From: Megan Schliesman <Schliesman>
Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 10:46:02 -0500

I agree with Cassie's comments about Sharon Flake's writing
(particularly the one about her "blow[ing] the lid off in one of these novels coming up one of these days"!), and her fine assessment of what Flake's writing evokes in a reader.

It seems to me as we talk about "new" voices people might fall into two categories: those the likes of Sharon Flake, Markus Zusak, An Na, Ana Juan David Almond and others who come to the attention of the children's or young adult literary scene with stellar works the first time out, and others, like Joan Dash, who have written other titles but who feel new in the sense that they have a recent work that makes us take notice of them in a new way. I think this happened with Patricia Reilly Giff with the publication of Lily's Crossing and her subsequent titles since then.
 She has been writing for children for many years but Lily's Crossing was, in a way, like having a new writer bursting onto the scene, although of couse she was developing into the writer she's become all along.

We know that writers need the time and support to develop--not everyone is going to have a book the caliber of some of the writers we've mentioned the first time they are published. So in addition to naming individuals who have wowed us with what they've accomplished in their first few books, I'm curious to find out who you think is someone to watch--somone whose art or writing offers something unique from your perspective, even if it's not quite yet up to truly notable caliber.

I'm also curious to hear from those in publishing about what must be done to help nurture promising talent.

Megan

 

Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison 608&2?03 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 17 Oct 2002 10:46:02 AM CDT