Tuesday, April 22, 2008

My notes from the Chapel Hill Retreat: Friday Night




On Friday Night we arrived at the Aquaduct Conference Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Eager to learn, share and network. I learned so much, in fact, that I can not post it all in one blog. it will take a series of blogs to share the highlights from my notes.

While we waited for everyone to arrive we gathered on the back porch to enjoy snacks, beverages, good company and a gorgeous view.

I must mention how impressed I am at how friendly and welcoming this group was. There didn't seem to be any cliques or pecking order. I had a good time meeting up with old friends as well as making new ones.

After dinner we met in a circle (as pictured) and shared our favorite read of 2007. If anyone is looking for an inspired reading list, here's what I jotted down, as well as notes from our e-mail list, from our circle time. I hope I didn't copy anything wrong.






















Title
Author
Reading like a Writer
Katherine Prose
Girl Genus
Millicent Min
Charlie Bone & Children of the Red King
Jenny Nimno
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick
Bad Kitty
Nick Bruel
Marley & Me
John Grogan
The Giver
Lois Lowery
Skellig
David Almond
Dovey Coe
Francis O'Roark Dowell
The Interupption of Everything
Terry McMillian
Doctor DeSoto
William Steig
Wizard of Earthsea
ursula K. LeGuin
Truth about Forever
Sarah Dessen
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
Writing for the Soul
Jerry B. Jenkins
Elsewhere
Gabrielle Zevin
The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous

Suzanne Crowley
Twilight
Stephanie Meyers
My Side of the Mountain
Jean Craighead George
The Higher Power of Lucky
Susan Paton
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landeau-Banks

E. Lockhart
Star Girl
Jerry Spinelli
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini
Bartimus Trilogy
Jonathan Stroud
Skin Deep
E.M. Crane
Hell Week
Rosemary Clemet Moore
The Penderwicks
Jeanne Birdsall
Northlander
Meg Burden
Beauty and the Beast
Robin McKinley









































After our sharing time, Editor at Greenwillow, Martha Mihalik gave an insightful and informative session on "What is Voice and Why to Editors Go Ga-Ga Over it?" My notes on her insights will be shared in my next blog. Please excuse the super huge space between the list and this last paragraph. I've tried to go back and fix it, but it won't let me. !@#$#@!@#! urghh!

You can also check out other bloggers who have info and pictures from this retreat as well.
Janelle
and
Maggie

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great group photo there Christy! That time of sharing our favorite books was a lot of fun. Looking forward to the rest of your posts on the weekend.

Janelle said...

I want to put in a shameless plug too, for the book Skin Hunger (by Kathleen Duey), which almost made that "favorites list." An intensely emotional fantasy. Great for those wanting to make stronger emotional tension in their stories. : )

C.R. Evers said...

Skin Hunger is on my "Books to read this year" list! I'm looking forward to reading it!