Bethesda Magazine Excerpts from Susi Wyss' New Novel in Stories

The May-June 2011 issue of Bethesda Magazine includes a short story, "Names," which is excerpted from GBF featured author Susi Wyss' new book, "The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories."

Read the story.

An Interview with Paula McLain, Author of "The Paris Wife"

Random House has posted two videos that feature GBF featured presenter Paula McLain, author of "The Paris Wife."

Watch the videos.

The site also includes a great piece by Paula about "Fact vs. Fiction" in her book and some Hemingway trivia.

GBF Author Q&A with... Brian Meehl

Author: Brian Meehl
Book: Out of Patience, Suck It Up, and You Don't Know About Me

Brian's website.

Where do you find inspiration?
I am a news junky and avid reader of history and non-fiction. My inspiration for fiction comes from a collision between the reality of my personal experience and the reality of the world (present and pas) at large. This collision sometimes provides the spark of imagination that leads to a story I want to explore, write, and share with readers.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Read, read, read, write, write, write. Both reading and writing is a process of discovery. You can’t discover the stories you want to tell without doing a lot of both.

What's your favorite opening line from a book?
“You don’t know about me, without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter.” -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

In fact, the first five words of that sentence are the title of my latest book: "You Don’t Know About Me."

What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
I think the book that may have influenced me the most was "Moby Dick" which I read in 11th grade English. I loved how the book jumps back and forth from the narrative of a man chasing a whale to chapters on the art and science of whaling. From my many years in children’s educational television, where a story had to be combined with curriculum, to my present weaving of history and science into my stories, I think I imprinted on that dance between fiction and non-fiction.

If you could sit down at dinner with three other authors, living or dead, which three authors would you choose and why?
Herman Melville, Mark Twain, and Emile Zola.

I’d love to hear Melville expound on his writing process. With Twain, I’d want to tickle his funny bone with historical and current events since he died in 1910 and watch him hold forth. From Zola, I’d want to pick his brain all about Paris in the 1890s for research on my next book.

Short Story Contest: Honorable Mention #2

Read about the contest.

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The Box by Jackie Rose Lenta
Urbana High School - Frederick County, Maryland

“Don’t open the box,” my father always told me. He was a wise man and I was pretty sure I was his favorite child because I never disobeyed him, but this time I felt too tempted. “This must be the way Connor feels every day,” I thought, staring at the mysterious box. Connor was my little brother. At the age of five, he was already a mastermind at getting under my parent’s skin, as well as mine. Every day was a new adventure. “Which walls should I color on? Which messy meal should I throw at mommy? Which one of my sister’s favorite shirts should I cut?” These were probably the first questions he asked himself when he woke up in the morning. This time, I was the one with the question. “Should I open it?”

Read the full story.

Featured Author Zogby Quoted in USA Today Article about bin Laden's Death

Featured author James Zogby ("Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us, and Why It Matters") was quoted in a piece in today's USA Today about the raid in Pakistan that resulted in Osama bin Laden's death.

In his reflection on the raid and death, Zogby says, "It's not going to mean the end of the movement because there are still those feeding off the anger. They will take up arms. This movement has grown beyond this man. "

Read the full piece.

Christian Science Monitor Calls "Traveling Light" by featured poet Linda Pastan "a joy to read"

The Christian Science Monitor included GBF featured poet Linda Pastan in a recent round-up of "top picks."

The review called her book, "Traveling Light," "a joy to read" and a book that "shows that poetry can be meaningful, satisfying, lovely – and leave people feeling whole."

Read the full review.

Short Story Contest: Honorable Mention #1

Read about the contest.

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Matches by Megan Haaga
Richard Montgomery High School - Montgomery County, Maryland

“When I left my parents’ house for good, I took five things with me.”

“Oh? And when was this?” The therapist holds pen over notepad, poised.

The patient shrugs delicately. “Oh, you know. Three months ago, maybe, or five.” She looks down at her shoes.

“Five. Only five things.”

Read the full story.

Featured Author Brad Parks Reviews a Book for the New York Post

GBF featured author Brad Parks ("Eyes of the Innocent") reviewed "You Are What You Speak: Grammar Grouches, Language Laws, and the Politics of Identity" by by Robert Lane Greene for the New York Post, calling Greene's book, "a fascinating look at the world’s languages and how we use them.

Read the full review.

GBF Author Q&A with... Rachel Machacek

Name: Rachel Machacek
Book: The Science of Single: One Woman's Grand Experiment in Modern Dating, Creating Chemistry, and Finding Love

Rachel's Website

Where do you find inspiration?
My life, people waiting for public transportation, nature, old battered ladies in colorful muu muus, my co-worker who starts sentences with things like "Back when God was a baby..." and "Mumma always said..."

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
As Yoda said, Do, or do not. There is no try. So, write. Write a lot. (For free if you have to in order to get started.) Read. Read a lot. Stop worrying about the how other people write and how organized their process is compared to yours. Be consistent. Be honest and willing to throw your heart on the plate for people to feast on. Get a cat or a dog. It's nice to have something soft to pet when you want to stab your eyeballs out from staring at a blank screen or when you've written so deep into the heart of the matter you're bawling your eyes out.

What are you reading now?
Ya know, I used to be a one book at a time kinda girl. Not anymore. I'm mostly done with Steve Almond's "This Won't Take But a Minute Honey" (required reading for writers by the way), "The History of Love," a deep backlog of New Yorkers and I just picked up "My Antonia" again after many, many moons.

What's your favorite opening line?
Of all the unfair questions. How about: "The Swede." American Pastoral.

What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
Besides "Superfudge," which I read 15 times when I was eight years old? "Jitterbug Perfume" has had a strange reaching affect on my life. Because of this book, which I read back in college, I've been trying to like beets. (The beet is a central character in the book - perhaps even the hero.) It's been about 17 years. I'm just about there.

If you could sit down at dinner with 3 other authors living or dead, which three?
I have four. Sorry.

• Jack Keroac so we could discuss the way he used "first thought, best thought" in writing.
• Anne Lamott so maybe a smidgen of her magic would rub off on me. (And to thank her because "Bird By Bird" was the only thing getting me through writing my book at times.)
• Haruki Murakami so he could teach me something about writing so my readers can feel every nook of their hearts.
• Steve Almond because he's new to me (thanks to Eleanor Brown) and I have an enormous writing crush on him.

O Magazine Includes "The Civilized World" on "Books Mom Will Love" List

"The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories" by GBF featured author Susi Wyss made O Magazine's list of "Books Mom Will Love." See the list.

O Magazine Includes "The Paris Wife" on "Books Mom Will Love" List

"The Paris Wife" by GBF featured author Paula McLean made O Magazine's list of "Books Mom Will Love." See the list.

Another Good Review for GBF Featured Author Tom Shroder

GBF featured presenter Tom Shroder, co-author of "Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster," can yet another good review for his book to his list of accolades.

A reviewer in the Cleveland Plain Dealer praises Shroder and his co-author for how they "fill in the features of the frail and sometimes heroic human players in the disaster." He also praises Shroder and John Konrad for how they "build their story well."

Read the full review.

Featured Author Mary Downing Hahn Wins Maud Hart Lovelace Award

GBF featured author Mary Downing Hahn won this year's Maud Hart Lovelace award for her children's book, "Deep and Dark and Dangerous." The Lovelace award, which Hahn has won twice before, is presented by the Minnesota Youth Reading Association, a group of librarians and teachers.

Read the (short) blog post about the award.

Read a Q&A with Hahn.

Short Story Contest: Finalist #12

Read about the contest.

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Tiny Red Donut by Augustina Rius
Richard Montgomery High School - Montgomery County, Maryland

When I left my parents’ house for good, I took five things with me… I took my binoculars, my bug kit, my backpack, my lucky pebble and some water. I get thirsty quickly in summer! As I left the house, I said “Bye Mama! See you never!” and slammed the door shut. The echo followed me down the hall of our apartment complex. I rushed down the mud-tracked stairs, leaving fresh prints to guide my mom - just in case she got worried. It was a beautiful day out, and the sun glimmered on the water puddles along the road.

Read the full story.

A Trailer for "Fire on the Horizon" by GBF featured author Tom Shroder

As GBF featured author Tom Shroder ("Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster") wrote on his Facebook page yesterday: "Even BOOKS must have film trailers now."

So here's the film trailer for Tom's book, featuring Tom's co-author John Konrad.

Go watch it. Get a taste for the book. It will make you want to come see Tom speak. Because as John explains it: "This is a story about people..."

Richmond Times-Dispatch Review of Rita Mae Brown's "Hiss of Death"

Last weekend the Richmond Times-Dispatch reviewed five mysteries, including "Hiss of Death" by Rita Mae Brown.

About Brown's latest, the reviewer says: "Brown... reunites the reader with beloved characters, supplies a wealth of local color and creates a killer whose identity and crimes are shocking (in one case, particularly so)."

Read the full review.

Featured Author Michael White Turns a Customer into a "Real Book Person"

Today's Shelf Awareness newsletter includes a quote from a bookstore owner about how a visit from GBF featured author Michael White ("A Brother's Blood" and "Beautiful Assassin") helped turn an Amazon.com girl into a "real book person."

Go, Michael!

National Poetry Month: Selection #7

Our founder and chairman, The Honorable Jud Ashman from the City of Gaithersburg, helps us mark the end of National Poetry Month with one of his favorite poems:

Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

GBF Author Q&A wtih... Phil Trupp

Name: Phil Trupp
Book: RUTHLESS: How Enraged Investors Reclaimed Their Investments and Beat Wall Street

Phil's website.

Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in real-life situations. I am drawn to the drama of conflict, especially when a worthy cause is at the center of the action.

What advice to you have for aspiring authors?
Write from the heart--or gut--whichever revs you up. Remember that first drafts are unpublishable; all the best writers understand this. Truman Capote said good writing is rewriting, so be willing and able to gin up lots of energy at each stage of composition. Write the truth--even if it's "fiction." Old saying: "Sometimes you have to lie to demonstrate truth." Sounds like a contradiction, but it isn't. Finally, understand your craft. Good writing doesn't just happen; it's the product of 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.

What are you reading right now?
I'm revisiting F. Scott Fitzgerald. Right now I'm rereading "Tender is the Night."

What's your favorite opening line from a book?
"Call me Ishmael." --"Moby Dick" by Herman Melville

What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
I've been inspired by countless books, books read over many decades. More recently, however, Philip Roth's "Everyman" is a fascinating study of aging, loneliness, and longing. It's "fiction," of course, but then it isn't. Anyone past 50 might may learn some important life lessons between the lines.

If you could have dinner with three other authors, living or dead, which authors would you chose, and why?
Maugham, Hemingway and I.B. Singer. Maugham because of his amazing technique as novelist and playwright; Hemingway as stylist-novelist-celeb; Singer for his humor and unaffected elegance. I name these names among hundreds of others I admire, but with Maugham's perfect caveat to your question: "It is best to known the author between the pages of his book."

Short Story Contest: Finalist #11

Read about the contest.

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Playing the Hero by Peter Ramsey
Rockbridge Academy - Anne Arundel County, Maryland

When I left my parents' house for good, I took five things with me: my iPod; the rusting old brass knuckles I'd inherited at age 5; the boomerang I'd acquired in New Zealand; the precious key I was setting out to protect; and the ancient but well-kept samurai sword that had long hung on the wall in the house I no longer called home. My parents, of course, had objected to my leaving, but I had been given the key. I needed to get it to the Arthur Rose building in the next city as fast as I could. For what purpose, I didn't know. But I did know that the world hung in the balance.

Read the full story.

See video from the Crofton Patch of Peter talking about his short story and his love of performing.

Featured Author Brad Parks Writes Review for WIROB

GBF featured author Brad Parks ("Eyes of the Innocent") recently reviewed "The Fifth Witness" by Michael Connelly for the Washington Independent Review of Books, calling Connelly's latest "an engrossing and worthwhile read." Read the full review.

GBF Featured Author Dylan Landis On Why She Reads

From Dylan Landis ("Normal People Don't Live Like This"), On Reading:

"I read to be someone else for a while. I read to commit crimes, get into fights, fall in love, experience grace, survive shame, take insane risks and overcome troubles. I read to die and come back. Always, I read to be a better writer. I read because Song of Solomon is the only way to spend time with Pilate Dead; I've visited her twelve times."

Read Landis' full post.

National Poetry Month: Selection #6

How can we honor National Poetry Month without recognizing some of our favorite, fun children's poets.

Poets like Shel Silverstein

Sick
"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
Keep reading.


Or Jack Prelutsky

As Soon as Fred Gets Out of Bed
As soon as Fred gets out of bed,
his underwear goes on his head.
His mother laughs, "Don't put it there,
a head's no place for underwear!"
Keep reading.


Or Sandra Boynton.

What children's poets do you love?

Parenting.com Interviews Keynote Matt Logelin's Live-In Girlfriend

Parenting.com has a new take on its coverage of GBF keynote Matt Logelin and his new book, "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love."

One of its bloggers talked to Logelin's live-in girlfriend, Brooke Gullikson. In the interview, Brooke shares with the readers details about how she and Matt met, their courtship, and their life together with Maddy. It's a great read!

Featured Author Caroline Leavitt Writes a Review in the NYT

Featured author Caroline Leavitt ("Pictures of You") reviewed Lisa Scottoline's latest legal thriller, "Save Me," in today's New York Times.

Read Leavitt's review.

Paula McLain Ranked #4 on NPR Bestseller List

Congrats to GBF featured author Paula McLain! Her buzz-worthy novel, "The Paris Wife," was ranked #4 of this week's NPR Bestseller list for Hardcover Fiction books. And this is her 8th week on the list!

We can't wait to hear her speak at the festival on May 21.

The Washington Post Reviews Tom Shroder's "Fire on the Horizon"

The Washington Post ran a short review of Tom Shroder and John Konrad's "Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster." (NOTE: Shroder will be at the festival. Konrad will not.)

The review commends the book for how it "covers a remarkable amount of territory with brisk efficiency." It also praises the authors' depiction of everyday life aboard rigs as being "especially fascinating" and say the book deserves "a prominent place in the growing literature on the Gulf oil disaster."

Read the full review.

Good Housekeeping Includes Elizabeth Berg in This Month's Book Picks

Good Housekeeping magazine included "Once Upon a Time, There Was You" by GBF featured author Elizabeth Berg in the May issue's list of Book Picks, calling it "classic Berg: broken-family drama with real--and complicated--problems."

National Poetry Month: Selection #5

Poet Colette Releford will be reading in the GBF Coffeehouse on May 21.

One of our committee members selected her poem, "Never out of my Life," as a favorite for poetry selection #5 as we continue to honor National Poetry Month.

Never out of my Life

Sometimes I hear your voice when I'm alone in the night, and
sometimes I dream that your still with me and everything is the
same.

Then the morning sun come; into my dreams and I have to face
the day, because it’s all in my mind and your still so far away.

You may be gone but you'll never be out of my life. The
memories you gave me are what keeps my heart together, their
makes my life go on.

Read the rest of the poem as part of a sample from Colette's collection, "I Learned to Fly with Broken Wings."

And if you like Colette's poetry, purchase the entire book.

Kennedy's Secret Service Agents Interviewed by Daily Herald

The Daily Herald recently interviewed former Secret Service agents Gerald Blaine and Clint Hill, co-authors of "The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence," as they toured to promote the book. In the article Blaine talks about what motivated him to co-author the book and Hill tells an abbreviated version of the day's events. Read the article.

Challenge to our fans/readers: Blaine and Clint Hill, his co-author, drew 200 people to their signing in Naperville, Illinois. Help us draw an even bigger crowd! Tell people about their upcoming appearance at the festival!

Featured Author Meg Waite Clayton's Beautiful Tribute to Her Mother

In honor of Mother's Day, which is fast approaching, we thought we'd share a recent blog post from novelist Meg Waite Clayton ("The Four Ms. Bradwells" and "The Wednesday Sisters"), which is a touching letter thanking her mother for teaching Meg to be the woman she is today.

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Dear Mom,

Motherhood. It’s a pretty incredible thing, isn’t it? Who’d ever have guessed how many of us would gladly wipe messy bottoms and be thankful for the task. I’m in my own twenty-second year of motherhood, and yes, it’s taken me just about this long to appreciate what you did for me, Mom. So thank you. For everything.

Keep reading.

Short Story Contest: Finalist #10

Read about the contest.

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Untitled by Maria-Lynn Okanlawon
Richard Montgomery High School, Montgomery Maryland

“Don’t open the box,” my father always told me, whenever I even looked at the red paisley chest that rested in the cache he claims is our safe place only to be used in times of distress.

“Dad, considering it’s only me and you don’t you think I too should know what’s in the box in case of ‘distress’?” Chaya challenged.

“No.” Leo said bluntly.

Read the full story.

GBF Keynote Makes NYT Bestseller List

Our GBF keynote, Matt Logelin, author of "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love," is now officially a New York Times bestselling author. He made both the print (#24) and eBook (#11) lists for May 1.

Congrats, Matt!

(Oh, and if you're interested in getting a feel for Matt, he'll be on BlogTalkRadio tonight at 6 p.m. along with his editor and publicist. Find out more.)

A Q&A with Matt Logelin

The Star Tribune published a great Q&A with GBF keynote Matt Logelin, author of "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love." In the interview Matt talks about losing Liz, raising a baby on his own, writing his memoir, and finding love again.

Read the interview.

Reviewer Praises "Fire on the Horizon" as Being One of the Best Books about the Gulf Oil Spill

The Chicago Tribune recently ran a review of "Fire on the Horizon: the Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster," co-authored by featured presenter Tom Shroder, that was originally published by the Los Angeles Times.

The reviewer not only included "Fire on the Horizon" in this round-up of books about the Gulf oil spill disaster, but said Shroder's book (along with two others) stands above the others on this topic.

The reviewer singled out "Fire on the Horizon" for being the "most cinematic of the lot. Artfully and compellingly told, the book marries a John McPhee feel for the technology to a Jon Krakauer sense of an adventure turned tragic."

Read the full review.

National Poetry Month: Selection #4

The poem below was read at a colleague's friend's wedding. It's a beautiful sentiment for the start of any marriage.

I Like You (by Sandol Stoddard Warburg)

I like you and I know why.
I like you because you are a good person to like.
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special
And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, "Remember when you told me something special?"
And both of us remember

Keep reading.

GBF Author Q&A with... Mary Amato

Name: Mary Amato
Books: Edgar Allen's Official Crime Investigation Notebook, Invisible Lines, Chicken of the Family, Please Write In This Book, The Naked Mole-Rat Letters, The Word Eater, and The Riot Brothers series

Mary's Website

Where do you find inspiration?
People inspire me. I believe that fiction writers are like spies... we're constantly on the lookout for interesting characters.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Many people can write a beautiful sentence, but that isn't all that writing fiction is about. Writing fiction is about getting into a character's mind and really seeing the world through those eyes. I encourage writers to spend time imagining that they are their characters and to write from that unique place.

What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
When I was about ten years old, I read "Harriet the Spy" by Louise Fitzhugh and it changed my life. Harriet was this quirky kid who spied on people and wrote down truths in her notebook. I wanted to be a writer at the time, but I didn't know any writers and didn't think it was possible. That character gave me permission to write.

Short Story Contest: Finalist #9

Read about the contest.

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The Time Capsule by Jessica Migler
Richard Montgomery High School - Montgomery County, Maryland

“Don’t open the box,” my father always told me as we were arranging Christmas presents under the tree. I heard that warning on a yearly basis, like clockwork: December 24th at approximately 11:30 PM, after the little ones and my mother were asleep. There was always at least one “little one.” My mom’s seemingly perpetual pregnant belly was walking proof that my parents couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Menopause was a period of mourning, the end of an era. And I was blessed with seven beautiful siblings. My childhood was a marathon of tears, laughter, screams, anger, snot, and broken toys. Growing up in that household did wonders for my noise tolerance, my ability to multi-task, even my pain tolerance. Being the oldest, I was forced to grow up faster than the rest of my siblings. And in true father -daughter tradition, every year I helped my dad arrange the presents under the tree while my siblings dreamed of the magic of Santa Claus.

Read the full story.

Featured Author Eleanor Brown on the Overlap Between Fiction and Real Life

When Eleanor Brown, author of "The Weird Sisters," is asked whether her new novel is autobiographical, her answer typically is: “More than I intended, and less than you think.”

Read more about Brown's thoughts on the subject of why readers always think fiction is autobiography and whether that's the case for her. (And explore this really cool group blog for debut authors, which is now in its fifth season.)

Examiner Columnist Calls "The Four Ms. Bradwells" a Must Read

Examiner columnist Bonnie Jean Adams called "The Four Ms. Bradwells" by Meg Waite Clayton a "must read," citing Clayton's extraordinary characters who "become friends you want to know."

Read the full, glowing review.

Clayton's book also recently received a glowing review from the PeetSwea: Book Review blog.

Washington Post Gives Glowing Review to "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain

The Washington Post sided with the book-buying public over The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times today when it gave a rave review to "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain, calling it "a richer and more provocative book than many reviewers have acknowledged."

The reviewer goes on to say that the book is "an imaginative homage to Hadley Richardson Hemingway" and describe it as a "fictional but scrupulously true-to-life narration."

Read the full review.

National Poetry Month: Selection #3

A favorite of many committee members is "THE OTHER MAN IS ALWAYS FRENCH" by GBF featured author Richard Peabody. This is a poem that made the rounds through many of our inboxes! Definitely hit the link and keep reading.

THE OTHER MAN IS ALWAYS FRENCH

The other woman can be
a blonde or a redhead
but the other man
is always French.

He dresses better
than I ever will.

Read on.

Featured Author's Co-Author Talks about Gulf Oil Disaster

GBF featured author Tom Shroder is the co-author, with John Konrad of "Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster."

Konrad, who is a veteran oil rig captain, was interviewed yesterday on Weekend Edition Sunday about their book, which recounts in vivid detail the life of the rig itself and reveals the day-to-day lives, struggles and ambitions of those who called it home.

Listen to -- or read -- the interview.

Two Q&As with Douglas Waller, author of "Wild Bill Donovan"

The Washington Independent Review of Books recently ran a Q&A with GBF featured author Douglas Waller ("Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage").

Find out more about Waller and about his novel, which is "a fascinating biography of the colorful man who formed the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II and laid the foundations for the modern CIA." Read the WIRB interview.

Read our short Q&A with Waller, which explores Waller's experiences as a writer, what he's reading right now, and the authors he thinks would make the best dinner companions.

A Washington Post Q&A with Youth Adult Author Wendy Wan-Long Shang

The Washington Post's KidsPost page recently interviewed featured author Wendy Wan-Long Shang about her new book, "The Great Wall of Lucy Wu."

In the interview, Wan-Long Shang talks about getting into the mind of a tween (hint: she can hear her 11-year-old self in her head!), writing her first novel (which she did while being a stay-at-home mom... we're not quite sure how she did it... except for the fact that obviously she's a superwoman!) and what kids who want to be writers should do.

We can't wait to hear her speak at the festival on May 21!

Read the Washington Post interview.

National Poetry Month: Selection #2

In 1929, E.B. White, perhaps best known for "Charlotte's Web," sent his new wife a poem he had written.

"Natural History"

The spider, dropping down from twig,
Unwinds a thread of his devising;
A thin, premeditated rig
To use in rising.

To read the rest of this poem, go to NPR's website and scroll to the bottom of the page.

"The Weird Sisters" Deemed a "heart-warming read" by St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a review of "The Weird Sisters" in which the reviewer described the book as a story that "revolves around relatives with a tendency to quote Shakespeare with delightful results." The reviewer also praises Brown's " keen eye for family and relationship dynamics."

Read the full review.

Whiz Kid -- and Short Story Finalist -- Alice Chang

Alice Chang is a junior at Wootton High School in Montgomery County, Maryland. She's an aspiring businessperson. She's also an incredible writer... proven by her selection as one of 12 finalists (out of more than 100 entries) in the festival's first annual short story contest for high school students.

"I wanted my story to take my readers on an exhilarating journey of raw emotion..." she told the North Potomac-Darnestown Patch in a recent interview.

Read the full Whiz Kid feature on Chang.

Read Chang's short story.

Short Story Contest: Finalist #8

Read about the contest.

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The Virtual World by Alice-Yanhong Lu
Thomas S. Wootton High School - Montgomery County, Maryland

“Don’t open the box,” my father always told me.

“Why not?” I’d always say. It was more of a challenge than a question – his answer was always the same.

“Because I’m a mad scientist and mad scientists create scary things,” he said seriously. “You don’t know what kinds of monsters I could be keeping inside.”

Read the full story.

Keynote Matt Logelin Writes a Guest Column for Huffington Post

GBF keynote Matt Logelin ("Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love") tells us more about his experience and his book in his own words on the Huffington Post. Read his thoughtful and insightful piece.

If you're interested in Matt's book, we'll be giving away two copies in the next few weeks. Sign up for our e-newsletter to find out how you can win.

Read our Q&A with Matt.