Through the Looking Glass:
Writing and Publishing Books for Children
Seminar Date Options:
March 14, 09:30-12:30
"Good children's literature appeals not only to the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe This workshop will examine the process of developing a manuscript for a children’s book. The aim is to guide aspiring writers through the process of translating their inspirations and first texts into publishable manuscripts. How do we, as former children, approach the challenge of writing for children? The first step will be the examination of classic and contemporary books for children of diverse ages. We will read and analyze excerpts from picture books for toddlers and pre-schoolers, illustrated books for beginning readers and chapter books, with an eye to the way authors respond to children’s interests and needs at varied stages. Our focus will be illustrated classics such as Caps for Sale and Curious George and the delightful contemporary Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type. We will also touch upon changing perceptions of childhood in history and English literature, with a nod to the nineteenth century’s golden age of childhood and the works of Lewis Carroll. We will analyze characters, point of view, plots and the relationship between texts and illustrations, with an examination of fiction and nonfiction for middle school readers . The workshop will include writing prompts and exercises designed to help participants move forward with their own concepts for children’s books and works in progress. We will conclude with a brief overview of the challenges, practicalities and logistics involved in taking the bold step forward of seeking to publish a children’s book. Copyright 2016. Eva L. (Chava) Weiss |
Eva L. Weiss was born in New York and began her career as a book editor in Manhattan. She was an editor at AMACOM Books, where she earned a distinguished individual achievement award for bringing together a sales executive and a fiction writer to co-author The Quadrant Solution, a business novel. Eva has edited supplement sections for the New York Times, the Jerusalem Post and Ha’aretz. She now contributes to “Well-Versed” a culture blog in the New York Jewish Week. Eva (also known as Chava) was an instructor at David Yellin College’s English Editing Program. Her children’s book, I am Israeli, was published in the United States in September 2015 and is available on Amazon. [email protected]
DetailsMinimum/Maximum No. Participants: 10/14
Cost: 25o NIS for one seminar; 450 NIS for any two half-day seminars, or if you sign up with a friend. Location: Talbiya, Jerusalem (More information available upon registration.) Sign up for Through the Looking GlassRegistration: Sign up here and you will receive an email on how to pay.
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