Erzsi Deak

Erzsi received the 2008 Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) Member of the Year Award in August. She recently retired as SCBWI International Advisor Chair (IAC) and from the Board of Advisors. She is happy to announce that Kathleen Ahrens has accepted the SCBWI IAC baton and is running with it. Thank you to all the great SCBWI people who made her tenure something akin to that of "Ambassador to Children's Book Creators" possible, a joyful challenge and, overall, an amazing ride!

August 2008

Urban Crayon Paris is a recommended
"Read Before You Go" on the Family Travel Forum Web site.

The first of an upcoming series of hip city guides, Urban Crayon Paris offers families a city guide that highlights sights, sleeps, eats, and shopping, while remaining budget conscious. There are 12 categories, such as Playground Paradise, Mother and Baby Pampering, and If You Have To Be a Tourist. For kids, there are the Dudes, Divas, and Co-Ed sections.

For boys, activities such as Napolean's Tomb or Break Dancers in Les Halles are recommended, while the Doll Museum and Museum of Fashion are suggested for girls. The co-ed section is really for the entire family, suggesting activities such as a hot air balloon ride and the Museum of Magic, while the Bonjour Baby introductory section gives general, but essential information for families, such as opening and closing times of some attractions, 24-hour facilities, and even
information on babysitting, in case parents need a romantic night out.

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April 2008
A special issue of Bolognablahblahblog: Home in Paris after a week in Bologna, Italy, for the conference and the Book Fair. The stand proved to be an amazing boon to the professional SCBWI community (among the success stories, the rights to at least two books found at the stand were sold). There is behind-the-scenes work/hope to see it repeated annually. The next SCBWI Bologna conference is scheduled for 2010, so if you missed all the great speakers and hobnobbing with like-souls, think about spring 2010 in Bologna.

This year's conference speakers all gave informative and entertaining talks (though Babette might have beat all for the strawberry-costume contest and most amusing horse and pooh books to hit the publishing scene). [Check-out Babette and everyone else on my Facebook photos page.]

Echoes from the conference and the SCBWI Showcase stand are overall fabulous:

From writer Angela Morrison, who book, TAKEN BY STORM, is due out from Razorbill, Spring 2009, and who recommended Susan Fletcher as a terrific speaker and workshopper:

Thank you, Erzsi and team, you did a fantastic job! I appreciate how much of your own creative time and artistic energy went into organizing the conference so the rest of us could meet and mingle and be inspired. This year's conference was well-planned, well-executed,
great teachers and panels, and there was such a friendly vibe. And the SCBWI booth at the fair was a brilliant stroke. May the deal fairy shine on your heads! You all deserve six figure contracts.

And from Candy Gourlay, speaker, web wizard and author (candygourlay.com):

Erzsi, it really was one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended. Well done you all (Kathleen and Angela and other behind the scenes people! You rock!) We’re still buzzing over here in London!

From Yona Boseman, http://wisebo.blogspot.com/
http://www.bebo.com/walk2flytwin):

It was a fantastic conference!! Inspiring and motivating and the first time I've had the chance to genuinely network and make new friends at a writer's event . . . I learned a huge amount and this was consolidated during my professional critique with Kathleen Duey, who helped me pin down what exactly was causing confusion in my writing, while enthusing about style and originality leaving me encouraged and with a clear view of the road ahead. Thank you all for an unforgettable and extremely useful weekend!

And from me to all of you:
Thanks to absolutely everyone who joined us at the conference and the stand in Bologna -- we couldn't have done it without you!


Diane Roback writes about the Book Fair in PW:
Wrapping Up Bologna
Read the full article at:

April 2008
Home after a week in Bologna, Italy, for the conference and the Book Fair. The stand proved to be an amazing boon to the professional SCBWI community (among the success stories, the rights to at least two books found at the stand were sold). There is behind-the-scenes work/hope to see it repeated annually. The next SCBWI Bologna conference is scheduled for 2010, so if you missed all the great speakers and hobnobbing with like-souls, think about spring 2010 in Bologna.

This year's conference speakers all gave informative and entertaining talks (though Babette might have beat all for the strawberry-costume contest and most amusing horse and pooh books to hit the publishing scene).

Echoes from the conference and the SCBWI Showcase stand are overall fabulous:

From writer Angela Morrison, who book, TAKEN BY STORM, is due out from Razorbill, Spring 2009, and who recommended Susan Fletcher as a terrific speaker and workshopper:

Thank you, Erzsi and team, you did a fantastic job! I appreciate how much of your own creative time and artistic energy went into organizing the conference so the rest of us could meet and mingle and be inspired. This year's conference was well-planned, well-executed,
great teachers and panels, and there was such a friendly vibe. And the SCBWI booth at the fair was a brilliant stroke. May the deal fairy shine on your heads! You all deserve six figure contracts.

And from Candy Gourlay, speaker, web wizard and author (candygourlay.com):

Erzsi, it really was one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended. Well done you all (Kathleen and Angela and other behind the scenes people! You rock!) We’re still buzzing over here in London!

From Yona Boseman, http://wisebo.blogspot.com/
http://www.bebo.com/walk2flytwin):

It was a fantastic conference!! Inspiring and motivating and the first time I've had the chance to genuinely network and make new friends at a writer's event . . . I learned a huge amount and this was consolidated during my professional critique with Kathleen Duey, who helped me pin down what exactly was causing confusion in my writing, while enthusing about style and originality leaving me encouraged and with a clear view of the road ahead. Thank you all for an unforgettable and extremely useful weekend!

Thanks to absolutely everyone who joined us at the conference and the stand in Bologna -- we couldn't have done it without you!


Diane Roback writes about the Book Fair in PW:
Wrapping Up Bologna
Read the full article at:

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January 2008
Just back from Angouleme, where the mood was festive and the "BD" (bande dessinée or comic) rules! This was the 35th Anniversary of the festival in the Charente region of France and if you've never been and are interested in graphic novels, it's a must-do/see. Unless you are an avid fan with 50 comic books (and we're talking mostly hardcover) under your arm, seeking your idols' signatures, I would suggest attending Thursday and Fridays and treating them like professional days. It's then that you can actually approach the booths, touch, read, look at the books. The festival offers an amazing number of venues (and vistas)throughout this-city-on-a-plateau. One of the highlights is reading/looking at the "essential" bd's, or those that are eligible for the top prize. Also interesting are the up-and-coming talents AND the kids -- there is a national comic book contest for kids pre-school through high school sponsored by Caisse d'Epargne.In addition to visiting the special shows at the Centre National de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image (CNBDI - www.cnbdi.fr)-- Ben Katchor, Jose Munoz -- there was a terrific roundup of all the laureates of the last 35 years, including 38 winners and special prizes -- Robert Crumb, Claire Bretécher, Will Eisner, Bilal. . . (you can see a clip of the film by Benoît Peeters at this link). Another highlight for Doug Cushman and I was meeting with Jean-Pierre Mercier (officially "Conseiller Scientifique" at the CNBDI; in other words he gets paid to read comics -- and more, including editing the publication 9e Art -- the 9th Art -- the 14th issue is just coming out now and features articles on 2007, annee Masse (about Francis Masse); Jose Munoz, Cestapolis (Florence Cestac), Blutch, and much more. Mercier enlightened us as to what was going on in the comic book world in Europe -- the Franco-Belge tradition being the primary focus -- but also regarding comics in general. The CNBDI is a school and a museum and has a well-stocked research library. Doug and I look forward to returning for a tour of the library and the archives. Among the many events that the center hosted, was the "Rencontres internationales." One "international meeting," PENSER LA BANDE DESSINEE . . . thinking about the comic, featured comic book specialists Scott McCloud, Benoît Peeters and Thierry Groensteen. Overall, the festival has something for everyone (big Manga halls, lots of major and alternative publishers in France and elsewhere, activities for kids -- learning about comics, encouraging young comic creators. And the sun was out the entire time, so life inside and outside the various venues was beautiful.


Summer 2007
Going back for a 30th high school reunion can be terrific fun, horrifying or sad. For me, it was the first option. We had a great time 20-22 July 2007 seeing where we all landed after graduating in 1977 from West Valley High School (home of the Wolf Pack) in Fairbanks, Alaska. I'll be updating the site every Monday with new pictures (of the reunion and of other amazing aspects of returning to Alaska after nearly 30 years), among other news bits and bobs. Not-a-one of the Alaska high school reunion pictures having anything to do with children's & YA books, save for the fabulous fodder one can make of one's high school days.

I hope you'll stay tuned!

Erzsi

Smurfs and other Angouleme tales from the comic book world.