Great round-up of YA books in verse

Great article from School Library Journal about YA books in verse! This list should keep you all busy for awhile.

By Jill Heritage Maza -- School Library Journal, 06/01/2010

A little more than 15 years ago, novels-in-verse began appearing on publishers' YA lists. Titles such as Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemonade and Mel Glenn's Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? tackled meaty issues including teen pregnancy and school violence. Through verse, these authors were able to craft authentic teen voices and amplify a story's emotional punch, all at a pace impossible to reach through prose. Shortly thereafter, Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust segued the verse novel from teen problem novel to middle-grade historical fiction. Now a staple of young adults' reading diet, titles written in verse continue to hit the mark on trueness of voice, quickness of pace, emotional impact, and abundant white space. Realism still reigns, but writers of historical fiction and, increasingly, biography turn to verse for the same reasons. What might have felt irrelevant to a reader is rendered immediate when the inner thoughts of a character ring eerily familiar.

Readers are now just as likely to discover intricately constructed poems in traditional forms as they are to find free verse, meant to be read by budding poets and laymen alike. Perhaps Mr. B., Kevin's teacher in Ron Koertge's Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs, sums it up best: “Don't worry so much about what poetry means. Pretend poetry is chili and you're starving. Would you ask what chili means? Just eat it up.” Readers have clearly taken this directive, as what was once a drip in the publishing world has become a steady stream, the numbers of novels-in-verse rising year after year. Gold standards like Sharon Creech's Love That Dog, David Levithan's Realm of Possibility, Nikki Grimes's Bronx Masquerade, Jacqueline Woodson's Locomotion, and Helen Frost's Keesha's House, all exemplars of the form, have paved the way for the not-to-be-missed titles that follow.

Melodious Memoirs

BERNIER-GRAND, Carmen T. Diego: Bigger Than Life. illus. by David Diaz. Marshall Cavendish. 2009. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-5383-3.

Gr 5-8–Brilliant, stylized illustrations punctuated by reproductions of Rivera's own works combine with playful free verse to depict the life of fiery artist Diego Rivera in this companion to Frida: ¡Viva la Vida!/Long Live Life! (Marshall Cavendish, 2007). Readers discover the origins of Rivera's socialistic leanings, follow the evolution of his artistic style, and glimpse his rocky relationships.

ENGLE, Margarita. The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba.Holt. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9082-6.

Gr 8 Up–Engle, a biography-in-verse master, illuminates a little-known person in Cuban history while evoking the breathtaking, heartbreaking beauty of the island nation. She chronicles the 1851 journey of Swedish novelist and women's rights pioneer Fredrika Bremer to Cuba and her interaction with Elena, a wealthy planter's daughter, and Cecilia, a house slave.

HEMPHILL, Stephanie. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath. Knopf. 2007. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-83799-9; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-93799-6; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-440-23968-0.

Gr 8 Up–Through a series of skillfully crafted poems, Hemphill pieces together a collage of the life and work of the American poet. The poems, many of which are written “in the style of” Plath's work, are spoken by a cast of characters from her life and scattered with the poet's own imagery and language. Audio version available from Listening Library; audio download available from Audible.

SCHUTZ, Samantha. I Don't Want to Be Crazy. Scholastic/PUSH. 2006. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-439-80518-6.

Gr 9 Up–This memoir-in-verse skillfully captures the utter breathlessness Schutz felt while coming to terms with an anxiety disorder that surfaced and plagued her throughout and after her college years. Regardless of mental health issues, teens will undoubtedly feel a kinship with her sometimes-overwhelming search for self-identity.

SMITH, Charles R., Jr. Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali. illus. by Bryan Collier. Candlewick. 2007. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-1692-2; pap. $10.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5002-5.

Gr 5-8-Each “round” depicts a different period in Ali's colorful life, from childhood through religious conversion to his life after retirement from boxing. Smith's rhythmic verse speaks to Ali in the second person, “you declared your goal 'to be the greatest of all time,'” while Collier's stylized watercolors amplify the subject's larger-than-life personality.

WEATHERFORD, Carole Boston. Becoming Billie Holiday. illus. by Floyd Cooper. Boyds Mills/Wordsong. 2008. RTE $19.95. ISBN 978-1-59078-507-2.

Gr 9 Up–Holiday's hard-edged, soulful voice sings out in this portrait of the legendary jazz musician told through nearly 100 poems spun from her song titles. Cooper's evocative illustrations drive home the singer's vulnerability, from a scene portending her rape at an early age to a young girl's innocent dreams of dancing “safe in my hero's arms.”

Lyrical Love

HERRICK,Steven. Cold Skin. Front St. 2009. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-59078-572-0.

Gr 9 Up-In this coming-of-age novel/murder mystery set in post-World War II Australia, Eddie longs to work in the mines but is forbidden by his father. While treading water at school, he tenderly discovers first love and dark secrets about the adults in his life. The voices of various townsfolk, expressed in poems, reveal clues to a killer's identity.

KOERTGE, Ron. Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs. Candlewick. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4435-2.

Gr 5-8-Kevin, aka Shakespeare, who made his poetic debut in Shakespeare Bats Cleanup (Candlewick, 2003), now navigates girls, baseball, and his father's new romance. Well-versed in the rules of poetry but less adept in the ways of adolescent love, he starts to fall for fellow budding poet Amy while flip-flopping on his feelings for girlfriend Mira.

MCVOY, Terra Elan. After the Kiss. S & S/ Pulse. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0211-9.

Gr 9 Up–Two teens' lives collide when Camille, the new girl in town, unknowingly kisses Becca's haiku-spouting boyfriend at a party. Camille tells her side in a sort of stream of consciousness, while Becca speaks in free verse. The girls' distinct voices make this book so much more than a predictable YA drama.

MYERS, Walter Dean. Street Love. HarperCollins/Amistad. 2006. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-028079-6; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-06-028080-2; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-440732-8.

Gr 8 Up–The rhythm of the street is palpable. Damien, bound for Brown, must make a life-altering decision when he falls in love with Junice, whose mother is in prison. Myers lifts verse to a whole new level as he manipulates pace and beat to craft unique voices for each character.

RICHARDS, Jame. Three Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood. Knopf/Borzoi. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85885-7; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95885-4.

Gr 8 Up–This cross-class romance between wealthy Celestia and miner's son Peter is set against the backdrop of a Gilded Age retreat on Lake Conemaugh, Pennsylvania. Readers will lie in wait for the inevitable climax, the collision of Celestia and Peter's tale with the very real Johnstown Flood of 1889.

SCHROEDER, Lisa. Chasing Brooklyn. S & S/Pulse. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9168-7.

Gr 7-10–Still recovering from the death of Lucca, his girlfriend, Brooklyn, and his brother, Nico, are crushed when Lucca's best friend kills himself. As both Brooklyn and Nico start conversing with the dead boys' spirits, they rediscover pieces of themselves and one another.

For the Younger Set

CREECH, Sharon. Hate That Cat. HarperCollins/Joanna Cotler Bks. 2008. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-143092-3; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-06-143093-0; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-06-143094-7.

Gr 3-6–Once again flexing his poetic muscles for Miss Stretchberry, Jack begrudgingly opens up a space in his life for a new kitten. His poems are frequently inspired by famous poets, just as in Love That Dog (HarperCollins, 2001), and illustrate his growing maturity as a poet. Audio version available from HarperChildrens Audio; audio download available from Audible.

HERRICK, Steven. Naked Bunyip Dancing. illus. by Beth Norling. Front St. 2008. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-59078-499-0.

Gr 3-6–With a title culled from a nonsensical brainstorming session, this is a collection of poems by the zany, fictional class of 6C. Replete with a poem-spouting teacher, Australian slang, and some less fantastic real-life troubles, the students lead readers into their quirky world. Spunky cartoon illustrations add an extra dash of energy.

NERI, G. Chess Rumble. illus. by Jesse Joshua Watson. Lee & Low. 2007. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-1-58430-279-7.

Gr 5-8–Marcus's words, rife with frustration, tumble out of him in free-flowing verse as he paints a picture of his quickly fading innocence after a year of tragedy. Blacks, whites, and grays form the backdrop for Marcus's urban concrete world and growing relationship with CM, the Chess Master, a mentor who sets him straight.

SMITH, Anita Hope. Keeping the Night Watch. illus. by E. B. Lewis. Holt. 2008. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-0-8050-7202-0.

Gr 5-8–In The Way a Door Closes (Holt, 2003) 13-year-old CJ came to terms with his father's departure. Now the man of the house is back, and CJ struggles to let him into his heart and home. Lewis's watercolors show a tender mix of budding maturity and vulnerability while free verse and other poetic forms echo CJ's moods.

SPINELLI, Eileen. Where I Live. illus. by Matt Phelan. Dial. 2007. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3122-6.

Gr 1-4–Through free verse and list poems, Diana talks of all she loves in her small part of the world. When her father loses his job, the family must move six hours away from all that matters to her. This rare novel-in-verse for the younger end of the spectrum is peppered with heartwarming pencil drawings.

WOODSON, Jacqueline. Peace, Locomotion.Putnam. 2009. Tr $15.99 ISBN 978-0-399-24655-5.

Gr 4-6–This stand-alone sequel to Locomotion (Putnam, 2003) is told through letters from 12-year-old Lonnie to his younger sister. Still settling into foster life with Miss Edna, Lonnie gets to know his injured-returned-from-war foster brother. Though admittedly this is not a novel-in-verse, two of Lonnie's lyrical and vividly constructed poems about peace bookend the letters. Audiobook available from Brilliance Audio.

For the Older Set

APPLEGATE, Katherine. Home of the Brave. Feiwel & Friends. 2007. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-312-36765-7.

Gr 5-7–A Sudanese refugee and orphan finds himself transplanted to modern-day Minnesota in the wintertime. Seeing the U.S. through Kek's wide-eyed verse will, for better or worse, prompt readers to take a second look at the world American teens take for granted. Audio version available from Listening Library.

BINGHAM, Kelly. Shark Girl. Candlewick. 2007. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3207-6.

Gr 6-10–In a flash, 15-year-old Jane goes from the top artist at her California high school to the girl who lost her arm in a shark attack. Verse captures her frustration and anger as well as her budding hope that she might still find a future in her passion.

HOPKINS, Ellen. Tricks. S & S/Margaret K. McElderry Bks. 2009. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-5007-3.

Gr 9 Up–Five teens resort to the unthinkable in order to survive, only finding a glimmer of redemption when their lives begin to intersect. Through their raw voices, Hopkins once again delivers a graphic, intense tale that will speak to mature teens and her dedicated fans.

MCCORMICK, Patricia. Sold. Hyperion. 2006. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-5171-3; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-5172-0.

Gr 9 Up–Most realism-in-verse focuses on teens confronting varying yet distinctly American problems. McCormick, however, captures the gut-wrenching story of 13-year-old Lakshmi, a Nepali teen who is sold into prostitution in India by her stepfather. Free verse relays her quest to survive and rise above dire circumstances.

SONES, Sonya. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know. S & S. 2007. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-689-87602-8; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-689-87603-5.

Gr 9 Up–This follow-up to What My Mother Doesn't Know (S & S, 2001), voiced by social-leper Robin rather than his popular girlfriend, more than stands on its own. Through poetry and a few of his own comics, Robin grapples with his seemingly unequal relationship and finds a place for himself through art.

WOLFF, Virginia Euwer. This Full House. (Make Lemonade Trilogy). HarperCollins/Bowen Press. 2009. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-158304-9; PLB $18.89. ISBN 978-0-06-158305-6.

Gr 9 Up-LaVaughn, a senior in high school, struggles to find her way into a medical science program and discovers new information about the women in her life in this final installment of Wolff's trilogy. As in Make Lemonade (Holt, 1993) and True Believer (S & S, 2001), her story digs into the consequences of life choices and the possibilities of second chances. Audio version available from Listening Library; audio download available from Audible.

Poetic Past

BURG, Ann E. All the Broken Pieces. Scholastic. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-08092-7.

Gr 5-8–Matt's new life with a loving adoptive American family is hard to reconcile with the life he left when airlifted out of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. Wounds run deep as he blames himself for events in Vietnam and vets struggle to regain a foothold in their old lives. Audio version available from Scholastic Audio.

BRYANT, Jen. Kaleidoscope Eyes. Knopf. 2009. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84048-7; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-94048-4.

Gr 5-8–While cleaning out her grandfather's attic, 13-year-old Lyza discovers a few old maps, a letter marked “for Lyza,” and a key. These clues spur a treasure hunt that unfolds against the backdrop of suburban New Jersey circa 1968. The Vietnam War looms heavily as race issues, the draft, and hippy counterculture touch the child's life and quest.

ENGLE, Margarita. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom. Holt. 2008. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8050-8674-4.

Gr 9 Up–Poems in alternating voices during Cuba's wars with Spain from 1850 to 1899 tell the story of Rosa, a “freed” slave and natural healer, destined to a life on the lam in the island's wild interior. A ruthless soldier and an escapee from a reconcentration camp are among other narrators in this hauntingly beautiful glimpse into Cuba's troubled past. Audio version available from Listening Library; audio download available from Audible.

FROST, Helen. Crossing Stones. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-31653-2.

Gr 6-10–In free verse and cupped hand sonnets, Frost tells of four teens from two families in rural Michigan who must reconsider all they hold true when World War I enters their lives. For Muriel, the gutsy protagonist, this means reconciling her antiwar sentiments with a confusing bond to Frank, who has left to fight. Audio version available from Recorded Books.

ROY, Jennifer. Yellow Star. Marshall Cavendish. 2006. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-5277-5.

Gr 5-8–Syvia, a young Jewish Pole (and the author's aunt), describes life in the Lodz Ghetto, from her entry at age four to liberation six years later. Free verse is punctuated by prose that presents the bleak historical setting for her innocent depictions, which include an especially breath-holding scene of Syvia and her father hiding in a grave. Audio version available from Recorded Books; audio download available from Audible.

WEATHERFORD, Carole Boston. Birmingham, 1963. illus. by author. Boyds Mills/Wordsong. 2007. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-59078-440-2.

Gr 5-8–Told through free verse and illustrated with a collage of archival photographs and ephemera, the tragic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombings tug hard at readers' emotions when seen through the eyes of a fictional child attending church that day, her 10th birthday. Endnotes contextualize the poignant story by providing further historical information and documentation. Audio version available from Recorded Books.

mini interviews with some fab YA authors

Great mini interviews with some fab YA authors (including me, too)! Watch here!

Judy Blundell (What I Saw and How I Lied)

Alexandra Bullen (Wish)

Eireann Corrigan (Accomplice)

Elizabeth Eulberg (The Lonely Hearts Club)

Angie Frazier (Everlasting)

Alice Hoffman (Green Witch)

Sarah Darer Littman (Life, After)

Sarah MacLean (The Season)

Michael Northrop (Gentlemen)

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (8th Grade Superzero)

Matthue Roth (Losers)

Eliot Schrefer (The Deadly Sister)

Samantha Schutz (You Are Not Here)

Jordan Sonnenblick (After Ever After)

Natalie Standiford (Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters)

Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver)

Siobhan Vivian (Not that Kind of Girl)

Lynn Weingarten (Wherever Nina Lies)

Suzanne Weyn (Empty)

Ebony Wilkins (Sellout)

And the winners are...

Check out the winning poems for my National Poetry Month Contest.

Congratulations to all who entered--and had the courage to submit their work! Read the poems here.

All the submissions are in for my National Poetry Month Poetry Contest!

All the submissions are in for my National Poetry Month Poetry Contest! Read all of the poems here (there are about 40).

To recap: Submissions came in on topics ranging from self-image, depression, anxiety, love, relationships, and so much more. There are submissions from men and women. And ages ranged from 14-60.

The winners will be announced on April 30th (all winners will be contacted before 4/30).
And just to recap, here are the prizes:

FIRST PRIZE is a signed Advanced Readers Copy my new book, You Are Not Here (ARC = early copy of the book. You'll have it months before it goes on sale!) and a signed copy of I Don't Want to Be Crazy.

FIVE RUNNERS UP will win a signed copy of I Don't Want to Be Crazy.

Thanks to everyone who contributed, read, and commented!! Look out for another contest in October when my new novel, You Are Not Here, is released

Got Advice?

I get a lot of emails asking for advice about dealing emotional issues. I am honored that you would want my opinion, but I am not a doctor or therapist. All the answers below are based on my own personal experiences. Be sure to check out the professional advice in the links to http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/ and the other sites, too. (Go Ask Alice! is produced by the Alice! Health Promotion Program at Columbia University — a division of Health Services at Columbia.)

I am dealing with anxiety or another mental illness. Can you give me some advice?
I am not a doctor or therapist. The only advice I can impart is based on my own experiences with panic disorder. I started by going to my general doctor to get checked out. Once it was clear that I didn’t have any physical problems, I began therapy and then medication. I think a commitment to both those things is what has made the most difference for me.
Also, getting into a healthy routine is always good. That means sleeping enough, eating right, doing some sort of exercise. You’d be surprised how much getting into a healthy routine can help. Also, consider taking an art class or dance class or starting to write in a journal. Anything you can do to help get out your feelings is great. The important thing to remember is that you DESERVE to feel better and you need to do whatever necessary to get there.

Does dealing with mental illness ever get easier?
That’s a hard question. For me, dealing with panic disorder has been series of ups and downs. I was first diagnosed about fifteen years ago. The first few years were hard (with some long spans in between when things were good). The last few years have been so much better. I rarely have panic attacks and can go MANY months without one. I can attribute that to many things. One of which is that my life is more stable than when I was eighteen. When I was eighteen, like many teens, I left for college and that meant a lot of changes in my life. I left home, lived on my own, had to make new friends, etc. I also moved so many times (each year into the dorm and then back home to my parents’). And now, fifteen years later, I see that my anxiety returns when I go through big changes. For instance, I recently moved and that made me fairly anxious. So I’ve learned to me more vigilant around times of big change.

Am I the only person going through this?
NO! Since the publication of my memoir, I Don’t Want to Be Crazy, I have had the privilege of getting letters from people of all ages. These letters are about fears, struggles, isolation...but also about hope and recovery. The most common phrase in all the emails is: “Your story made me feel less alone.” The repetition of this phrase is not surprising since one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year—that translates into nearly 58 million people (NIMH). Of those disorders, anxiety disorders are the most common, affecting 40 million adults (ADAA).

I am honored to receive these letters, but these stories—like mine—have the power to help others. With this in mind, I created www.youmakemefeellessalone.blogspot.com as a place for people like YOU to contribute your stories, poems, and artwork. Together, we can close the gap between all those people who are “one in four” and struggling with mental illness. You can also check out a list of helpful/interesting (mostly fiction) books here: http://www.samanthaschutz.net/resources.html#booklist.

How can I find the strength to deal with this illness for my entire life?
That’s a really overwhelming question to think about. I would suggest focusing on today. In my experience, thinking about huge things like a “lifetime of anxiety” has only stressed me out more. Like if you have ten different things to do in one day, it can make you crazy and stressed out to think about all ten at once. But if you start by taking care of one thing and then go from there, it seems so much more manageable.

Should I tell my friends and family what I am going through?
That’s for you to decide. If you feel like you have people in your life who love and support you, I would recommend sharing how you are feeling. This is a lot to deal with on your own. And keeping it to yourself can only add to the burden.

I am a teen and my parents don’t understand what I am going through. They don’t think it’s a big deal. What can I do?
It must be really hard to feel like an important person in your life doesn’t understand you. You could try giving that person my book, printing out articles from the internet, taking them to a local support group, etc. But if you find you can’t get the support you need from your family, think about someone else you can go to. Is there a friend, another family member, teacher, or guidance counselor you could talk to? You deserve to feel better and if someone is preventing you from doing that, you need to seek other outlets.

FYI: If you are in college, there is a good chance that there is a free counseling center on campus. Call your college’s Health Services Department to find out.

Should I see a therapist?
There is a helpful and comprehensive answer here:
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/9397.html

What kinds of therapy are there?
There is a helpful and comprehensive answer here:
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/8396.html

What can I do if I can’t afford a therapist?
Sometimes therapists will take a reduced fee. You just have to ask. There may also be free or low cost services in your area. You can start by calling LIFENET at 1-800-543-3638, or visiting http://www.800lifenet.org/cms/mha.
You can also check here: http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1194.html

FYI: If you are in college, there is a good chance that there is a free counseling center on campus. Call your college’s Health Services Department to find out.

Should I go on medication?
I am not a doctor. I can’t give you advice about that. I can only tell you about my experiences. In the beginning, I really struggled with the idea of going on meds. But one therapist asked me if I would question taking meds if I had diabetes. I answered, “Of course I would take meds for that.” She wanted to know how that was different from taking meds for anxiety. That had a big impact on me! Over the years I have taken several different medications. Some had side effects. Some didn’t. Some worked well. Some didn’t. For some people it can be a process of trial and error, but I think it’s worth it.

I am feeling suicidal or like I might hurt myself or someone else. What should I do?
You MUST immediately call 911 or a friend that can help you. For more information go to http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Can you tell me some helpful websites?
http://www.samanthaschutz.net/resources.html#links

Check out an interview I did for National Poetry Month here. I talk about inspiration, my writing process, favorite books, and MORE!

There are also interviews with Ellen Hopkins, Wendy Maas, Jen Bryant, Lisa Schroeder, Thalia Chaltas, and Betsy Franco.

Enjoy!

Wanna hear/see my super-amazing-rockstar editor David Levithan talk about my new book, You Are Not Here?

Check out the video: http://www.scholastic.com/listpreviewwebcast

You can skip ahead to 47:37 to hear about my book, or take a listen to the whole thing and hear about all of Scholastic's big books for Fall 2010! (FYI, what's shown is not the final cover. The one in my previous post is.)

Preorder You Are Not Here here from Amazon or B&N.

Hooray! Here's the front cover of my new book, You Are Not Here. It'll be out in October.

Here's the blurb that will be on the book:

Annaleah and Brian had something special -- Annaleah is sure of it. When they were together, they didn't need anyone else. It didn't matter that it was secret. All that mattered was what they shared.

And then, suddenly, Brian dies. And while everyone else has their role in the grieving process, Annaleah finds herself living on the outside of it, unacknowledged and lonely. How can you recover from a loss no one will let you have?

And here's a third sneak peak poem from the book.

As I walk home I realize
that I have the answers
to the questions
I’ve always asked about Brian:

Where is Brian?
Two blocks away.

What is he doing?
Lying quietly, still.

When is he going to call?
Never.

CONTEST ALERT!

National Poetry Month starts in April. To celebrate, I am hosting a poetry contest!

Click here for more info: http://www.youmakemefeellessalone.blogspot.com/

It's that time again. The NYC Teen Author Festival will be from 3/15-3/21. Come and and meet some great authors and hear some amazing stories.

I'll be doing events on 3/18, 3/19, and 3/21.

Hey friends,

Check out a radio interview I did about writing, I Don't Want to Be Crazy, my new book, and more at http://www.kpon.org/ (click on Penguin Tracks to get to the podcast.) This interview also features YA writers Niki Burnham and Kieran Scott.

Be well,

Sam

After many, many months, my book has a name: You Are Not Here.

It also (sort of) has a cover. Not sure when I can show it, but it's a really beautiful photograph. An image I had thought about while writing, actually...and my publisher came upon it without me even mentioning it. It's nice when things work out.

So, I am back from vacation, very rested, and eagerly waiting for notes on my second draft. For this draft, I did A LOT of new writing and moved around the order of many of the poems. That's sort of the beauty of writing in verse--it gives you the ability to shuffle things in a way that I don't think you can with prose.

Here's a sneak peak at a poem I really like:

I’m trying to decide what is worse.
Someone being gone,
but still out there,
or someone being gone forever,
dead.
I think someone being gone,
but still out there might be worse.
Then there’s always the chance,
the hoping,
the wondering
if things might change.
If maybe one day they’ll come back.
There’s also the wondering about
what their new life is like.
The life without you.
Are they more happy?
And if they are,
you’re left being sad,
wondering what it would be like
if you were happy with them.

But when someone is dead,
they’re dead.
They’re not coming back.
There is no second chance.
Death is a period
at the end of a sentence.
Someone gone, but still out there
is an ellipses . . . or a question
to be answered.

The first few posts are up at www.youmakemefeellessalone.blogspot.com.

Check them out! Subscribe! Send in your own stories!

Your words are powerful. Your words can help people.
Share them.

Dear Friends,

Since the publication of my memoir, I Don’t Want to Be Crazy, I have had the privilege of getting your letters. You write about your fears, your struggles, your isolation...but also of your hope and recovery. The most common phrase in all your emails is: “Your story made me feel less alone.” The repetition of this phrase is not surprising since one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year—that translates into nearly 58 million people (NIMH). Of those disorders, anxiety disorders are the most common—affecting 40 million adults (ADAA).

I am honored to be your audience of one, but your story—like mine—has the power to help others. With this in mind, I created www.YouMakeMeFeelLessAlone.blogspot.com as a place for YOU to contribute your stories and poems. Together, we can close the gap between all those people who are “one in four” and struggling with mental illness.

Your words are powerful. Your words can help people.

Share them.

Be well,

Sam

* * *

How do I post?

1) Email your submission to samanthaschutz@hotmail.com. (In order to keep the site organized and free of unrelated content, I will post your submission for you. However, all readers will be able post comments directly to the site.)

2) Put “YouMakeMeFeelLessAlone” in the subject line.

3) Copy and paste the info below to the top of your email. Then fill in the answers.

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At long last, I've heard back from my glorious editor about my manuscript. I think the highlight of his email is when he wrote that the ms was "thoroughly disturbing." I don't think I could come up with a better compliment that that. But, uh, I guess that's just me.

So, the work begins again. I'm really excited to get back into it after months of distance. (It's also not so bad that I have a shiny new apartment and shiny new desk to work at.)

More to come! I hope to be posting more frequently about the revisions process.

Sam

So the first draft of my new novel has been delivered to my editor! The last few weeks have been totally exhausting and I am so glad that I have some time before I’ll need to look at the manuscript again.

The process was not easy (and it’s far from over). But it was also really interesting. I’ve never written fiction before. A lot of people said that fiction would be easier than memoir—after all, you can make up whatever you want in fiction. But for me, that made it even harder. I had to come up with everything—every place, every name, every emotion. When I wrote I Don’t Want to Be Crazy, I knew the story. I knew the characters. I knew the emotions. Because I lived it all. The hardest part was figuring out how to tell the story (as opposed to figuring out what the story was).

This novel has been years in the works. It was probably sometime in late 2006 that I first got the idea. And it came from such a random place. I was in a meeting and a coworker said something like “Wow. That would be a crazy place to live.” I don’t even remember what he said, but the first thing I thought of was that it would be weird to live across the street from a cemetery. And later, I thought it’d be even weirder to live across the street from a cemetery if someone you cared about were buried there. Then this little idea came to be a bigger idea. What if a teenage girl’s boyfriend suddenly died and was buried outside of her window? At first I thought that I would make it about really lovely relationship, but soon realized (or was it my editor who told me?) that happy relationships are boring (to write or read about anyway). And then my brilliant editor had the idea to make the boyfriend already dead on page one. And so it went… (Only now, the cemetery is a few blocks from her house. It seemed like overkill to have it be right out her window.)

This may seem so obvious to everyone, but I was shocked at how much of my own personal life I could work into the book. I would love to do some sort of annotated manuscript or interactive website where you could click on a part of the book and it would tell you the real story behind the inspiration. For starters, the cemetery that the book takes place in is in my parents’ neighborhood. The dead boyfriend is made up of bits and pieces of people I’ve dated. An important photo that the main characters references a few times is based on an actual photo of me as a baby. Names of people in the book are based on people in my family. Even the ending is completely based on something that happened to me when I was about 17. Or at least it’s based on what I remember 13 years later.

More to come once I get comments from my editor!

Here's the first poem of my new book. Alas, the book still doesn't have a title.
This poem's still a work in progress. Just like with I Don't Want to Be Crazy, I am starting with a bit of a flashforward...

Enjoy!

PS: The first draft is due in less than 4 weeks...OMG!



I walk down my block
and then take a right turn.
Two more blocks
and I’ll be with Brian.
For the first time
in a long time,
I know he’ll be there
waiting for me.
I sit down on the grass next to him.
He has flowers,
but I know they’re not for me.
I wonder who gave them to him,
but I don’t ask.

I tell Brian about my day.
I say, “I saw your dad
at the supermarket.
I didn’t talk to him—
not like he knows who I am
and even if he did,
I wouldn’t know what to say.
I watched him
take things off the shelves,
look them over
and then put them back.
There was almost nothing
in his cart.
I wonder if he’s always been like that,
or just lately.”

I say, “I miss you.”
I ask if Brian missed me too,
then wait for his answer.
If that squirrel runs up that tree,
then Brian’s answer is yes.
If it stays on the grass,
his answer is no.

The squirrel doesn’t move,
and my breath catches in my throat.
After a moment,
it zips up the tree.
I smile and lay down
next to Brian.
I wish he would hold me
like he used to,
but he doesn’t.
The warm sun makes me drowsy
and I fall asleep on my side
next to Brian.

When I wake up,
grass is imprinted
on my arm and leg.
I get up and brush the grass off my clothes.
Brian doesn’t move.
I say, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I reach out to touch him.
My fingers make contact
with smooth, cold granite.
I trace my fingers
over the deeply imprinted words:

Brian Dennis
Born February 11
Died age seventeen
Beloved son and friend

Hey friends,

I’ll be doing a reading, talk, and book signing at the South Brunswick Public Library on Thursday April 30th from 7-8pm.

Hope to see you there!

http://www.sbpl.info/
South Brunswick Public Library
110 Kingston Lane
Monmouth Junction NJ 08852
TEL # 732-329-4000

Memoir fakers...not again!

Just reading about the latest memoir scandal perpetrated by Herman Rosenblat in his now cancelled Holocaust memoir Angels at the Fence. More here

Poor Oprah. (And poor me. She’s really never going to let memoirists on her show again.) In addition to talking up Angels at the Fence, she was also duped a few years ago by James Frey and his Million Little Pieces memoir about addiction.

You might ask, What’s the big deal? So these books are more fiction than fact? I can’t speak for Angels at the Fence since I haven’t read it, but I can explain why finding out Frey’s Million Little Pieces was a sham was such a big deal. MLP was amazing and raw and gross and inspiring and real. I had never read anything like it before, and I’d imagine most of the public had never either. It was very moving. It also really inspired me while I was writing my memoir because it was so courageous. MPL became a massive bestseller and sold millions of copies. It’s really sad to think of how many people were touched by his story and then let down.

I’ve been asked if my memoir is “real.” Yes. It is real. It all happened and I wrote it as I remembered it (which, of course, can have it’s flaws). I also had help from friends’ memories, medical records, school transcripts, and a whole lot of journals. There isn’t much dialogue in the book, but when it is used I tried to keep it natural to what would have happened—in other words, I know what I would have basically said in situations and I can assume the same for friends, family, etc. Don’t get me wrong, there’s certainly filler in my book to help the flow or create transitions. And maybe those things didn’t quite happen in that exact order or at that exact time, but it all happened.

People have great stories to tell—maybe they are wholly or partially based on real events or maybe they are entirely concocted—but let’s call them what they are. Memoir = real. Fiction = imaginary.

Here's a pic from the reading!



Come hear me do a FREE reading and Q&A in Oxford, CT.

Thursday, December 4, 2008
Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location: Oxford Public Library
486 Oxford Rd, Oxford, CT
Contact Info Phone: 2038886944
Email: www.oxfordlib.org

I'll be reading from my poetry memoir, I Don't Want to Be Crazy.

This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities--freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she reveled in the independence--but as pressures increased, she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.

Hope to see you there!
Sam

PS: Want me to come to your school or library? Just email me!