Intense, Other-Oriented, Keen

Toward the close of my session with Joan Kaywell's truly welcoming and intelligent University of South Florida class of teachers and writers, Joan asked me how I would describe myself.  Edit yourself into just three words, she said. 

I am, of course, incapable of brevity and so went on about vulnerability and a quest for beauty.  Joan let me stumble about for a bit before she disclosed the words she would attach to me:  Intense, Other-Oriented, and Keen.

When a certain lovely gift arrived from Joan two days ago, there those words were again, as an AKA.  I think Joan probably knows me better than I know myself.

Thank you, Joan.

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Joan Kaywell and her students: the morning after

I spent more than two hours yesterday afternoon/evening in the virtual company of Joan Kaywell and her University of South Florida students. We talked (by way of Elluminate) of many things—of the role of color in my stories, of whether or not I write to specific audiences, of the role that research plays, of the dominant influence of topography and nature in my work, of whether or not I ever look back and wish I'd written differently, of the three words I might choose to describe myself, of whether or not I'm still writing five metaphors a day, of whether I believe that books can save lives, of the family sacrifices I've been willing to make for this writing career (answer: almost none), and of the ways in which books get introduced into classrooms, for Joan's graduate students are primarily teachers, an essential, direct line to students' hearts.

It was a remarkable conversation.  The questions were researched and intelligent, the students' insights were generous, and the group moderator was more dear than dear with an opening Power Point presentation on my life and work (how odd it was, but also so touching, to see my own words quoted back at me).  Joan Kaywell, I have learned, is a remarkable teacher and young adult advocate.  Thank you, Joan and your students, for the privilege.

And as for those metaphors:  I give myself the daily tease, now, of pairing a photograph to a story or blog column.  There's always grand purpose behind my choices.  Can you guess the meaning here?

Can you guess where it is? (hint: think royally wed)

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Elluminating with Joan Kaywell and her doctorate/master's students

Tomorrow evening I'll be here at my desk, but not precisely here at my desk, as I interact with the doctoral and master's students of Joan Kaywell's University of South Florida class by way of camera eye, microphone, and Elluminate software.  Joan tells me that Elluminate is like Skype on steroids.  She tells me, too, that I don't need to prepare for a thing—that the class has read Dangerous Neighbors and is ready to talk.  Joan probably doesn't know that I hyper-prepare for everything.  Perhaps I'll clean my office, then, in high anticipation.

I'm eager to take this foray into long-distance guesting.  Even if (as some of you know) I am less than techno-savvy.

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A YA Special Collection, second, perhaps, to none

Not long ago, I received a request from Joan Kaywell, who (in addition to being a professor of English Education at the University of South Florida, an award-winning author, the ALAN Membership Secretary, and the 2010-11 Senior Executive Director of FCTE) founded the Ted Hipple Special Collection of Autographed Young Adult Literature, a collection of what is now nearly 2,000 YA autographed books housed at Joan's university.  " Ideally," Joan wrote, "we’re collecting the manuscript, the ARC, the first edition, and subsequent paperbacks—ALL AUTOGRAPHED—of each author’s works so interested individuals can see the life of a book."  
 
The special collection, says Joan, was officially dedicated on May 23, 2007, and honors a man who was the founding member of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN), an organization that is now the largest assembly affiliated with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) with both a national and international reputation. I, in turn, am honored to now have some of my books (both in galley form and in published form) winging their way to the collection. 

I urge you to find out more about Ted Hipple, Joan Kaywell, and this remarkable collection—which includes handwritten manuscripts, galley mark ups, and rare first printings—by visiting this web site. 

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