Author Archives: JAZ

Cheryl Klein: An Editor with Second Sight

Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, hopped on a train from NYC to Andover, MA to give an informative talk recently to our children’s book writers’ critique group. She fielded questions we had previously submitted. She also read and gave Bookmark

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Wendy Klemperer video

Wendy Klemperer just sent me this  link to  A fascinating video of her extensive exhibit Re-Imagined at Maine Audubon near Freeport, that has been produced by her videographer sister, Joyce Klemperer. The exhibit, which runs until May, 2011, was curated by June LaCombe Sculpture. Wendy is a sculptor adept at drawing wildlife in 3D. She […]

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Spotlight Award nomination

Last summer one of my sculpture installations: Potential 3×3, which consists of three eight foot tall steel, wind-kinetic elements, was installed at the new sculpture garden at Sanctuary Arts in Eliot, Maine. Someone who saw that nominated it for a Spotlight Award for Installation Art, which I am honored by. There is a public voting […]

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Black & White exhibit

Black & White is a terrific concept for an exhibit – it’s so contrast-y. The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire’s upcoming show on that theme includes fifteen of my drawings. One is a graphite frottage, a technique related to rubbings, only more creative in that the textures are combined to make new images. I am […]

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NYT: Shorter E-Books for Smaller Devices

Have you been wondering how anyone could possibly read an entire book on an IPhone? On such a lilliputian screen, that’s like reading, say, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” while looking at it through a keyhole. Wouldn’t it make sense to provide narratives chosen with the scale of the device in mind? After all, […]

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The Winged Project

Here is a message from Bob Emser, the noted sculptor, about an exciting new project he is initiating. The Winged Project aspires to install large scale art pieces Bob has designed in major cities in the U.S. He is working with USAproject.org, a Not-for-Profit art organization on the initial aspects of this project. http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/the_winged_project As […]

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How do you run wild?

Chicks Run Wild is a hilarious picturebook that will be released January 25, 2011 by Simon and Schuster. The pictures are by Ward Jenkins and the story by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. The little chicks in CHICKS RUN WILD certainly think they know how to go wild – until Mama shows them how to really do it! […]

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About Translations

Currently I am working on a young adult novel based on an intriguing character and events set in 999 AD, Vikng era Iceland, Greenland and Vinland. It is based on two of the Icelandic sagas: The Greenlanders and Eirik the Red’s Saga. I had been using an anthology given to me by my son Eric […]

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Color e-publishing

Today the New York Times writes about color e-readers in an article that describes this new avenue that publishers are utilizing. It lists some titles already available, including at least one of the Olivia books. The distinctions of the IPad over Kindle are color and the ability to show a double page spread at once, […]

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Wendy Klemperer: gestures of life

  My sculptures use the body language of animals to express a feeling or state of being, with motion conveying emotion. – Wendy Klemperer How did you arrive at your very expressive signature method of drawing in space with previously used rebar? Over the years I have experimented with many sculptural materials, and also painted […]

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NaNoWriMo over

Like many other writers, I committed myself to the National Novel Writing Month website’s competition on November 2 and started a new young adult manuscript now titled What else is there?. The goal for each of the thousands of writers who also took the plunge was to write a 50,000 word novel between Nov. 1 […]

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Sculpture for Culture

The other day I was showing some images of sculptures by various people to Stephanie Sullivan and she expressed her surprise that there isn’t more public sculpture in the U.S. as there is in Europe and other parts of the world. She is a nineteen-year old who has the right idea. I asked her to […]

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Dale Rogers: a wild man with a plan

Large scale sculpture is expensive to make, a challenge to move and difficult to sell, none of which deters Dale Rogers. His business acumen and energy level have propelled his career as a successful sculptor, allowing him to make an excellent income doing the work he loves. His work has been purchased by sculpture parks […]

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Agents: old school to new wave

Update on 11/5/10 – Nathan Bransford sent a message today that he is no longer an agent at Curtis Brown. He will now be working in the technology industry. What a total surprise, disappointing many people, myself included. Original post: Agents, like all other publishing professionals, come in a variety of flavors: sweet to salty […]

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NaNoWriMo reminder

Monday, November 1, 12:01 a.m. it starts. Smoking keyboards. Tsunamis of words. Bloodshot eyes. Yes, it is National Novel Writing Month and the annual ritual of writers worldwide trying to complete their 50,000 word novels before November 30th. There are some interesting statistics (including a list of whose books were published). Are you going to […]

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Your last chance!

Tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Courtney Booth of Sotheby’s will be auctioning off the sculptures of Simple Gifts: Contemporary Artists Celebrate at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA as part of a celebration of the HSV’s 50th Anniversary. My wall sculpture Hancock Shaker Triptych is among the works to be auctioned. See the article here. For […]

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David Davies outdoors

Permanent outdoor sculpture is big and expensive, so how do artists show new work without spending a fortune? This may not be an issue once your reputation and client list are golden, but meanwhile most artists make small maquettes for proposals. David Davies has been working on another solution. His two pieces in a recent […]

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A World of Books #1

Yes, writers and illustrators in other countries produce wonderful children’s books, as we do. And why shouldn’t we consider those too? A number of years ago I started collecting children’s picture books from other countries I visited. When friends or relatives went somewhere exotic, I sometimes asked them to bring one home for me. I […]

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Don’t Tread on Her

Chakaia Booker uses a lowly material to make elegant, intriguing sculptures that have rhythm and varied textures. They are durable for outdoor exhibits and environmentally considerate. She uses recycled common tires, cut up in various ways to yield textures that suggest scales, feathers, hair, basketry and other surfaces. These are wrapped around wood and steel […]

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Fewer Picturebooks

An article in the New York Times today cites testimony from  publishers and bookstores who have seen a significant decline in the number of picturebooks being purchased by parents. They expose their toddlers to books for older kids in an attempt to prepare them for the higher testing standards and competition of today’s schools. They […]

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