Podcast appearances and mentions of lizzie bright

In Rewrite Radio Episode #32, Gary Schmidt discusses the ethical implications of using memories in fiction at the 2006 Festival of Faith & Writing. Gary Schmidt’s novels, though set as far back as 1730, often include moments and scenes from his own past and experience. So how does the writer for middle-grade and young-adult readers adapt his or her past to a narrative set in a different time period and to readers who are unfamiliar with both the author and the historical past? And what ethical implications do such uses carry, particularly when they involve issues of faith and meaning? Gary D. Schmidt is the prolific author of books for children and young adults as well as grown-up readers. With a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he is also a professor of English at Calvin College, where he currently co-chairs the department. He received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and a Newbery Honor for The Wednesday Wars, which was also nominated for a National Book Award. Of his many titles, some others include Anson's Way, The Sin Eater, Straw into Gold, Trouble, Orbiting Jupiter, and Okay for Now. In 2017, he contributed to the Star Wars anthology From A Certain Point of View: Star Wars. His latest book is So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom. Gary lives on a 150-year-old farm in Alto, Michigan, where he splits wood, plants gardens, writes, and feeds the wild cats that drop by. Rewrite Radio is a production of the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing, located on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. Theme music is June 11th by Andrew Starr. Additional sound design by Alejandra Crevier. You can find more information about the Center and its signature event, the Festival of Faith and Writing, online at ccfw.calvin.edu and festival.calvin.edu and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Today’s episode of Rewrite Radio features Katherine Paterson at the 2004 Festival of Faith & Writing. In this talk she discusses how and why she finds meaning in the midst of life’s chaos, the comforts and challenges of art, and also the vital importance of teachers. Katherine Paterson is the author of more than 30 books, including 16 novels for children and young people. She’s won countless awards including the Newbery Medal for both Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved and National Book Awards for The Great Gilly Hopkins and The Master Puppeteer. For her body of work she received the Hans Christian Andersen Award and in 2000 was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. To help introduce this recording we snagged Gary Schmidt, an English professor here at Calvin College and our own resident award-winning author. He’s twice received a Newbery Honor, for both The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. All told, he’s written more than 15 books for children and young adults including Okay for Now a finalist for the National Book Award and In God's Hands, a picture book he co-authored with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, that was a runner-up for a National Jewish Book Award. His most recent project is a short story told from the perspective of Yoda in the anthology Star Wars from a certain point of view.

This is a very special episode of BiblioFiles. From Anson's Way and Straw Into Gold to the more recent Orbiting Jupiter, the works of Newberry Award-winner Gary D. Schmidt have had a profound influence on the family culture and experience of the Andrews for quite some time. To speak with Mr. Schmidt was a dream come true, and an honor and privilege of the highest measure. We are as pleased as can be to share this conversation with you, and we know that you will find this wonderful man just as thoughtful and moving as his art.Referenced Materials:– Gary Schmidt's Official Website: http://www.hmhbooks.com/schmidt– Anson’s Way, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, Orbiting Jupiter, and Straw Into Gold by Gary D. Schmidt– The Giver by Lois Lowry–Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo– The work of Laurie Halse Anderson –The Road by Cormac McCarthy–Moby Dick by Herman Melville–Heart in the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers–A Man for a Seasons by Robert Bolt–The work Stephen R. Donaldson–Tower of Babel by Ted Chiang–Shadowlands by William Nicholson–The Problem of Pain and The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis–Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing adam@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.  

Author Gary Schmidt appears at the 2011 National Book Festival. Speaker Biography: Gary Schmidt still uses a 1953 Royal typewriter for all of his writing. He is a two-time winner of the Newbery Honor Award, for "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" and "The Wednesday Wars." Schmidt is also a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. In his new book, "Okay for Now" (Clarion), Schmidt continues the story of Doug Swieteck from "Wednesday Wars," which he has called "a comedy about serious things." He says of the new book, "It's not as ha-ha funny." For transcript, captions, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5269.

Schmidt, Gary. LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY