Winthrop Stuff
So, my new faculty page is now live at the WU website: HERE. That's nice. And the uni gave me a new laptop since the desktop obviously doesn't work well right now (as it's in an office I don't really use at the moment). This laptop works with my iPad to create dual monitors so that I can see all of my students' faces in Zoom while I'm giving slide-show lectures. So that's nice too.
Mushroom Season
It seems everywhere I turn these days, I see mushrooms. It's obviously mushroom season in South Carolina. I love seeing these tiny little fairy houses. Can't you see the villages?
Video: At The Fridge Again
Yes, many of us are complaining about the Pandemic Pounds - weight we've gained while sitting on our bums during quarantine. Well, KD French, a gospel singer, decided to sing about it. The result is a gorgeous, viral, and catchy tune about the bane of our existence: the Fridge. Click the image to watch on Good News Network and learn more about this talented singer. 
Friday Links List and Illustrators' Treehouse News - 28 August 2020
From School Library Journal:
Laying a Foundation for Reading Joy | Donalyn Miller (Donalyn is a colleague at Hollins University)
Netflix To Air New Book-Centered Live-Action Preschool Series 'Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices'
From SLJ's Fuse #8:
Surprise! It’s Activist!: Children’s Entertainment Increasingly Takes a Stand
From The New Publishing Standard: Spotify’s move into audiobooks is a seismic shift in the publishing landscape, but the ripples will take time to be felt
From PW: What Chronicle Books Is Learning from Covid-19
The Cybils Awards is looking for volunteers to judge this year's contest
From Brightly:
9 Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books for Tweens to Dive Into This Summer
10 Female-Led Novels That Tween Boys (and Girls) Love
ILLUSTRATORS' TREEHOUSE NEWS
Do you know about YARD ART DAY? Labor Day in Rock Hill, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina; although, I think this may be a nation-wide movement!
From The Verge: How a designer used AI and Photoshop to bring ancient Roman emperors back to life "Transforming statues into photorealistic faces with AI"
From Print & Pattern: VIRTUAL SHOW - selvedge : the fabric of your life
From SLJ's Fuse #8: Celebrities Don’t Draw: Kvetching About Credit
All Designers Should Look at This: Decentering Whiteness in Design History Resources
Contest: Posters of Discontent (Deadline September 12th)
From Muddy Colors:
Big Play with Jesper Ejsing - on Magic the Gathering
The Little Hill by Corey Godbey
From Print and Pattern: MAKE IT IN DESIGN
From Children'sIllustrators.com -
monthly newsletter with interviews and features - this is a portfolio site especially for illustrators targeting the children's market
Joanne Chan Founder, Illustoria magazine
From KidLitArtists: Interview with Kayla Harren - 2020 SCBWI Summer Spectacular Showcase Honor Winner
From An Hour A Day (by Claudia Mills): Tip for Writers (and Other Humans): You See More If You Look (Good advice for artists too!)
From CommArts: Alexis Eke, Illustrator Feature "This Toronto-based illustrator creates Renaissance-influenced portraiture inspired by her relationship with God and the need to represent Black women in art."
From Draftsmen (Proko): VIDEO: Taking Risks to Get Your Dream Job (ft. Marvel Artist Anthony Francisco) - Draftsmen S2E19
From Philly Voice: New edition of Lewis Carroll's 'Jabberwocky' features Charles Santore illustrations
From KidLit Artists: Interview with Marissa Valdez - 2020 SCBWI Summer Spectacular Showcase Honor Winner
OFF TOPIC BUT INTERESTING
From Tech Times: Neuralink Brain Chip Update: Elon Musk Says Neurons Will Fire Up in Real-Time on August 28
From The Herald (local news to Rock Hill): Jobs and revenue: Tourism talk in York County starts with Carowinds. But that’s not all If you're looking for a job in Rock Hill - read this!
From McSweeney's: FROG AND TOAD TENTATIVELY GO OUTSIDE AFTER MONTHS IN SELF-QUARANTINE: Monday Morning
From the NYTimes: Tracking Coronavirus Cases at U.S. Colleges and Universities
Carole Lindstrom's WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS
WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS is a gorgeous new book illustrated by Michaela Goade and written by Carole Lindstrom. I asked Carole to come tell us more about it...
e: What was your creative process/medium for We Are Water Protectors, can you walk us through it?
Carole: WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS was inspired by Standing Rock and all Indigenous Peoples’ fight for clean water. I felt so helpless at the time that Standing Rock was happening. I couldn’t make it there. I didn’t know how I could help, other than sharing the events on social media. Which I did a lot of. Then I thought about writing a book for young readers. I’ve been writing for a long time, I thought I could put my words to paper and tell a story that could help to educate young people about these important issues.
e: What was your path to publication?
Carole:
I started writing seriously for children right after my son was born, around 2008. I took courses through the Institute of Children’s Literature. I also attended many SCBWI conferences where I submitted my work for critiques. It’s been a long road. I began by querying agents. But when that didn’t go anywhere, I started querying publishers since I thought it might be good to have a book under my belt before I attracted the attention of an agent. My first picture book was published with a small publisher in Canada. It was so encouraging to me to actually have a publisher want to publish my story. I thought it would be a bit easier with subsequent manuscripts since I had the published book. But it wasn’t. I kept at the conferences, honing my craft and working at becoming a stronger writer. It wasn’t until four years after my first book, that I landed my agent with the manuscript WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS. In case anyone doubts the power of social media, that is truly how I landed my agent. So, don’t count it out! It has been invaluable to me and my writing career.
e: Is there a unique or funny story behind the creation of We Are Water Protectors?
Carole:
Just that I have met some incredible people from Standing Rock that I still consider good friends today. I’m grateful for the entire community of Standing Rock. Michaela and I had planned to visit them this past April. Unfortunately, the virus prevented the trip. But we WILL get there. It’s important to us that we share our story, which is really their story.
e: What do you think makes an illustration magical, what I call "Heart Art” - the sort that makes a reader want to come back to look again and again?
Carole:
I think the magic comes when the illustrator is left a lot of room with the author’s text to tell their version of the story through visual means. The illustrator’s style must also be considered when choosing the appropriate illustrator for the story. Does their medium work to tell this story to it’s fullest potential? i.e. I think it was very important for a story about water to be done with water color. All these details work together to create “Heart Art.”
e: How do you advertise yourself (or do you)?
Carole:
I don’t really advertise myself. I have a website and I’m very active on social media.
e: What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
Carole:
My favorite part of being a creator is getting to create worlds and characters to entertain young people. The most challenging part is getting it right.
e: Is there something in particular about this story you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn’t immediately obvious?
Carole:
I hope that they take away the fact that we, Native Peoples, are still here. We’ve always been here fighting for the land and the water. And we would love more allies to join us.
e: What are you working on next or what would be your dream project?
I’m working on a MG fantasy that I’m really excited about.
e: I can't wait to see it!
Miigwech for having me. Carole
I am participating in the BookShop Affiliate Program. This program pays bloggers a small percentage of each purchased book from a post. But the best part is, purchases are fulfilled by bookstores near you, thereby, helping to keep your local bookstores afloat too! It's good for everyone! Click the book cover to purchase this title through Bookshop.
Coloring Page Tuesday - Daisy Chain Troll
CLICK HERE for more coloring pages.
Remember, I create my coloring pages to draw your attention to my books!
For instance, I'm celebrating the new illustrated (by me) edition of A BIRD ON WATER STREET! My debut novel won me "Georgia Author of the Year!"Booklist said it's "A book deserving of a wide readership, recommended for all libraries."
If my news and images add value to your life, won't you please
Just love this one image? Consider a one-time donation...
I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page.
e's peas: The Sound of Cicadas
I made another "e's moment of peas" video for you - this one is the sound of cicadas this summer. I've been trying to get a good recording of them for you. They're really loud and wonderful. I don't know if it's a swarm year, but it certainly seems that way. Their exoskeletons are everywhere and in some spots, their 'music' is deafening! I remember the sound from summer camp - windows open on chilly nights in Mentone, Alabama (it would take me weeks to be able to sleep without them back in our air-conditioned, closed-windowed house); and from long, hot summers. It's one of my favorite things. I hope you enjoy! (Click to watch on YouTube - and please subscribe!)
Random nice things in Rock Hill
Stan and I have been walking more, trying to work of those 'pandemic pounds.' And just like in Edinburgh, we sometimes see things that make us smile, like these flowers someone stuck in a fence...
Child Lit PhD Meet-up
A silver lining to being online is that I'm able to connect with my colleagues in the Children's Literature PhD program at the University of Glasgow sometimes, even when we are scattered across the globe! We met this past Friday and came from as far away as Utah to Pakistan, Lebanon to the Phillipines, Norway to China. Of course, despite our varied backgrounds, the one thing we all share is a sincere love of children's literature!
Friday Links List and Illustrators' Treehouse News - 21 August 2020
From School Library Journal:
Spotting Misinformation and #FakeNews: 10 Resources To Teach Students Media Literacy
Take 5: MG and YA Lit that Talks About Periods and Puberty
From SmithsonianMagazine: Why a Campaign to ‘Reclaim’ Women Writers’ Names Is So Controversial
From PW:
Giving Voice to Indigenous Children: Spotlight on Rebecca Thomas
Leonard S. Marcus Joins Astra Publishing House as Editor-at-Large
From EAB: Foster connections in a physically distant environment
From the NYTimes:
The Celebrity Bookshelf Detective Is Back
How Do You Translate a Comic Book Into Audio? Ask Neil Gaiman
From Inside Higher Ed: Making Remote Learning Relevant
From PW: Booksellers to America: Save the Post Office
From YA Studies Association: This year's conference will be online
Linnaeus University's Conceptions of Girlhood Now and Then: "Girls' Literature" and Beyond Conference will be online this year
Are you familiar with the blog The Picture Book Den - they have lots of smart articles and are worth following!
From Lee & Low: Writing Contests
Miss this year's SCBWI Summer Conference? Many of the talks were recorded and are now available online for free!
From BookBub: 22 of the Best Reading Nooks to Escape Into
ILLUSTRATORS' TREEHOUSE NEWS
From Brightly: Keep Calm and Color On: Amazing Coloring Books for Adults
From PW: The Fanatic (graphic novels newsletter)Topics: Race and Representation: Relaunching Asterix in America; PW Talks with V.E. Schwab; etc.
From The Washington Post: How John Lewis’s masterful illustrated memoir is a shining torch for the next generation
Do you know about Cedarseed's Artist's Guide to Human Types?
From CommArts: 2021 Typography Competition
Dark Horse Library News (Graphic Novels)
From Getty: 8 Fascinating Virtual Art Exhibits and Events To View This Summer
From Muddy Colors:
Flaming Birds, but Gouache with Steven Belledin
PAINTING MARVEL MASTERPIECES 2020
IN THE STUDIO WITH ALEX ROSS
From ChildrensIllustrators.com: latest newsletter with interviews and features
From Print & Pattern: KIDS DESIGN - tesco childrenswear pt.1 (following print trends in a major UK retailer)
From The NYTimes:
SUFFRAGE AT 100: A VISUAL HISTORY
Fighting for the Vote With Cartoons
From The Art Room Plant:
Vincent Grave
Sydney Smith
OFF TOPIC BUT INTERESTING
From Yahoo!: Barack Obama shares his 2020 summer playlist and Megan Thee Stallion can't contain her excitement: 'Omg!'
From The Chronicle of Higher Education: How to Curate Your Zoom Backdrop, and Why You Should
Cindy Otis TRUE OR FALSE: A CIA ANALYST'S GUIDE TO SPOTTING FAKE NEWS
With the election coming up in November, it's more important than ever that we become discerning consumers of our news. It's why I was so excited to see Cindy L. Otis' new book, TRUE OR FALSE: A CIA ANALYST'S GUIDE TO SPOTTING FAKE NEWS. It's directed at young-adult readers, but I think we can all learn a lot from it! I asked Cindy to come talk about it. Take it away, Cindy!
I worked in the directorate that does intelligence analysis, which means I spent most of my time reading intelligence of every kind about important issues in different parts of the world, analyzing them, and then writing that analysis up to help US policymakers understand what was happening. So, basically the opposite of James Bond.
Governments and intelligence agencies have long used things like disinformation, propaganda, deception, and covert influence to either hide what they’re doing themselves, or to try to influence events in other countries. Until the last few years when people learned that the Russian government had interfered in the 2016 US presidential election, however, these things were rarely in the news. But working at the CIA, this is just par for the course. As an analyst, I was trained on how to spot things like disinformation and deception, but I knew that was not the case for the average teen, or even adult. I realized I could write something based on my experiences that just might help readers understand what they were seeing happen.
Even though my entire professional life was steeped in the world of disinformation, I faced a couple of challenges in writing TRUE OR FALSE. I knew from the beginning that I wanted the book to be two things: actionable and hopeful. Writing it, I also knew there was a huge risk that by showing just how pervasive disinformation and fake news are, readers might just throw up their hands and decide they cannot trust anything. I’d seen it happening myself in recent years—friends, family, and neighbors get so overwhelmed with all the conflicting information popping up online that they decided to just check out. They didn’t feel like they could trust the media, the government, or any other institution upon which they’d previously relied. That was exactly the opposite of what I wanted my book to do.
To make it actionable and hopeful, I wrote TRUE OR FALSE in two parts. The first part includes historical examples going all the way back to ancient Egypt to show how fake news and disinformation have been used throughout time. These examples are key because, even though historical figures like Marie Antoinette didn’t have social media like we do, they give us valuable lessons about how to confront the problem today. The second part of the book is all about ACTION. It’s essentially a step-by-step guide—with practices, even—on how to spot false information yourself. It covers everything from how to discover your own biases that affect how you see information to helping readers learn how to avoid spreading false information on social media during a crisis situation.
When it comes down to it, I see combatting fake news and disinformation as an all-of-us problem. But we can’t be part of the solution unless we know how to help—that’s where TRUE OR FALSE comes in.
Book link: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250239501
I am participating in the BookShop Affiliate Program. This program pays bloggers a small percentage of each purchased book from a post. But the best part is, purchases are fulfilled by bookstores near you, thereby, helping to keep your local bookstores afloat too! It's good for everyone! Click the book cover to purchase this title through Bookshop.
I worked in the directorate that does intelligence analysis, which means I spent most of my time reading intelligence of every kind about important issues in different parts of the world, analyzing them, and then writing that analysis up to help US policymakers understand what was happening. So, basically the opposite of James Bond.
Governments and intelligence agencies have long used things like disinformation, propaganda, deception, and covert influence to either hide what they’re doing themselves, or to try to influence events in other countries. Until the last few years when people learned that the Russian government had interfered in the 2016 US presidential election, however, these things were rarely in the news. But working at the CIA, this is just par for the course. As an analyst, I was trained on how to spot things like disinformation and deception, but I knew that was not the case for the average teen, or even adult. I realized I could write something based on my experiences that just might help readers understand what they were seeing happen.
Even though my entire professional life was steeped in the world of disinformation, I faced a couple of challenges in writing TRUE OR FALSE. I knew from the beginning that I wanted the book to be two things: actionable and hopeful. Writing it, I also knew there was a huge risk that by showing just how pervasive disinformation and fake news are, readers might just throw up their hands and decide they cannot trust anything. I’d seen it happening myself in recent years—friends, family, and neighbors get so overwhelmed with all the conflicting information popping up online that they decided to just check out. They didn’t feel like they could trust the media, the government, or any other institution upon which they’d previously relied. That was exactly the opposite of what I wanted my book to do.
To make it actionable and hopeful, I wrote TRUE OR FALSE in two parts. The first part includes historical examples going all the way back to ancient Egypt to show how fake news and disinformation have been used throughout time. These examples are key because, even though historical figures like Marie Antoinette didn’t have social media like we do, they give us valuable lessons about how to confront the problem today. The second part of the book is all about ACTION. It’s essentially a step-by-step guide—with practices, even—on how to spot false information yourself. It covers everything from how to discover your own biases that affect how you see information to helping readers learn how to avoid spreading false information on social media during a crisis situation.
When it comes down to it, I see combatting fake news and disinformation as an all-of-us problem. But we can’t be part of the solution unless we know how to help—that’s where TRUE OR FALSE comes in.
Book link: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250239501
I am participating in the BookShop Affiliate Program. This program pays bloggers a small percentage of each purchased book from a post. But the best part is, purchases are fulfilled by bookstores near you, thereby, helping to keep your local bookstores afloat too! It's good for everyone! Click the book cover to purchase this title through Bookshop.
Coloring Page Tuesday - Back to School
CLICK HERE for more coloring pages.
Remember, I create my coloring pages to draw your attention to my books!
For instance, I'm celebrating the new illustrated (by me) edition of A BIRD ON WATER STREET! My debut novel won me "Georgia Author of the Year!"Booklist said it's "A book deserving of a wide readership, recommended for all libraries."
If my news and images add value to your life, won't you please
Just love this one image? Consider a one-time donation...
I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page.
e's art tips: Painting with Gouache
I've created another demonstration video for you. In this one, I walk you through painting a condolence card using pencil, pen and ink, and gouache. This tribute to a good man is a little longer, so prepare for some rambling stories and an interruption or two. There's also some good advice on tricks using gouache, so I hope you'll think it worth the watch.
Artsy Gouache Kit
Artsy Watercolor Paint Kit
Artsy Gouache Kit
Artsy Watercolor Paint Kit
My New, New Office!
When I first started working at Winthrop, I had a temporary office space until my predecessor moved out of his space. Well, lots of soul searching and rearranging later, and I am finally in my new-to-me official office! What was the soul-searching? My predecessor's office was a big, double-office space, but it was on the 2nd floor, away from my students and the illustration studio. My current office isn't as big, BUT it is opposite the "Treehouse" - the gathering spot and default classroom space for the illustration department. (This is the view of the door to the Treehouse from my office door.)
I do know I have a LOT of organizing to do in the Treehouse itself, which I plan to get to as soon as I send my dissertation off. So, I very well may be owning the space very soon! Happy!
I do know I have a LOT of organizing to do in the Treehouse itself, which I plan to get to as soon as I send my dissertation off. So, I very well may be owning the space very soon! Happy!