Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Good News!

I am honored, humbled, and ELATED to announce that my story, "Why Dogs Beg," has won first place in the Children’s Writer Fantasy/Folktale Contest! The story has been published in the March issue of the Institute of Children's Literature's newsletter, Children's Writer.

I got the news on January 5th in a phone call from Deborah Vetter, ICL instructor and editor for the Cricket Group, but had to wait to make the annoucement. The news has been burning a hole in my britches.

But now I can shout it from the roof-tops!

"Why Dogs Beg," is a retold Jamaican Anansi story. For those of you who may not be familiar with Anansi, he is a spider, a trickster character who traveled across the Atlantic from Africa with the slaves and made his home in the Caribbean. His stories are fluid, changing from island to island and from storyteller to storyteller. Growing up in the Virgin Islands I heard Anansi stories and have always enjoyed them.

An interesting note is that in the United States, the Anansi stories evolved into the Uncle Remus stories of Brer Rabbit and company.

Still doing the happy dance....!

16 comments:

  1. Oh Bish! I am doing the happy dance with ya. How super cool. I am so happy for you and no one deserves it more. Congrats!

    And that is so interesting about how the Uncle Remus stories came to be.

    Anansi stories. Must have them for our home-school. Thanks!! =)

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  2. SOOOO exciting. Congrats! And thanks for the contest shout out. :) Happy Friday.

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  3. BISH! That is wonderful news!! Congrats to you!!!!!!!!
    My daughter just read the Anansi story, I'd love to read her this story!

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  4. Woo-hoo! We'll all shout with you. That is so cool and so deserved. I'm dancin' at my desk. :D

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  5. Oh my gosh! Congrats! I love folktale/cultural myth retellings!

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  6. Congratulations, Bish! I subscribe to Children's Writer and am now anxiously awaiting its arrival so I can read your story. Your writing is so beautiful, I'm thrilled that you're getting this recognition.

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  7. That's fantastic!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! :) :) Go celebrate with much chocolate and champagne. :)

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  8. I saw this on Vijaya's blog, and as I commented there, I had JUST opened my new package of ICL lessons and it included this month's CW, so I have it right here! Looking forward to reading it. I actually had a student who wrote an Anansi story for a lesson, so I'm generally familiar with the tales. Congratulations!

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  9. Anansi has been playing tricks on my computer all morning ... but I think I stumped him. Bish, I am very happy for you. You are so generous with all your stories, and good karma comes around.

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  10. YaY!!!!!! Congratulations! that's so exciting. ~happy dance~

    P.S. I didn't get to send out your books this week. I'll aim to send them out sometime next week. I'll let you know.

    Again, ~YaY!!!!!!~

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  11. Congrats Bish!!! I can't wait to read it...Hugs...

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  12. 'Nanci say yo' done do good an' he remindin' yo' if yo' see dat li'l ting wha' goin' "tick, tick, tick," don' cut it!

    So nice to "see" your shout out as I was so happy to hear it on the phone!

    Much love and many hugs!!!

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  13. Thanks everyone! I'm still waiting on my copy of Children's Writer, I'm SO looking forward to it...and I'm still floating.

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  14. So cool! I'm thrilled for you. Congratulations.

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  15. Oh my gosh!!! How exciting!! :) Congratulations!

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