Today I attended the Celebration of Teaching and Learning in New York City. It was an all day event in which educators from all over came to share their love of what they do... and get free stuff.

One of the highlights of the day (and there were many) was getting to hear Frank McCourt speak about what it means to be a teacher and writer. Long before Mr. McCourt won his Pulitzer Prize for his novel Angela's Ashes, he was an English and Writing teacher in New York Public schools for over 25 years!

McCourt was born in Brooklyn and his family moved to Ireland when he was very young. There, he endured grim poverty, witnessed horrific illnesses, and suffered an alcoholic father. One of the reasons McCourt is such a respected writer is that he illustrates who he is and where he comes from with such shameless honesty and humourous bravado that, in reading him, you feel as if you are walking alongside him through his life.

When he returned to New York from Ireland at the age of 19, McCourt set out to become a Writing teacher. After a few bumpy years of rooting out the teacher he so wanted to be, McCourt began to light his students' creative spark by asking them to pen the pages of themselves. "I tried to show my students the significance of their own lives which they sometimes thought insignificant," McCourt once said. "I hoped they'd realize the value of their own lives, that they were good enough to write about. So they took the plunge and they wrote and some were willing to read to the class and I think they were glad they did."

That is what makes an effective writer of non-fiction, my friends. When writing about your life, hold nothing back. Be unafraid to delve into the deepest sections of your heart--so deep that even you have yet to find them. You can discover the most wonderous things about who you are, once were, and who you aim to be, just by writing. And it can be as secret or public as you like. You can write your innermost fears and desires in your journal and lock it away under your bed... or write what makes you happy and share it with all your friends and family... or write what makes you different from the rest of the world and submit it to a popular magazine--perhaps one that has a blog (wink wink :).

However much you care to disclose is completely up to you. Just remember to never be ashamed for who you are and never ever lie about yourself when you are attempting to get at the real you in your words. You're in there. Don't deny it. Write it.

You can purchase and/or read an excerpt of Frank McCourt's new book Teacher Man here.

Short story by Michael Schonhoff, Grade 8

He carried a single, small bag with him, for that was all that he owned. He was wearing old cloth pants with holes at the knees. His shoes looked like they had been used for target practice, with holes almost everywhere. Through these holes his dirty, calloused feet were showing.  His shirt was much too big for his skinny body. It went down to his lower hip and bunched up everywhere. He had found the shirt in a rich man's trash; it was all white with a dark, brown coffee stain running down the middle. The white shirt made a deep contrast to his dark skin. His face was thin and narrow. His sharp eyes caught every movement, for he had needed them to when he was a beggar. He had curly, black hair that was not much longer than his finger length.

He did not know what he was going to do once he got there. He did not even know if they were going to let him in. He did not know how they were going to test him.  He only knew that he was headed for a better place--America. He had often heard stories about America as a little boy. As he had sat in the town center of the small village, he had heard someone talking about a county where money was infinite and everyone was happy. As a little boy, he had believed them. He had marveled at the thoughts of splendid food, nice clothes, and money. He had been a beggar then, as a little boy. People looked at his skinny, raggedly-clothed body, and they felt sorry for him. But in a country as poor as his, he rarely received any handouts. One time, he had received a whole Naira though, one time, long ago. 

But now he was on the boat. The boat--it was a horrid, cramped place. The decks were packed to the fullest with people like him, people looking for a better life.  He did not know anyone on the boat. He did not even see any other people who were Nigerian.

Hey, it's Spring!

Write something.

Word.

Going to college in a big city like Los Angeles, not only am I lucky to be surrounded by a variety of people and experiences to write about, but there are also unbelievable cultural and artistic venues right down the street.  I recently had the thrilling opportunity to see Billy Crystal's Broadway show "700 Sundays," which is now playing in L.A. at the Wilshire Theater.  Crystal is one of my favorite actors -- I fell in love with him the first time I saw the movie "When Harry Met Sally"  -- and I was blown away by his charisma and talent as an actor.  What impressed me even more, however, was the way he wrote the dramatic autobiographical script, weaving real-life events from his childhood together to create a poignant, funny, touching 2-hour play. 

Whether you enjoy writing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or plays, I think all writers can learn from Crystal's example of the emotional power of bringing real experiences into your writing.  Even though "700 Sundays" took place in New York in the 1950s -- a time and place distinctly different from my childhood in California at the turn of the millenium -- I felt so in touch with the play's characters and their plights.  Why?  Because Crystal wrote his script from the heart.  When I write fiction, I try to do the same thing, and draw on my own feelings and experiences when writing experiences of the characters.  I think this emotional awareness in turn resonates with the reader -- and, like Crystal's play has stayed in my mind, your work will stick with your audience as well.  In the writing world, that's what I call a standing ovation! :)     

Calling all teenage girl writers, between 13 and 17. Here's a great opportunity to get published.

A magazine editor Amy Goldwasser is putting together a book of essays by teen girls. Here's a snippet from her call for submissions:

I want to work with the girls, editor at their service, with more attention than I’d give any overrated old professional writer. I want to put their essays out there because they’re great reads and need a proper place in literature, not because they’re some misguided grownup idea of what kids today are up to, keeping it real. This is a chance for them, as writers, to speak to a broader audience and with more staying power and legitimacy than the web allows.  ... So if you know any girls, age 13-18, who’d like to submit a piece of personal non-fiction for consideration, please pass this invitation onto them. ...

Amy is looking for absolutely any subject matter and the essay "may already exist (from a school assignment, from a blog, e-mail to a friend, anything) or be an original work." More details.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 7 and all correspondence should be sent to to amyg@earthlink.net with “my essay” as the subject.

Good luck!