The 2015 Champions for Children Event
sponsored by The Maine Children's Alliance
October 27, 2015, 5:30 P.M.
The Green Ladle
Lewiston, Maine
I'll be the keynote speaker at this annual event in which the "Giraffe" awards are given to Maine's leading advocates for children.
Nerdy Evening with Authors and Illustrators
Falmouth Elementary School
Falmouth, Maine
Friday January 15, 2016
6:00 - 8:00 P.M.
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I've been volunteering with The Telling Room in Portland, Maine, a non-profit writing center which works with young people ages six to eighteen. I'd like to say I'm helping them, but frankly, I learn so much from these kids, as well as the incredible staff, volunteers and writers who are part of this organization.
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| At The Telling Room's summer documentary camp. |
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| Summer documentary camp at The Telling Room. |
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My visit to Gardiner Area High School in Gardiner, Maine, was one I won't soon forget! Over two days I met with the entire freshman class, where every student had read Out of Nowhere. Teacher Lori Gingras did an outstanding job preparing them for my visit, which meant that our discussions were lively and informed. The highlight, however, was thanks to this young fellow, Eli. At his classmates' prompting, Eli read aloud from the chapter where "our hero" finally breaks up with a fairly despicable young lady, and his rendering of that young lady's voice had me laughing so hard the tears were running down my face. Visits like this one remind me how lucky I am to have this job.
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| At Devaney Doak and Garrett Bookstore in Farmington, Maine, for Small Business Saturday with Kenny Brechner and author Jennifer Finney Boylan. |
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| The "young at heart adults" from this Brunswick, Maine book group were a blast. We had a great discussion about Out of Nowhere. |
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| With Barbara Kelly and Lynn Plourde at the Maine Literary Awards. |
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| From left, with Shobow Saban and Reza Jalali at the "I'm Your Neighbor" Ramadan Mubarek event in Portland, Maine. |
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| Deering and Portland High School girls with their copies of Out of Nowhere at the Ramadan Mubarek event. |
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| New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Conference 2014 |
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| Author Terry Farish ("The Good Braider") and I co-presented a workshop called "Mosaic: Our Characters in the World," which focused on issues/challenges of writing children's books which reflect a variety of cultures. We had 55 minutes to discuss what's essentially a multi-volume life-long conversation, but as always with Terry, I learned so much and had such a great weekend! NESCBWI 2015 might be a must for me: such an inspiring, supportive organization. |
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| "Out of Nowhere" was chosen as this year's Lupine Award book, and I was thrilled to be in such wonderful company with these Maine writers. Also, front and center, is pictured artist Toby Rosenberg, who creates the beautiful Lupine Award plates. From left: Kimberly Ridley, Rebekah Raye, Megan Frazer Blakemore, me, Anne Sibley O'Brien, Melissa Sweet. |
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| My beautiful Lupine Award plate, designed by Toby Rosenberg of Portland, Maine. |
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| Leading Ladies of Maine Children's Lit: Anne Sibley O'Brien and Kirsten Cappy. |
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| Anne Sibley O'Brien gets into the spirit of the day! She's holding her very well-deserved Katahdin Lifetime Achievement Award. |
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| Megan Frazer Blakemore (left) received the Lupine Honor Award for her novel "The Water Castle." |
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| Me at the podium, so very appreciative of all the wonderful librarians out there! |
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| Brought my date! Me and Conrad. |
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| Lupine Winners. |
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| Cape Elizabeth hosted its second annual Authorfest and I was so excited not only to connect with so many students, librarians and teachers, but also to visit with Maine children's authors. Here I am standing with Paul Janezcko (Maine's first-ever Lupine award winner) and Lynn Plourde. |
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| Megan Frazer Blakemore and Sashi Kaufman |
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| Lea Wait |
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| Sarah-Deva Thomson and Lisa Jahn-Clough |
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| Charlotte Agell and her books. |
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| I was seated next to author Lisa Luedeke and picked up a copy of her book, "Smashed." |
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| From left: Jean Mary Flahive and Ellen Booraem |
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| From left: Lynn Plourde and Marty Kelley |
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| At Lewiston Public Library I was thrilled when Maine children's author extraordinaire, Lynn Plourde, came to my reading of OUT OF NOWHERE. |
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| Thanks to Friends of Lewiston Public Library, who purchased dozens of books for me to sign and for local teens to take home! |
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| Vermont Book Shop, Middlebury, Vermont |
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| Maria (left) with Laurie Caswell Burke at the Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury. |
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| At the Vermont Book Shop with poet John Canaday (center) and writer Hugh Coyle (right.) |
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| Maria and Laurie at the Vermont Book Shop. Laurie is the author of "Skinny Dipping With Loons." |
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| I visited with Carolyn Hoyt's seventh graders at the Solomon Schecter School in New Milford, New Jersey via Skype. |
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| Visiting schools via Skype is simply amazing. From my office in Maine, I can chat with students pretty much anywhere! This was a wonderful visit with the Solomon Schecter School. |
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| Longfellow Books, Portland, Maine |
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| Librarian Peg Becksvoort (l), Maria (c) and Literary Agent Edite Kroll (r) at Longfellow Books in Portland, Maine. |
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| At Longfellow Books, author Charlotte Agell and two fans! |
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| At Longfellow Books: Edite Kroll (l) and Charlotte Agell (r). |
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| "Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best" Launch Party! |
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| Gary Lawless and Beth Leonard of Gulf of Maine Books. |
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| My agent, Edite Kroll, and her husband, Keith. |
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| Okay, so I look funny when I speak in public ... |
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| My daughter (center) and friends. |
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| Check out the Tomato Cake Pops my sister made! |
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Friends, family and neighbors joined me at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine, to celebrate the release of Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best.
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| At Harborlight Montessori |
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Had a wonderful day with 7th and 8th grade students at Harborlight Montessori School in Beverly, Massachusetts. Big, wide open spaces for learning ... the way middle school should be! They were a wonderful audience for my first-ever reading from JERSEY TOMATOES ARE THE BEST.
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| Author/Illustrator Charlotte Agell and I joined Maine teachers for lunch at the Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park. It was part of a one-week course they were taking on Maine writers and illustrators. |
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| Jordan Pond House is famous for its popovers! This version came with ice cream and hot fudge. Plus a knife for digging in! |
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| Charlotte and I atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. Why didn't HER hair do that wild, blowing thing? |
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| Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance sponsored an author signing at the Festival of the Book in Portland, Maine this year. Authors seated left to right: Susan Shetterly, Hannah Holmes, Monica Wood and Amy Macdonald. |
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| At the MWPA event I was seated next to author Cindy Lord. |
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| From left: authors Elizabeth Peavey and Charlotte Agell. |
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| The annual Literary Garden Party, sponsored by Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, was held at the Georgetown home of Governor Angus King and former First Lady Mary Herman. Pictured here on the roof of their house, ocean and Reid State Park in the background, from left: Charlotte Agell, me, children's author Sandra Dutton. The weather gods smiled on the event: I think it rained everywhere in the state that afternoon EXCEPT Georgetown! |
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| I'm very lucky to have a group of amazing, supportive friends in Brunswick! A few of them joined me when "Brett" received a Maine Literary Award from the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. From left: Jean Shaw, Marcy Holmblad, Leslie Hunt, me, Alida Snow, Barb Swisher, Liz Owens and Doug Faherty. Not pictured: my husband, busy taking the photo! |
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| I was thrilled to meet fellow Lupine Award winner, Diane Les Becquets (left) at the Reading Roundup Conference in Augusta. Her Young Adult novel, "Season of Ice" is wonderful! |
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| The Maine Library Association awarded it's annual Lupine Awards, and "Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress" received the Lupine Honor Book prize. Here I am standing, from left, with all the 2008 winners: Diane Les Besquet, Melissa Sweet and Holly Berry. |
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| I spent a fun morning visiting sixth graders at Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth, Maine. Here I am with a few of their English teachers ... who joined forces with parent volunteers to serve "Super Sized Brownies" to all the kids! I wish MY middle school had been like Harrison! |
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| A Valentine's Day author signing at the Children's Book Cellar in Waterville, Maine. From left: author Jennifer Richard Jacobson, illustrator Kevin Hawkes, and me. This is a terrific little store on Main Street ... so many wonderful books! |
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| Valentine's Day, Waterville, Maine. These ladies got into the spirit at the REM luncheon featuring Maine authors. |
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| Faye Nicholson (left), Executive Director of REM, a group of volunteers working to improve business and quality of life in midcoast Maine. I was among the authors who read at their Valentine's Day luncheon. |
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| I couldn't resist borrowing this hat for a little while! |
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| Author Charlotte Agell (left) and I attend the Maine Writers and Publishers Holiday Book Sale at the Portland Public Library in Portland, Maine. |
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