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Archive for January, 2011
Heading Home from The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference
Monday, January 31, 2011
It is Monday morning and I am in New York City getting ready to go to the airport and return to Spokane, Washington. I just attended The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Winter Conference that was held in New York City at the Grand Hyatt Central Hotel. The conference attracted visitors from all over the world. This was my first time at this particular conference, and it was very worthwhile. I had never attended any children’s book writers conferences before, as I had been enrolling in writers conferences for books for adults. They are two totally different markets, and as an author and writer, it is important to keep up with the trends and what is going on in each market.
I met a lot of wonderful writers as well as the teachers and speakers at the seminars. They talked about what is going on in the world of illustration, picture books, chapter books, middle grade books, and of course the ever-popular and growing teenage and young adult market. The expansion of the market of these books was also discussed, with everyone trying to find the next breakthrough topic.
I was inspired by the wonderful keynote speakers that they had scheduled for the conference. Author R. L. Stine, the children’s book writer of the Goosebumps series turned out to be quite a comedian. Everyone had expected him to look like a person who writes horror stories for children (whatever that would look like), but instead everyone was surprised by his refreshing sense of humor and his inspiring thoughts for children’s book writers. His message to all writers was to only think “yes.” By saying “yes” writers are exposed to many different possibilities in the writing industry. For example, he worked as an promotional writer for the bottling industry in the United States, which was something he never set out to do. This job led him to other writing jobs. His goal was to become a comic writer and to have his own magazine, but he had to go through different hoops and jobs to get there. He never thought he’d be an author of horror fiction for children, and yet that is what he ended up doing. R.L. Stine has sold over 450 million children’s books, and they are currently becoming more popular on the international scene. “You never know what life has in store for budding authors” was his message. That will now be my plan … that is to say “yes” to all writing possibilities out there, including contests that I find.
Well, it is time to zip my bags and head downstairs to the taxi. The taxi will take me to LaGuardia Airport. From there I fly to Denver. After a short layover in Denver, I will board a plane to Spokane, returning to the wonderful Northwest, the land I appreciate so much.
It is unfortunate that New York City is going through such difficult times. When I was there they were arguing over budget cuts and were talking about laying off 15,000 teachers! That put people up in arms, as they didn’t think that’s where the cuts should be. The cold snap had caused problems with garbage pickup. They had gotten the streets plowed but the garbage was still stacked up on sidewalks. I heard that people were complaining about garbage on some sidewalks, but I must say I was pretty shocked to see it when I was visiting there. New York City is wonderful for the busy, exciting life, but it’s definitely going through some stressful times now as they try to figure out how to run the city with a small budget. But of course those problems are being dealt with in other cities of the country. It’s just that in New York City budget cuts are on a much larger scale.
I compliment all of the people of New York, but I must admit I’m a Northwest country girl, born and raised in Montana and currently living in Washington State. I enjoyed my time and the education I received at the writers conference in New York City, but I’m very glad to return home. You’ll be seeing more news about my children’s writing and children’s book releases in the near future. Thanks again, and please comment and join in on my blogs. Hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you.
Karen Jean Matsko Hood
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The Value of Byers’ Choice Carolers
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Byer’s Choice Carolers are lovely, unique collectibles that are well-known for their quality craftmanship, handmade vintage appeal, and irresistible charm. Every Caroler is created in the Byers’ Choice Pennsylvania workshop by the loving hands of a team of skilled artisans. Each of these unique characters are created using a variety of materials and techniques. Hundreds of different fabrics, ribbons, and laces are available to the artisans to be mixed in various combinations to create traditional and Victorian Carolers. By changing the posing, or adjusting the draping of the clothes, Byers’ Choice artisans breathe life and personality into each Caroler that capture the warmth and spirit of Christmas. As may be expected of such a unique and well-loved set of collectibles, retired Carolers can fetch a pretty penny when resold.
However, not all Carolers appreciate in value, so if you are looking to sell part of your collection it is wise to research the particular item(s) you intend to sell. Limited editions, autographed Carolers, and exclusive items are mostly likely to appreciate in value over time. Items that are particularly difficult to obtain, like the retired Nutcracker Ballet set, may also be more expensive. On eBay, the average Caroler can sell for anything between $10-70, with the low end representing smaller items like animals, children, and accessories. Limited editions, like the Mark Twain Historical Caroler, can sell for $12o and up.
The Byers’ Choice website is a good place to start your research. You can view a list of current limited editions along with a list of retailers who sell them here. These special pieces generally cost between $60 and $80 and are likely to be a good investment for the future. Another helpful resource is the list of retired Carolers on their site, here. This list will tell you when a piece was produced, and for how many years. Carolers that were produced for a single year are often valued for their rarity.
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Good morning. Today is January 18, 2011, and I am busy planning for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference. This conference takes place in New York City later this month, which I will be attending.
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) was founded 1971 by a group of Los Angeles-based children’s writers. It is an international organization based in Los Angeles, California, representing professionals in the field of children’s literature. It is the world’s largest children’s writing organization and the only international organization for people who write, illustrate, or have a professional interest in children’s literature. There are currently more than 22,000 members worldwide, in over 70 regional chapters, writing and illustrating in all genres for young readers from board books to young adult (YA) novels. The SCBWI facilitates communication between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers, and others involved in the field.
Membership in this society provides many benefits for writers, including information and support, access to awards and grants, networking, local workshops and get-togethers, inside publications, online resources, manuscript and illustration exchange, member discounts, and more.
The SCBWI sponsors two annual conferences, on the west and east coasts of the United States, usually in Los Angeles and New York City, as well as many regional conferences and events throughout the world. It publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, has an interactive website, and gives out a number of awards and grants. Among these are the annual Golden Kite Award for the best fiction and nonfiction books and the Sid Fleischman Humor Award.
At this year’s winter conference there will be a panel discussion on Creating and Recreating the Picture Book: Three Views. There are also three workshops about What Makes Your Work Publishable: Today’s Market in Children’s Books.
I am looking forward to all the other authors I will meet at this conference, as well as all I will learn from the speakers and workshops.
Collecting Valentines — The Language of Love Part Five
Sunday, January 16, 2011
by Nancy Rosin
Source: The Ephemera Society of America
Illustration 12. Open-out Valentine, “Love in a Motor,”
by Raphael Tuck, printed in Germany, early 1900s.
Grill opens to reveal an image of a romantic couple
amid a bouquet of tissue-paper flowers.
The Enduring Love of a Collector
Collecting Valentines is, to me, far different from collecting any other item. Valentines and their related love ephemera touch the most basic emotional aspects of the relationships among people: they reveal qualities about the object, the sender, and the recipient, to which we can all relate. In my own collection, I never feel that I am amassing or compiling documents. But rather am creating a chronicle of actual people. These former owners acquire personalities I can envision; their artistic endeavors are both appreciated and savored.
A list of facts can only provide the most elemental aspects of a collection. The challenge, the search, and the acquisition are common to every collector; a deeper bond is an understanding of and a respect for the entire process. These are no mere “accumulations”, but scholarly, perhaps even anthropological or sociological, studies of people’s lives lived within a particular historical framework.
In my personal study, the manufacture of paper, and the development of the postal delivery systems, played key roles in my appreciation for the valentine missive. In my desire to form a comprehensive collection, I needed to become familiar with events in history: to link particular valentines to the Gold Rush, the Civil War, women’s suffrage, the building of the transcontinental railroad, etc. It also intrigued me to become more familiar with artists — to be able to spot the work of Kate Greenaway, Walter Crane, Norman Rockwell, or lesser known illustrators.
As with the collection of other historical documents, acquiring Valentines involves a moral obligation: the responsibility to safeguard and preserve them for posterity. If we can, we stop the process of deterioration of paper treasures. And we have the responsibility to keep these fragile relics of the past, and of past loves, in archival conditions. Although the very definition of ephemera refers to the transitory nature of objects that were not intended for permanence, it is encumbent upon us to now become custodians of these mementos.
For me, each Valentine possesses special qualities which make it “collectible”. The primitive, the humorous, or the elegant — each has a special charm. They were saved as souvenirs, passed down as heirlooms, and now are valued for their aesthetic and historic qualities. When I hold one in my hand, I can feel transported to another era — and can imagine a perpetual Valentine’s Day of love and regard.
Resources:
To further assist collectors, I have created the video, The Valentine & Expressions of Love, Sirocco Productions, Norfolk, Virginia. I include images of the vast array of Valentine materials, and the knowledge gained from thirty years of collecting and research on the subject. Price is $49.95 plus $3.50 postage and handling, and is available at www.sirocco.com or from NancyRosin@aol.com or at www.VictorianTreasury.com.
The National Valentine Collectors Association
If you are interested in sharing the passion of Valentines with others, let me suggest a membership in the National Valentine Collectors Association. Meetings are held annually in different parts of the country, visiting private and museum collections, and enjoying the camaraderie of others with a shared interest. Quarterly newsletters and mail-bid auctions make the celebration of Valentine’s Day one that lasts all year!
Dues: $20/year; $25. outside the USA; payable by mail or PayPal
Contact: Nancy Rosin, President
The National Valentine Collectors Association
P.O. Box 647
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
Email: info@valentinecollectors.com
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This is a five-part article. Don’t forget to check out the previous parts if you haven’t read them already. In the meantime, if you’re looking for great Valentine’s Day gifts, check out Karen’s Collectors Cottage!
Collecting Valentines — The Language of Love Part Four
Saturday, January 15, 2011
by Nancy Rosin
Source: The Ephemera Society of America
Postcard Valentines. “Beauty” under a newspaper,
signed Ellen Clapsaddle, 1912; Early baseball design. ca. 1910;
Beautiful woman, by Samuel L. Schmucker, Winsch Publishing Co., 1910; Mechanical postcard, Frances Brundage design, 1910.
4. Varieties of Valentines
I have already mentioned a number of types — but basically there are the machine-made and the handmade. In the machine made category I would include the engravings, the lithographs, and the wood-block designs, the aquatints, the embossed lace, the openwork lace, the Victorian die-cut layered ones, the postcards, the fans, the mechanicals, and the German die-cuts of the turn of the century.
In the handmade category we can include the folded and cutout designs, called scherenschnitte, fraktur, cut-paper designs such as the heart and hand motif, the devotionals — also often called knipsel or canivets, pin-pricks, stencil (poonah or theorem) designs, labyrinths or mazes, acrostics, puzzle-purses, cobwebs, rebuses, watchpapers, hair-decorated, handwritten, embroidered, watercolored, and probably others I cannot think of at the moment!
Three-dimensional items include elaborate Sailor’s Valentines made of shells, glass rolling pins, corset stays–called “busks”– made of wood or whalebone, Welsh love spoons, knitting sheaths, and bobbins. Magnificent fans, impressive jewelry, fine gloves, and a wide variety of utilitarian and decorative boxes and items made from wood, silver, brass, enamel, or ivory… all might be decorated with motifs signifying love, courtship, betrothal, and marriage. Love-letter seals and “love token” coins are distant cousins, but stretch the concept of the Valentine as a token of love which might be given any day of the year. The list is endless, and each area is worthy of a collection by itself.
5. The Creation of a Collection
First, one has to be intrigued and fascinated by the concepts I have outlined already. Even if one has no idea of the majesty of the things I described, if you are open to learning, and like the intrinsic theme, I think you’re set for some fun. There are a great many areas for collecting valentines — from a few dollars to a huge amount for very serious pieces which may be coveted by long-established collectors. Some people focus on one particular period or style — I know someone with a vast and fabulous collection of Valentines with the theme of golf — others select colorful children, open-out fans, postcards, or the works of specific artists, like Clapsaddle, Brundage, or Greenaway, for example. Sometimes it’s good to get a little “price guide” which you can use as a form of checklist — realizing, of course, that price lists have very little merit, for the prices change rapidly, and vary according to location and demand. Once you start, it’s good to go to antique fairs, auctions, paper shows (the term is officially “ephemera”) and museums. Seeing the actual pieces is the very best way to acquire knowledge. The books on the subject are out of print, but most good libraries have them, and they should be sought with determination. Knowledge is essential before you make any significant financial commitment. The National Valentine Collector’s Association provides a quarterly newsletter, with lots of information, a mail-bid auction, annual meetings in various locations around the country, and the opportunity to meet other people who share the same interest. This is definitely a subject area which enraptures — and delivers its rewards in so many ways. The artistry and elegance, the craftsmanship of hand- or machine-made varieties, and the accompanying history make this a collectors’ paradise!
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This is a five-part article. Stay tuned during the rest of the week for the continuation. Tomorrow: The Enduring Love of a Collector. In the meantime, if you’re looking for great Valentine’s Day gifts, check out Karen’s Collectors Cottage!
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