Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wren’s Nest Publishing Co. Visits the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Posted by: Amelia // Category: Storytelling, Atlanta, High School Hijinx, Decatur Book Festival, Wren's Nest Publishing Co. // 11:14 am
Welp, the title pretty much says it all.
Let’s do it this way:
- Who: five of our six student editors from the Wren’s Nest Publishing Co., hangers-on.
- What: a tour of the AJC, followed by a brief tutorial in inDesign.
(Nancy, our lovely tour guide.)
- Where: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, dummy.
- When: why, just yesterday.
- Why: um, because field trips are awesome, obviously.
- How: We’ve got connections you wouldn’t believe. Actually, you probably would. Tom did it.
So all in all, a great day for our little program.
Though we have set a new goal for the Editors as result of our adventures: when asked things like “Where are you all from?”, ideal answers include things like “The Wren’s Nest Publishing Co.” or “A publishing program that’s a partnership between the Decatur Book Festival and The Wren’s Nest House Museum”.
Yesterday’s choice, looking at feet, was only okay.
Reminder: know any writers or artists between the ages of 12 and 18?
Get them to submit their work to submissions@wrensnestonline.com before July 20th! Man alive, they could be published by summer’s end!
Comments: 3Ding! Publishing Round Two
Posted by: Amelia // Category: High School Hijinx, Decatur Book Festival, Wren's Nest Publishing Co. // 11:56 am
You may recall the awesomeness that was last year’s Wren’s Nest Publishing Co., our summer publishing workshop/camp for high school students. If you’re someone we like, you also probably own a copy of the fruits of our labors, Soy Nut Butter: Nutritious, Delicious, Fictitious. Good work on that.
However, we realize that some (many) of you probably missed out, judging from the copious copies of Soy Nut Butter we’ve retained. (Note: it’s easy to remedy that!)
Maybe you just didn’t get your hands on a copy or missed our literary salon at the Decatur Book Festival. But maybe, just maybe, you are a driven high school student who wants nothing more than to devote your summer to creating, editing, and contributing to a literary magazine.
Buddy, have we got an offer for you. We’re going for Round Two!
(Three of last year’s editors, hawking their wares at the book festival.)
While this year’s ball has just begun rolling, it’s rolling big time. Packets with info and a copy of SNB have been sent to EVERY high school English department head in the Atlanta area. Some of them were even lucky enough to receive a note from Lain and me, asking them to pester their SNB-alum students for details.
But they’re not the only ones who should be pestering! There’s plenty of opportunity for everyone, whether you’re a parent who wants to dump your teenager on us during the summer, a student who thinks your teacher should have definitely mentioned this opportunity by now, or a professional in the area who wants to teach these punks a thing or two about how it’s really done.
(With an eye on the clock, apparently.)
For students, all the info you need is right here. There you can find applications to be an all-powerful editor or a contributor. Adults, if you have something to offer (and boy, I hope you do), just let us know through email, comments, etc. We’re pretty easy to reach.
Game on!
Comments: 1Decatur Book Festival in Pictures, Part Three
Posted by: Amelia // Category: Uncategorized, Fame and Fortune, Shameless Promotion, Decatur Book Festival // 10:02 am
Sunday was a big day for the Wren’s Nest: we sold out of several of our books, we had better footwear (or lack thereof) and hydration strategies, and for one magical hour, the main stage on the square for storytelling. It’s hard to be this famous.
Here’s Josie with a volunteer, who had a scarf stuck into her waistband the moment she stepped on stage and was then immediately instructed to shake her new tail. Price of fame, folks. You can also see Donald’s hands on the drum and Akbar lounging appreciatively. Or so I assume.
Check out our Executive Director, hard at work and barefoot. Note: a couple hours later one of the folks in charge nonchalantly referred to Lain as “that young punk who runs the museum”. I think I nearly burst trying to play it cool in the wake of that statement.
I bet you can barely imagine being so thoroughly entertained.
Success! Can’t you just imagine that all those brochures and bookmarks Josie is holding are actually million dollar bills? Me too.
This is the Decatur Mist Fountain, which was right outside of the main tent. For some reason, this fountain is the greatest thing anyone between the ages of 4 and 8 has ever seen.
Our tent and staff, along with Craig, Andalusia’s answer to Lain. No one else got the arms akimbo memo.
And that, friends, was the Wren’s Nest experience at the Decatur Book Festival. Pretty great, huh. And that’s all without even mentioning how great Kinky Friedman was! Goodness.
Comments: 0Decatur Book Festival in Pictures, Part Two
Posted by: Amelia // Category: Fame and Fortune, Shameless Promotion, High School Hijinx, Decatur Book Festival // 1:16 pm
Since Lain has given you a brief run-down of the first day of the festival, I’ll pick up with the early evening of Saturday, which was focused on our brand spanking new teen literary magazine, Soy Nut Butter.
Here are the brave Butters nobly hawking their wares. See how they’re brilliantly using homemade soy nut butter cookies to sell the magazine? You just wish your editors were as creative and clever as our editors.
After taking some of the best showers of our entire lives, the Butters, Terra, and I did things like roll coolers full of questionable lemonade down the street in preparation for the Salon. It was great.
Several Dancers Core was being used by Dekalb Medical Center during the day, so we had some awfully chipper backdrops for the selling of the magazine at the salon. Those are three of our editors at the table, and a young man whose purpose was, as far as I can tell, to get Editor Sallie hummus.
Here’s one of the authors reading at the literary salon, which also had live bluegrass, delicious food, and Lain and I yelling things like–
“Oh man! Nothing would be better than owning a copy of this incredible literary magazine! Thank goodness we still have copies available for purchase!”
Subtlety is not our strength.
For the record, if you’re interested in purchasing your own copy of Soy Nut Butter, do let us know. We still have copies available, and we realize that not all of you were able to come to the festival. While there are very few good excuses for that, color us enablers.
Comments: 1Critter Tees and Bookmarks
Posted by: lain // Category: Marketing Tricks, Good Questions, Decatur Book Festival // 1:21 pm
Well, well, well–the moment you’ve all been waiting for is upon us.
Yes, today is the day that the Wren’s Nest Bookmarks have arrived.
Look how excited you are! And that’s just the front. Here’s the back–
Pretty sweet, huh. And guess what, they’re just in time for (a) the Decatur Book Festival and (b) September 1st (yes, tomorrow!), the release of our Brer Rabbit t-shirt.
The shirts will go quick at the festival, so I’d scurry on and pick yours up early. You can find the necessary paperwork and red tape here, on our main site.
I’ll end with a question and a suggestion–
Question: What is the best way to get bookmarks into the hands of children? Giving? Selling? Shoving down throats? If selling, what’s the going rate for bookmarks?
Suggestion: Hang out with us at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend. There’s other stuff to do too, I promise–just follow the official Baby Got Books trail (days one and two).
Decatur Book Festival + Wren’s Nest Publishing Co. = Huzzah!
Posted by: Amelia // Category: Events, Shameless Promotion, High School Hijinx, Victorious!, Decatur Book Festival // 8:03 am
Big news!
We just received a call from the AJC print shop — our literary magazine is ready! And the Decatur Book Festival is this weekend! It’s all happening!
Now, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s time for you to catch up. I mean, really. And you call yourself a devoted reader.
If you do know what I’m talking about, gack! How exciting is this?!
In fact, I’ll tell you exactly how exciting this is, and why. With a compelling list!
1. The magazine has come together, seemingly successfully. Which means that the hard work of our 7 student editors is finally coming to fruition. Lain and I are as proud as can be, seriously. For once, there is no irony or sarcasm in what I’m saying. Gross, I know.
The official poster for our magazine, created by one of our editors. Did I not mention the name of the magazine is “Soy Nut Butter”? I like to keep you guessing.
2. We’re having a literary salon for the magazine! How fancy are we, right? The good folks at Several Dancers Core in Decatur have generously donated the space, and Feast, Roly Poly, The Chocolate Bar, and Mediterranean Grill are donating the chow. Heads full of teen literature, bellies full of deliciousness.
3. Soy Nut Butter - the magazine, not food product- will available throughout the festival but, most notably, at all of the official Decatur Book Festival booths. So many locations! So much awesomeness!
4. The Decatur Book Festival is, in only its second year, an absolute go-to for big name authors, little name authors, and generally anyone else who considers themselves a word nerd. Can you think of a better venue for an wee start-up like ours? (If you can, keep it to yourself, jerk.)
5. We have done very few things these last few months that have not somehow been related to the Decatur Book Festival. So, if for no other reason, this is exciting because on Monday, September 3rd, you will hear the city of Decatur heave a collective sigh of relief and accomplishment (can you sigh accomplishment? I can). Which is nice.
Downtown Decatur in its natural state.
Really, there’s too much excitement for just one post. Be sure to check back in the next couple of days as Lain and I continue to emote in blog form.
Comments: 4An Ode to Decatur
Posted by: Amelia // Category: Birds of a feather, Decatur Book Festival // 9:11 am
Hello friends. Apologies for my brief blogging hiatus; someone took a trip to the great city of Chicago and had to fight for computer time against a 17-year-old. I guess I just didn’t want it bad enough.
(And who’s going to fight for computer time when this is waiting outside?!)
Surprisingly, The Wren’s Nest did not collapse in my absence. In fact, everyone seems to be doing suspiciously well. I know it’s just a brave face, but I’m impressed nonetheless.
Now, while I love Chicago with a burning passion that seems unwilling to fade- and why should it?!- my current town of residence, Decatur, ain’t half bad either.
(I wish it really looked like this.)
Since I know you grouches accept nothing but hard evidence, I present the following: Decatur has been labeled as a hot spot for word nerds by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. A heaven, in fact. Looks like it’s time to go somewhere to celebrate (and not talk to each other while we read)!
Mentioned in the article are two very good friends of the Wren’s Nest, Little Shop of Stories and Wordsmith’s. To illustrate, I figure it’s time to let the cat out of the bag and expose the tangled Decatur web the Wren’s Nest weaves. Prepare to have your mind blown.
We’ll start with Wordsmith’s, where Lain was the first customer. Currently, the Wren’s Nest Publishing Co. editors have all of their picks, with an enticing sentence or two about their choice, on the shelves of Wordsmith’s. Neat, huh?
The Wren’s Nest Publishing Co.’s magazine is being distributed by and for the Decatur Book Festival, which will be held over Labor Day Weekend. Co-founder of the festival, Tom, is one of the great minds behind The Duck and Herring Co., and has been working regularly with our editors as a voice of reason and experience, thank heavens.
Speaking of The Duck and Herring Co., another member of that braintrust is Terra, whose generously donated computer is currently 5 feet away from me (thanks Terra- the WNPCo. loves you for it!). Now, super sleuths, guess who manages the Little Shop of Stories? Terra! You’re right! 7 points for you.
(I stole this picture from Baby Got Books, who could have their own web sub-section entitled “People we’ve never met but are repeatedly linked to, and we like it”.)
I could go on -seriously- but I think you get the idea. We’re an incestuous bunch, no doubt, but with a heavenly playground like Decatur as the backdrop, why not keep it in the family?
Comments: 3Wren’s Nest Publishing Company Adventures
Posted by: lain // Category: Shameless Promotion, High School Hijinx, Celebrity Requests, Decatur Book Festival, Ridiculous Demands // 2:26 pm
Amelia mentioned our Wren’s Nest Publishing Co. venture in this very blog not too long ago.
That’s all fine and good, but I think it’s worth stressing just how neat this program is.
It’s neat mostly because we get to think of cool things and then do them, like hang out with Hollis Gillespie.
(This picture, submitted by the author herself, is admittedly a little fuzzy …you know, like the morals of the Wren’s Nest Staff)
For those of you who don’t read Creative Loafing or Paste Magazine or listen to NPR from time to time, Hollis is a foul-mouthed humorist who’s seen some real, live success lately.
We thought it’d be cool to hang out with her, so we said, “Hollis, wanna hang out?” And she was all like, “Uh, yeah sure.”
Easy. Real easy!
Amelia already mentioned that we took a field trip of Paste Magazine, who taught us a little something about design.
For you old folks, Paste Magazine is like Rolling Stone, except it’s about music.
Then tomorrow we get to go to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to take a tour of the place.
(Not this one, where Joel Chandler Harris worked, but the newer one, which is less awesome.)
They’re going to teach us how to layout our magazine. And they’re going to print our magazine for free.
Then maybe, just maybe, we’ll be like, “Hey Pulitzer Prize winners, can we interview you for our literary journal?” And then all the Pulitzer Prize winners in the building will stand up and be like, “Uh, yeah sure.”
It’s that easy!
Comments: 5A Day at the Wren’s Nest
Posted by: lain // Category: Ghosts!, Shirking Responsibility, Burritos and Other Fine Foods, Decatur Book Festival // 2:16 pm
Many of you have asked what it is we do here, and I usually have a hard time responding concisely. Welp, here’s one day’s worth–
8:16 am - Wake up.
8:21 am - Wake up for real this time.
9:02 am - Head to Wordsmiths Books to investigate the “Editor’s Picks” section that will become “The Wren’s Nest” section for the month of August. We are replacing the estimable Baby Got Books team, so we’ve got some chock-filled quality to live up to.
9:18 am - Deliver new brochures to Decatur City Hall.
9:29 am - Stop at Chick-Fil-A for Customer Appreciation Week and a free chicken biscuit.
9:40 am - Pick up contributions sent to my parent’s house instead of the Wren’s Nest. Steal coffee.
10:15 am - Arrive at the Wren’s Nest.
10:17 am - Bookkeeping.
11:18 am - Head to lunch meeting at No Mas! Cantina with folks from the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. I neglected to write down the time for the meeting, so we’re heading out early and bringing books.
12:59 pm - Return to the Wren’s Nest.
1:00 pm - Sift through the mail.
1:12 pm - Start writing a lot of overdue thank you notes. …or get distracted and write a blog post.
2:12 pm* - Lead (haha) the Wren’s Nest Publishing Company. Today’s topics–fonts, author biographies, what does soy nut butter really taste like?
4:15 pm - Play with dogs at the house I’m housesitting.
7:00 pm - White Lawn Party. You know, just like P Diddy does, but this time with swim team parents / hot shot lawyers.
7:30 pm - My sister’s graduation party.
10:00 pm - Ghost Hunt complete with live webcast and maybe even a ghost or two. I’m hoping my all-white outfit will help us out in this regard, as well as my inevitable inebriation at the start.
Sunrise, Saturday- Head home!
*All times past this point are estimations, thankyouverymuch.
**At some point I might add pictures to this post, but you may notice that I’m already a few minutes behind schedule!
Comments: 3WNPCo.!
Posted by: Amelia // Category: High School Hijinx, Decatur Book Festival // 2:29 pm
Being part of a literary movement and all, we’re trying to reach those pesky kids and get them involved with all the literary stuff we think is cool. Lucky for us, a few suckers gave in.
Said suckers, all high school students, will be editing a literary journal compiled of entries from other high school students in the greater Atlanta area. They’ll be making all the decisions while Lain and I laugh our way to bank. That’s how I imagine it, anyways.
The resulting product will be published by, uh, us (see: Wren’s Nest Publishing Co.) and distributed at the upcoming Decatur Book Festival.
Luckily, we’re tackling this hand-in-hand with the good folks at the Duck and Herring Co., who at least pretend to know what they’re doing. We will be the only publication sold by the festival itself, which makes us pretty darn special. Even more exciting? That the DBF is expected to have about SEVENTY THOUSAND attendees. So, to review:
-high school student editors
-making the decisions about a literary journal
-full of contributions from other high school students
-distributed by and for the Decatur Book Festival
-and organized by hapless messes Amelia and Lain, and the completely necessary and appreciated friends at Duck and Herring Co.
Ta da!
(I don’t know who this baby is, but she represents just the kind of commitment we’re looking for.)
Our editors have been chosen and have already begun to dive into the work at hand. We’ve also been lucky enough to exploit the connections of DHCo. and do neat things like tour Paste Magazine’s offices for editing advice and inspiration.
Because we’re playing, oh, everything by ear, and the real decisions are up to our editors, Lain and I basically use our twice-weekly WNPCo. meetings to make fun of each other and write on a white-board. I think the students consider us somewhere between encouraging and crazy, which is just where we want ‘em.
Submissions - short stories, essays, interviews, artwork, poetry, etc. - are due by July 22nd, so please, tell all the creative high schoolers in your life! While we acknowledge that about 89% of our submissions will arrive between 11:07 and 11:58pm on the 21st of July (we know our audience, we do), we get pretty jazzed with each new submission. And jazzed WN staff = more bizarre blog posts, which we know you like. Thus, in the words of Blogger Emeritus Carson, let’s do this!
Comments: 10