The SCBWI Tokyo Newsletter Contents from the Editors
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The SCBWI Tokyo Newsletter Winter 2011 Carp Tales is the bi-annual newsletter of the Tokyo chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). The newsletter includes SCBWI Tokyo chapter and member news, upcoming events, a bulletin board of announcements related to writing and illustrating for children in Japan, reports of past events, information on industry trends, interviews with authors and illustrators, and other articles related to children’s literature. To submit inquiries or learn how to contribute to Carp Tales, contact [email protected]. The submission deadline is May 1 for the spring issue and November 1 for the fall issue. All articles and illustrations in Carp Tales are © SCBWI Tokyo and the contributing writers and illustrators. For more information about SCBWI Tokyo, see www.scbwi.jp. The Carp Tales logo is © Naomi Kojima. From the Editors Contents The Year of the Rabbit has begun, bringing with it the SCBWI Winter From the Editors ................................1 Conference in New York and the opening SCBWI Tokyo event, Frané SCBWI Tokyo Event Wrap-Ups ..........2 Lessac’s presentation on “Writing Global Picture Books.” An Interview with Naomi Kojima, The Year of the Tiger was full of spirit, and the second half kept Translator of Dear Genius: everyone busy: midsummer brought Jed Henry’s workshop on using The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom ........4 Adobe Photoshop; autumn brought a creative exchange, presentations at the Japan Writers Conference, and a visit from children’s literature Heart of a Samurai Named scholar Leonard Marcus. (Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Newbery Honor Book .........................8 Nordstrom, edited by Marcus, was recently translated into Japanese by SCBWI Tokyo Japan Liaison Naomi Kojima. See page 4!) In An Interview with Sports December, the second SCBWI Tokyo Illustrators Exhibition took place Novelist Trevor Kew .........................9 at Galerie Malle in Ebisu, Tokyo, thanks to generous support from Review of Writing Picture Books: gallery owner Shizuko Kikawa and an illustrators’ grant from SCBWI. A Hands-On Guide from Story The year concluded with another creative exchange and a traditional Creation to Publication ...................... 11 bonenkai (year-end party), at which members shared their goals for the coming new year. SCBWI Tokyo Member News .............12 We wish everyone a year full of good books—whether you write, Bulletin Board ....................................12 illustrate, translate or devour them! About SCBWI Tokyo ...........................13 Holly Thompson, Carp Tales Editor, SCBWI Tokyo Regional Advisor Avery Udagawa, Carp Tales Assistant Editor Annie Donwerth Chikamatsu, Carp Tales Assistant Editor Carp Tales Winter 2011 1 SCBWI Tokyo Event Wrap-Ups by the Editors Hey, Your Pixels are Showing! pieces with Photoshop techniques. A Photoshop Workshop and Using one of his illustrations of a Creative ExchanGe with samurai, Henry demonstrated how to paint in Photoshop. He has mastered Illustrator Jed Henry techniques that produce the effect July 11, 2010 of brushstrokes and showed how to choose brush size, how to layer and deepen colors, how to produce texture, and how to store the layers or stages of an image. He also talked about how to maintain the integrity of the image for the printing process. Participants appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Photoshop techniques in a relaxed atmosphere SCBWI members Colleen Sakurai, Suzanne that encouraged asking questions and Kamata, Holly Thompson and Margi Preus at the Japan Writers Conference learning from one another. After his Jed Henry ready to present workshop, Henry joined in a creative Japan Writers Conference exchange and gave feedback on a Despite a July downpour in Tokyo, member’s story and illustrations. October 10–11, 2010 there was a good turnout for illustrator SCBWI members both presented and Jed Henry’s workshop on using Adobe To see sketches Jed Henry made by participated in the fourth annual Japan Photoshop. Attendees even lugged their hand while in Japan, visit his July 2010 Writers Conference, held this year laptops to the hands-on event. Some blog post “Sketches from Japan”: at Nihon University College of Art in ϐ ǡ http://jedart.blogspot.com Ekoda, Tokyo. The conference focus others were complete newbies. was broad, and the two-day program ϐ Creative ExchanGe and included concurrent sessions on writing art starting with his undergraduate PlanninG MeetinG for all reading levels, genres and studies in computer animation at September 10, 2010 purposes. Presentations of particular Brigham Young University, which interest to children’s book writers led to an interest in illustration. He A brief planning meeting was held included Suzanne Kamata’s “Marketing took classes in the craft of writing before the September Friday evening for Beginners”; John Paul Catton’s and illustrating children’s books, creative exchange. The exchange, “Rush Hour of the Gods” about using studying color and composition and held in English and Japanese, drew ϐ Ǣ learning how to paint in oils, but he has a crowd of picture book writers Thompson’s “Of Power and Emotions: ended up working almost exclusively and illustrators, as well as writers Writing Fiction for Young Adults”; Margi in digital media. He has illustrated of middle grade and YA fiction. Preus’s “Telling the True Story”; David books for Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Participants divided into two groups, Chester’s “How to Write a Screenplay HarperCollins, and many educational and the picture book discussion You Can Sell”; and Arthur Binard’s publishers. He mentioned digital developed in Japanese while “Home Improvements, or Being Better illustrators he admires, such as James discussions on longer works of fiction To Be As Good—Translating Picture Jean, Jon Foster and Craig Mullins. developed in English. Many different Books and Poems.” SCBWI Tokyo types of picture book projects were has played an active role in the Japan Henry scans illustrations he has done presented in all stages of completion, Writers Conference for the past two by hand into the computer, but he from sketch to polished dummy. The years, holding our October events at the also draws on the computer using an fiction writing exchange focused on conference. We look forward to hearing Ǥ ϐ openings of novels. more about the plans for the 2011 JWC. The SCBWI Tokyo website is GettinG a facelift! Visit in upcominG weeks and look for updated Gallery, Books, and Speaker Directory sections as well as a new Translator Directory. www.scbwi.jp Carp Tales Winter 2011 2 Advice from a LeGendary Editor: “eat humble pie” a week after rejecting Illustrators from the Illustrators How Ursula Nordstrom Made Harold and the Purple Crayon—by Exhibition joined the Creative Exchange Children’s Books That Last writing to author Crockett Johnson and participants for a celebratory meal, telling him that she had reconsidered. ϐ ǡ with Children’s Literature Scholar congratulations, and quite a few kanpais. Leonard Marcus Nordstrom is known for acquiring titles that were considered bold for her November 28, 2010 2010 SCBWI Tokyo times. Marcus gave many examples Illustrators Exhibition SCBWI Tokyo was fortunate to host of the innovative books that she Leonard Marcus, a distinguished edited and the stories surrounding December 7–12, 2010 children’s literature scholar who teaches, Ǥ ϐ writes books and contributes articles picture her letters have left and and critiques to publications including presented a fascinating look at the the New York Times and the Horn Book, world of children’s publishing and the and serves on selection committees for impression she made on it. Attendees awards such as the Ragazzi Prize and the enjoyed the time with Marcus and National Book Award. agreed afterward that he should come again to present on other aspects of Books by Marcus dominate the lists of children’s literature. required reading for anyone involved in children’s literature. Among them, Creative ExchanGe and Bonenkai Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Illustrators and visitors at the opening of Nordstrom chronicles the growth December 11, 2010 the SCBWI Tokyo Illustrators Exhibition and changes in children’s publishing Picture book writers, author/ Galerie Malle in Ebisu, Tokyo, hosted through collected and edited letters of illustrators, and middle-grade and YA the 2010 SCBWI Tokyo Illustrators ϐǤ ϐ ϐ Exhibition from December 7 to creative exchange of the year. Creators December 12. The nine SCBWI member In a slide presentation, Marcus of longer works focused on effective illustrators who showed their works presented clues about Nordstrom beginnings, sharing a wonderful range were Naomi Kojima, Kiyo Tanaka, starting with the dramatic cover art ϐ Sonya de Boer, Izumi Tanaka, Midori of the American edition of Dear Genius, ϐ ǡǡ Mori, Daniel Schallau, Patrick Gannon, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. He verse. Picture books presented ranged Michael Kloran and Yoko Yoshizawa. ϐ in genre from fantasy to Japan-set Each illustrator exhibited two to six ϐ ǡǡ realism. Though participants’ styles pieces of artwork created for children’s her relationship with Sendak and other and approaches were extremely varied, books. Works were unique in style, authors and illustrators. Despite her everyone dove enthusiastically into theme and medium. Art submissions sense of humor, Marcus said she was not the group critiques and offered helpful, were judged by gallery owner Shizuko ϐ astute and supportive feedback. Kikawa and children’s book author/ with; she was a formidable advocate Participants look forward to further illustrator John Shelley. for children, for the people with whom development of all of the works shared. she worked, and for the projects she Held just before the holiday season, wanted to publish. She understood The year-end bonenkai party was the exhibition attracted many visitors children and artists as outsiders and held in Shibuya at LOHB restaurant, including editors from publishers chose projects that gave them a voice. overlooking the amassing Saturday of children’s books.