Rafe Martin: News

News about Rafe Martin

NOW AVAILABLE..."SIGNED BOOKS BY MAIL" Order form

Upcoming releases...

Upcoming events...

EMPIRE STATE AWARD
We are very happy to let you know that it has just been announced that Rafe Martin is this year's recipient of the Empire State Award! First presented in 1990 by the Youth Services Section of the New York Library Association, the Empire State Award is a one-time award presented to a living author or illustrator currently residing in New York State. The award honors a body of work that represents excellence in Children's or Young Adult literature and has made a significant contribution to literature for young people. An engraved medallion is presented to the winning author or illustrator at the Annual Conference of the New York Library Association. The award and medallion will be presented to Rafe at the NYS State Library Conference, Nov. 7, 2008, in Saratoga Springs at the Youth Services Luncheon, where Rafe will also give a talk.

Past recipients are:

2006 - Donald Crews 1997 - Richard Peck

2005 - M.E. Kerr 1996 - Nancy Willard

2004 - Alice Provensen 1995 - Ed Young

2003 - Seymour Simon 1994 - Paula Fox

2002 - Jerry Pinkney 1993 - Russell Freedman

2001 - Jean Fritz 1992 - Leo and Diane Dillon

2000 - Peter Spier 1991 - Madeleine L'Engle

1999 - Vera B. Williams 1990 - Maurice Sendak

1998 - Jean Craighead George

THE SHARK GOD
Back in print!! Beautiful new, Scholastic Bookshelf, paperback edition.
Boys respond especially to this story of courage and justice!
Visit the BOOKS page, within the rafemartin.com site, for summary and reviews.

August 2006 -- Rafe has recently been passionately speaking about the imagination itself, about our deep need for vision, and the role of story in helping us face the challenges of our time, and in creating a meaningful present and future. In July 2006 he gave a day-long workshop on these subjects for SEVENTH GENERATION Burlington Vermont (http://www.seventhgeneration.com/index.php) -- a socially active corporation, committed to social justice, equity, and environmental sustainability. From that talk (http://www.inspiredprotagonist.com/blog/storyteller_visits_seventh_gener ation) he was invited to speak at CHANGE IT! 2006 (http://www.changeit06.org/) in Washington DC, sponsored by Seventh Generation and GREENPEACE, (http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/about) where he got a standing ovation from young activists aged 18-24 from around the country. Now NASA Ames, yes, NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/nasa_gen/) in California has invited him to speak as well! He'll be heading there late September 2006. Exciting times!

Upcoming Releases

FUTURE TIMES PAST: THE EAGLES' TALE

Breakfast Serials is a great new idea. Founded by Newberry-winning author, Avi, its aim is to bring great authors, great stories and families together for a good old fashioned read, by putting superb, serialized stories out, chapter by chapter, in newspapers around the country.

NEW! Watch for Rafe's mythic-sci-fi tale with Breakfast Serials titled, (tentatively) Future Times Past: The Eagles' Tale, a story for families, which will appear in newspapers around the country, starting January 2006. Created as a serial, to be read in weekly (or daily) short chapters, it is a "cliff-hanger," like the old serials in the movies or on TV in which each brief, illustrated chapter will end with an oh-my-gosh-what-is-going-to-happen-next? moment. It will be great fun to read and discuss around the kitchen table. And it is a really neat story, full of adventure and surprises. We can't wait!

In a recent update from Breakfast Serials we learned that, as of June 30, 2007, Future Times Past has reached 4,564,496 readers! This reflects the total average daily cirlculation of all the newspapers in which it has appeared.

www.BreakfastSerials.com

SPACESHIP OF IMPOSSIBLY BAD DREAMS (tentative title) or OUT OF TIME (tentative title). A young adult and adult novel weaving together motorcycles, ancient Irish myth, alien abductions and UFOs. Stay tuned for an exciting, imaginative, deeply mythic ride to the stars and back! Release date to be announced.

Upcoming Public Events
Where Rafe Martin will be a featured speaker or featured storyteller.

RAFE MARTIN SCHEDULE 2008

March 3 - ROCHESTER, NY - School #50 - Read Across America
March 6 - GREECE, NY - Parkland ES
March 14 - COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA- - Roosevelt ES
March 14 - COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - Council Bluffs Public Library
March 15 - GLENWOOD, IA - Glenwood Public Library
March 29 - ROCHESTER, NY - Cobblestone School, benefit performance

April 3 - WEBSTER, NY - DeWitt Road ES
April 7 - ROCHESTER, NY - Rochester City School District.
                Storytelling Festival
April 9 - YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY - Benjamin Franklin ES
April 11 - NUTLEY, NJ - Lincoln School
April 18 - McARTHUR, OH - Vinton County Middle School, writing workshop
April 18 - McARTHUR, OH - Herbert Westcoat Memorial Library
                Spring Literary Arts Festival
April 24 - ROCHESTER, NY - MCC: Bring Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day
April 25 - EAST AURORA, NY - Main Street ES, keynote for Writer's Fair
April 28 - FORTY FORT, PA - Wyoming Seminary, Lower School
April 29 - ALLENTOWN, PA - Mosser ES
April 30 - ALLENTOWN, PA - Muhlenberg ES

May 4-10 - SANTA FE, NM - Kindling Words West,
                 Writers and illustrators retreat
May 13, 14 - ZUNI, NM - Dawa Yalanne ES
May 15 - GALLUP, NM - Gallup Catholic School
May 22, 23 - NORFOLK, MA - Freeman Centennial School
                School visit & Literacy Night event
May 27 - SHORTSVILLE, NY - Red Jacket ES
May 29 - FLUSHING, NY - P.S./I.S. 499
May 30 - JERSEY CITY, NJ - Ezra L. Nolan Middle School
May 31 - NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Empty Hand Zendo,
                Benefit storytelling performance

June 3 - ORCHARD PARK, NY - Orchard Park Public Library
June 5 - WEBSTER, NY - Klem North ES
June 6 - HONEOYE, NY - Honeoye ES
June 10, 11 - TAMPA, FL - FL-Pathways to Literacy Conference:
                Keynote, workshop, and book signing.
                Details at: www.literacycompass.com

August 3 - BUFFALO, NY - Buffalo Public Library. Battle of the Books.
                Follow up appearance for winning library on September 20

September 13 - NEW YORK, NY - Central Park (72nd St & 5th Ave) 11am-12pm
                Buddhist Stories with Diane Wolkstein at the Statue of Hans Christian Anderson
                Details at: www.dianewolkstein.com
September 20 - BUFFALO, NY - Library TBA
September 28 - TARRYTOWN, NY - Sunnyside Children's Book Festival
                Details at: www.hudsonvalley.org

October 20 - BEDFORD, NY - Bedford Village ES
October 25 - ROCHESTER, NY - RAEYC Conference, keynote

November 8 - ROCHESTER, NY - Rochester Children's Book Festival

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