Many of you have known or worked with editor Deborah Brodie. She passed away on June 27 after a battle with cancer.
Read the Publisher’s Weekly obituary>>>
The Whole Megillah- New Writing Chai Cycle to Begin July 26 – Reserve Your Spot NowFind the Stories That Are Yours to Tell There’s still room for you! The Writing Chai Studio offers writers of all genres and all levels the opportunity to find the stories within them and bring them onto the page. Find … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week NotesThree quick things this week: Today is my first day at the Southampton Children’s Lit Conference Graphic Novels Workshop. I also get to attend craft and industry talks across all genres. Plus there are faculty readings. I’m looking forward to … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week NotesThree quick things this week: I’ve been accepted into the Southampton Children’s Lit Conference Graphic Novels Workshop. Ordinarily, I would never have applied because of the cost. But in this COVID world, I can participate virtually for a fraction of … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Why You Should Submit to PJ Library | Authors Speak UpWelcome to The Whole Megillah‘s cyber-round table of authors whose books were submitted and selected by PJ Library and/or PJ Our Way. Our authors include Amalia Hoffman, author/illustrator of Dreidel Day (Kar-Ben, 2018); Karen Pokras, author of the forthcoming middle-grade … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week NotesOne quick thing this week: Even if we’re not able to travel, we might still be able to stage our own mini writing retreats at home. Essential to this experience is a set of books to have on hand for … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Author’s Notebook | Beloved Comrades: A Novel in Stories by Yermiyahu Ahron TaubTaub, Yermiyahu Ahron. Beloved Comrades: A Novel in Stories. Quanah, TX: Anaphora Literary Press, 2020. The Whole Megillah (TWM): What inspired this work, its structure, and its scope? What made the narrative begin with the postwar period? Yermiyahu Ahron Taub … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Last Chance! Join with Other Writers to Write New MaterialEveryone Has a Story to Tell There’s still room for you! Launching in June 2020, the Writing Chai Studio offers writers of all genres and all levels the opportunity to find the stories within them and bring them onto the … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Mid-Week NotesThree quick things: There’s still time to join us this Sunday for the five-week Writing Chai writing sessions. Write me at barbarakrasner(at)att(dot)net for details. I’ve been reading Elizabeth George’s new novel-writing craft book, Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel, … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Author’s Notebook | A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson LevineLevine, Gail Carson. A Ceiling Made of Eggshells. HarperCollins, 2020, 371 pp. $17.99, Grades 4-6. The Whole Megillah (TWM): What inspired you to write this book? Gail Carson Levine (GCL): This was a trip into family history. My father’s ancestors … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Starting Sunday, June 14, 2020 | Bring New Inspiration into Your Writing with Writing Chai StudioEveryone Has a Story to Tell Launching in June 2020, the Writing Chai Studio offers writers of all genres and all levels the opportunity to find the stories within them and bring them onto the page. Find the voice that … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- New Writing Chai Cycle to Begin July 26 – Reserve Your Spot Now
I cannot express how kind Deborah was to me. She reached out and expected nothing in return. She sent me writing exercises, asked me what I really wanted to do in my work (she was sure I could write a novel, and was determined to help me figure out what it was)…she was just so all-around encouraging and supportive and funny. At shiva people laughed about her sharp tongue, but I only got it once — when I accidentally called her Deb.
Hamakom Yinachem.
Deborah was the first professional editor to pull me out of a slush pile and declare I had a voice, and from that day on, became a person I could count on for a clean response, with honest encouragement. Her course at the New School, which I took early in my career, relieved us all of our self-consciousness. In her classroom, contrary to her editorial reputation, we all could fall flat on our faces, and pierce the boundaries which had held us back.
What a loss to the children’s book world, especially at a time when a voice for quality and authenticy is so sorely needed. I didn’t know Deborah well but thought of her as a kindred soul. Baruch dayan ha emet.