by Lindsey on December 9, 2011
Writing is an act of faith. We do it because we have a story we think needs telling. We begin and, really, we never know if these words on the page will find a larger readership. When they do, it is a deeply gratifying moment.
This week, my essay called Out on the Bendy Branches: Shifting the Paradigm from Write What You know to Write What You Think You Can’t was published in Hunger Mountain. I feel very proud that my thinking gets to be in the same issue with Sara Zarr (How to Save a Life) and Ron Koertge (Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II). Wow.
But wait…that’s not all.
Snuggle Mountain was nominated for a Cybil award as a book app. The Cybils are an award given each year by a group of children’s book bloggers for the best children’s and young adult books of the year. The twin criteria for nomination (and winning) are literary merit and kid appeal. This is the sixth year of giving the award, and the first year they added a category for iPad book apps. What a terrific honor!
by Lindsey on December 7, 2011
by Lindsey on December 2, 2011
True story: Last month, I hopped on my bike and joined thousands of Austinites on the East Austin Studio Tour. One studio where I stopped was a digital boutique which creates apps. Inside, a handwritten sign on the wall said, “Try our apps!” On the table were four different cake plates with plexi-glass covers. On each plate was a smart phone. As I stood there deciding which phone to pick up so I could try out an app, a woman standing next to me said, “Oh too bad, all the appetizers are gone.”
No, that’s not the end of the story. The end of the story happened a moment later when one of the app developers lifted a cake lid, picked up the phone and without missing a beat, said, “Are the batteries gone?” Tap. Tap. The screen lighted up. Then he turned to the woman and said, “Let me show you the app we designed.”
We are in a virtual digital tsunami. I love that this guy didn’t make this woman feel stupid. Instead, she learned how to play a game and surf the tsunami just a little bit better.
To read about my own digital revelation, click here.
