A few more cool links for today:
Puns plus literature plus art? It’s like “things Annie likes” bingo. Mattias Adolfsson’s illustration rocks:
Click through to see the larger image for all the pun goodness, and make sure to check out Adolfsson’s other illustrations as well.
It’s not even 9:30 and it’s already feeling like one of those days. At least there are these new titles for children’s books based on their covers to keep me laughing. My favorites:
Make sure to click through to see the rest.
Another grey, drizzly day. Perfect time for a little humor and poetry, care of Billy Collins and his TED talk. Here, Collins reads his poems with some animated accompaniment. The videos are really lovely:
(H/T Book Riot)
Love these redesigned book covers. They were created by 100 artists for DoeDeMee, a project dedicated to raising awareness of illiteracy. (For each poster version sold, a portion of the money is given to UNESCO projects in Africa.)
My favorite:
I might actually need this Northern Lights poster by Hamish Steele.
Check out the whole collection to find your favorite.
At the Rumpus, Jason Novak presents an illustrated version of where letters got their shapes. One of my favorites:
Make sure to check out the whole alphabet.
This weekend, I was talking with some friends about how important it is to have a variety of mugs on hand. Some days you might want the small, diner-style mug; others require the big mug with the Christmas design. My philosophy: the more mug options, the better. I might have to add this Matilda mug to my collection:
Find your favorite Roald Dahl character on this collection from McLaggan Smith Mugs.
(via A Cup of Jo)
Kind of in love with artist Lisa Congdon’s work. Her series of quotes is fantastic, too. I especially like this one:
Good advice for pretty much anyone. Work like writing can be hard, especially when there’s a lot of rejection involved. Staying tremendously interested in stories can help you move forward through those hard times in your writing career.
It doesn’t look like this image is up on her Etsy site (yet?) but I’d love to have a print and hang it above my desk. Great writing inspiration!
(image: Julia Congdon)(via A Beautiful Mess)
Last weekend I packed up my computer, bathing suit, and best blueberry-picking bucket and headed to Maine for the Blueberry Fields Writers Retreat. It was my very first writing retreat and it was a blast. Since time was devoted to actual writing, I ended up getting a lot of work done. Of course, I could take a random Saturday and do the same thing in my apartment, but I think there’s a lot to be said for going somewhere with the specific purpose to write and knowing that this is your only responsibility.
Also, it was a fantastic chance to connect with other New England-based writers. I hadn’t officially met any of them before this retreat, but everyone was so welcoming that I felt comfortable right away. And even though writing is thought of as a very solitary activity, it’s so important to connect with other writers. It’s invigorating, and it’s helpful to hear about the general ups and downs of everyone’s careers.
I posted a preview on Monday, but now here’s a more extended glimpse at life at Blueberry Fields:
Art projects get the creative juices flowing.
I should probably stick to writing.
Sunlight on the blueberry fields early Sunday morning. Check out the bee boxes on the right!
Picking tasty Maine blueberries!
There were SO MANY!
I’m so glad I had this opportunity. It was the best weekend, and reminded me of how awesome YA/children’s writers are. In all honesty, I was a little nervous heading into the weekend; it was my first retreat and I didn’t know anyone else involved all that well. But I am so glad I attended. I left Maine on Sunday feeling so inspired and psyched to get working on my latest project. Another reminder that it pays to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
Special thanks to Julie Kingsley, Meg Wilson, Cameron Rosenblum, and Susan Casey for making this all come together so beautifully.
More recaps of the retreat:
A few more links for today: