Hunger Mountain Submission Call and eBay Auction

Children's and Young Adult editor Bethany Hegedus for Hunger Mountain is reaching out for a submissions call to celebrate the life and work of author/illustrator Maurice Sendak. Not surprising that Hunger Mountain, a literary magazine, is leading the way in the kidlit community to herald the man who brought children's literature to a whole other level. We'll miss you, Mr. Sendak. Rest in peace. And thank goodness for the brilliance of publisher and editor-in-chief of Harper and Row (1940 - 1973), Ursula Nordstrom, who knew how to spot rare and real talent. 

Submission call details below:

Celebrating Sendak

One of children’s literatures finest and most outspoken figures, Maurice Sendak, has died at the age of 83. To celebrate his life and his life’s work, Hunger Mountain is asking illustrators, authors, editors, agents, parents, young readers, teachers and librarians to contribute to a round-up Celebrating Sendak. Please submit anywhere between 50-300 words on any of the topics listed below to be considered for this special round-up. Submissions must be received by May 20th, with the piece to be published in our upcoming Landscape of Literature issue. As there will be many contributors chosen, in lieu of payment links to contributor websites/blogs will be included in the byline. Thank you for helping to celebrate the man who created such classics as In the Night Kitchen, Where the Wild Things Are, Outside Over There, and many more. 

• Impact of Maurice Sendak's work on your own

• How Maurice Sendak changed your childhood

• Why Maurice Sendak's work is still read

• Favorite Maurice Sendak book and why

• Favorite child reaction to a Maurice Sendak work

Submissions may be sent to Bethany Hegedus, CYA Editor of Hunger Mountain, at bahegedus at gmail.com. Please title the submissions email: Celebrating Sendak.

The Hunger Mountain/VCFA e-bay auction is ON! The clock is ticking—bid between now and Monday, May 14^th! Below is some of the wonderment up for auction—writing retreats, marketing consultants, agent critiques—much more valuable than merely submitting to an agency (and some of these agents are closed)—and author critiques.

Writing Retreat

Hunger Mountain children's & young adult editor, Bethany Hegedus, author and owner of The Writing Barn is thrilled to donate this 5-day stay, worth over $1000. The 5-day stay may be booked Monday through Friday (at an agreed upon time) for 2 guests. If a writing group would like to come, additional guests may book The Cabin and if the winning bidder would like to extend their retreat, they may book weekends on either end of the 5-day stay for an additional cost. For more information and/or to view more pictures visit www.thewritingbarn.com, https://www.facebook.com/WritingBarn, or follow us on twitter @WritingBarn.

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Spend 5 glorious days and nights at The Writing Barn, a writing workshop and retreat center, in Austin, Texas. The Writing Barn, once a working horse barn, sits at the back of 7.5 wooded acres and has everything a writer needs: cozy writing spaces—both indoors and out, modern appliances, a bedroom with a comfy queen-sized bed, a reading/sleeping loft and free wifi. The screened-in porch is the perfect place to have meals, be inspired and make huge leaps on that work-in-progress you wish you had more time to devote to. When not writing, enjoy downtown Austin which is only a twenty minute drive away. Explore the fabulous Austin food scene, the music-venues, the museums, and make sure to spend some time at BookPeople, Austin’s eclectic indie bookstore.

To bid on The Writing Barn stay, go here.

Agents Critiques for Auction

Holly McGhee was an Executive Editor at HarperCollins Publishers for seven years before opening the doors of Pippin Properties, a boutique literary agency located in New York City. As good luck would have it, the first person Holly edited was William Steig, and their first book together was ZEKE PIPPIN, from which sprung the name of her company. Since 1998, Pippin has been devoted to representing the finest work of authors and artists writing and painting today, from Kate DiCamillo to Doreen Cronin to Jandy Nelson, Kathi Appelt, Peter H. Reynolds, and Harry Bliss.

Holly McGhee is offering a manuscript critique by e-mail. Manuscript Guidelines: Picture book with less than 2,000 words. This critique by e-mail will be scheduled to take place within eight weeks of her receipt of the manuscript. The winning bidder must contact Ms. McGhee immediately to schedule the critique. Contact information will be provided to the winning bidder within one week of confirmed payment.

                To bid on the critique offered my Holly McGhee go here.

Elena Mechlin is offering a manuscript critique by mail. Manuscript Guidelines: hard copy of a young adult novel of 100 pages, double-spaced. This critique will be scheduled to take place within eight weeks of receiving the hard copy manuscript. The winning bidder must contact Ms. Mechlin immediately to schedule the critique. Contact information will be provided to the winning bidder.

Elena Mechlin joined Pippin Properties, Inc. in 2009. Having begun her publishing career in subsidiary rights, moving on to children's book marketing with a stint in audio, she realized that a position in agenting would enable her to continue to be involved in the many aspects of publishing about which she is so passionate from one place. She is thrilled to be pursuing her love of children's literature and the industry from her seat at Pippin and especially enjoys the treasure hunt that is sorting through the daily query emails.

To bid on the FULL NOVEL critique offered by Elena Mechlin, go here.

Joan Slattery is offering a manuscript critique by e-mail. Manuscript Guidelines: A portion of a young adult novel of 25 pages, double spaced. This critique by e-mail will be scheduled to take place within eight weeks of her receipt of the manuscript. The winning bidder must contact Ms. Slattery immediately to schedule the critique. Contact information will be provided to the winning bidder within one week of confirmed payment.

Joan Slattery, Agency Consultant and Scout, joined Pippin Properties in 2010. After nearly twenty years in children's book publishing (many of those editing fiction at Knopf Books for Young Readers, Random House), she is thrilled to be working with Pippin authors and artists--and prospective clients--to develop and polish their projects. She's particularly fond of middle grade and young adult fiction, which harkens back to one of her most voracious and memorable years of reading: sixth grade.

To bid on the critique offered by Joan Slattery, go here.

Ammi-Joan Paquette is offering a manuscript critique by e-mail. Manuscript Guidelines: one-page synopsis and the first three chapters of either a Middle Grade or a Young Adult novel. This critique by e-mail will be scheduled to take place as soon as possible after her receipt of the manuscript. The winning bidder must contact Ms. Paquette immediately to schedule the critique. Contact information will be provided to the winning bidder within one week of confirmed payment. Though the Erin Murphy Literary agency is closed to slush submissions, Ammi-Joan Paquette will accept queries from any authors who place a bid on this auction item.

Ammi-Joan Paquette is an agent with Erin Murphy Literary Agency, representing all types of children’s and YA literature. Recent client releases include Jennifer Nielsen’s swashbuckling epic The False Prince (Scholastic, 2012), J. Anderson Coats’ sweeping historical The Wicked and the Just (Houghton, 2012), and Eric Pinder’s hilarious rhyming picture book If All the Animals Came Inside (Little Brown, 2012). Joan is also the author of the recent picture book The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Mermaids (Tanglewood, 2012) and the middle-grade novel Nowhere Girl (Walker, 2011). She is particularly drawn to richly-rendered, unforgettable characters, and tightly-paced, well-plotted stories with twists and turns that keep you guessing right until the end. 

To bid on TWO critiques offered by Ammi-Joan Paquette, do here and here.

Tricia Lawrence is offering a manuscript critique by e-mail. Manuscript Guidelines: A 50-page portion of a Young Adult novel, double spaced. This critique by e-mail will be scheduled to take place within two weeks of her receipt of the manuscript. The winning bidder must contact Ms. Lawrence immediately to schedule the critique. Contact information will be provided to the winning bidder within one week of confirmed payment.

Tricia is the "Pacific Northwest branch" of Erin Murphy Literary Agency—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 16 years of working as a developmental and production-based copyeditor (from kids book to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist hoping to learn from Erin and Joan about agenting. As associate agent, Tricia represents middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. She's looking for strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won't let go.

To bid on the critique offered by Trica Lawrence, please do so here.

Marketing Consultation

Kirsten Cappy of Curious City will read your fine book and offer one hour of marketing campaign brainstorming followed by two hours committed to the creation of materials and outreach for said campaign. Curious City has built creative marketing projects and outreach for children's book authors, illustrators, and publishers including Phillip Hoose, Grace Lin, Melissa Sweet, and countless other grand creators and books. Read more about Curious City at http://visitcuriouscity.wordpress.com/about/.

To bid on this marketing consultation offered by Kirsten Cappy, please do so here.

Author Critiques

Liz Garton Scanlon is offering a manuscript critique by e-mail. Manuscript Guidelines: Picture book of less than 1,000 words. This critique by e-mail will be scheduled to take place July-October of 2012. The winning bidder must contact Ms. Scanlon immediately to schedule the critique. Contact information will be provided to the winning bidder within one week of confirmed payment.

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Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of the highly-acclaimed, Caldecott-honored picture book All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee, as well as Noodle & Lou, illustrated by Arthur Howard, and A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes, by Robin Preiss Glasser. Her next book will be out later this spring: Think Big is illustrated by Vanessa Newton and it celebrates the many varied forms of art. Future books include Happy Birthday, Bunny, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin, due next year, and The Good-Pie Party, illustrated by Katy McDonald Denton, due in 2014. Ms. Scanlon is assistant professor of creative writing at Austin Community College is a frequent & popular presenter at schools, libraries and conferences. To learn more, visit her web site at http://lizgartonscanlon.com/

To bid on the critique offered by Liz Garton Scanlon, please do so here.

About Hunger Mountain and the auction

Hunger Mountain is both a print publication and online destination for readers, writers, artists and art lovers. We create engagement with the arts by publishing high-quality, innovative literary and visual art by both established and emerging artists, and by offering opportunities for conversation.
Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a national center for graduate education in the fine arts located in Montpelier. Renowned for its prestigious MFA programs, VCFA’s mission is to shape the future of the arts by fostering the excellence of emerging and established artists worldwide.
Your support is important to us, thank you for participating in the Hunger Mountain/VCFA annual fundraising auction!