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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 Book Love
My students and I have been having a lot of talks lately about books. About reading them, liking them, hating them, being indifferent to them. We've agreed that some books just connect and others are a slog (but that both have their place in reading). The other night, I watched a movie by Josh Radnor called Liberal Arts. In it, the main character Jessie comes to the aid of a young man in crisis, and when asked why, Jessie responds, "I have a soft spot for good readers. They're hard to find these days." I loved the line, but thought, is that true? Are readers becoming harder and harder to find? So (with Valentine's Day looming, all that red foil and chocolate-dipped love around us) I thought I'd ask my students about book love: do we still love books? And if so, which ones? Here are some of their answers:
"I love The GIver by Lois Lowry because of the theme and idea of it; it was one of the first books that I drew inspiration from..." --Aliyah
"I love the book Ferdinand. Every time I read it, it brings me back to my childhood. Ferdinand doesn't like to fight and compete; he likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers. I love how simple yet full of feeling this book is. I can read it over and over." -- Quinna
"I love Maximum Ride by James Patterson because it let me escape. I have always imagined what it would be like to fly and this book let me live this." -- Annie
"I love Paper Towns by John Green because I could identify with both of the main characters. John Green manages to be funny, yet still deeply reflective, which I love." -- Autumn
"I love the Game of Sunken Places by M.T. Anderson because it has interesting, imaginative, genuinely dark aesthetics and imagery. It's evocative." -- Simon
"I love Hard Contact by Karen Traviss because it has everything I want in a book - Star Wars, complex plotting, varying personalities, action, and suspense!" -- Owen
"I love Harry Potter because the world is vivid and I grew up with the characters." -- Luna
(And this following student obviously has fabulous taste) :) "I love Songs for a Teenage Nomad because I could see the whole story through my own eyes." --Kristy
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 Writing Exercise
Make a list of all the books you love (or as many as you can in ten minutes).
Ask other people you love to make a list too.
Compare.
It's fun.
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 Outside Reading School Project
In my last newsletter I wrote about our "What We're Reading" wall in the classroom I share. It's a place for students to write reviews and showcase the books they have read throughout the year. As I said last time, for me, reading should be about building a life-long romance with stories, with different worlds and characters. Mostly, though, as C.S. Lewis said, "We read to know we're not alone."
I'm finding the wall slow going. We're busy. We forget to hang things up. We forget to ask questions of each other about what we're reading. But I'm not going to give up on it. I looked up the other day at the diversity of titles on the wall, as diverse as these wonderful teenagers I teach, and it made me smile.
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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!
IFABH won the 2012 Northern California Book Award for YA Fiction: 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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