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>>>
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The Whole Megillah- Author’s Notebook | Tammar Stein, The Six-Day HeroI had the pleasure of meeting author Tammar Stein at the August Tent: Jewish Children’s Literature program at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass. She was able to take time out from her busy schedule to talk about … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Two-in-One Notebook | Author L.B. Schulman and Senior Editor Mary Colgan, Stolen SecretsSchulman, L. B. Stolen Secrets. Boyds Mills Press, 2017, 304 pp. The Whole Megillah (TWM): How did you come up with the idea for this book? L.B. Schulman (LS): After listening to an interview on the radio, I realized that before … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- 2017 Year of the Book | Second Quarter Progress ReportI pledged 2017 as the Year of the Book. my year to sell a book manuscript. I’m a bit late with this second quarter report, so I’ll extend my coverage to the end of August. Poetry: My chapbook manuscript, Chicken Fat, … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Literary Offerings into the World | August 2017 ReportPoetry: 8 submissions (Salt Hill Journal, Zone 3, Washington Square Review, The MacGuffin, Coldnoon, Potomac Review, South 85, Contrary), 1 acceptance (Coldnoon), 1 rejection (South 85). Creative Nonfiction: 10 submissions (Lunch Ticket, The Smart Set, Rose Red Review, The Capra … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Report on Tent: Jewish Children’s Literature, August 2017From August 13-August 20, 2017, the National Yiddish Book Center, in partnership with PJ Library, and funded by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, hosted the first-ever Tent program of Jewish Children’s Literature. They received about 130 applications and selected 20 writers … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Time Is Running Out–Pre-Order Your Copy of Chicken Fat Now!The pre-order period for Chicken Fat ends August 18. Note from Barbara: I really hope you’ll check out my book. The poems are personal. The people on the cover? My grandmother, Rose Entel Perlman, an immigrant from Poland, my mother, … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- New One-Day Sessions from The Whole MegillahIt’s Back to School time! The Whole Megillah is delighted to introduce a series of one-day sessions to take your writing to the next level: Setting and Achieving Your Writing Goals—Learn from an experienced project manager how to set your … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Literary Offerings into the World | July 2017 ReportPoetry: 2 submissions (Penn Review, BOATT Journal), 1 acceptance (Kelsey Review), 3 rejections (The Literary Review, Rattle, Penn Review). This last rejection was personal! Fiction: 0 submissions, 0 acceptances, 0 rejections. Fiction has taken a backseat for the moment. Creative Nonfiction: 6 … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- 2017 Year of the Book | Second Quarter Progress ReportI pledged 2017 as the Year of the Book. my year to sell a book manuscript. Now that the second quarter of the year has closed, here is my progress report: Poetry: My poetry chapbook, Chicken Fat, is available for pre-sale … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Literary Offerings into the World | June 2017 ReportPretty much a month of rejections… Poetry: 0 submissions, 0 acceptances, 1 rejection (Foundry). Fiction: 0 submissions, 0 acceptances, 0 rejections. Creative Nonfiction: 1 submission (Passager), 1 acceptance (Jewish Literary Journal), 7 rejections (Lascaux Review, J Journal, Front Porch, Agni, Malahat Review, … Continue reading →Barbara Krasner
- Author’s Notebook | Tammar Stein, The Six-Day Hero
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.