Author: beccakinla

A Light to the Nations

beccakinla art, baal teshuva, Jewish, Judaism, lag b'omer, matisyahu, music, wholesome Leave a comment

There have been several outstanding books in the last few years that, while by Orthodox Jews, were written for the public at large. I’ve mentioned some of them in previous posts: My Before and After Life and Seven Blessings, for example.

Matisyahu (Miller), while he’s received a lot of flak by some members of the Jewish community, has likewise brought the beauty of the Jewish worldview to a broader audience through his music.

First of all, every time someone picks up a book by Risa Miller, Yehoshua November, Rochelle Krich, or Ruchama King Feuerman, they AREN’T reading…I’ll let you fill in the blank. And every time someone listens to Matisyahu, Y-Love, DeScribe, Ta-Shma, or Moshav, they AREN’T listening to…I’m sure you can fill that blank in, too.
There’s merit just from that. So much poison fills our minds when we internalize messages from music, art, and literature filled wrong-headed thinking. Even a morally-neutral alternative is preferable
But the artists I mention above go further than this. There’s just so much beauty in these artists’ words. They fill the readers’/listeners’ hearts and touch them much better than a good mussar schmuess rarely will for the average American…and the audience will remember the message. People will remember the words to a song or poem for years and years, if not a lifetime.
This is the kind of art I’d like to be able to share with the world at some point. An ambitious goal, for sure, but I’m hoping I’ve got years ahead of me to pursue it.
Since Lag B’omer just is past, I’m listing some links for contemporary Jewish music that penetrates the soul.
And here’s a lovely rendition of Matisyahu’s “One Day” by public schoolchildren in NYC:

A Writer’s Blues

beccakinla different, new author, rejection letters, the business, writing process Leave a comment
Currently, my least favorite words to hear (of a professional nature) are, “Do you have a second book out yet?” My honest answer (despite many close calls and lots of magazine work) is still, “No.”
I just turned in two more pieces to a magazine editor today, and received timely payment for another piece just before Shabbos. Magazine work is good for me. To keep things in perspective: I’ve published more in the last year than in my entire previous writing life put together, and I’m getting paid for my work. I’m learning new stuff by writing new stuff with new people, and audiences are reading it!

However, when I tell people, “Sorry, no second book yet. But I’ve been writing for magazines,” most people glaze over. If it ain’t a book, it doesn’t count
Lately, I’ve written several pieces which were really good but when friends and colleagues have read them, they’ve said, “It’s awesome, but no one will ever publish it.” I don’t want to write what everyone else is writing, but book publishers (especially in the current market) are afraid to take risks.
I’ve saved up a lot of rejected book manuscripts. I rewrote a few for the magazine format, which is a little more forgiving and a lot easier to break in to, and a couple of them sold. Another, I’m holding on to, because I think it’s only right for a picture book, and I think it might sell after book #2 proves my work can sell well, if that ever happens.
I know it’s great publishing in magazines, and I hate being nudged by people about when my next book will be coming out. Part of the problem is this: I still want to sell another book. Books endure. They get read over and over. They generally do not end up in recycling bins.
I’m giving up on picture books for now. I have a LONG short story (more a novella) that I’m considering rewriting as a short novel for Jewish teenage girls.
Genre: sci-fi/fantasy. Probably will get rejected anyway. -sigh-

The Giving Tree

beccakinla giving, jewish motherhood, metroimma, mother, sefirot, shel silverstein Leave a comment
The giving tree [Book]

Just wanted to share an interesting post on MetroImma.com about the book The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein.

http://www.metroimma.com/forum/topics/i-hate-the-giving-tree

The author of the article is very concerned about Silverstein’s understanding about giving. Personally, I agree.
Right now we are in the period of Sefira, between Passover and Shavuot. In the first week , we learned about the sefira of “chessed,” giving and lovingkindness. Through the idea of interinclusion, that each sefira contains aspects of the others, we learn that giving must include “gevurah,” which is strength and restraint. We need to know–both as mothers and as human beings–that strength and restraint are required even when we are giving.
Do you agree with Silverstein or the MetroImma post? Please share your comments below.

Rejection letters

beccakinla rejection letters Leave a comment

I once read of a children’s author (it pains me to admit I can’t remember which) who set the stage for her public speaking engagements with a banner she’d created of all the rejection letters she’d received strung together. At the time she spoke, it could cross the stage in most schools twice. She described it as a concrete expression of perseverance.

Ray Bradbury once said that he’d written over 2000 stories, but only about 350 had been published. At the rate I’m going, I guess I’ll be in great company.

In this digital age, I rarely get paper rejection letters. Most are sent by email. Once I received an email rejection from a company that firmly required a snail-mail submission. Not one of my favorite moments in life. If my self-worth had been based on acceptance by some publisher, I would have been in serious trouble.

This morning, I received yet another rejection letter. At one point, such an event meant crankiness for the rest of the day, or at least until lunchtime. Copious amounts of chocolate would have been injested. Tears would have been shed and girlfriends phoned. Today, I sighed with disappointment. After some minor second-guessing (“Does this mean it needs another rewrite? Should I send it to another publisher, or I should give up on it?”) the rest of the day continued, tantrum-free (Well, I was tantrum-free, don’t ask about my toddler.)
I’m not sure this is a sign of spiritual growth. I might just be jaded.

Been checking out more graphic literature

beccakinla graphic literature, kosher, literacy, toon books Leave a comment
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out my list of Jewish graphic literature on Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/lm/R2IIZNVM2VGGX9/ref=cm_pdp_lm_title_1

As mentioned before, I checked out a bunch of secular graphic literature for the kiddie set from the library recently. Several friends mentioned they are struggling to get their kids excited about reading, and I committed to checking some out to check if they are “kosher” for the consumption of frum kids.

So far, I have found some options. Two titles from Toon Books (Candlewick Press’s new Easy to Read comic line), Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework, and Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever are clean, nicely illustrated, and silly enough for first through fourth graders. My kids really, really liked them. I should add that my new reader, who usually refuses to do the reading himself, was really motivated to do so with this book. Amazing. He’s virtually begging for me to find more Toon Books at the library.
I enjoyed Patrick Atangan’s The Yellow Jar more myself. However, it’s more sophisticated and definitely tailored for older kids, at least 5th grade.
Still trying to finish the stack from the library. Next up, Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown.

Childhood favorites

beccakinla Nancy Patz, Pumpernickle Tickle and Mean Green Cheese Leave a comment

Do you have any childhood favorites that no one has ever seemed to have heard of? One of my favorite books from my own preschool years is Nancy Patz’s Pumpernickle Tickle and Mean Green Cheese.

Pumpernickel Tickle & Mean Green Cheese
Similar to the classic Don’t Forget the Bacon, a child is sent to the grocery store. He has to remember the list, but can’t seem to do so. Hilarity ensues. It appears this book was republished about ten years ago, and it’s available through Amazon.
Other books from my childhood that no one seems to remember are wonderful youth biographies of the RAMBAN, RAMBAM, and Rav Yosef Caro. They were very inspirational for me (although I was not yet religious), but I can’t find them anywhere. Someone told me they are out of print and I’m very disappointed. The graphic histories published by Rabbi Berel Wein’s Destiny Foundation are lovely, but the books from my childhood were for a younger audience, and shorter.
Does anybody out there have favorite books from their childhood that somehow escaped classic status?