I’m planning a November 18th event to showcase Ballard Writers that will combine timed readings with food, wine, signings and props. More on that later. In preparation, I attended the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) Inside Story event held last week in Ballard--the better to “borrow” ideas for connecting books with readers.

Twice a year the Western Washington SCBWI chapter, an acronym that I can never remember, presents an event for their members in which each author/illustrator has two minutes to give the “inside story” on their latest work. The audience includes many teachers and librarians, in addition to other members, who are always on the lookout for new books to feed their hungry readers.

The organization tries to present the event in fairly central locations, pairing with local independent book stores. Secret Garden Books was an organizer and bookseller for this event at Sunset Hill Community Club. Suzanne Perry, Events Coordinator from Secret Garden Books, had said SCBWI generally enforces the two-minute time limit rigorously. I was particularly looking forward to assessing their methods, perhaps even borrowing their gong. In this I was disappointed, but in all other ways the evening was as delightful as a book you’re willing to read aloud to your kids, night after night.

I have been out of the picture book world for too long. When my daughter was young she always wanted me to choose her books. I loved choosing. I loved mixing my childhood favorites (Green Eggs & Ham) with new riots of color and verse. So perhaps my favorite moment of the evening was when a short, grey-haired woman dressed in the jumper style favored by my 77-year old mother said, “I’m a librarian. I have to read the book rather than talk about it. I can read very fast.”

She proceeded to act out the book she conceived as, “The Snot-Nosed Boy.” At the last minute the title got changed (The Boy from the Dragon Palace), but not the child’s snot-nosed-ness. The plot involves a child that grants wishes. Working with an illustrator that she loved, the appropriately named Margaret Read MacDonald encouraged Sachiko Yoshikawa to wish in turn for what she wanted to draw. By the end of her brief time in front of the audience MacDonald really had given the inside story, on the book, on the process and had the audience chorusing “snot-nosed boy.” I’d forgotten how librarians masquerade as ordinary people but have magic reading skills.

Introduced by Inside Story Chair and writer Martha Brockenbrough, the event started with Young Adult authors and worked its way back down to the youngest readers (often actual consumers of cardboard picture books). The Young Adult authors each seem to have taken part of their childhood passion, whether for dance, acting or kayaking, and allowed themselves to re-imagine that time. Helen Landalf, a dancer, Ballard writer (The Secret Night World of Cats) and first time Young Adult author showed the actual objects that are part of her character’s heart-shaped box in just-released Flyaway.

There was a great deal of laughter throughout the event. Carol Lexa Schaefer recounted the twelve year struggle to get Who’s There? to print, as her other books leapfrogged over it to publication. Author and illustrator Wendy Wahman (Don’t Lick the Dog) told of a year of brutal edits on a cat book until she asked to start over. The next version, A Cat Like That, went to print with only a few word changes.

I left the event wanting to spend more time in the Children’s section of the library but even more excited about logistics for the second annual showcase for Ballard Writers. Last year’s “The Author Next Door” was standing room only. The inaugural event was an attempt to track down writers of all genres living and writing in or about Ballard. This year’s event is more focused on hearing what is inside their work, in their own voice.

Twenty-two local authors will read/perform their works with time limit strictly enforced. Readers will range from Carl Deuker’s Young Adult work to a preview of Stephanie Kallos’ novel-in-progress, from poetry and short stories to non-fiction accounts. The Queen of Pie herself, Mary Schile will act as emcee.
Meanwhile there will be food, wine and books available for purchase and signing by an even larger number of authors. Both Secret Garden and individual authors will be selling their works. In the spirit of Ballard’s Scandinavian history I’ve taken to calling it a literary smorgasbord.

Even with a growing author list and a dozen new authors for this year I’ve only begun to tap the literary talent in Ballard. But what I’ve uncovered so far will flow in abundance on Friday, November 18. Timekeeper still needed.

The Ballard Writers’ Book Slam will take place on Friday, November 18th at Sunset Hill Community Club, 3003 NW 66th. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. More details and author list available through sunsethillcommunity.com and secretgardenbooks.com.