Karen Cushman

Karen Cushman

Newbery award-winning children’s book author

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Karen Cushman

Karen Cushman

NCTE in Boston, Day Two

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Signing books for Millard Fillmore School

I signed books at the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) booth, including one for the students at Millard Fillmore School. You can see Millard himself hanging out behind us.

 

 

 

 

 

Martinez Roser

Afterwards I celebrated with my panel folks: Kirby Larson and Barbara O’Connor and (pictured, left) our panel moderators, Miriam Martinez of UT San Antonio, and Nancy Roser of UT Austin. Miriam and Nancy did an amazing job of turning our vague mutterings about “place” and “world building” from a couple of years ago into Thursday’s multi-media panel. Thank you.

  

 

David Wiesner and Dinah StevensonThen followed a dinner given by HMH with a number of teachers, writers, and professors. At right are Dinah Stevenson, who has been my beloved editor for 20 years, and David Wiesner, the picture book king. We were at dinner for 5 (!) hours and enjoyed every minute.

Thanksgiving

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Persimmons

My dear friend, Robbie, has once again sent us persimmons from her tree in California’s Central Valley. They will be our Thanksgiving centerpiece. 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and not just because of pumpkin pie. I always have so much to be thankful for. I plan to have a splendid day and I hope you do, too.

NCTE in Boston, Day One

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teachers at NCTE panel

Our panel, “Constructing and Inhabiting Story Worlds,” drew a room full of fabulous, interested teachers.

Barbara O'Connor

Barbara O’Connor spoke after me, and she was, as always, splendid.

Kirby Larson

And so was Kirby Larson, who gave us a taste of her brand new book, Duke.

Rosemary Sutcliff

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In a children’s literature class in my first year of graduate school, I discovered Rosemary Sutcliff. She was an astonishingly fine writer of books for young people about ancient Britain. My favorites are three that cover the last Romans to leave Britain, the violence of the Saxon invasions, and finally a growing hope for peace and safety: The Eagle of the Ninth, The Lantern Bearers, and Dawn Wind. I especially love Dawn Wind. In fact, I broke a date one evening so I could stay home and finish the book. My mother never understood but it seemed to me a very reasonable thing to do. 

Rosemary Sutcliff

Your help is needed …

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Cat Needs a Book RecommendationOtis says, “Ahh, there’s nothing better than a roaring fire on a cold, wet day. If only I had a book. Tail of Two Cities, maybe. Or Little Mouse on the Prairie. Or The Color Purrr-ple. Any suggestions?”

On the edge

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On the edgeFor a week or so now, I have been stuck on my new book. My main character needed to be in danger, but from what? This didn’t work, that was unbelievable. What to do? Finally, in frustration, I went back and read from the beginning of the story, and there they were—the vicious “edge dwellers” who had appeared and disappeared in an early chapter. Perfect villains, frightening and dangerous, and they were there all along.

I think we writers write more into our stories than we even know, not because our characters take over or we are channeling someone or because there is a muse at work. I think we do it ourselves, unwittingly, because we are preparing ourselves for surprise. We merely find what we planted there, the unconscious gifts we give ourselves. So I am for the moment unstuck and ready to deal with those vile edge dwellers.

Trick or Treat

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What did one ghost say to the other? “Do you believe in people?” 

Happy Halloween. 

Some scholars believe Halloween is a descendant of the Celtic festival of Samhain, or summer’s end, when dead walked the land. Others think it purely Christian, the eve of All Saints, or All Hallow’s Day. No matter. If you celebrate Halloween, have fun. If, like me, you sit at home before the fire and read, go for it. May all your treats be happy ones and all your tricks benign.

Jack O'Lanterns

Cooking for Lords and Ladies

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Medieval Cookbook and Fabulous FeastsIf you have a craving for Stuffed Swan’s Neck, Porpoise Pudding, or Live Frog and Turtle Pie, those and other yummy-sounding medieval recipes can be found in The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black or Fabulous Feasts by Madeleine Pelner Cosman. Or see medievalcookery.com or godecookery.com for links to lots of others. 

When it’s autumn, I think apples—from a cookbook of 1290 called The Forme of Cury, a recipe for apple tart: 

Tak gode Applys and gode Spyces and Figys al reysons and Perys and wan they are well ybrayed (ground) coulerd with Safron well and do yt in a cofyn and do yt forth to bake wel.

P.S. A cofyn is a crust, not a coffin, and was made to hold the tart but not be eaten.