Stories and Slime reading!

This past Thursday, I celebrated the end of the fall session of Stories and Slime with my two students, Nora and Ivan. They both wrote awesome stories: "Father and Daughter Renegade" about Mr. Lenovich the spy, and "Danger at Heart" about Victoria Phelps, who doesn't know she's a vampire. After the reading, I gave away a copy of Next to Mexico to my lucky new pal, Jacob! He was the first to shout out "Barak Obama" when I asked the trivia question: "Who's going to win the 2012 election?"

Please visit www.ywindsorterrace.org for info on my upcoming writing classes at the Windsor Terrace Y in Brooklyn.

Also visit www.jennails.com for more Next to Mexico updates.

Happy holidays!

Receiving the gift of slime.

On most weeks, I brought some kind of slime to start off class. We either squirted each other with it (oh, yeah, and there was the time I brought loaded water squirters when it was unseasonably warm in October, and the time I brought play dough and we made Thanksgiving salads and blood donuts), or we followed weird directions and concocted it and then globbed around with it, or rubbed it all over the table. But wait! We didn't JUST make a mess. We talked through ideas. We plotted things out. We slimed and we brainstormed. Then we wrote.

Ivan's reading was riveting!

Myself, the incredible writer/illustrator/wizardress Nora (age 8) and Ivan the brilliant physicist/author/sixth grader (age 11).

Wine and Books at Mini Max

I was thrilled to join awesome author Judy Palaferro (Color Bears, Horace's Big Hat) for a great "Wine and Books" bash this past Friday evening at the amazing Mini Max Toys and Cuts in Brooklyn. Not to diss my own or fellow author Judy's extraordinariness, but my husband, Mike Gold, was kind of the hit of the party. Check out these great photos of kids of all ages in jet packs. Many thanks to Matt Kaplan and all from Mini Max for having me there to help celebrate their new and improved children's book section! Happy December to all.

Ballooniaction

Matt and Frank Zappa

Balloon action

Radio interview, Oct 2011

I will be a featured guest on Stanford University Radio, KZSU, on the show Hearsay Culture. I'll talk with host Dave Levine about technology with regard to writing for tweens. More info to come!

My friend Sarah wins a copy of Next to Mexico!

Stories and Squirts was awesome! Sarah (8) and Jane (7) showed up this morning at ten, along with Petra (3) and her mom, Megan (mom-aged). My son Zach (3) and husband Mike (42) were there, too. I don't know why I am telling you everyone's ages (or who "you" are. Who knows who reads or will read this blog, but it's fun to write anyway!).

Sarah wrote an amazing story about a girl named Pinch-faced Amanda who was pinch-faced for a special reason that nobody knew about, and Jane's story was about a girl named Sarah Storyteller, who wanted to be a Story Babysitter but when she got a surprise make-over, she turned into a person who teases kids. Megan and Petra wrote about a mouse who wished he was a house. In my story, a banana named Kooky Karen really wanted to be an apple (I'm 37).

After each section of the workshop, we got drenched. Good thing the girls wore their suits. After we wrapped up our stories, Jane and Sarah won copies of Next to Mexico (Megan has one).

This was so much fun. Thank you Sarah and Jane and Megan and Petra for coming. Stay tuned for more fun events involving my book and writing workshops!

Stories and Squirts!

Well, after two tries, no one has showed for this wet writing workshop I'm trying to get goin' on in Brooklyn. If you're reading this and you're sweaty but you like making up stories, COME to Brooklyn this Friday at 10am for some writing and some squirting. A wonderful editor from the NY Times was kind enough to list and feature the event in the paper last Friday but I think the TV weather people trumped the Times and parents made their kids stay inside taped to their air conditioners, while my son and I were getting soaked at Greenwood Playground.

One last hope that I get to squirt a bunch of eight year olds:

Stories and Squirts!
Friday, July 2792011
10am

Greenwood Playground
E 5th Street at Greenwood Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
(F or G to Fort Hamilton Parkway)

Read the short feature in the Times about Stories and Squirts!

I'll be leading writing workshops with kids ages 8 and up. Every 15 minutes, I'll squirt everyone with a water shooter. Come hot and ready to write. Bring a pen and notebook (and squirt gun if you want). We'll focus on creating memorable characters, beginnings, middles, and ends, and what makes a good story. At the end of the workshop, I will ask a wet-themed trivia question, and whoever answers correctly will win a (damp) signed copy of Next to Mexico.

FREE
Sponsored by Friends of Greenwood Playground