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#JewishandProud –Kidlit Fights Bias

By on January 6, 2020   /   Articles  

#JewishandProud

KIdlit always fights bias, and today is definitely a day to stand up. Today is #JewishandProud day.  This is a time when members of the Jewish community are encouraged to publicly display Jewish identity and faith in the face of ongoing and escalating anti-Semitic violence in this country and around the world. A recent survey conducted by the American Jewish Committee found that 31% of respondents reported feeling uncomfortable wearing or displaying anything would identify them as Jewish. That’s 31% too many people who are afraid to show pride in or belonging to or respect for the tenets of their faith because of a world that isn’t fighting back hard enough to stamp out hate.

jewish and proud day january 6

Kidlit fights bias — and we here at MUF are committed to inclusiveness and diversity. We stand with our Jewish family. Furthermore, in order to support and be an ally of the Jewish community, I’m dedicating my post to a wonderful anti-bias children’s book list maintained by the Anti-Defamation League.

What is the ADL?

I think most are aware of the ADL, but for those who haven’t had the chance to become acquainted with them, they’re an advocacy and education organization dedicated to creating a country where discrimination is a thing of the past. Their mission statement envisions stopping “…the defamation of the Jewish people, and (securing) … justice and fair treatment to all.” To be clear: their scope is all-inclusive—they lobby for anti-bias and anti-discrimination laws for ALL underrepresented groups, run education programs in schools to help fight hate speech and bullying, and work in all aspects of criminal justice reform, from sentencing procedures to law enforcement training.

As part of their work in education, they provide extensive programs and training for educators, parents, and families: this is where the booklist comes in.

Books Matter

“Books Matter” is an incredible book list and resource for fighting bias and hate. It’s carefully curated by subject, pulling together the best kid lit on diversity and social justice. You have a choice of 11 sections for book suggestions, with subjects such as Jewish culture and anti-Semitism, and also bias, discrimination, and hate.

ADL Assistant Education Director Michelle Magner notes that “Educators and families can use books with their students and children as a mirror to affirm who they are and enable them to see themselves portrayed with accuracy, depth, and complexity.  Books can also be used as a window to teach children about people with whom they are unfamiliar which can lead to understanding and building bridges.  Both mirror and window books can build empathy which is such an important tool in combating intolerance. ”

Each section includes options from picture books to young adult, and each book suggests an appropriate reader age range.

books matter reading list

Among the many drill-down features includes a “book of the month” section; this month it’s Jacquelyn Woodson’s HARBOR ME.

Each book of the month selection is accompanied by coordinated lesson plans for classrooms as well as suggested tools and strategies for difficult conversations.

The ADL is committed to the belief that books are a critical component in the effort to create a more tolerant, just world. Having a list like this and resources available to help us all in that mission gives us better, stronger tools, and also a sense that we’re not alone.

KidLit Community Can Help

What I love about lists like this is that they’re always growing. And we can be part of that! For those of you MUFers who are also authors … keep writing, keep adding to that body of literature! For inspiration, read here for  Jonathan Rosen’s recap of the TENT program for Jewish children’s literature, And … here’s an interview with author Leslie Kimmelman, who also went to Israel. Waiting eagerly to see what comes of her inspiration from that trip!

But even if you can’t travel, you can support authors by reading their work and supporting it publicly. You can be part of conversations that push back against hate and bias. You can refuse to accept a biased, intolerant world, and instead model a society that includes, accepts, and celebrates all religions, ethnicities, races, genders, and sexual identities.

 

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Goal Statements (a.k.a. Resolutions) for Writers

By on January 3, 2020   /   For Writers  

Welcome to the New Year! What an excellent opportunity for us as writers and creative professionals to recharge, reboot, reflect, and resolve. Indeed, even as you wrap up the holiday season, it’s a great time to think about your writing resolutions and what’s ahead in your writing life.

Well-worded goal statements might be the key to achieving the objectives you seek in 2020. Once you have identified the areas of your writing in which you want improvement, it’s time to figure out strategically how to get there. With a little work, you can tailor your list of goal statements into a kind of personalized self-help guidebook that is user-friendly, adjustable, and most important, filled with achievable objectives. Here are some suggestions for how to construct great goal statements for your writing resolutions.

Strong goal statements, as most teachers and others in education will tell you, share several common traits:

  • They are specific: Resolving “to write more” is a good start; now get specific: how much more? In terms of time, page count, or both? New genres, new point of view, new style?
  • They are realistic: You might want “to make writing the #1 priority,” but realistically, the requirements of your day job, family, and other responsibilities probably preclude the notion of putting everything else on hold for your writing. Use more realistic language: “To spend twice as much time on revisions in the week as on social media.” “To balance an hour of chores/errands with an hour of writing time.”
  • They are measurable: Think numbers, values, dates, percentages. However…
  • They are flexible in range: Consider how uncomfortable it is to work out in jeans; stretchy waistbands are a thing for a reason. Instead of one set number for your weekly word count, include a range that allows for the unexpected machinations of daily life (“to reach between 500 and 800 new words every two days”). You’re still working on the goal, with a little “give” when necessary.
  • They are modifiable: Also, remember that what you are resolving to do is make an improvement; the ways in which you accomplish improvement can change mid-game if something isn’t working. So compose goal statements knowing that they can be both flexible and changeable.

Additionally, writers can take a cue from folks in acting and directing who formulate moment-to-moment, scene-to-scene objectives for theatrical character development. Character objectives should be

  1. Written with the use of an action verb. Avoid “To feel satisfied with….” and “To be better at…” Think instead of actions you can visualize yourself carrying out physically: to add, to read, to list, to plot, to brainstorm, to attend, to interview, to speak, to revise.
  2. Written in terms of a concrete “something,” not an abstract idea: an event, a person, yourself, your books, a place.

Taking into account these suggestions, a resolution like “to become more skilled at writing endings” transforms into a completable action with a concrete product : “To draft 2-3 possible endings for my WIP’s first chapter by the end of January.”

The more carefully and thoughtfully you construct your writer’s resolutions, the more effectively they will work for you as motivators.

Speaking of motivators, the new year is the perfect time to try a new mini-reward for yourself when you meet a goal. Take a walk, try a new herbal tea, clean a drawer, listen to music or a podcast.

Another fresh-slate motivator: change up your surroundings, even just a little. Some writers swear by “settling in” to their writing zone (hot tea, check; fingerless gloves, check; clean desk, semi-check)—but how might you modify your surroundings for a fun difference, increased comfort, and more efficiency? Rearrange your desk bins; add a new pillow or throw to your writing chair; remove distracting clutter from your line of sight and replace with a photo or message.

Finally, if all this talk about resolutions and motivation seems overwhelming, you are not alone—it’s often that way for many writers. Consider treating yourself to a new craft book on writing, in that case, and set a goal to read just one chapter a week (or whatever works for you). Sometimes another writer’s instruction can both calm and inspire our writer-brains, and help us to define our own goals over time. Here are a few titles I hope to try myself this year:

The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman

Behind the Book: Eleven Authors on Their Path to Publication by Chris Mackenzie Jones

The Elements of Style Workbook, a writing workbook based on the original The Elements of Style by Strunk and White

Making Readers Care with Psychology and Structure: The Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Totally Gripping Novels, Film and TV Scripts by David Thorpe

Good luck in 2020, no matter what path your writing resolutions take. Happy New Year!

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STEM Tuesday New Year’s Eve 2019 Special Edition!

By on December 30, 2019   /   STEM Tuesday  

Times Gone By

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

For most of my 50+ years, I thought the traditional New Year’s Eve song Auld Lang Syne consisted of shout-singing the line “Should old acquaintance be forgot” and then followed by a bunch of humming. That was the way it was sung or appeared to be sung, in the low-brow circles I inhabited. This year, things have changed. 

It’s a new decade. A new time. 

Time to shed old habits and forge new hope.

We’ve just celebrated the Winter Solstice. For us northern hemispherians, it signals a beginning. The length of a day has bottomed out and the length of a night has peaked. We, as children of the sun, are tied to our ancient circadian rhythms. We experience biochemical and hormonal changes that affect mood, metabolism, and many other aspects of our lives over the course of a natural year. Our magnificent human bodies know more than any calendar made by man. We feel it.

Here we sit. January 30, 2019. Nine days into the run toward the vernal equinox and springtime. A time to look back at the past with an analytical eye but look forward with the eye of optimism. It’s time to begin the next orbit around the sun.

Optimism?

Optimism? With so much negativity swirling around us every single day?

Yes, optimism. 

As it’s been said, it is darkest before the dawn. Just as our bodies tell us the days are getting longer and we feel a bit brighter day by day, there’s always hope built into the future. There’s a certain optimism built into our nature, both inside of us and woven into the universe we tread.

There’s always hope in a new year. 

That’s why we make our traditional New Year resolutions. New year, new you. A fresh start created by a time construct of our own creation. A thing created so we can better define and understand our world. The alpha and the omega, an ending and a beginning, at the point of the genesis of another trip around the sun. 

New year, new you. Remember the past and look ahead to what tomorrow may bring. We can do this STEAM people!

The main reason for my optimism is perhaps something you’ll scoff at or, perhaps, something you can agree with 100%. 

The power of Youth.

Yes, the young people of our planet. 

I know, I know. One may wonder if I’ve finally flipped over the edge by laying the burden of the future optimistically on the shoulders of our young people. Young people who might not even notice something is on their shoulders because they are frozen to their phone screens. I’ll gladly and confidently put my hope into their hands even though they may not know what year the 31st president was born or recite the Krebs Cycle three days after the biology exam or know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

Why?

Because young people are our future. Because the young people of today know how to navigate the digital age. They know how to connect. They know how to mine the information they need to solve the problems they face. They know the mountains that lie before us and are better equipped to find a way to climb them. They know not to forget the past nor ignore the present but to use both in building a better future.

How can I be so sure about this?

Because you, the fine readers and creators and teachers and librarians and especially parents, the people who are trusted with developing these young minds, are giving these young people the most important tool they’ll need to attack the problems of mankind, the power to think. You have given the next generation your cup of kindness so they’ll take the lessons past as they navigate solutions to our problems.

Look around. In the classrooms, playgrounds, libraries, churches, and homes are the young minds we will rely on to build a better world. I see hope. I see optimism. I see bright minds. I sense the optimism budding.  

Agree with me or not, I ask only one thing of you. Keep exposing our young minds to STEAM through books, media, maker space environments, and challenges. Let’s all vow as we enter this new decade of hope, the 2020s, to do whatever we can to build the brain muscle of the next generation. We need them. 

Thank you STEM Tuesday readers!

2019 has been a great year at STEM Tuesday. We’ve grown and matured as a blog team and, although I may be a tad biased, are really hitting our stride with this endeavor of middle-grade STEAM.  From the entire team of STEM Tuesday contributors,

  • We are thankful for your support.
  • We are thankful for all of the people who read & share the STEM Tuesday blog posts.
  • We are thankful for the teachers, librarians, authors, and parents who bring STEAM into the lives of our young people. You are indeed the warriors in the fight for a better world.
  • We are thankful for STEM/STEAM books. 
  • We are thankful for STEM/STEAM book creators. The entire juvenile STEM nonfiction community is awesome and kind, and so very very talented.
  • We are thankful for the From the Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors blog group and their administrators for allowing STEM Tuesday to exist and have a beautiful home.
  • We are especially thankful for each other. At the heart of the STEM-lit community are wonderful people.

Remember the past, enjoy the present, and prepare for the future. It’s going to be an awesome decade in STEAM. I can feel it in my circadian bones.  

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

Have a cup of kindness and spread it around.

Happy New Year!

Anya Adora [CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)]

Mike Hays has worked hard from a young age to be a well-rounded individual. A well-rounded, equal opportunity sports enthusiasts, that is. If they keep a score, he’ll either watch it, play it, or coach it. A molecular microbiologist by day, middle-grade author, sports coach, and general good citizen by night, he blogs about sports/training related topics at www.coachhays.com and writer stuff at www.mikehaysbooks.com. Two of his science essays, The Science of Jurassic Park and Zombie Microbiology 101,  are included in the Putting the Science in Fiction collection from Writer’s Digest Books. He can be found roaming around the Twitter-sphere under the guise of @coachhays64.

 

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