Photo Friday: Men of NYC

Ah, the men you run into in NYC!

We've arrived in NYC!

Dia and I have arrived in New York City! Last night we partied it up at the Powerhouse Arena. Today we are off to receive the Innovations in Reading Prize from the National Book Foundation for readergirlz! Getting ready to hit Wall Street with my Docs! And we are off!

Poetry Friday: Mushroom Haiku

As the rain sputters

into winter, mushrooms
pop their umbrellas.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2009

Watch Big A Little A in case there's a roundup!

Poetry Friday: Puppets, 1967

Puppets, 1967

Caught inside story
offered up through a mother's
hand of outstretched love.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2009

That's my mom in her most groovy glasses and me! Watch for the full roundup...

Mean Girls, Myth or Reality?

Colleen has her latest post up for What a Girl Wants. This time we are at the table discussing mean girls. Here's Colleen's intro and my response. Be sure to pop over and read all the responses.

So, the questions: Does teen literature exaggerate the mean girl phenomena too much? If aliens landed on earth and read teen lit (oh my) would they expect to find mini Cordelias wreaking havoc on every high school across America? Are they so prevalent because it just easier to write about mean girls then nice ones? Is teen lit reflecting what is real in this instance or propagating an unfair female stereotype?



"I'm not a sociologist, but I've read Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman and Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons. I believe the nonfiction conclusion that girls leverage power in a very different way than boys. Rather than plain facts and fists, girls use words and withhold them to manipulate.

I do remember certain mean girls throughout my school experience, and I've witnessed them in my teen daughters' as well. Anti-bully programs are popular in the public school system in our area. I'm assuming both sexes are addressed.

Maybe the subject is a fad right now, Colleen. And maybe we are looking more at the mean girl herself, rather than the victim who used to concern us most. Stephen King's Carrie flashes to mind. Is this new perspective giving the subject a fresh breath in teen lit? There's a fuller story of the mean girl herself, and there's even the exploration of a placid character turning into one: Tina Fey's Mean Girls.

Those are my thoughts. I'm not overly worried or concerned. The antagonist wears so many masks. Right now, she just happens to have a very nice complexion."

Pop Culture in Contemporary Novels: in response to Cynthia

Here are my thoughts in response to Cynthia Leitich Smith's recent post on including pop culture in contemporary novels.



Cyn, I'm so thankful this generation of teens has our pop culture and more at their fingertips. This just wasn't the case for my mother and her mother.

Whether it's vintage on youtube, or hulu, or project playlist, nearly all the media material of generations past are accessible today.

This frees us as writers to draw on memories important to us, yet still connect with today's teen. Just as you did in Rain is not my Indian Name. It was no big deal to reference M*A*S*H in my novel Loose Threads.

What a win win! My mom will often laugh when she visits and hears Dean Martin seeping from my sixteen year old daughter's ipod. Just goes to show...

Illustrator Love: Jon Klassen

My friend just pointed out Jon Klassen's work to me. Is this not GORGEOUS?

Absolutely inspiring. Check out his website here or his blog here.

He also did preliminary drawings for Coraline. Okay, can someone tell me WHY hasn't Jon been asked to do a picture book yet? Seriously. I searched Amazon and found nothing.

Calling children's book art directors and editors. Sign, Jon!