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Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Illustrator Shout Out: Krissy Whiski

The FABULOUS surreal Bohemian artist Krissy Whiski is going to collaborate with me on a children's book I wrote the text for in October. I will share that story with you later. But today, I want to plug the artist who is bound and determine to make me cry, balter, and laugh all at the same time.

So this is some of my favorite Whiski art, and I hope you will love it, share it, and support her. Buy some art she's already created so she has room for more art and money for more canvas and paint!!



This one is StarChild. The version I prefer has puzzle pieces painted into the corner, which reminds me of Josephine Wall. I told Krissy I want this print as a puzzle. 

This is Sherbert Unicorn. I love how the ice cream cone makes the horn. It's so effortless.

 I love the ice cream cone babies. I have the limited edition stickers on my fridge (and you don't). But you can get the chocolate ice cream baby on a Tshirt. I love baby TRex, and will probably buy it when it is wearable. Krissy understands inclusivity, and carries sizes up to 3XL!

And I know a lot of people love David Bowie, but the way Krissy captures him is just fantastic.
To my knowledge, these aren't for sale yet, but they will be. 

Whisky also made a special commission "Angry Birds" for me. If I haven't already shared it, I will in another post. You can't buy it -- it belongs to me!  So no use making you all jealous.

OK. That's it!!  That's my plug!!

Friday, November 24, 2017

Hello Turkey Trot Participants!!!

If you participated in the annual Turkey Trot, then you are so much braver, more resilient, more energetic (etc) than me. 

I saw you on Facebook and your energy wore me out. 

But I am so proud of you for doing something that you enjoyed.

Event organizers said there would be 5,000 of you out there on Thanksgiving day. I said "NAH."

I was wrong. I really think there were 5,000 of you out there!!

In 1,000 of the participant treat bags, there was information about my classes and workshops on a small full color flyer (1/3 a full size sheet of printer paper). 

Which means 4,000 of you did not get that flyer. 

And, as sometimes happens, some information on that flyer is missing or out of date. In our digital age, some things DO change fast!!

So let me just say -- YES!!  I help young people (and age is relative) to write their own books, publish them, and even sell them on Amazon.

What I do is more about teaching students to finish what they start, to see things through, to create goals and achieve them, and to have something to show for all that hard work. I am not the judge or gatekeeper of creative vision (there are a few things that fall under the "bullying/abuse" category that I won't help get published. If at all possible, I will steer authors in a better creative direction).  Instead, I remove the magic curtain and show how it gets done.

Also you may have heard that I sometimes use writing classes to teach and promote literacy. All true!!  Students know the story they want to tell, and recognize their own words and speech patterns in print. This allows them to pick up reading skills faster than reading something that doesn't interest them. So don't think that struggles with reading would prevent your child from being successful. I'm not about selling your young person short!

One of the ways I keep my classes affordable is by borrowing space whenever possible. So I like to cluster a group of students around a specific day and time, and then find a venue that will accommodate us. So maybe you're in Lancaster or Hanover and want a class there instead of York? Or you have a group of Girl Scouts that meets on Wednesday nights? Let me know and I will do my best to accommodate you!

I prefer to teach each class one day a week for four to six weeks rather than cram years of effort and research into a single class or a single week. Think about it -- would you expect your child to master a piano concerto or a roundoff back handspring in a day? But writers are often at different stages. Some know how to craft a story and are only interested in technical stuff. Others only write for themselves and have no interest in sharing their work with the world. So I offer both experiences whenever possible.

Whether or not one of my flyers was in your bag, stay up-to-date on the latest class information by LIKING the Creative Writing and Publishing Workshop Page on Facebook. To find out about specific classes, send me a Private Message or email me. You can even PM/email your name and number and I will call you on the phone to talk about what you want or need and how I can help. If cost is a problem, let me know that, too. I have a few very generous anonymous donors who will sponsor a young person's creative outlet. 

If you are interested in sponsoring a student now or in the future, please reach out to me as well. Authors who came to my public school when I was a child inspired me to write and inspire others. I want that legacy to carry on!!

Schedule your child for a month of creative writing (8 hours, 4 sessions, 2 hours per session)!  
$75

Or take it one class at a time. 90 minute classes are $20 each, and include all supplies.  


Monday, November 13, 2017

True Economic Reform Comes From ... Wait for it...

Political Post -- sort of.

I saw the GOP tax plan. I've been seeing it. It's terrible for the economy. Vote them out. Flip the House (and Senate). Past damn time!!
In the meantime, we need to gather enough people of means who haven't lost compassion and good common sense to pay fair wages to all in their employ and to pressure those around them to do the same.
If every person making it big in the entertainment industry insisted on paying top dollar for every stitch of clothing they wore, every hotel they stayed at, every meal they ate, every bodyguard that protected them, every engineer that gave them great light and sound (etc), how many more people could afford $200 show tickets on a monthly basis?
When we put pressure on WalMart (and I know the work there is not done), Target and other retailers followed suit (or pointed out that they were ahead of the game) in employee treatment. The more we can extend this conversation to anyone getting rich on the backs of others, the less we have to worry about poor people being further crippled by those in power, the more leverage people down the ladder have to walk out on unfair working conditions, and overall the better for our economy.



Phyl Campbell is the author of I'm Not Writing a Book Today, the so-called procrastination guide for writers and other dreamers, and a number of other books in various genres (available on Amazon). Books she has published for young authors can be found on her website. They are also available on Amazon under their own authors and titles. Campbell lives and teaches in York County, PA.