Tag Archives: Author

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

CMLE Spring Author Event with Erin Hart and Paddy O'Brien!

erin-paddyCMLE is delighted to invite you to our Spring Author Event with mystery author and musician, Erin Hart and her husband, Irish musician and author, Paddy O’Brien.  We have a fun, St. Patrick’s Day themed event planned at the North Folk Winery located 5 minutes from Cambridge, MN.  Erin & Paddy will be sharing a slide presentation on Irish history, bogs, traditional music and culture, plus, they will talk about their books with a few Irish tunes thrown in.  North Folk Winery will have wine-tasting available for a small additional charge and Scout and Morgan Books in Cambridge will have all of Erin and Paddy’s books available to be autographed and purchased. CMLE will also be providing some yummy appetizers. This is a ticketed event so register early because space is limited. Registration deadline is Friday, March 4, 2016.  Register now!

A little bit about Erin Hart and Paddy O’Brien:
“Erin Hart and Paddy O’Brien are an accomplished creative duo, having received accolades from around the world for their writing and music. Erin’s atmospheric and literary crime novels set in the bogs of Ireland (Haunted Ground, Lake of Sorrows, False Mermaid, and The Book of Killowen), have won critical praise, earned the Friends of American Writers Award, been shortlisted for the mystery world’s prestigious Anthony and Agatha and Minnesota Book Awards, and have been translated into eleven foreign languages. Paddy has won international acclaim for his amazing repertoire and artistry on the two-row button accordion, and in 2013 was named Ireland’s Traditional Composer of the Year at the Gradam Ceoil Irish Music Awards. His memoir about growing up in rural Ireland, The Road from Castlebarnagh, has received glowing reviews in Ireland and around the globe.”

Photo Courtesy of Erin Hart
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

A Day with Author Richard Rubin

Last of DoughYou are invited to attend a very special event sponsored by Learning Resources Services at St. Cloud State University. On Tuesday, April 8, 2014, Richard Rubin, author of “The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War” will present the story of his research, interviews, and videotapes of nearly three dozen World War I veterans. This presentation is from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the James W. Miller Learning Resources Services building (The Library) at SCSU. Please read on for more details.

It took Richard Rubin months to find just one living American veteran of World War I. He eventually found one. And then another. And another. Three dozen veterans were all that remained, and Rubin interviewed them. His research was done in the United States and France; he searched through archives, private collections, battlefields, literature, propaganda, and even music. These were the final survivors of the millions who made up the American Expeditionary Forces, nineteenth-century men and women living in the twenty-first century. Many kept their stories to themselves for nearly a lifetime, then finally shared them so that these events, these soldiers, and this war would be remembered. Rubin began his research in 2003 and devoted great effort in reaching out to these remaining veterans, in many cases interviewing them two and three times. Their ages ranged from 101 to 113. His book is more than just a war story; it is a story of meditation on character, grace, aging, and memory.

 The Day of Events:

  • The day begins with Rubin meeting with a group of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in HIST 445/545: United States Military History (12:30-1:45) as they study World War I;
  • From 2:00-3:15, Rubin meets with undergraduate and graduate students from a number of disciplines, the common thread being that they will be conducting interviews and/or working with the elderly.
  • After dinner, he will return to the Miller Center Auditorium for his presentation and other activities of the evening, including the Honor Guard from the SCSU ROTC program, songs from the World War I era, and readings by Theatre students of materials from that era found in the SCSU Archives.
  • At the end of the evening, Rubin will sign books (a limited number will be available for sale immediately prior to the presentation) and meet the audience at the Reception, co-hosted by students from our Veterans Resource Center.
Rubin2
Author Richard Rubin

The intent of this invitation was to select some friends of the university (alumni, current and former faculty and staff, and community members) who have an interest in one of the many aspects of history and St. Cloud State University. This event is open to the public; parking is available at the SCSU Parking Ramp, in the Miller Center pay lot, in the C Lot (no fee), or on the street nearby; and the event is free of charge. Pre-registration for this evening event is required by April 3.

To guide us in planning for seating and refreshments, would you please rsvp your intent to attend to either (320) 308-3177 or e-mail cmberndt@stcloudstate.edu. We are looking forward to having you join us for this event.

Sincerely,

Mark Vargas, Dean

Learning Resources Services

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Local Media Specialist Launches First Book

Many in our region know Jenny Hill, media specialist from St. Michael Elementary School. I am very happy to announce Jenny’s recent success in publishing; a memoir of her journey in living with cerebral palsy. The news release follows along with a local story by the Monticello Times . The book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. Congratulations Jenny, I simply could not be happier for you!

Jennifer-Hill
Jenny Hill

News Release
Contacts: Media Relations and Marketing Communications:
Colleen Murphy-Gomez
Senior Marketing Manager
(763) 350-0139
colleen.murphy14@gmail.com

Direct Questions and Interviews:
Jenny Hill, Author
(763) 913-7511
Jenniferchristinehill@gmail.com

WCCO EXCELLENT EDUCATOR AWARD WINNER PUBLISHES HER FIRST NOVEL
Jennifer Christine Hill is launching her new book, Walking with Tension on March 26th, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – March 10, 2014 – Jenny’s book, “Walking with Tension”, is more than a book. It is the journey of Jenny’s life with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a permanent, life-long condition with no known cure. Her brain is continually telling some of her muscles to contract. So instead of working together the muscles work against each other. During Jenny’s middle and high school years, her family attended a church that believed in miraculous intervention. She was frequently prayed over for
healing from cerebral palsy. After years of persistent prayer she never received her miracle and was instead left with what were some very big questions that she wrestled with for over a decade. Questions like:

  •   How can a good God hear the desperate cry of a little girl to be physically healed of an incurable condition—and say no?
  • Where is God in the midst of our struggles?
  • How do we respond in faith when God doesn’t seem to intervene on our behalf?

These questions and more are at the heart of “Walking with Tension”. It’s through prayer, counseling, and an understanding church family, that Jenny learns how to live with the tension of knowing that Christ is the Healer and she will walk with a limp for the rest of her life.

“There is an adage that goes ‘we all have a story and we long for someone to listen to it.’ That is true. I would add ‘…and some stories really must be heard.’ This is such a story….” Steven E Koop, MD, author of We Hold This Treasure

Jenny’s book, Walking with Tension, is currently available for sale in electronic and printed formats on amazon.com. She is officially launching her book with a signing event on Wednesday, March 26th, 2014 at the Maple Grove, MN Community Center in rooms 110/112 from 5:30-7:30pm with readings at 6:00pm and 7:00pm. The event is private, however, media is welcome to attend.

About the Author: Jenny Hill (@Bibliophile84) has been recognized on WCCO TV for her work as an elementary school library media specialist. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education from Bethel University, St. Paul, MN. Jenny loves drinking strong coffee, reading good books, and savoring deep thoughts. You can find her blog online at walkingwithtension.com. Jenny lives in central Minnesota and is a member of Church of the Open Door. Walking with Tension is her first book.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Reluctant Reader Session at MLA

Image by Rob Boudon. Retrieved in Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Rob Boudon. Retrieved in Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Last month, I blogged about my son who had become disengaged with reading in a post titled, Books & Boys. So, at this year’s MLA conference when I saw they were hosting a session titled: Reaching the Reluctant Teen Reader: From Creation to Circulation, I knew immediately that I wanted to attend. Because of the popularity of this session, I thought our readers would also find this information helpful. Here are my session notes.

This session was a structured panel discussion with an author, librarian (public) and editor.  First the panelists talked about why some teens aren’t reading which included the following;

  • Active adolescents are unable to sit still for long periods of time.
  • Some  teenagers struggle to make connections between the reality of their world and the world of books.
  • Books don’t have as strong of a pull than other forms of media (TV, video games, internet, etc.)
  • Reading may be perceived as uncool, anti-social or too much like an adult.

Another important conversation that occurred was the identification of books struggling readers might be more prone to read. The physical appearance of these books are generally catchy, action oriented, with larger print and greater amounts of white spaces on each page. In terms of fiction books, reluctant readers have a tendency to gravitate toward books that they can relate to, with a touches of humor, action rather than descriptive text, with limited but well defined characters. The panel also suggested ways in which librarians can help get books in the hands of reluctant readers through displays, shelving “quick reads” together, posting student book reviews, hosting book talks, taking the library (on the go) out into the community, and developing efficient electronic assess to books.

As a result of this session, CMLE would like to bring a reluctant reader event to our area. Watch for it in upcoming events with CMLE this December!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Young Adults Seeking Books!

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Photo by mkh marketing and retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.
Photo by mkh marketing and retrieved from Flickr.                     Used under Creative Commons license.

Publisher Weekly posted an article titled Teenage Tweetland, YA authors and publishers reach out to young readers where they live: online and on their smartphones which discusses the use of social media in relation to the publishing industry. What makes this post so interesting are the multiple perspectives/voices being projected; the young adult, the author, the publisher, etc.

A large sector of young adults use social media such as Twitter (20+ million), Goodreads (8+ million users under 30), Tumblr (22+ million users under 18), blogs, etc. to identify titles to add to their reading lists.  Publishers themselves are posting upcoming book lists and must reads derived from data collected from sites “liked” or reviewed by their target audience.  In addition, authors are engaging their readers by sending tweets not just about the finished publication but during the characters development process to heighten anticipation and ultimately entice continued readership.  Simone Elkeles, author of Perfect Chemistry, states that she spends about 25% of her time writing and 75% of her time directly interacting with her fans. Authors like Sundee Frazier find it daunting to engage in social media platforms stating, “I’m not the sort of person who can just fire off tweets. My first priority is writing my stories.”

This highly personalized and direct marketing creates a digital dialog with readers-especially young readers who are confident and enthusiastic about technology.  It also creates a feeling of being connected, albeit virtually, using a system that has been known to inversely foster physical isolation.  This type of connection between writer and reader is becoming a growing expectation opposed to a preference.  I suspect the key is finding a medium that works.  As Patricia Post indicted in her editorial, From the Director,  CMLE has recently begun to engage in various forms of social marketing (this blog) with our target audiences (libraries and library professionals) to acknowledge that libraries are key stakeholders in the ever present cycle of information development, access and sharing. Click here to read the full article (May 2013).