Awards! The SCBWI 2016 Work-In-Progress Grant Winners and the Karen Cushman Late Bloomer Award Winner

Congratulations to...

Work-In-Progress Young Adult Fiction Winner:

The Edge of the Miraculous by Beth Navarro
 While mourning for her father, a bipolar teenager is interrupted in her suicide attempt by a strange boy who happens to be an alien. 

 Work-In-Progress Nonfiction Winner:

Nikola’s Visions: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla by Cindy Jenson-Elliott
 Follow the life of the visionary scientist Nikola Tesla, as expressed through vibrant poetry. Short poems alternate point-of-view from Tesla to significant people in his life. 

 Work-In-Progress Multicultural Fiction or Nonfiction Winner:

Finding Ma by DoanPhuong Nguyen
 Set during the Vietnam War, eleven-year-old Con endures abandonment, kidnapping, and abuse, before finally finding a loving home. 

 Work-In-Progress Picture Book Text Winner:

 A Father’s Love by Hannah Holt
 A colorful celebration of fathers in the animal kingdom, from penguins to lions to seahorses. 

 Work-In-Progress Middle Grade Fiction Winner:

Ruby in the Sky by Jeanne Zulick-Ferruolo
 A shy young girl befriends the neighborhood eccentric, a mysterious recluse called the Bird Lady. 

Work-In-Progress Chapter Books/Early Fiction Winner:

How To Be a Bad Guy, By Dallas Bottomley by Lauren LeBlanc
 Fed up with his friends’ obsession with superheroes, 8-year-old Dallas decides to become a villain instead. But when he discovers he would rather stand up for the underdog, he must redefine what villainy means to him. 

 Don Freeman Illustration Grant Winners: 

 Published Award: Rongyuan Ma (See Rongyuan’s illustrations: www.rongyuanma.com)
 Pre-published Award: Alison Farrell  (See Alison’s illustrations: www.drawdrawdraw.com)

Karen Cushman Late Bloomer Award Winner:

Stephen Baker: Prayers to Broken Stone
 Fourteen-year-old Milana lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo with her mother studying the wild gorillas in Virunga National Park, but soon Milana must save both her family and the gorillas from an oil company bent on destroying the habitat. 

 This grant was established by Newbery Award winner and Newbery Honor Book recipient Karen Cushman and her husband, Philip Cushman, in conjunction with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Karen published her first children’s book, Catherine Called Birdy, in 1994 (Newbery Honor Book), at the age of fifty-three and has gone on to become one of the field’s most acclaimed novelists. “The writing [in Prayers to Broken Stone] is very good, the setting unusual and intriguing, and there is the promise of a corporate villain we can root against,” said Karen. “I hope someday I get a chance to read the book and find out what happens.”


 The SCBWI will propel the winning manuscripts on the path to publication by exposing their work to hand-selected acquiring editors on a secure website for a period of time. This is an opportunity for the winners to gain exclusive access to some of the most sought after professionals in the business. The winners of the Don Freeman Grant will each receive $1,000 to further their understanding, training, and work in the picture book genre.

Find out more about all the SCBWI grants and award programs here.

JC Kato wins the 2015 Karen Cushman Late Bloomer Award!

"Late bloomer" can sound like a judgment – but some flowers just bloom later, and can be amazing!

Karen Cushman published her first children’s book, The Midwife’s Apprentice (winner of the 1996 Newbery Medal), at the age of fifty-three and has gone on to become one of our field’s most acclaimed novelists.

As SCBWI's Executive Director Lin Oliver says,

"creative life has no age limit."

This year's winner of the Karen Cushman Late Bloomer Award is JC Kato, for her manuscript "Finding Moon Rabbit."

Author JC Kato

Here's what Karen said of JC's work:

“I chose Finding Moon Rabbit because the writing is strong, authentic, and sometimes even lyrical; Koko an intriguing and original character; the subject matter compelling and important,”

Here's my interview with JC:


Lee: Hi JC! Congratulations on winning the 2015 Karen Cushman Late Bloomer Award!

JC: Thank you, Lee, I'm so excited with the opportunity and honored to have been selected. Wow. Thank you Karen and Phil Kushman. 

Lee: Tell us about finding out you’d won.

JC: I had one of those really tough days at work, you know, the kind you want to forget? I hadn't had a moment all day to check my phone or emails, and then, not even after work. I was busy rushing across town to see my 81 year old mother's talent show. Sometime between a cha-cha on organ and a puppet show, I opened my e-mail. There it was; Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser's email, filled with the wonderful news--a very surreal experience when there's an organ rendition of Stardust playing--I cried. Karen Cushman's comments about my manuscript brought me to even more tears. I wanted to wail--jump up from my seat and shout. Could've. A room full of fifty very talented seniors intent on watching the show wouldn't have minded. Mother played her piano beautifully. She was beautiful. Everything felt beautiful, and the day I wanted to forget, became the day I'll never forget. 

Lee: You won for your Middle Grade historical fiction manuscript, “Finding Moon Rabbit.” Please share with us what it’s about, and why you wrote it.

JC: Koko is a ten year old girl who has a very rough time adjusting to her new home--an internment camp in Wyoming during World War II. She picks up some bad habits like, skipping school, fibbing, breaking promises, and, getting arrested. She vows to change for the sake of her ill mother and grumpy, older sister. She joins Girl Scouts where she's sure to learn how to be good like her friend, Mitzi. In the process, though, she unearths the truth that her Pop is a suspected traitor. Koko's journey leads her to discover where she fits in a world gone upside down, and how the shine of the moon can mend a broken family. 

For those in my family, Lee, who were in the camps, it was something never discussed. Out of respect, we never did. They're gone now, and I guess, in my need for emotional balance, and for my children to know more about their heritage, should they ask, I wrote this story. 

Lee: How long have you been involved with SCBWI, and how has that impacted your career journey so far?

JC: I've been with SCBWI since 2007 and, well, there's just nothing to beat the information, education and support they offer. In 2010 I ventured to the Los Angeles Conference and came away inspired--and hungry to write as well as I'm possibly able. 

Lee: The Karen Cushman Late Bloomer award comes with $500 and free tuition to any SCBWI conference anywhere in the world. Do you have big plans?

JC: I haven't wrapped my brain around that one yet. Though, the last time I was in Los Angeles I didn't have a chance to go to the Japanese American Museum there and have always wanted to return. We'll see. The $500 will go toward edits and more edits. 

Lee: Thanks so much. Wishing you much success on the adventure ahead!

JC: It was a pleasure, Lee, and thanks for the good wishes.


JC Kato can be reached at jckatowrites (at) yahoo (dot) com

You can find out more about the Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award here.

Edie Parsons is the Inaugural Winner of the Karen and Phillip Cushman Late Bloomer Award!

The Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award is for authors over the age of fifty who have not been traditionally published in the children’s literature field. The grant was established by Newbery Award winner and Newbery Honor Book recipient Karen Cushman and her husband, Philip Cushman, in conjunction with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Karen published her first children’s book, The Midwife’s Apprentice (winner of the 1996 Newbery Medal), at the age of fifty-three and has gone on to become one of the field’s most acclaimed novelists.

SCBWI's first winner of this award is Edie Parsons!

Edie Parsons, winner of the first Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award!

I contacted Edie to learn more...

Lee:  Tell us about finding out you'd won the Karen and Phillip Cushman Late Bloomer Award.

Edie:  I was driving home from work when the call came. The voice said "This is Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser with SCBWI…" and I think I went into shock. (I do have a vague memory of pulling off to the side of the road to talk.) Being selected for the inaugural Karen and Phillip Cushman Late Bloomer Award is such an honor! Karen's books are wonderful, of course, and I love that she writes about gutsy kids figuring out who they are. It's a thrill to be associated with her award.

Being selected felt like a lightning bolt, and I think I even said as much on the call. I've been writing for awhile now, gradually learning and improving, and SCBWI has been a big part of my writer's journey. I'm excited that all those pieces have come together in this grant recognition. I truly believe that writing for youth is about passion, craft, and a heart for kids and their joys and struggles, and not about age. I admire Karen for building her writing career and body of work as she's done, and hope I can likewise make her and SCBWI proud, as the recipient of this award.

Lee:  Can you give us a brief description of the middle grade fantasy project you're working on?

Edie:  MERCURY SEA draws on my love of the mystery and poetry of historical alchemy, combining it with my passion for middle grade fantasy and science fiction. The story takes place in a world where alchemy works, crystal ships sail the seas, and the industrial revolution never happened. Twelve-year-old Morgan was raised at sea before being sent to finishing school, where she's a fish out of water. She soon becomes captivated by the alchemical science, but alchemy, with its furnace-driven workrooms, is forbidden to girls. Disguising herself as a boy, she apprentices to the immortal alchemist, Master Marlwyn. In the workroom she discovers that her "girl-essence" sends some alchemical processes awry, while making others work better than expected. Then a crooked alchemist poisons Master Marlwyn with a rare aging chemical, and Morgan is determined to save him, using her unique, girl alchemy to unlock the secret of reversing time.

Lee:  How will you use the grant money?

Edie:  MERCURY SEA takes place in an alternate world where traditional skills such as cooking on wood stoves or open hearths, working metals on blacksmith-type furnaces, and sailing via square-rigged ships are still practiced. Researching the "how to" of these elements, as well as their sight, sound, feel, and smell, is important to conveying a rich, authentic experience. So, I plan to use the grant funds to travel to Mystic Seaport: the Museum of America and the Sea, in Mystic, Connecticut. Mystic Seaport is a living museum, famous for its historical sailing ships, nineteenth century village, and extensive collections. While at the seaport, I'll conduct research for my novel through the collections and exhibits, as well as by taking advantage of the many opportunities for immersive observation and hands-on participation in historical activities. By utilizing this amazing resource, I hope to obtain an abundance of details, especially difficult-to-obtain sensory details, to incorporate into my writing, thus bringing additional depth and three-dimensionality to my story.

Lee:  In the first few pages of MERCURY SEA that you shared in your Work-in-Progress Grant application, you made your main character, Morgan, very likable. Can you share any insights on that?

Edie:  I really enjoy Morgan. She's such a rough-and-tumble, bold girl. She's not afraid to pull off a practical joke, stand up to bullies, break into the bad guy's house to save her master, or join forces with a band of ruthless pirates. Her struggle in this story isn't so much about discovering who she is, but rather about finding her place in a world that wants her to be a demure china doll. I think it's a universal struggle. We all have to do our best to hold on to who we are, while creating our niche within whatever situation or pressures we face. But with Morgan, you just know that journey is going to be a romp. She's someone I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know and spending time with through the story, and I hope readers will, too. 

In her application, Edie wrote: "I love middle grade fantasy. It's what I read and what I write. The thing that most attracts me to middle grade fiction is that it celebrates young people discovering who they are and what they are capable of, before the whole boy-girl distraction thing fully sets in. The fantasy element allows those explorations to expand into richly imaginative settings, situations, and experiences not possible in the real world."

And here's what Karen Cushman herself had to say of Edie's win:

I was not only intrigued and entertained by her story but I liked what she said in her statement about the importance of middle grade fiction (I agree), and, as a former museum studies professor, I applaud the use she'll make of the resources at Mystic Seaport. I can't wait to read the rest of the story.

Congratulations, Edie!

Have you seen all the grants and awards SCBWI offers?  Check them out here!

Illustrate and Write On, 
Lee

Announcing The Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award

Newbery Winner Karen Cushman

This is exciting!  Karen Cushman was 53 when she published her first children's book, Catherine Called Birdy (a Newbery Honor Book.)

She won the 1996 Newbery Medal for The Midwife's Apprentice, and has since published six more wonderful novels... and counting!

As Karen says on her website,

"It took me forty-nine years of preparation—of reading and writing and making up stories in my head—to be ready to write. Now I do not intend to stop." 

The SCBWI is proud to announce our newest grant award to, as Karen put it,

 "...encourage and celebrate late bloomers like me, who didn't start to write until age fifty. But then I bloomed, and I'd love to see others do so as well." 

The winner will receive $500 in cash, and free tuition to any worldwide SCBWI conference.  The first winner will be selected this year and announced along with the other Work-in-Progress Grant recipients.  Because this grant was started after the applications were due, SCBWI will be contacting finalists to see if they are eligible for this additional award.

For future years, you won't apply directly for this award, rather it will be chosen from among the Work-in-Progress grant entrees.  To enter you will indicate on your application that you are over 50 and would like to be considered for the award.

It's wonderful to have a luminary in our world of Children's Literature reaching out to help others bloom, too!

Make sure to check out all the awards and grants offered by SCBWI on the main SCBWI website here.

Illustrate and Write On, 
Lee