• Nov 20: Bay of Plenty Polytechnic Summer School Writing / Illustrating Programme.
• Oct 17: Great Words Wanted - AUT Creative Writing Competition.
• Oct 15: Writing for Children - a Workshop with Jean Bennett.
• Oct 10: Writing for Children - a Masterclass with David Hill.
• Sep 20: Creative New Zealand Randell Cottage Writers Residency 2010.
• Sep 19: Narratives with Nosh.
• Sep 17: Fellowship Programme of the International Youth Library.
• Sep 15: Storylines Joy Cowley Writing Workshop.
• Sep 14: Wordbank Competition.
• May 26: Storylines' A Passion for Poetry.
• Apr 1: Storylines children’s book awards.
• Mar 29: Storylines Notable Books List 2009.
• Mar 8: Sherryl Jordan to talk at Friends of the Library.
• Mar 3: The joys of the English language.
• Feb 27: Words of advice from Phil Smith.
• Feb 27: The Authors' Agency.
• Jan 4: Story-Lovers Radio Show and Website.

Bay of Plenty Polytechnic Summer School Writing / Illustrating Programme.

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAMME BROCHURE.

BACK TO THE TOP

Great Words Wanted - AUT Creative Writing Competition.

The AUT New Zealand Creative Writing Competition opens on October 25. There are two competition genres, song lyric and short story.

Prizes:

Song lyric: the winner will receive a new Sony Vaio laptop, recommended retail $1699. The winning lyrics will be sung by a band live on bFM Breakfast. The same band will perform the song at a Fancy New Band night which the winner will attend.

Short Story: the winners of the two categories and a selection of entries will be published in a special magazine insert in Idealog magazine's May/June issue. Each category winner will receive a new Sony Vaio laptop, recommended retail $1699 and five hours mentoring with a leading New Zealand author.

Entry Criteria: there are two categories in the Short Story genre:

1. Emerging (aged 15 – 24 years, unpublished)
2. Open (aged 25 years and over, unpublished)

• New Zealand residents only may apply
• AUT students are eligible to apply
• AUT/Idealog/bFM staff are NOT eligible to apply
• Entrants must not have had their work published previously

Further details can be found on the AUT website. Instructions on how to enter will be posted on the site on October 25.

BACK TO THE TOP

Writing for Children - a Workshop with Jean Bennett.

Exciting news – Bookrapt member and prolific author Jean Bennett is running a Writing 4 Children Workshop at the

Katikati Resource Centre on Saturday, October 24 from 9.00am – 3.00pm. The cost is just $30.

This is an introductory workshop for those interested in writing for children, and covers:

• ideas
• settings
• characters
• plot development
• dialogue
• and much more.

Presentation of manuscripts and markets for children's stories will also be included.

Contact the Katikati Resource Centre for more details on (07) 549 0399.

BACK TO THE TOP

Writing for Children - a Masterclass with David Hill.

Waikato University's Continuing Education Department is presenting a one day workshop with David Hill on Saturday October 31, 2009.

David Hill writes for many different audiences, but is best known as an extremely successful children's writer. He graduated from Victoria University (MA Hons) in 1964 and embarked on a fourteen year career as a teacher before he began writing full time. In 1992 he won the Children's Literature Foundation Gaelyn Gordon Award for one of his many novels. He is active in the Writers in Schools Programmes and has tutored numerous Children's Writing Classes.

The master class will explore: topics, techniques, and targets for prose writing, especially fiction, with an emphasis on prose for younger readers. The course will include David's view of what makes a successful children's writer. Throughout the day David will discuss various aspects that are pertinent to this genre, incorporating exercises which outline ways of: addressing the reading level and topical-interest of younger audiences; narrative and plot development; incorporating learning.

The class runs from 9.30am - 4.00pm.

Cost is $80, (or $75 for members of TWG, as some of our Bookrapt members are).
Closing date for enrolment is three working days prior to class date. Your enrolment is not complete until your fee is received.

You can enrol on-line on the University of Waikato website, or phone the CCE on (07) 5775376.

DOWNLOAD the workshop flyer.

BACK TO THE TOP

Creative New Zealand Randell Cottage Writers Residency 2010.

Published New Zealand writers are invited to apply for the Creative New Zealand Randell Cottage Writers Residency 2010.

The residency runs from April to September 2010 with a monthly stipend of $2,500. Recent residents include Kirsty Gunn, Jennifer Compton and Whiti Hereaka.

Historic Randell Cottage is located in inner-city Thorndon, within walking distance of the National and Turnbull Libraries. It’s also very close to the Lilburn Residence, Rita Angus Cottage, Wellington Asia Residency and Katherine Mansfield Birthplace. The cottage has two bedrooms and a writer’s studio.

The cottage hosts NZ and French writers alternately, with French writer Fariba Hachtroudi due to start her residency shortly.

Applications for the 2010 residency close on 6 November 2009 – visit www.randellcottage.co.nz for more information.

BACK TO THE TOP

Narratives with Nosh - stories, poem, and recipes.

Edited by Margaret Beverland, with Jenny Argante

If you are looking for the ideal Christmas present, this is it. With a foreword by masterchef Peter Blakeway of The Deli on Devonport – where Tauranga Writers will be launching Narratives with Nosh during New Zealand Book Month on 28th October at 6 pm.

With cover artwork by Bookrapt's Debbie Tipuna, Narratives with Nosh has been compiled by Margaret Beverland and published by Tauranga Writers with the intention of generating some income to support 18 - 23 year old writers in the Bay of Plenty.

Tauranga Writers is New Zealand’s longest running self-help group, established in 1967, and they want to encourage younger members to continue to join them.

To celebrate the launch of Narratives with Nosh and New Zealand Book Month, Tauranga Writers is offering, for a limited time only, a discount on pre-orders for Narratives with Nosh. The book will retail at $25 direct (incl. P.& P.) or $30 from a bookshop. Until October 31 the book is available for the special price of $15.

For more information, visit the Tauranga Writers website.

BACK TO THE TOP

Fellowship Programme of the International Youth Library..

Blutenburg Castle, Munich, Germany

The International Youth Library’s fellowship programme has two primary goals: to support research in the field of international children’s and youth literature and illustration, and to promote academic exchange and international cooperation.

Through the fellowship programme, which has been funded by the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany for 50 years, the International Youth Library would like to encourage comparative research about literature for children and youth in an increasingly networked world. At the same time we would like to encourage the academic use of our international collection of books for children and youth, which spans 400 years.

The International Youth Library offers academic fellowships for up to 12 scholars each year. The length of the stay can range from six weeks to four months. Scholars work on research projects that they have already started in their home countries. In the application, scholars must explain the academic relevancy of the project, and demonstrate that access to the collection of the International Youth Library is necessary for completion of the research project because of insufficient access to needed primary and secondary literature in their home countries. Applications from junior scholars are especially welcome.

The International Youth Library, housed in the late-medieval Blutenburg Castle, boasts the world’s largest collection of international children’s and youth literature. The unique collection includes more than 580,000 children’s and youth books in more than 130 languages, published during the past 400 years. Additionally, there are nearly 30,000 international reference titles, as well as almost 130 current periodicals. The growth of the collection is supported by approximately 1,000 international publishing houses, which regularly donate their latest titles to the International Youth Library.

Fellowship holders work in the reading room of the research library and are supported by staff members in both the content and organizational aspects of their research projects. Our international scholars are invited to take part in our events and to describe their research projects at roundtable discussions. We also assist with the organization of visits to other libraries and research facilities.

Application requirements:
• Academic qualification
• International focus of the research project
• Sufficient fluency in either German or English
• Non-German citizenship.

Deadline for applications: September 30th for a fellowship stay in the following year.

For more information visit the International Youth Library’s website www.ijb.de.

BACK TO THE TOP

Storylines Joy Cowley Writing Workshop -
writing from the heart.

Date: February 2010: Saturday 27 and Sunday 28, 9.00am - 4.00pm.
Cost: $500 – price includes critique of story (max 1000 words).
Venue: Kohia School , Kohia Terrace, Epsom, Auckland.

Joy Cowley will run a two-day interactive workshop in Auckland in February 2010. Joy is generously donating her time to help Storylines in its national advocacy work for New Zealand children's reading and books. She has run many such workshops in America and other countries, but infrequently in New Zealand .

This is a rare chance to attend an intensive two-day course with this master storyteller, covering all aspects of writing for children and young adults (getting started, plot, character, voice, humour, writing disciplines, picture books, chapter books, YA novels, presenting a manuscript, getting support.)

Participants who wish to submit manuscripts to Joy for prior critique should send to Storylines for forwarding by 22 January, 2010.

Applications will be accepted on a first in, first served basis.

To register, send payment of $500 (includes GST) with your full name, address, email, and phone number.  A receipt will be sent upon acceptance of your application. 

Make cheques payable to Storylines Children's Literature Trust and send to:
Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand
P.O. Box 96 094
Auckland 1342.

For internet banking use Storylines' bank account: 123067 0187408 03

Keep watching the Storylines' website, www.storylines.org.nz for further information .

BACK TO THE TOP

Wordbank Competition.

The ASB Wordbank Competition for Primary and Intermediate school children runs from October 1 - 30. Kids need to choose a Kiwi fiction or non-fiction book, then say what they love about it, why they liked the characters, what it made them think, dream, or tell their friends about.
DOWNLOAD A FLYER to promote the competition to kids, or VISIT THE WEBSITE for more information.

BACK TO THE TOP

Storylines' A Passion for Poetry.

Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand presents the Heritage Hotels Seminar Series: A Passion for Poetry featuring Steven Herrick ( Australia ) and Paula Green (NZ)

10-12 June 2009

The Heritage Hotels Seminar Series features award-winning Australian poet and novelist Steven Herrick – a YA and children's specialist and performance poet ( Do-wrong Ron , By The Naked River, Naked Bunyip Dancing ) , in conversation with New Zealand's Paula Green – poet for adults and children ( Flamingo Bendalingo , Macaroni Moon, Making Lists for Frances Hodgkins).

Seminars will be held in Auckland on 10 June at the Heritage Hotel, Wellington 11 June at the Mckenzie Theatre, Capital E and Christchurch 12 June at the Heritage Christchurch. All seminars begin at 7pm. The seminars are always in high demand, with tickets selling out in past years so get in quick and book your tickets. The events are of particular interest to writers, teachers, librarians, parents and children's literature aficionados with this year's focus on poetry.

Tickets are available online at www.storylines.org.nz with a special Heritage Hotels prize draw for early bird bookings at each location. Tickets also available from Jabberwocky Children's Bookshop in Auckland , and The Children's Bookshop in Wellington and Christchurch. Storylines member or student with ID $20, non-member $25.

Storylines Festival

The Storylines Festival of New Zealand Children's Writers and Illustrators will be held in August this year. Meet the authors and illustrators of some of the best-loved children's books as part of this year's Storylines Festival in August. With exciting events in Auckland , Wellington , Christchurch and Northland, Kiwi kids around the country have the opportunity to share the joy reading can bring. See our website www.storylines.org.nz for further details.

For more information, to arrange interviews or images, contact Vicki Cunningham , Storylines Events Manager on 09 486 5278 or 027 774 6301 or by email: events@storylines.org.nz or visit our website www.storylines.org.nz.

BACK TO THE TOP

Storylines children’s book awards.

Four Storylines Book Awards were presented on Saturday March 28 in Christchurch.

The Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for a distinguished contribution to New Zealand children’s literature was presented by Margaret Mahy to natural history writer Andrew Crowe, from Coromandel. He is the first non-fiction writer and 19th winner of this top national award.

The Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award for an unpublished novel for children entitled Hollie Chips went to Anna Gowan, from Auckland, for publication by Scholastic in March 2009. A former Otago University student, Anna works in television and has attended John Marsden’s writing workshops in Victoria, Australia.

The Storylines Joy Cowley Award for a picture book text was presented to June Peka, a Christchurch freelance writer, retired civil servant and grandmother of four, with publication by Scholastic due in late 2010.

The Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book, given in memory of the popular children’s author who died in 1997, went to the classic young adult novel I am not Esther by Wellington writer Fleur Beale.

The event also saw the launch of the winner of the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award for 2008, Salt River by Elizabeth Hegarty.

BACK TO THE TOP

Storylines Notable Books List 2009 (for books published in 2008).

Storylines Notable Picture Books 2009

Herbert, the Brave Sea Dog by Robyn Belton ( Craig Potton Publishing)

The Apple by Ben Brown, illustrated by Tracy Duncan (Puffin)
Kei te Pehea Koe?: How Do You Feel? by Tracy Duncan (Puffin)
Every Second Friday by Kiri Lightfoot, illustrated by Ben Galbraith (Hodder Children's Books)
Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig by Diana Neild, illustrated by Philip Webb (Scholastic)
The Seven Stars of Matariki by Toni Rolleston-Cummins, illustrated by Nikki Slade-Robinson (Huia)
Roadworks by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock (Walker Books)
The Were-Nana (Not a Bedtime Story) by Melinda Szymanik, illustrated by Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson (Scholastic)
 
Special Mentions:

The judging panel would like to make special mention of Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Frances Lincoln Children's Books). Margaret's poem has been in print for many years and therefore not eligible for inclusion in the list. However the panel considers Bubble Trouble to be a treasure for New Zealand children.
 
The judging panel would like to make special mention of Jack by Mike and Esther Fitzpatrick, illustrated by Bruce Madden (JacksBooks). For a self-published book, the design and production values are worthy of special mention.
 
Storylines Notable Junior Fiction 2009

Five (and a Bit) Days in the Life of Ozzie Kingsford by Val Bird, illustrated by Rebecca Cundy (Random House)
Night Hunting by Deborah Burnside, illustrated by Jeff Fowler (Puffin)
Big Fish, Little Fish by Melanie Drewery (Raupo)
Payback by Michelle Kelly (Scholastic)
Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby (HarperCollins)
Thornspell by Helen Lowe ( Alfred A. Knopf )
Land of Promise: The Diary of William Donahue, Gravesend to Wellington, 1839-40 [My Story ] by Lorraine Orman (Scholastic)
"Why I Hate School" by Michael Fatarsky by Kris Stanhope (Scholastic)
Freaky Fish written by Feana Tu'akoi, illustrated by Eleanor Meecham [Kiwi Bites] (Puffin)
 
Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction 2009

Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale (Random House)
The 10 PM Question by Kate De Goldi (Longacre Press)
The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner (Walker Books)
Scorched Bone by Vince Ford [Chronicles of Stone, Book 1] (Scholastic)
Gool by Maurice Gee (Puffin Books)
Shadow of the Mountain by Anna Mackenzie (Longacre Press)
 
Storylines Notable Non-Fiction 2009

Piano Rock: A 1950s Childhood by Gavin Bishop (Random House)
High-tech Legs of Everest by Mark Inglis with Sarah Ell
(Random House)
Let's Get Art : Children Look at Contemporary New Zealand Art by Brad Irwin, illustrated by John Ward Knox (Random House)
Juicy Writing: Inspiration and Techniques for Young Writers by Brigid Lowry (Allen and Unwin)
Atoms, Dinosaurs & DNA: 68 Great New Zealand Scientists by Veronika Meduna & Rebecca Priestley (Random House)
Back and Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young and Curious by Gregory O'Brien (Auckland University Press)
Learn to Skateboard with Luka - Ko te Akonga ki te Papa Retireti I te Taha o Luka by Lee and Errol Petra, translation by Tokikapu Peta (Raupo)
How to Make a Piupiu by Leilani Rickard (Raupo)

BACK TO THE TOP

The joys of the English language.

Struggling with your writing? Imagine the pitfalls for those for whom English is not their first language:

If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world. After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he'd prefer six months of hard labour to reading six lines aloud. Try them yourself.

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

               -- B. Shaw

Download a printable copy.

BACK TO THE TOP

Words of advice from Phil Smith.

(Phil Smith spoke at the Bookrapt Seminar in 2007, and is the published author of the wonderful novel The Unkown Zone. Phil has kindly sent through some words of wisdom for Bookrapt members, giving us an insight to the struggles that even successful authors have to cope with.)

In August 2007 I spoke at Bookrapt's Annual Seminar and mentioned my current work, Return to Normal. I recall the perceptive but graciously tactful Angie Belcher asking me which age group was I targeting (since Bookrapt is oriented towards younger readers and the passage that I read was more of an adult style) and I had to admit I wasn't sure. So after much soul searching and more revision work I sent the manuscript to Chris Else, of Total Fiction Services, in Wellington. Chris, a novelist himself, provides a literary advice and assessment service and his wife Barbara Else is also prominent in NZ literary circles. Their daughter, Emma Neale, provided enormous editorial support in the publication of my first novel, The Unknown Zone, in 2005.

Manuscript assessments are not for the squeamish or faint of heart. I was expecting at least some mild affirmation if not outright adulation but instead I was shot down in flames (or so it seemed at the time). In his seven page assessment Chris used phrases like "difficulties with the overall tone . . . ", "lack of character development", and "problems with the narrative structure". Among his many helpful suggestions was to simplify the plot and to widen the sense of perspective by changing the viewpoint from first person to third person.

So this is what I've been doing. I highlighted the text and pressed Delete on an entire sub-plot, pulling the plug on around five thousand words, and I found that this simple act decomplexitised the story immensely. Then I changed the viewpoint to the limited third person (which involved far more than doing a Find and Replace on words like I, me, and mine).

In the process I found holes in the story big enough to sail a submarine through as well as embarrassing sexist stereotyping, unnecessary verbosity (I have a stunning propensity for pomposity!), and an almost complete misunderstanding about who I was writing for (many writers write for other writers without realising it).

So rewrote the thing for dozenth time and chopped out anything that didn't progress the storyline or enhance characterisation, regardless of how spectacularly inspired or how brilliantly exceptional it all seemed at the time of writing. I'm hoping that it may now be in a publishable form and I've kept a firm focus on the young adult audience.

Stephen King, in his excellent but little-known book, On Writing, tells us to "Omit Needless Words". He could have said: "The aspiring writer should make every attempt to OMIT anything superfluous such as mindless grandiloquence or painstaking description, interminably rambling narrative or NEEDLESS and redundant WORDS and phrases; eliminate entire paragraphs and, indeed, whole chapters and even characters in order to keep the line tight, keep the story flowing, keep the reader on the edge of her seat. . . " But he said simply, "Omit needless words".

That said, I'll close here with the ardent wish that you'll all keep writing fervently, reading passionately and contributing steadfastly to your excellent Bookrapt website (while eliminating excessive excrecences!)

Fond regards to you all,
Phil Smith

BACK TO THE TOP

The Author's Agency.

The Authors’ Agency is a new business that was started in response to requests from several extremely good writers who felt that their work had not reached its true potential in the existing markets. As a writer herself, Heather Mackay understands the months and years that authors invest in their writing, only to be rewarded with either a series of rejection letters or with unsuitable clauses in their contracts such as worldwide unrestricted rights with little information about where books will be sold. The other option when suitable publishers cannot be found, is self-funded publishing, which works well until friends and family have bought copies and there are few other book buyers in sight.

Reading and briefly assessing manuscripts is a free service at The Authors’ Agency, who are dedicated to finding national or international publishers and/or film companies for writers of high quality, professionally presented manuscripts. The charge for these services depends on the amount of work that needs to be done.

For more information, contact:
Heather Mackay
350 Bothwell Park Road
R D 2
Waiuku 2682
South Auckland
Phone (09) 235 6272
send an e-mail.

BACK TO THE TOP

Story-Lovers Radio Show and Website.

Jackie Baldwin is a seasoned professional who has been teaching storytelling and creative writing in Sonoma (California, next to Napa Valley - GREAT wine country!) for the past 10 years and has enjoyed a successful 25-year career in the San Francisco Bay Area as an educational television writer-producer of children's programming. In the past two years, Jackie has published nine books, which include shortened stories of many kinds.

Jackie has a weekly storytelling radio show, Story-lovers World, on 91.3 Sonoma FM that you can listen to on-line which broadcasts on Monday mornings at 2.00pm (New Zealand time). The show features stories of all kinds from around the globe. Joining Jackie, some of the most famous professional storytellers in the world tell tales of intrigue and mystery, suspense and terror, true love and courage: funnytales, fairy tales, folklore and fables. This is a world unlike any other, where everything is possible.

Jackie's website, Story-Lovers features delightful calendars, greeting cards, and other stationery for sale featuring stories from the Bible, Classic Artists, Fables, Fairy Tales, Legends, Multicultural Myths, Nursery Rhymes, and Special Collections. The site also links to numerous other stroytelling sites - click on "Websites" under "Special Sites" on the left hand menu bar.

One of the most useful aspects of the sites for writers is the Searching Out Stories page, which contains references to hundreds of categories and thousands of stories, suggested by professional storytellers, librarians and teachers from all around the world through the Storytell listserv at Texas Women's University and independent research. You'll find full stories, abridged stories, book references, and descriptions of actual experiences and helpfpul hints in telling these tales at an event or using them in the classroom or at home with your own children or grandchildren.

All of the lists are categorised and alphabetised within each category for easy access. When you find the category or story you're looking for, simply click on it and immediately you will access the information you need. To get to the page, click on "SOS" under "Special Sites" on the left hand menu bar.

Jacie has kindly supplied Bookrapt with a list of suggested websites for writers who want to publish in the U.S. - you can find them on the Portal Page under Story-Lovers' Publishing Tips.

BACK TO THE TOP