KASL

Inside Out and Back Again

We at Valley Park are thrilled that the mother of one of our kindergarteners, Thanhha Lai, is the National Book Award winner in the Young People's Literature category for her book Inside Out and Back Again.

Ann Schuster, NBCT
Valley Park Elementary
Library Media Specialist
Blue Valley (KS) USD #229

"We live in a society bloated with data but starved for wisdom"- Elizabeth Lindsey

Kansas Authors

I am pleased to announce that Konza Radio now has my second book available for free download: http://www.konzaradio.org/KidsCorner.html and Kansas Public Radio has a podcast of the 2011 KS Notable Books shows which include interviews with Clare Vanderpool and with me:   http://kansaspublicradio.org/searchResults.php?searchTerms=kansas+notable+books Happy listening! Beverley Olson Buller Newton, KS www.beverleybooks.com "I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." John Burroughs 1837-1921

Jane Kurtz Wins the Kerlan Award

Jane Kurtz will be officially awarded the Kerlan Award on this Saturday in Minneapolis. She is such a great friend of literacy through her own writing, mentorship of other writers as a faculty member at the /Vermont/ College of /Fine Arts/ MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults, and with her tireless work to
establish libraries and bring literacy to children in Ethiopia.

Read a little bit about Jane and the award at http://bit.ly/kerlan_kurtz

More Conference Guest Authors

Here are links to the websites of just a few of the authors featured at the Partners in Excellence Conference in October. The early registration deadline is October 1.   

Judy Young   

Bev Buller

Cheryl Harness

Ann Parr 

John Hall

Stephen Gilpin

That's one of Stephen's illustrations on the right.

More Conference Guest Authors

Here are links to the websites of just a few of the authors featured at the Partners in Excellence Conference in October. The early registration deadline is October 1.

Brent Crawford

Tim Raglin

Dian Curtis Regan

Lois Ruby

 

one of Tim Raglin's illustrations

More Conference Guest Authors

Here are links to the websites of just a few of the authors featured at the Partners in Excellence Conference in October. The early registration deadline is October 1.

Lisa Harkrader

Jane Kurtz

Nolan Carlson

Roderick Townley

Tribute to Don Coldsmith

Kansas literary great Don Coldsmith has died at 83:

http://emporiagazette.com/news/2009/jun/26/acclaimed_author_don_coldsmith_dies/ 

The Kansas Center for the Book nominated Dr Coldsmith for the MPLA Literary Contribution Award earlier this year; he was presented with that award at the joint MPLA/KLA conference in Wichita on April 2.

An overview of Dr Coldsmith's literary career and a bibliography of his works (prepared by Megan Schulz at the State Library for his MPLA award nomination) follows.

Rest in peace, Don Coldsmith.

Rhonda Machlan

State Library of Kansas

300 SW 10th Rm 343

Topeka KS  66612-1593

rmachlan@kslib.info 

http://www.kslib.info 

Don Coldsmith: MPLA Literary Contribution Award Nomination

Don Coldsmith was born, raised and still lives in Kansas, just outside of Emporia on a farm. He began his writing career in the 1960’s mostly writing articles for horse magazines and “some medical, non-technical stuff”.  He has had a self-syndicated weekly newspaper column in various Kansas newspapers including the Emporia Gazette for about 35 years, since the early 1970’s. But what Don Coldsmith is best known for both inside and outside of the Kansas community is for his fiction. His fiction writing career began in the 1970’s during his time in the practice of medicine. Today he is the widest published living Kansas author. Topics of writing include: Historical fiction with Western and Indian themes - focuses on the Indians of the Great Plains from the time of first contact with Europeans.    

Denise Low, Kansas Poet Laureate on Don Coldsmith: “His work is important to Kansans and Midwesterners because he really shows the sweep of geography from Colorado Springs and the Rockies east to the Marais des Cygnes and from the Platt down into northern Oklahoma so you really get a sense of this region and there is not much literature in the country or the world based on that geographic region.” KTWU Sunflower Journeys 1712A - Don Coldsmith, Produced by Bill Shaffer.

Don Coldsmith: “My goal has always been that I would write historically accurate enough that nobody can prove it didn't happen. I don't claim that it did. I claim it could have and I defy anybody to prove it didn't and I think it's intellectually dishonest to distort history and so I'm just not going to do it.” KTWU Sunflower Journeys 1712A - Don Coldsmith, Produced by Bill Shaffer.

o   Misc. information

o   45 books published, 1600 newspaper columns, and over 150 magazine articles

o        More than 6 million copies in print, as well as editions in German, French and Spanish

o        Speaker/Lecturer/Educator (especially on topics dealing with the Great Plains and the American West)

o   Professor - Emporia State University

o   Member of the Speakers’ Bureau for the Kansas Humanities Council

o   Speaker at Kansas Library Tri-Conference (1998)

o   Presenter at the 2006 and 2007 Kansas Book Festivals

o        Western Writers of America - “To promote the literature of the American West,” WWA actively helps its members promote their books and articles, and aggressively promotes the literature of the American West, which it considers this country's unique contribution to world literature

o   Past President of the Western Writers of America -  (1983-1984)

o   Spur Award recipient (6-time finalist) - “Distinguished writing about the American West” (1990)

o        Owen Wister Award - “Lifetime Achievement” in Western history and literature (2003)

o   Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas

o        Distinguished Kansan - “Selection criteria: significant contribution to Kansas and to the history of Kansas, role model and/or mentor who has made exceptional contribution to our Kansas heritage, created an awareness of his/her field of expertise or has created an impact through his/her participation” (1993)

o   Friends of the Library, Kansas City, Kansas Public Library

o        Edgar Wolfe Literary Award - “selects local or regional writers who remain true to the ideals of integrity and creative excellence taught by Edgar Wolfe” (1995)

o   Book of the Month Club

o   1997 selection

o   Doubleday Book Club

o   1997 selection

o        Writers Hall of Fame of America - Founded to foster an interest in writing among people of all ages; recognizes those who made a major contribution to writing, stimulates interest in writing among young people, and promotes lifelong writing

o        Inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America- “recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to the art we celebrate” (2000)

o   Listed among the twenty most important writers of the 20^th Century by his fellow professional writers that same year

o   Kansas Authors Club

o        William Allen White Award - “for his contributions to the literary heritage of Kansas” (2004)

o   True West Magazine – “Relates our history back to the present day, to show readers the important role our heritage plays in keeping spirit of the West alive during our everyday travels and adventures out West”. The magazine is the oldest, continuously published Western Americana publication in the world.                                                                                    

o   Voted the “Best Living Western Historical Novelist” (2004)                                            

Spanish Bit Saga

1. Trail of the Spanish Bit (1980)
2. Elk Dog Heritage (1982)
3. Follow the Wind (1983)
4. Buffalo Medicine (1981)
5. Man of the Shadows (1983)
6. Daughter of the Eagle (1984)
7. Moon of Thunder (1985)
8. Sacred Hills (1985)
9. Pale Star (1986)
10. River of Swans (1986)
11. Return to the River (1987)
12. Medicine Knife (1988)
13. Flower in the Mountains (1988)
14. Trail from Taos (1989)
15. Song of the Rock (1989)
16. Fort de Chastaigne (1990)
17. Quest for the White Bull (1990)
18. Return of the Spanish (1991)
19. Bride of the Morning Star (1991)
20. Walks in the Sun (1992)
21. Thunderstick (1993)
22. Track of the Bear (1994)
23. Child of the Dead (1995)
24. Bearer of the Pipe (1995)
25. Medicine Hat (1998)
26. Lost Band (2000)
27. Raven Mocker (2001)
28. Pipestone Quest (2004)

Super Editions

1.     Changing Wind (1991)

2.     Traveler (1991)

3.     World of Silence (1992)

Great Plains Saga

1. Tallgrass (1997)
2. Southwind (1998)

Rivers West Series

1.     Smoky Hill (1989)

Non-Fiction

1. Horsin' Around (1975)
2. Horsin' Around Again (1981)
3. Still Horsin' Around (2004)

General Fiction

1. Runestone (1995)
2. Long Journey Home (2002)

Short Stories (Anthologies)

1. “The Guardians”, in American West (2000)
2. “A Fresh Start”, in Stagecoach (2003)
3. “First Horse”, in Westward (2003)
4. “To Shoe a Horse”, in Lost Trails (2009)

Kimberly Willis Holt

Kimberly Willis Holt and President Elect-elect, Debbi Maddy

Author Interviews

TeachingBooks.net hosts a number of author interviews that are very interesting. I do not know of any dull people who write books. Lauren Child, for example, writes children's books, and she talks about how she illustrates her books in unique ways, all in a Super Duper British accent that is worth the price of admission all by itself. This resource will cost your school, however, but if money is tight, the free resources designed to hook you are very good. 

Authors

If you're looking for an affordable author visit, consider Missouri author J.B. Cheaney, author of The Middle of Somewhere, a 2008 Kansas Notable Book.   Her books are primarily for upper elementary through high school, but she can talk to younger kids about writing.  She's got a thorough author visit section on her website.
Read more about her and/or contact her through her website:  http://www.jbcheaney.com/

Even closer is Dian Curtis Regan, who lives in Wichita.  She's written books for all ages of kids.  Her website with contact information is:  http://www.diancurtisregan.com/

Many of us met Dandi Daley Mackall at Kansas Library Conference last April.  Her book Larger-Than-Life Lara is a grades 3 to 5 master list title for the White Awards this year.  She is also in our state from time to time.  Read about and contact her at: www.dandibooks.com 

If you live in the Wichita area, you can meet Dian Curtis Regan and former Kansan Lois Ruby this Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Watermark Books (Douglas and Oliver in Wichita).

-Bev Buller