SCBWI-IL is fortunate to have such a large group of talented and committed writers who are willing to donate their time and expertise to the Prairie Wind. This means that when one writer is ready to step down as a columnist—usually due to personal and professional commitments—another writer is waiting in the wings to step in. This has happened with this issue. Several of our authors who have been with the Prairie Wind for the past few years are moving on: Michelle Sussman (News Roundup), Lisa Cinelli (Illustrator Tips), Kim Winters (Writer’s Bookshelf), and Hilary Wagner (Kidlitosphere). To each of them we say a big thank you! At the same time, we would like to introduce our readers to two new columnists: Corie Ramos-Azem (News Roundup) and Laura Montenegro (Illustrator Tips). To Corie and Laura we say welcome! We’ve decided to make Writer’s Bookshelf a guest column (with a different author each issue), and the format of Kidlitosphere is being revised in time for the spring 2012 issue.
We have several guest columns. If you would like to write an occasional column for the Prairie Wind, please contact Jeanne at beckerjeanne@hotmail.com. It’s a great way to get published!
Jeanne Becker
Editor
WINTER 2012 Contents
- Greeting: Lisa Bierman urges us to do the things we resist doing to further our writing careers and has some strategies to help us break down our resistance.
~ Our Chapter ~
- Marlene Targ Brill remembers Mary Jane Miller (1936-2011).
- Illustrator in the Spotlight: The illustrious Scott Gustafson gives us the highlights of his thirty-year career.
- Tales from the Front: Keir Graff tells his son’s nightmares inspired him to write The Other Felix.
~ Happenings ~
- Classes: June Sengpiehl has compiled a list of learning opportunities.
- News Roundup: Learn about upcoming events and contests and recent awards from Corie Ramos-Azem.
- Food for Thought: Sallie Wolf reports on the group’s most recent event, where attendees learned about alternative publishing options.
- Don’t Miss: Spring Thaw at the Morton Arboretum with Steve Mooser and Lin Oliver, coming in May.
~ Craft ~
- Writing Tips: M. Molly Backes has advice on what to do when you’re stuck.
- Illustrator Tips: Laura Nyman Montenegro talks about the connection between composition and emotion.
- Writer’s Bookshelf: Juliet C. Bond reviews Joy Cowley’s Writing from the Heart: How to Write for Children and also interviews Joy.
- Book Look: Jodell Sadler explains what makes Darren Shan’s “Cirque du Freak” series work for reluctant readers.
~ Career ~
- The Irrepressible Writer: Carol Coven Grannick recommends a “little book with big ideas,” Dorothea Brande’s Becoming a Writer.
- A Fly on the Wall: Michele Weber Hurwitz reports on the successful 7th annual Prairie Writer’s Day.
- Guest Expert: You will admire Carol Fisher Saller’s self-discipline as a writer when you read what she cut from her novel Eddie’s War.
The season of midwinter throws many barriers in our way. Relearning how to drive safely in snow and sleet . . . Remembering to leave extra time to get pretty much anywhere . . . Finding the perfect pair of boots that are toasty, not too hideous, and tall enough for the worst snowdrift you’re likely to stomp in. And really, keeping a sunny disposition through a week’s worth of gray days may be the worst challenge.
The creative life throws ...
Continue Reading Breaking Down Barriers, Part One
By Scott Gustafson
© 2011, Scott Gustafson. All rights reserved.
Of the fifty-five years of my life thus far on this planet, I’ve had the great good fortune of spending more than thirty as an illustrator. Even though there were early stages when I found myself wanting to become either a truck driver, a cartoonist, or an animator, after the truck driver stage, when I was ...
Continue Reading My Life as an Illustrator-So Far
By Keir Graff
My first children’s book, a middle-grade novel titled The Other Felix, had its origins in a nightmare—but getting it published was a dream come true.
Three years ago, my older son was having bad dreams. Night after night, he found himself chased through a spooky forest by monsters. These weren’t aliens or cyborgs or intelligent robots capable of transforming into semi-trailer trucks but old-fashioned storybook monsters with fur, fangs, ...
Continue Reading A Little Boy’s Nightmare Is a Dream Come True
