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Video Encore: Lawrence Wright wins Pulitzer Prize for "The Looming Tower" |
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Tuesday, 17 April 2007 |
I'd like to congratulate AuthorViews author Lawrence Wright, who yesterday was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction for his book, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, published by Alfred A. Knopf, a Random House imprint.
AuthorViews filmed an interview with Wright -- a well-known New Yorker magazine columnist -- in Austin, Texas, in the summer of 2005, when he was still putting the finishing touches on the manuscript for The Looming Tower.
AuthorViews was the first to bring you an interview with the author of this Pulitzer Prize-winning book. We invite you to revisit our video with Lawrence Wright, and we remind news organizations that the full half-hour interview is available in motion-picture quality video, should you want to augment your coverage of this major achievement.
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VA Book is for Book Lovers: Festival Review |
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Thursday, 29 March 2007 |
The AuthorViews team was treated like visiting dignitaries at the recently completed Virginia Festival of the Book -- also known as VABook.
The dynamic duo behind the festival is Nancy Damon and Kevin McFadden -- Director and Associate Director, respectively, of Virginia Festival of the Book. They arranged for sponsorship of the AuthorViews team, providing us with an ideal floor location for filming and enough promotion to trigger advance registrations. Festival producers take note: AuthorViews loves floor space other exhibitors hate: in the back, low foot traffic, bad lighting (we bring our own).
We filmed in the gorgeous atrium of the Omni Hotel in historic Charlottesville, just off a downtown pedestrian mall filled with shops, restaurants, and theaters. The Omni staff bent over backwards to assist us in setting up, with tables, chairs, utility cables and by turning off a noisy fountain.
We filmed every half hour for a day and a half -- about 16 interviews in all -- I'll post the exact list as soon as I check the spelling on the names. VAbook volunteers sent authors to us, others registered in advance, and the remaining slots were filled almost immediately with on-site sign-ups.
The results are just riveting! I can't wait to share the videos with you. VAbook's theme this year was "Crime Wave" and about half the authors we filmed were mystery writers. We also filmed many history writers -- a specialty in the Commonwealth -- and one combo: a "history mystery" set in the Appalachian Mountains.
This year, we filmed a large contingent of African American authors. A publisher of a series of children's picture books was one of the most inspiring interviews I've done. He has persevered in a very expensive genre with spectacular results; just wait until you meet Henrietta the Hyena!
We have few regrets at VAbook -- we can't film all of the more than 200 authors, or attend the celebrity panels while we're working -- and Nancy and Kevin escaped without making their videos again -- but the combination of weather and location simply can't be beat.
The next VA Book is March 26-30, 2008 -- hope to see you there!
STEVE O'KEEFE
President, AuthorViews, Inc.
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New Video: Robert Munsch and Munschworks, Volumes 1-4 |
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Friday, 23 March 2007 |
Our two-week program featuring children's book authors from Annick Press comes to a conclusion today with the first online video ever of beloved author, Robert Munsch.
Munsch is the creator of such classics as The Paper Bag Princess, Mud Puddle, and Thomas' Snowsuit. The manic Mr. Munsch has a unique way of writing -- his stories are created live, in the classroom, based on one of the kids, then honed over years of telling until the lines are just right.
Robert Munsch has written hundreds of books. His books have sold over 30 million copies. Annick Press recently released a compendium of Munschworks -- a four-volume collection of Robert Munsch stories.
In this 2-minute video, filmed at the Toronto offices of Annick Press, Munsch describes the difficulty in translating the animation of his verbal stories to paper. The video gives a wee glimpse into the magic of Munsch. We hope you'll enjoy it!
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New Video: Michael Martchenko, Children's Books Illustrator |
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Thursday, 22 March 2007 |
Fans of Robert Munsch books, such as The Paper Bag Princess, will appreciate this behind-the-scenes interview with illustrator extraordinaire, Michael Martchenko.
Martchenko is Munsch's longtime collaborator, but it's rare for the two men share the same room. During the filming of this video at Annick Press' Toronto offices, Robert Munsch tried his best to unsettle his doodling friend, to no avail. Tomorrow we will bring you Munsch's side of the story.
In this 2-minute clip, Martchenko talks about the early days with Annick, his training as an artist, and one particularly rewarding moment in his career as an illustrator. "I've got the best job in the world," he says, with a twinkle in his eye, and we believe him!
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New Video: Diane Swanson with "A Crash of Rhinos" and "Einstein's Brain" |
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Wednesday, 21 March 2007 |
Diane Swanson has written more than 60 books for children of all ages, from toddlers through teenagers.
Most of them deal with science and nature, such as A Crash of Rhinos, A Party of Jays: The Wacky Ways We Name Animal Groups. In Nibbling on Einstein’s Brain: The Good, the Bad and the Bogus in Science, Swanson helps children evaluate the scientific claims they hear.
"I can’t make up anything more amazing," the author says, than the creatures that already exist in our world. In this 2-minute video, filmed in the Vancouver offices of publisher Annick Press, Swanson describes one of those amazing creatures.
She also talks about how one can rediscover the beauty in the world around us by looking through the eyes of a child.
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New Video: Shari Graydon & Made You Look / In Your Face |
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Tuesday, 20 March 2007 |
Today we're featuring TWO books by Shari Graydon: Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know and In Your Face: The Culture of Beauty and Youth.
In Your Face is about "the pressure on teens to live up to unattainable ideals of beauty," according to Graydon. The book talks about where our ideas of beauty come from, all the way back to early childhood. It goes on to take its readers through an historical and cross-cultural look at physical ideals.
Made You Look is also aimed at young readers, examining how they're targeted by marketing and advertising. Like In Your Face, this book also delves into the ideals that are pressed upon teens by various societal influences.
In this 2-minute video, filmed at the Toronto offices of publisher Annick Press, Graydon explains how and why these ideals are unobtainable and describes her hopes for creating a more "media-literate" youth.
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New Video: Emily Pohl-Weary & Strange Times at Western High |
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Monday, 19 March 2007 |
Author Emily Pohl-Weary grew up in a famous literary family and has made that tradition her own through a series of ambitious publishing projects.
As editor of the zine, Kiss Machine, Pohl Weary is herself a pioneer in do-it-yourself publishing. She's also written a critically-acclaimed biography of her grandmoter, sci-fi pioneer Judith Merril, along with a collection of poetry and an anthology on female super heroes.
It's no surprise, then, that the heroine of Pohl-Weary's young adult novel, Strange Times at Western High, is a fearless, independent zinester. In this 2-minute video, filmed in the Toronto offices of publisher Annick Press, the author introduces us to her lead character, 16-year old Natalie Fuentes, and speaks about girls, confidence, and indy culture.
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New Video: Dennis Foon & The Longlight Legacy trilogy |
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Saturday, 17 March 2007 |
Next in our Annick Press series of author videos comes Dennis Foon, father of the eerie Longlight Legacy trilogy of science fiction novels.
The trilogy comprises three books: The Dirt Eaters, Freewalker, and The Keeper's Shadow. The action takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and features two young heroes, Roan and his sister Stowe.
The Longlight Legacy continues to gain critical acclaim as one of the great science fiction trilogies of the new millennium. The cinematic scope of the work is no accident; author Dennis Foon is an accomplished playwright and filmmaker -- check out his credits in IMDb (the Internet Movie Database).
This 2-minute video was filmed at Annick Press' gorgeous offices overlooking the harbour in downtown Vancouver's historic Gastown district. In the video, Foon is bathed in luminous green light as he talks about the ecological underpinnings of his epic adventure.
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New Video: Ruth Ohi & Clara and the Bossy |
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Friday, 16 March 2007 |
We are pleased to continue our series of children's authors from Annick Press in Toronto with what may be the most perfect author video we have ever shown.
Effervescent illustrator Ruth Ohi takes us inside the covers of Clara and the Bossy, her humorous look at the serious subject of bullying. Clara is a lovable Guinea Pig with a fondness for purple who tries too hard to please her glamorous friend.
Ruth Ohi (pronounced "Oh-Weee") has written and illustrated several children's books, including A Trip With Grandma and The Couch Was a Castle. Ruth Ohi fans get a rare treat in this 2-minute video: watching the author create an illustration right before your eyes! It's a magic moment and you shouldn't miss it.
With no further ado, let's join the author for a brief trip with Clara and the Bossy.
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New Video: Mike Tanner & Flat-Out Rock |
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Thursday, 15 March 2007 |
Kids today are rediscovering the 1960s and Mike Tanner is helping them program their iPods with the proper soundtrack.
Flat-Out Rock is a visually stunning guide to rock music from the '60s and early '70s. Gorgeous graphic design and rare, exquisite photographs place the musicians in the context of hippies, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and other '60s happenings.
Flat-Out Rock covers ten important bands or musicians and illustrates each artist's significance by describing a pivotal moment in their careers. Artists covered include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Neil Young with Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
In this 2-minute video, enjoy Tanner's luxurious voice and rock-star good looks as he describes how his background as a touring and recording musician contributed to Flat-Out Rock.
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New Video: Allan Stratton & Chanda's Secrets |
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Wednesday, 14 March 2007 |
We are pleased to bring you the author of one of the most decorated books in recent memory: Allan Stratton and his breakout novel, Chanda's Secrets.
Chanda's Secrets tells the story of a teen girl in Africa whose mother is afflicted with HIV/AIDS and travels north to spare her family the shame of her illness. The book puts "a human face to the AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa," says the author.
The list of awards Chanda's Secrets has won is too long to recount here -- you'll find an up-to-date tally at publisher Annick Press' web site. The accolades include Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award, the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature, and "Editor's Choice" plus "Top 10 Black History Book" from Booklist.
In this 2-minute video, filmed at Annick Press's Toronto offices last fall, erudite author Allan Stratton describes how he created characters so real he has to remind people the book is fiction.
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New Video: Loris Lesynski and I Did It Because... |
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Tuesday, 13 March 2007 |
We are delighted that the first author video in our Annick Press series is with the endearing Loris Lesynski.
If you have read any of Loris' books (Boy Soup, Dirty Dog Boogie, Cabbagehead, Nothing Beats A Pizza and Zigzag, among others), you will appreciate this glimpse into the source of that rich humor. Loris lights up for the camera, with mischief in her eyes and poetry on her lips.
In this video, Loris Lesynski talks mostly about her new book, I Did It Because.... Students always ask Loris where her stories and language come from. This is her response, an instructional book for young authors that teaches in a delightful way "how a poem happens."
Watch this 2-minute video, filmed at the offices of children's book publisher Annick Press in Toronto last November, to see the lovey Loris Lesynski bring some of her works to life!
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New Video: Rick Wilks, Co-Founder & Director, Annick Press |
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
We are very pleased to share with you today, not an author's video, but a publisher's video.
Rick Wilks is co-founder, with Anne Millyard, of Annick Press, a company whose name is synonymous with excellence and innovation in children's books. Since 1975, Annick has been publishing breakthrough books, such as Chanda's Secrets, and breakout authors, such as Robert Munsch.
In this 2-minute clip, Wilks speaks passionately about what Annick Press looks for in a book and where the company's publishing mission is headed. It's refreshing to see a publisher with such a strong commitment to content and packaging -- both hallmarks of Canadian publishing. Annick is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, where this video was filmed.
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