Council for Wisconsin Writers

Supporting Wisconsin writers from 1964 to 2022

Jamie Swenson

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Boswell's Features Children's Authors During Children's Book Week

Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee (2559 N. Downer Avenue) is celebrating Children’s Book Week with three days of great local children’s authors and SCBWI members discussing their books:

Thursday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m., features a panel of Middle-Grade genre writers that includes Julie Mata, whose Kate Walden Directs: Night of the Zombie Chickens   Kate Walden Directs

is being followed by Kate Walden Directs: Slug Man from Mars, which is being published this spring; Sandy Brehl, whose Odin’s Promise    Odin's Promise: A Novel of Norway

came out last fall, and Emily Demuth Ishida, whose Hattie’s War also debuted last fall.

Hattie's War

On Friday, May 8, at 7 p.m. Young Adult author Sylvia Acevedo, whose God Awful Loser 

  is just out will present.

Saturday, May 9, wat 2 p.m. Picture Book authors Janet Halfmann, whose Animal Teachers

 is the most recent of her many books, Kashmira Sheth, whose most recent book  Sona and the Wedding Game

came out earlier this month, and Jamie Swenson, whose most recent book If You Were a Dog

 was published last September, are on the schedule.

 

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New Wisconsin Kiddy Lit News

Here are January doings with Wisconsin’s stunningly talented writers for children and young adults that have crossed the CWW radar:

Gayle Rosengren says she’s “over the moon” that her MG historical fiction book, What the Moon Said, is among the outstanding children’s titles–especially, Gayle says, “those by Crystal Chan, Jamie Swenson, Ann Bausum, and Thelma Godin who are Wisconsin SCBWI friends!–that have been named CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) CHOICES for 2015.” Congratulations to all of you exceptional authors.

Silvia Acevedo’s debut young adult novel God Awful Loser, which she and her illustrator husband Jeff Miracola created under the auspices of Three Points Publishing, will be available this spring.

Janet Halfmann’s book Animal Teachers, was chosen by The Book Vine for Children, which lists and sells books for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, as a “Top 25 Pick for 2015.”  Here’s the link: https://www.bookvine.com/25-new-top-picks-for-2015.html

Please visit www.wiswriters.org for the most recent information about the CWW contests and awards banquet.

 

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Children's Authors Appearing at WSRA

Wisconsin children’s authors Ann Angel, Bridget Birdsall, Stephanie Lowden, JoAnn Early Macken, Julie H. Mata, Miranda Paul, Gayle Rosengren, Pat Schmatz, Andrea Skyberg, Jamie Swenson, Sandy Brehl, and Janet Halfmann will be at the Wisconsin State Reading Association conference  this Thursday and Friday (Feb. 5 and 6) at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, and signing their books at the Anderson’s Bookshop Naperville and SCBWI-Wisconsinin area of the Exhibits area. 

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WI Children's Writers' Good News

Here, in their own words, is good news posted by members of Wisconsin members of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators:

Janet Halfmann

My good news for September is that A Rainbow of Birds by Guardian Angel Publishing has won a Preferred Choice Award from Creative Child Magazine. The award, judged by educators and parents, is given to books that foster creativity and education in children. The winners will be featured in the big Holiday Issue of Creative Child, to be distributed in November.

Also, my newly released book, Animal Teachers, has received a very positive review from Publishers Weekly, in addition to the one it already received from Kirkus Reviews!

Ingrid Kallick

I have September news for three of our illustrators. Tia Yao, Ned Gannon and I have illustrations in the September Cricket magazine and Ned also has illustrations in the September Cobblestone, another Carus publication.

Tia and Ned illustrated stories and I illustrated the table of contents and cover.

Hooray for Wisconsin!

Miranda Paul

I have a small bit of good news regarding the We Need Diverse Books campaign – recently we gained attention at the National Book Festival with support or shout-outs from notables such as Rita Williams Garcia, Cokie Roberts (yes THAT Cokie Roberts), and Gene Luen Yang. In addition to filing for nonprofit status, we’ve also gotten mentions or write-ups from various news outlets including NBC and NPR. We have several programs in the works including more discussion panels at major conferences, but more importantly we’ve been creating diverse book resources for librarians and booksellers plus getting our diverse author scholarships, mentorships, and other programs into the beginning stages.

Happy back to school, everyone!
 
Jamie A. Swenson
[M]y next book launch is just around the corner: Tuesday, Sept. 30th at 6:30 p.m. at the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, WI (316 S. Main Street).

The evening will go something like this:

We will start at 6:30 p.m. with a reading of IF YOU WERE A DOG by Jamie Swenson (that’s me) followed by an art demonstration by Chris Raschka (the illustrator).

Book signing/snacks/mingle

Q & A with Jamie and Chris — this will be your chance to ask Mr. Raschka your business/writing/illustration related questions.

Emily [E.M.] Kokie

My good news for this month is about two upcoming events outside Wisconsin.

I’ll be on the panel “Whose Reality Gets Written?”  at the 2014 YALSA Young Adult Literature Symposium in Austin, Texas, November 14-16, 2014.  While the Symposium is not focused on the craft and getting published themes common to writers’ conferences, it will be two full days of panels and paper presentations on young adult literature, and has a great line up of speaking authors. (I will be speaking with authors Svati Avasthi, Steve Brezenoff, and Blythe Woolston, librarian Elizabeth Burns, and editor Andrew Karre).  I encourage anyone with the time, money and inclination to travel to consider attending one of YALSA’s lit symposiums.  More info on the 2014 Symposium at:http://yalitsymposium12.ning.com/page/preliminaryprogram

And while in Texas, on the afternoon of Sunday, November 16, 2014, I will be doing an expanded version of my narrative voice workshop (which I did in a more limited breakout format at the fall conference a few years ago) at The Writing Barn. For anyone looking for more intensive writing workshops to attend, check out The Writing Barn — yes, it would require travel to attend any of their workshops, but Austin is a fun city with an amazing children’s and teen literature community, and The Writing Barn has been attracting some really great programs.  More info on my program at:http://www.thewritingbarn.com/class/narrative-voice-tips-tools-make-manuscript-sing-visiting-author-e-m-kokie/

 

 

 

 

 

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"Big Rig" to Rumble into Hedberg Library

Wisconsin Children’s writer Jamie Swenson announced the “Official First Reading/Launch” of her new picture book BIG RIG on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at  the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville (316 S. Main Street).

The event will include Jamie reading her book and answering question, followed by refreshments (cake!) and signing books. Proceeds from books sales that night will benefit The Friends of the Hedberg Public Library.

Congratulations to Jamie!

Deadline for entering Council for Wisconsin Writers contests is fast approaching — January 31! Details and entry forms are at www.wiswriters.org.

 

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Children's Author/Storytelling Coming to Milwaukee-Area Libraries

Picture book author and storyteller Jamie Swenson reports that she will be in the Milwaukee Area in July doing author/early literacy story-time visits for 2-7 year olds in July.


"We have a BLAST!" Jamie says. "And [the kids] get to meet Fred the Bear from my book BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

Here's Jamie's schedule:
  • St. Francis Public Library – 10:15 a.m. JULY 16
  • Wauwatosa Public Library – 6:30 p.m. JULY 16
  • Cudahy Public Library – 6:30 p.m. JULY 18
  • Oak Creek Public – author visit and ICE CREAM SOCIAL! – 10:30 a.m. July 24 

She expects her books to be for sale at each library for purchase and some will be donated to the libraries.

Read more about Jamie at her website, http://www.jamieaswenson.com/

More news about Wisconsin writers is at the CWW website at www.wiswriters.org. Thank you for checking us out.