which artists at their blogs, a schedule was organized and sent out so we could get to work on Blogging for a Cure ASAP. Our aim is to raise people’s awareness about Robert’s Snow and to promote the three auctions. We hope our efforts will help to make Robert’s Snow 2007 a resounding success.

 

Author Dia Calhoun took the time to answer some questions for the Winter Blog Blast Tour. 

Today is Colleen’s birthday!  Happy birthday, Colleen!

Here are today’s interviews:

Lisa Ann Sandell at Interactive Reader
Christopher Barzak at Chasing Ray
Julie Halpern at The Ya Ya Yas
Micol Ostow at Shaken & Stirred
Rick Yancey at Hip Writer Mama
Jane Yolen at Fuse Number 8
Shannon Hale at Bookshelves of Doom
Maureen Johnson at Bildungsroman
David Lubar at Writing & Ruminating
Sherman Alexie at Finding Wonderland 

Here is today's Winter Blog Blast Tour schedule:

Lisa Ann Sandell at Chasing Ray
Perry Moore at Interactive Reader
Christopher Barzak at Shaken & Stirred
Autumn Cornwell at The Ya Ya Yas
Jon Scieszka at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Gabrielle Zevin at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Judy Blume at Not Your Mother's Book Club
Erik P. Kraft at Bookshelves of Doom
Clare Dunkle at Miss Erin

 

Here is today's Winter Blog Blast Tour schedule:

Perry Moore at The Ya Ya Yas
Nick Abadzis at Chasing Ray
Carrie Jones at Hip Writer Mama
Phyllis Root at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Amy Schlitz at Fuse Number 8
Kerry Madden at lectitans
Tom Sniegoski at Bildungsroman
Connie Willis at Finding Wonderland

 

As you know if you've been visiting any children's book blogs for the past few weeks, Robert's Snow is an online auction that benefits Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over 200 children's book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates. The snowflakes will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to cancer research. You can view all of the 2007 snowflakes here. Jules and Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have found a way for bloggers to help with this effort, by blogging about individual illustrators and their snowflakes. The idea is to drive traffic to the Robert's Snow site so that many snowflakes will be sold, and much money raised to fight cancer. The illustrator profiles have been wonderful so far - diverse and creative and colorful. And there are lots more to go.

Here's the schedule for Week 4, which starts Monday. As previously, this early schedule links to the participating blogs, instead of to the individual posts. You can find links to the posts themselves, and any last-minute updates, each morning at 7-Imp. Jules and Eisha have also set up a special page at 7-Imp containing a comprehensive list of links to the profiles posted so far. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa's post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.

Monday, November 5

• Ana Alter at The Longstockings
  
• Laura Huliska Beith at Just One More Book!!
  
• Cece Bell at Jo's Journal
  
• Denise Ortakales at cynthialord’s Journal

Tuesday, November 6

• Carol Heyer at The Shady Glade
  
• Joe Kulka at ChatRabbit
  
• Steven James Petruccio at Blog From the Windowsill
  
• Carol Schwartz at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup

Wednesday, November 7

• Jeff Ebbeler at Sam Riddleburger's blog
  
• Scott Magoon at Just One More Book!!
  
• Connie McLennan at The Shady Glade
  
• Julie Paschkis at the excelsior file

Thursday, November 8

• Genevieve Cote at a wrung sponge
  
• Linda Graves at Your Neighborhood Librarian
  
• James Gurney at Charlotte's Library
  
• Matt Tavares at Please Come Flying

Friday, November 9

• Susan Kathleen Hartung at Wild Rose Reader
  
• Mary Peterson at Brooklyn Arden
  
• Annette Simon at Check It Out and Deo Writer
  
• Melanie Watt at Whimsy Books

Saturday, November 10

• R.W. Alley at at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup
  
• Jeannie Brett at cynthialord’s Journal
  
• Daniel Mahoney at Paradise Found and Great Solutions to Team Challenges
  
• Amy Young at Kate's Book Blog

Sunday, November 11

• Tim Coffey at The Silver Lining
  
• Elizabeth Dulemba at sruble's world
  
• Chris Gall at Through the Studio Door
  
• Amy Schimler  at Please Come Flying

Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

See also the following note from Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader:

Note to Blog Readers about Blogging for a Cure: When Jules of 7-Imp put out her call in September for bloggers to interview/feature artists who had created snowflakes for Robert’s Snow 2007 at their blogs, a number of artists had not yet sent in their snowflakes to Dana-Farber. As time was of the essence to get Blogging for a Cure underway, we worked with the list of artists whose snowflakes were already in possession of Dana-Farber. Therefore, not all the participating artists will be featured. This in no way diminishes our appreciation for their contributions to this worthy cause. We hope everyone will understand that once the list of artists was emailed to bloggers and it was determined which bloggers would feature which artists at their blogs, a schedule was organized and sent out so we could get to work on Blogging for a Cure ASAP. Our aim is to raise people’s awareness about Robert’s Snow and to promote the three auctions. We hope our efforts will help to make Robert’s Snow 2007 a resounding success.

 

The text and code for this post were written by Jen Robinson.

As you know if you've been visiting any children's book blogs for the past few weeks, Robert's Snow is an online auction that benefits Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over 200 children's book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates. The snowflakes will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to cancer research. You can view all of the 2007 snowflakes here. Jules and Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have found a way for bloggers to help with this effort, by blogging about individual illustrators and their snowflakes. The idea is to drive traffic to the Robert's Snow site so that many snowflakes will be sold, and much money raised to fight cancer. The illustrator profiles have been wonderful so far - diverse and creative and colorful. And there are lots more to go.

Here's the schedule for Week 3, which starts Monday. As previously, this early schedule links to the participating blogs, instead of to the individual posts. You can find links to the posts themselves, and any last-minute updates, each morning at 7-Imp. Jules and Eisha have also set up a special page at 7-Imp containing a comprehensive list of links to the profiles posted so far. Also not to be missed is Kris Bordessa's post summarizing snowflake-related contests to date over at Paradise Found.

Monday, October 29

• Dan Santat at Writing and Ruminating
  
• Joanne Friar at The Longstockings
  
• Alissa Imre Geis at Wild Rose Reader
  
• Diane Greenseid at Just One More Book!!
  
• Sean Qualls at Brooklyn Arden

Tuesday, October 30

• Ann Koffsky at Book Buds
  
• Bill Carman at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
  
• Gretel Parker at Finding Wonderland
  
• Matt Phelan at A Year of Reading
  
• Stephanie Roth at Writing with a broken tusk

Wednesday, October 31

• Shawna Tenney at Kate's Book Blog
  
• Adam Rex at Booktopia and Welcome to my Tweendom
  
• Mo Willems at MotherReader
  
• Rolandas Kiaulevicius at a wrung sponge

Thursday, November 1

• Karen Lee at sruble's world
  
• Diana Magnuson at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
  
• Melissa Iwai at Brooklyn Arden
  
• Victoria Jamieson at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos
  
• Molly Idle at The Shady Glade
  
• Meghan McCarthy at A Fuse #8 Production

Friday, November 2

• Tracy McGuinness-Kelly at Sam Riddleburger's blog
  
• Sarah Kahn at Kate's Book Blog
  
• Sylvia Long at Whimsy Books
  
• Jeremy Tankard at the excelsior file
  
• Holli Conger at Please Come Flying

Saturday, November 3

• Susan Miller at Your Neighborhood Librarian
  
• Ellen Beier at What Adrienne Thinks About That
  
• Hideko Takahashi at The Silver Lining
  
• Judith Moffat at Jo's Journal
  
• Wendell Minor at Wild Rose Reader

Sunday, November 4

• Joy Allen at Check It Out
  
• Robin Brickman at Greetings from Nowhere
  
• Lauren Stringer at laurasalas
  
• Nancy Wallace at In the Pages . . .

Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

See also the following note from Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader:

Note to Blog Readers about Blogging for a Cure: When Jules of 7-Imp put out her call in September for bloggers to interview/feature artists who had created snowflakes for Robert’s Snow 2007 at their blogs, a number of artists had not yet sent in their snowflakes to Dana-Farber. As time was of the essence to get Blogging for a Cure underway, we worked with the list of artists whose snowflakes were already in possession of Dana-Farber. Therefore, not all the participating artists will be featured. This in no way diminishes our appreciation for their contributions to this worthy cause. We hope everyone will understand that once the list of artists was emailed to bloggers and it was determined which bloggers would feature which artists at their blogs, a schedule was organized and sent out so we could get to work on Blogging for a Cure ASAP. Our aim is to raise people’s awareness about Robert’s Snow and to promote the three auctions. We hope our efforts will help to make Robert’s Snow 2007 a resounding success.

 

As November approaches, I’d like to remind you that I’ll be participating in NaNoWriMo and chronicling the event at http://scriptitans.livejournal.com.

Feed Links:
RSS - http://community.livejournal.com/scriptitans/data/rss
Atom - http://community.livejournal.com/scriptitans/data/atom 

Monday, October 22

• Rose Mary Berlinat Charlotte’s Library 
  
• Christopher Demarestat Writing and Ruminating
  
• David Macaulayat Here in the Bonny Glen
  
• Mark Teagueat The Miss Rumphius Effect
  
• Sharon Vargoat Finding Wonderland
  

Tuesday, October 23

• Carin Berger at Chasing Ray
  
• Sophie Blackall at not your mother’s bookclub
  
• Erik Brooksat Bildungsroman
  
• Marion Eldridgeat Chicken Spaghetti
  
• Brian Liesat Greetings from Nowhere
  

Wednesday, October 24

• Sheila Baileyat lizjonesbooks
  
• Frank Dormerat What Adrienne Thinks About That
  
• Elisa Klevenat Big A, little a
  
• Jimmy Pickeringat Shaken & Stirred
  
• Consie Powellat Becky’s Book Reviews
  

Thursday, October 25

• Margaret Chodos-Irvineat readergirlz
  
  
• Julia Denosat Interactive Reader
  
• Rebecca Doughtyat A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
  
• Brian Flocaat A Fuse #8 Production
  

Friday, October 26

• Margot Appleat Jo’s Journal
  
• Juli Kangasat Sam Riddleburger
  
• Ginger Nielsonat MISS O's SCHOOL LIBRARY
  
• David Ezra Steinat Hip Writer Mama
  

Saturday, October 27

• Sarah Dillardat The Silver Lining
  
• Julie Fromme Fortenberryat Your Neighborhood Librarian
  
• John Hassettat cynthialord’s Journal
  
• Abigail Marbleat Please Come Flying
  

Sunday, October 28

• Barbara Garrisonat Brooklyn Arden
  
• Kelly Murphyat ChatRabbit
  
• Ashley Wolffat A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
  

Monday, October 15

• Randy Cecil at ChatRabbit
  
• Michelle Chang at The Longstockings
  
• Kevin Hawkes at Cynthia Lord's Journal
  
• Barbara Lehman at The Excelsior File
  
• Grace Lin at In the Pages

Tuesday, October 16

• Selina Alko at Brooklyn Arden
  
• Scott Bakal at Wild Rose Reader
  
• Alexandra Boiger at Paradise Found
  
• Paige Keiser at Your Neighborhood Librarian
  
• Janet Stevens at The Miss Rumphius Effect

Wednesday, October 17

• Rick Chrustowski at laurasalas
  
• Diane DeGroat at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup
  
• Ilene Richard at Something Different Every Day
  
• Brie Spangler at Lectitans
  
• Don Tate at The Silver Lining

Thursday, October 18

• Brooke Dyer at Bookshelves of Doom
  
• D.B. Johnson at Lessons from the Tortoise
  
• Erin Eitter Kono at Sam Riddleburger
  
• Sherry Rogers at A Life in Books
  
• Jennifer Thermes at Through the Studio Door

Friday, October 19

• Graeme Base at Just One More Book
  
• Denise Fleming at MotherReader
  
• Jeff Mack at AmoXcalli
  
• Jeff Newman at A Year of Reading
  
• Ruth Sanderson at Book Moot

Saturday, October 20

• Linas Alsenas at A Wrung Sponge
  
• Theresa Brandon at The Shady Glade
  
• Karen Katz at Whimsy Books
  
• Judy Schachner at Kate's Book Blog
  
• Sally Vitsky at Shelf Elf: read, write, rave

Sunday, October 21

• Matthew Cordell at Just Like the Nut
  
• Maxwell Eaton III at Books and Other Thoughts
  
• Roz Fulcher at Goading the Pen
  
• Susie Jin at sruble's world
  
• Susan Mitchell at Check It Out

Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

Monday, October 15

• Randy Cecil at ChatRabbit
  
• Michelle Chang at The Longstockings
  
• Kevin Hawkes at Cynthia Lord's Journal
  
• Barbara Lehman at The Excelsior File
  
• Grace Lin at In the Pages

Tuesday, October 16

• Selina Alko at Brooklyn Arden
  
• Scott Bakal at Wild Rose Reader
  
• Alexandra Boiger at Paradise Found
  
• Paige Keiser at Your Neighborhood Librarian
  
• Janet Stevens at The Miss Rumphius Effect

Wednesday, October 17

• Rick Chrustowski at laurasalas
  
• Diane DeGroat at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup
  
• Ilene Richard at Something Different Every Day
  
• Brie Spangler at Lectitans
  
• Don Tate at The Silver Lining

Thursday, October 18

• Brooke Dyer at Bookshelves of Doom
  
• D.B. Johnson at Lessons from the Tortoise
  
• Erin Eitter Kono at Sam Riddleburger
  
• Sherry Rogers at A Life in Books
  
• Jennifer Thermes at Through the Studio Door

Friday, October 19

• Graeme Base at Just One More Book
  
• Denise Fleming at MotherReader
  
• Jeff Mack at AmoXcalli
  
• Jeff Newman at A Year of Reading
  
• Ruth Sanderson at Book Moot