David R. Godine, Publisher: May 2014

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Children's Book Week Author Reading

Sabrina Lou's smart and talented 4L class

Last week was Children's Book Week, and we at Godine celebrated with a contest for students in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge schools. We asked over 100 elementary school kids: "Why do you love reading?" Their answers were smart, funny, and made us think more about why we love publishing quality books for children.

We picked seven winners for the competition who were featured on our blog (here!). We sent them a free book based on what they like, such as our popular Swallows and Amazons series. We also invited the winners and 26 Honorable Mentions to an exclusive Author Reading at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA starring themselves!

Fourth grader Hannah C. reads her entry at Porter Square Books!

The kids got to read their entries in front of an 80 person crowd. After the event, they signed copies of a book we printed and bound for them. They are real, published authors by a real, independent publisher.

I loved the event. I love children's books. I previously interned with Cambridge-based Barefoot Books, and after making my passion known, our Sales Manager approached me and asked if I'd like to plan a Children's Book Week promotion.

Children's Book Week was May 12 - 16 and it focused on bridging the gap between kids and the literary world. I thought of running a social media contest, but what elementary school kids have social media?

After coming up with the contest and author reading, we just knew it was the right step to take. I believe this will become an annual event at Godine and I hope to attend next year as part of the audience.

Fourth grader Claire G. reads to her adoring fans!

Only at Godine would I have been able to take leadership on such a great event, and I am thankful for one of the most enriching and educational internships in the publishing industry.

One teacher emailed me after the event and said, "Many of [these students] started the year struggling with reading and writing and last night gave them the opportunity to prove how that has all changed. A few students hadn't planned on reading but overcame their shyness when they approaced the stage. I hope you went home last night knowing you made a tremendous impact on many, many children and families."

I'd also like to thank my fabulous co-intern Serene Hakim for her help. We judged the contest together, and thanks to her we were able to represent Godine at Porter Square Books.

Read more about the event in Publisher's Weekly here.

I'm not sure what the future holds for me (should I make this blog post an attempt to hire me? In a children's book department? Or anywhere?), but it was great getting hands-on experience that made a difference through such a wonderful Boston-based publisher. Porter Square Books was nothing but fantastic, and the kids, educators, and families who showed up to the event gave me a real hope for the future of publishing.

I can't say it enough: thank you all! Most importantly, thank you to David and the staff at Godine.

- Erinn Pascal

Intern

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Happy birthday, Robert Creeley!

We at Godine love celebrating, and there are perhaps no better celebrations than birthdays. Today would have been Robert Creeley's 85th birthday. Although he is no longer among us, we would like to take a moment to thank him for his literary contributions.

Creeley was a fantastic poet and American writer of more than sixty books. We are honored to have published Creeley's works and correspondence with dear friend Charles Olson.

For more about Robert Creeley, and to view his books, click here.

We wish him a happy 85th birthday!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Literary Happenings 5/19 - 5/23

Here at Godine we realize the importance of participating in a literary community. Luckily our home city of Boston is full of great book readings, lectures, poetry slams, and book groups. If you're looking for things to do this week, why not check out some of these events, free unless otherwise noted!:

Monday 5/19

Philippe Petit discuss Creativity: The Perfect Crime at Brattle Theatre, 6pm, $5
Colson Whitehead discusses The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky and Death at Harvard Book Store, 7:30pm
Julia Glass reads from And the Dark Sacred Night at Porter Square Books, 7pm

Tuesday 5/20

Alex Beam discusses American Crucifixion: The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
Neil Swidey discusses Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles into the Darkness at the Cambridge Public Library, 6:30pm
Nigel Hamilton discusses The Mantel of Command: FDR at War, 1941-1942 at Porter Square Books, 7pm
Russ Bubas reads from Joy Street at Trident Booksellers and Cafe, 7pm
John Lescroart and Hank Philipi Ryan discuss The Keeper and The Wrong Girl at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm

Wednesday 5/21

Aneesh Chopra discusses Innovative State: How New Technologies can Transform Govvernment at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
Elizabeth McCracken, in conversation with Paul Harding, discusses Thunderstruck & Other Stories at Porter Square Books, 7pm
James Fearnley discusses Here Comes Everybody: The Story of the Pogues at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm

Thursday 5/22

Dan Barber discusses The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
Kara Swanson discusses Banking on the Body: The Market in Blood, Milk, and Sperm in Modern America at Porter Square Books, 7pm

Friday 5/23

Grub Street Launch Lab: Our Bodies, Ourselves? featuring Peggy Shinner and Rhonda Cutler reading from You Feel So Mortal: Essays on the Body and The End of Bliss at Harvard Book Store, 7pm

If you know of a literary event we overlooked, add it in the comments below! If you'd like to spread the word about upcoming events to be included in our weekly Literary Happenings, please e-mail us at info@godine.com.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Children's Book Week Winner: Conrad W.!

May 12 - May 16 is Children's Book Week, and David R. Godine, Publisher is celebrating literary conversations with elementary school kids. We asked students to respond to the question "Why do you love reading?" Every day this week we'll publish a winning entry. In addition to getting published by a real publisher, we'll also send each winner a free book, and they'll get to read their entry on Friday, 5/16 at Porter Square Books. Here is today's winner. Congratulations, Conrad!

Art from Extreme Opposites

Boom! went the wave that Percy Jackson created. Crack! went the ground when lightning struck. I love reading because reading puts me into another world full of monsters and heroes. What got me interested in reading was the Harry Potter series; even though I was bad at reading at the time, it was interesting to me. Fantasy became my favorite genre along with the Kane Chronicles series but my favorite series is still the Percy Jackson series. Whenever I try something that’s fun, no matter if I’m good at it or not, if it’s fun I like it. When I wasn’t good at reading, I read about 20 pages a day, then I gradually got better and better. Over time I started to read so much more!

Good readers have feelings and emotions like laughing and crying. Reading puts me into another world. It seems as if you’re the main character fighting monsters, dragons and when you’re done with the book, you go through a portal and all you know is that you’re back on a planet called Earth…

- Conrad W., Fourth Grade

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Children's Book Week Winner: Hannah C.!

Art from The Lonely Phonebooth

I love reading because it gives me information. For example, in non-fiction history books I can learn a lot about famous people in history. Reading is also fun for me because it entertains me. When I become “into” a book such as a comic book, I can’t stop reading. Reading gives me something to do when I’m bored. Reading takes you to the places in the story while you are reading, too. You get to travel in the book. Reading “plays” with you. Another reason is that it inspires me to write my own books in a creative way. For instance, I got really inspired by the Rainbow Magic series about fairies to write my own books about fairies. The last reason why I love reading is because reading is important. If I didn’t read at all, I would probably not know much from books. And these are the reasons why I love reading!

THE END

- Hannah C., Fourth Grade

Friday, May 16, 2014

Children's Book Week Winner: Edward K.!

Art from I Saw Three Ships

Why do I love reading? I love history! I wouldn’t love history without books. I wouldn’t know that even though General Robert E. Lee hated slavery, he became the head confederate General. This is because his home state, Virginia, joined the confederacy and he didn’t want to fight against his home state. Most importantly I can imagine myself doing what I am reading in the book, like fighting against the Nazis or being a probation enforcer and dumping beer in the streets. Also, I wouldn’t know anything about Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs. From reading, I discovered that Hernando Cortés entered Mexico in 1519 and destroyed Mayans and Aztecs, but Mayans resisted until 1542. And Francisco Pizarro entered Peru in 1532 and destroyed the Incas. I wouldn’t know all the US presidents and their biographies. For example, I learned that Abraham Lincoln had only one year of formal schooling and mostly self-educated himself. I wouldn’t know about the Californian Gold Rush of 1849 or that before the Gold Rush only about 800 people lived in San Francisco. I can only hope my name will end up in one of the books I read.

- Edward K., Fourth Grade

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Children's Book Week Winner: Alexander S.B.!

Art by Max Dalton from The Lonely Typewriter

Do you love reading? I really love to read. Sometimes when I am bored or I am upset, I grab a book and read. I enjoy entering the stories that have gods or monsters because it feels as if I am in the book. Because playing sports is my life, I want to learn about soccer and tennis. This helps me become a better player and explore new tactics. When I plop down on my bed and start to read, it makes me feel calm. When I am in a bad mood, reading takes my mind off the fight and books do just that. Reading also makes me feel better because it brings me into a whole new world of gods and other myths.

I wrote a Haiku about reading:

"Reading is so fun

Reading is so amazing

It is fun to read"

- Alexander S. B., Fourth Grade

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Children's Book Week Winner: Madeline N.!

Picture from Anne of Green Gables

I like reading because it helps me to write, and writing helps me to make imaginative stories. I like to read the books by Kate Di Camillo. I have read the Mercy Watson series and Flora and Ulysses. I am reading The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane. It is very funny. In Flora and Ulysses the illustrations are realistic. Ulysses is smart. With Flora’s help they will fight evil! In The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane, his owner is named Abilene. She loves Edward very much. I am inspired by Ulysses and Edward to write funny stories because the characters are funny.

- Madeline N., First Grade

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Children's Book Week Winner: Jake L.!

Art from Pizza in Pienza

Whoa! I say as I'm falling down and down a deep dark hole right into the world of an interesting story. Bam! I land in the world of the book. Once I land in the book, thoughts and images of it are racing through my head like mad, faster and faster until it's the end of the period in class and I have to close the amazing and absolutely wonderful adventure.

Why do I love reading books? I mean who wouldn't want to fall into a hole and have a near death experience with a Yellow Spotted Lizard from Louis Sachar’s Holes? I'll always be looking forward to the next time I can fall down that deep dark hole into a book.

- Jake L., Fourth Grade

Children's Book Week Winner: Irmuun B.!

Art from Pizza in Pienza by Susan Fillion

I love reading because every time I read, I imagine that I’m the main character going to adventures and seeking for anything. Reading is my favorite subject. Washing dishes, cleaning my bedroom and sometimes helping my sister do the laundry, are boring. When I was six, I just looked at the pictures. When I turned eight I started to read like crazy. I even skipped lunch or dinner. On the weekends, after my chores I start reading for a long time. Sometimes I read too much that I read for the whole day. I even start reading at 4:30 all the way to 7:40. After school and after chores. Sometimes my mom says that "you are reading too much and you might get glasses." So she just puts my books on top of something that I can't reach. But every time she needs to go somewhere and after she leaves me. I get a chair and stand on it to get the books and then I go under my bed with my books and start reading.

- Irmuun B., Fourth Grade

Superior Person's Tuesday!

GRAMERCY, int. The Superior Person's way of saying thank you. A graceful archaism well worth reviving. From grand merci. Can also be used as an exclamation of surprise, meaning, more or less, "mercy me!" Equally delightful in this sense. The ideal use is on occasions which inspire both surprise and gratitude, as for instance when there is a sudden power blackout just as your sister has put on one of her Scott Joplin records.

Each Tuesday, we’ll offer up a Superior Word for the edification of our Superior Readers, via the volumes of the inimitable Peter Bowler. You can purchase all or any of the four Superior Person’s Books of Words from the Godine website. Gramercy appears in the first.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Literary Happenings 5/12 - 5/16

Anna Staniszewski, Francisco X. Stork, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Lyn Miller-Lachman, and Luke Reynolds discuss Break These Rules: 35 YA Authors on Speaking Up, Standing Out, and Being Yourself at the Cambridge Public Library, 6:30pm
Barney Frank in conversation with Larry Ruttman discuss American Jews and America's Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm

Tuesday 5/13

Anne Germanacos reads from Tribute at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
Bret Anthony Johnston reads from Remember Me Like This at Porter Square Books, 7pm
Kate Racculia reads from The Bellweather Rhapsody at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm

Wednesday 5/14

Anthony Doerr reads from All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
David Downing reads from Jack of Spies at Porter Square Books, 7pm
Philip Kerr reads from Prayer at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm

Thursday 5/15

Philip Hoare reads from The Sea Inside at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
Gordon Orians discusses Snakes, Sunrises, and Shakespeare: How Evolution Shapes our Loves and Fears at Porter Square Books, 7pm
The Small Press Book Club discusses this month's read, The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm

Friday 5/16

Benjamin Ross discusses Dead End: Suburban Sprawl and the Rebirth of American Urbanism at Harvard Book Store, 3pm
Joshua Ferris reads from To Rise Again at a Decent Hour: A Novel at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
The Breakwater Reading Series features new stories, essays, and poems by MFA candidates from Emerson, BU, and UMass Boston at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The 52 Percent - On Race in Children's Books

In 2006, 27 percent of students in Massachusetts identified as being Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American. In Nevada, this number was 56 percent. And by 2021, the National Center predicts 52 percent of all students in the United States of America will come from backgrounds other than white. It is clear we live in a culturally diverse world. Books tell us about the world. So books should be diverse, too. Right?

Unfortunately, this isn't true. Last month, The New York Times exposed a staggering fact: of the 2,300 children's books published in 2013, a grand total of 93 books featured black people.

The Lonely Typewriter by Peter Ackerman. Illustrations by Max Dalton

You're probably familiar with The Clark Doll Experiment, conducted in 1939. In the experiment, Dr. Kenneth Clark and his wife asked black children to choose to play with a black doll or a white doll, and the children consistently chose the white doll, remarking it was "prettier." In 2005, the experiment was repeated by Kiri Davis. Her results? A staggering 71 percent of black children preferred the white doll. These are children who are now teenagers and young adults.

These findings are more than just numbers. These findings tell us about what author Christopher Myers called "the apartheid of children's literature." Books are the prime way in which children learn: to read, to see the world, to make assessments. But if only 93 books feature people who look like 52 percent of them, children will start to see other races as more desirable. They'll feel isolated. Most importantly, what these findings tell us that we need to support diversity in books from the beginning. We need to support the 52 percent.

At Godine, we strongly believe in our mission of providing books that matter for people who care. And we believe we do just that. We are proud to publish children's books that feature people of all races. We want to live in a world in which little girls don't see a "prettier doll."

Starting your children early with books featuring other races is important. It creates a world in which everyone feels comfortable, included, and equally pretty. That's one of the reasons we love Peter Ackerman and Max Dalton's The Lonely Phone Booth so much.

Above illustrations from The Lonely Phone Booth

The Lonely Phone Booth tells the tale of a very lonely phone booth in New York City, and it accurately represents New York City. We love all the different kinds of people: young, old, black, white, Hispanic, bearded, shaven. We are proud to represent the world how it is: diverse!

The Lonely Typewriter, coming out this season, also features people of all ethnicities. The book follows the protagonist named Pablo, who uses a typewriter and learns all about how books were once made. Pablo's blended family gives readers a better take on what America looks like.

From The Lonely Typewriter

We're a small publisher in Boston. But we believe that with our children's books featuring diversity, we're able to create tomorrow's better world. If you're looking for book suggestions about people of color, check out the Twitter hashtag #colormyshelf. At Godine, we publish books that matter for people who care. Yup, even that 52 percent of people.

To learn more about The Lonely Phone Booth, click here.
To learn more about The Lonely Typewriter, click here.

- Erinn Pascal, Intern

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Literary Happenings 5/6-5/9

Steve Ulfelder discusses Wolverine Bros. Freight & Storage: A Conway Sax Mystery at Brookline Booksmiths, 7pm
Dan McMillan discusses How Could This Happen: Explaining the Holocaust at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
Nerd Night Speed Dating at Trident Booksellers , 6:30pm - $15 participation
Bill White discusses America's Fiscal Constitution at Porter Square Books, 7pm
Release party for American Crucifixion by Alex Beam at Newtonville Books, 7pm
Labor Day: True Stories of Birth for the Boston Book Festival at the Oberon Theatre featuring Amy Brill, Heidi Pitlor, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Jane Roper, and Anna Solomon, 6pm

Wednesday 5/7

Amir Aczel discusses Why Science Does Not Disprove God at Harvard Book Store, 7pm
David Kalish and Tim Horvath discuss The Opposite of Everything and Understories at Newtonville Books, 7pm

Thursday 5/8

David McCullough, Jr. discusses You Are Not Special at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm
Michael Cunningham reads from The Snow Queen at the Brattle Theatre, 6pm - $5 admission
Nora Caron reads from New Dimensions of Being at Trident Booksellers, 7pm
Betsy Leondar-Wright discusses Missing Class at Porter Square Books, 7pm
Leslie Jamison and Adelle Waldman discuss The Empathy Exams and The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P at Newtonville Books, 7pm

Friday 5/9

Bash Reading Series featuring poetry by Brian Foley and Zach Savich at Brookline Booksmith, 7pm
Ruth Reichl reads from Delicious! with Barbara Lynch at the Brattle Theatre, 6m - $5 admission
Sam Kean discusses The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons at Harvard Book Store, 7pm

Superior Person's Tuesday!

NIDIFICATE, v. To build a nest. You settle down in the quietness of the theater to enjoy the opening dream sequence of Wild Strawberries. From the seat in front of you comes an insistent crackling and rustling of candy wrappings. "Usher!" you call out in a loud voice, "I think the woman in front of me is nidificating in her seat!"