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Kathryn Erskine

AppearancesCommunity workThe Writing Life
August 1, 2013

Read Local: You’re invited to Teen ’13

Like this lapel button? Yours for a buck fifty at Fountain Bookstore, RVA Mark your fall calendars, teen book lovers. You're invited to Teen '13, a literary party that will celebrate Virginia's homegrown talents.  If you've had the chance to sink your teeth into a local Virginia peach this summer, you already know why it makes sense to buy local.  But you shouldn't limit yourself to buying local food. You can feel  good about "reading local," too - especially if you're a fan of teen fiction. That's because Virginia has an impressive bench when it comes to authors. We're home to New York Times bestsellers and to authors who have won the Newbery Award, the Hans Christian Anderson Award, the National Book Award, and other top literary prizes. And that's to say nothing of the hefty number of Virginia authors whose works regularly grace the annual "Best of" lists  that recognize the top books for kids each year. Free and open to the public, Teen '13 will give book fans of all ages a chance to gather at the Richmond Public library to enjoy food and drinks, buy books, meet their favorite authors in person and win everything from indi bookstore gift certificates and free Skype visits to autographed copies of books and more. Fourteen Virginia authors will attend – all of whom have new releases in 2013. (Teen 13 authors and book blurbs.) It's exciting enough to have all those creative types in one place. But what's most satisfying to me is that…
Random howls into the worldThe Writing Life
July 18, 2011

Living la vida loca

I haven’t written in more than a week, but that’s because my life has sped up like a Toyota with a stuck gas pedal. It’s hard to complain, though. My days are crammed with things I love. The Girls of Summer Q & As are coming in. I hope you caught Cathryn Clinton this week -- and Jacqueline Woodson before that. (Every Friday, a new author answers our questions, so stay tuned.) I’ve been corresponding with students who are working with author (and professional gummie bear eater) Wendy Shang in northern Virginia, and my own summer residency with the Latino Education Advancement Program wrapped up. Here's Freddie's piece so you can see why I love this group. ESL had just finished, and I jostled my way towards the lunch line. Passing by the fifth grade hallways, I was hoping to be as big and smart as they were one day. I got in the cafeteria line and as usual, the cafeteria cashier smiled and said, “Have a good lunch, my little tootsie roll.” I went to the table where my class sat and talked to my friends: Tyler, Patterson, Michael, Michael, and Conner Lugio.  As we swapped our lunches, I had to crush my napkin because my mom left me a note saying she loved me. Although it was in Spanish and my friends could not read it, it was still embarrassing.   It was halfway through lunch when I saw her: Alexa.  She had blonde hair and green eyes, and…