Carmen Bernier-Grand - Frida Kahlo

Variety is the Spice of Life

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) sponsored Award winning Carmen Bernier-Grand to come and speak to a group of writers about how to bring diversity to life in writing on Saturday, April 4th at 11:30 a.m. at the Village Gateway Apartments.

Carmen has traveled all over the world and she didn’t just speak about ethnic differences, she spoke about writing in different formats, genres and styles to flavor your writing with a variety of emotions.

She spoke about the people who gave her opportunities in the publishing world and networking. She said one of the best ways to network is to join the SCBWI and attend as many conferences, functions and get-togethers as you can.

These SCBWI events provide perfect opportunities to meet editors, agents and other writers. People you meet at conferences may not have an immediate impact on your life—but you never know.

Ellen Dodson facilitated a group critique meeting of first page manuscripts.

This was a free presentation, with snacks and drinks that were also free, and FREE is a very good price.



At the end, Carmen had all the writers play a little game and she gave away books to the winners.

It was a great way to spend a morning--even if we were indoors when the sun was out - which is a rare thing to see that giant orange and yellow orb in the sky around Portland at this time of year.

COME BACK AROUND 3:00 P.M. TO SEE WHO THE WINNERS OF THE POETRY CONTEST ARE

CONTEST: April is National Poetry Month - Let's Get Ready - With a Poetry Contest

April is National Poetry Month. And I thought I'd get us warmed up with a little poetry contest. So, be crafty and creative and win some cool prizes. Like a complete crafting package, filled with a cross-stitch kit, yarn, knitting needles, autographed books and more. Also, there will be many books to give away. The winners will be able to choose between some of the following choices:

The 2009 Writer's Market, 88th Annual Edition with over 3,500 listings of where and how to sell what you write
An autographed book of Cleopatra-Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen,
An Autographed edition of the grahic novel for kids: Babymouse, Beach Babe,
An Autographed edition of Heart of a Shepherd,
An Autographed Edition of the Award winning book by Carmen Bernier-Grand Frida, the art of Frida Kahlo; and
The Last Lecture, an inspirational story

Let's get ready for April by posting a poem in the comments section. Try to keep it to 10 lines or less. It can be any style, format and form.

I'm going to pick the winners on Sunday, April 5th. So, you'll have to come back on Sunday to see if you win. But take a chance, post a poem, and have a little fun.