10 Inspiring Kite Tales Quotes from 2021

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Amy Rubinate, authors, Elana K. Arnold, Eric Smith, Erin Dealey, Henry Lien, illustrators, inspiration, Jorjeana Marie, Kristen Nordstrom, LeUyen Pham, Rieko Mendez, Sara Schonfeld, SCBWI community

Photo by Tairon Fernandez on Pexels.com

Another year has flown by, and while we have borne the loss of some great creators and publishing influencers, we still have a tremendous community of children’s book writers, illustrators, and translators to look towards for inspiration. We have had many words of wisdom shared on Kite Tales this past year and it is a great pleasure to share them again with you now.

Writing for children requires grit and self-reflection; a sense of play and an openness to the changing world. As creators, we can find inspiration in change and embrace our own strengths and weaknesses to make something greater than we thought possible. Take heart and have patience, we are all on this journey together.

Save the Date! Cen-Cal Writers’ Day 2021

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Annelouise Mahoney, CenCal Writer's Day, critiques, Jamie Emaus, Kristen Nordstrom, SCBWI events, writing contest

By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

SCBWI Central-Coastal California has set a date for Writers’ Day 2021. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, October 30.

This year’s Writers’ Day will be in two parts. The first will be in-person at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks with spotlight speakers. A featured guest will also speak on this day. The writing contest recipients will be announced and critiques distributed at this half-day event.

Spotlight speakers include:

An Interview with STEM Author, Kristen Nordstrom

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Biomimicry, CenCal, Eiji Nakatsu, interview, Kristen Nordstrom, Mimic Makers, nonfiction, Paul Boston, STEAM, STEM

by Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

Kristen Nordstrom is the debut STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) author of Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature, illustrated by Paul Boston (Charlesbridge Publishing, July 2021). The picture book profiles ten real-life scientists, engineers, and designers who copy nature to create amazing new technology. Thank you, Mother Nature!

Kristen teaches biomimicry and other topics to elementary-school students in a gifted science program, and is a member of NSTA, the National Science Teaching Association. She has written innovative curriculum, and has been honored with two writing awards from SCBWI for outstanding STEM manuscripts. Kristen took a moment from her busy schedule to answer some questions for the Kite Tales blog.