Message
In a writing workshop I once took, the literary novelist Ethan Canin told us that reading is "about connecting with a sensibility." This resonated with me as a writer because I know that when something I read compels me, it's because I feel like I'm connecting to a certain world view in a piece of writing, a specific take on a timeless theme, a fresh, original voice. A teacher I had in college used to like to say "there are no new plots, just new characters" - and I'd like to take that one step further. New sensibilities. Lucky for all of us writers - each of our sensibilities is truly individual. No one else in the wide world sees the way we see - through our unique experience, through our distinctive eyes.
And that's the heart of point of view.
Not just who's telling the story or how it's being told but the entire world view that an author translates through a piece of writing to a reader.
Different readers connect to different point of views, to different sensibilities. It's why I can read something and think "Wow, this engages me. I'm hooked." And the guy sitting next to me in the café can tell me he couldn't get through it. It's two sensibilities connecting - or not.
So that's why I think Point of View is essential as a writer and a reader.
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 Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
In this lovely and atmospheric novel, Kirby tells the story of Anna, a beach girl with a lifeguard dad who lost her mother to drowning when she was a child. The novel opens with a return to where they once lived - the beach where she lost her mom - and in this sweet love story, Anna begins to uncover the truth about her mom's death. There were a couple of main things I loved about this novel. First, the love story was very subtle and extended out beyond just the teenage romantic interest. This was very much a story about how love changes shape depending on the relationship. Her dad's love, her mom's love - and simply the love of place, this ocean that helped raise her - all matter in the long run in a deeply hopeful way. Second, I loved the beach world Kirby created as the backdrop for this novel. The mermaid imagery, the deep "blue" and changing shape of that wild ocean, and the people who live on this edge of the world all became an integral part of the novel's feel - it was a water novel, always shifting on me, but also making me feel like I was floating while reading. Several of my students have now read this too and they felt like I did - that this was a beautiful novel about a girl learning how place and history can inform her future.
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 Writing Exercise
One of the central symbols Kirby uses throughout the novel is a single piece of red sea glass that Anna wears around her neck. She and her mom used to take moonlight walks together and they called the glass they found at night Moonglass. This piece of glass becomes an emotional symbol throughout the novel and a key piece to an important scene at the end. For your writing exercise, create a short piece of writing that centers around an object one might find in nature - a shell, a rock, a leaf - and give it emotional weight.
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 Outside Reading School Project
The myth of the mermaid is an important thread in the novel Moonglass. First, write a paragraph where you explore why the mermaid myth is so essential to understanding the character of Anna's mother. Next, choose a mythical creature that interests you and write up a short discussion of this creature. What drew you to this creature? Explain and also include a picture of your creature.
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 Instructions for a Broken Heart
by Kim Culbertson
IFABH was named a Booklist Online Top Ten Romance Fiction for Youth: 2011: check it out!
I appreciate any other great reviews you'd like to add to Amazon, goodreads, etc.
And I thank you in advance - it means a lot! "Culbertson balances the story between teen angst and a nice Italian travelogue. The author has a flair for evocative descriptions. . . The major strength here is in the literary quality of the writing, although teens may be more interested in the characters' relationship." -- Kirkus Reviews Sourcebooks Fire (May 1, 2011) Also, check out the official trailer!!  | | "Instructions for a Broken Heart" by Kim Culbertson - *Official Trailer* |
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 Need a gift?
Inspire the special people in your life to keep a song journal chronicling the soundtrack of their lives.
Bundle any combination of the following:
a Writing Journal, a CD, and/or an iPod
with Songs for a Teenage Nomad
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