CEMA Conference 2006 Pre-Conference Program

Meet Connecticut Authors

5:00-7:00 p.m.

The following authors will be available to talk with conference attendees and autograph books:

Tony Abbott		Suzy Kline
Tony lives and works in Trumbull. He is the author of the popular fantasy saga, The Secrets of Droon. Firegirl is the story of Jessica, a girl in seventh grade who has been badly burned. It is the story of the way friendship can change lives.		Suzy is a retired Torrington elementary teacher and now writes full time. She is the author of several series of children’s books: Herbie Jones, Horrible Harry, Song Lee, ORP, Mary Marony, and Molly Zander.
Catherine Andronik		Gloria Koster
Catherine Adronik has written biographies for middle/high school students. Copernicus: Founder of Modern Astronomy, Prince of Humbugs: A Life of P.T. Barnum, and Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself and a few other recent titles.		Gloria Koster is the author of The Peanut-Free Café for elementary readers.
Pat Aust		Kay Kudlinski
Patricia H. Aust has been writing YA novels for the last 15 years. She has published two ebooks: Benni & Victoria (a middle-grade novel about foster care as the "fall out" from a mother's drug abuse/Child Welfare League of America) and Hyper Harry (newconceptspublishing.com) about the effect of a little boy's severe ADHD on his older brother and family.		Kay is the author of 25 children's biographies, historical novels, and young nature books. She is also the writer-illustrator of an award-winning newspaper nature column, and is an experienced classroom teacher.
Nora Baskin		Barbara Shaw McKinney
Nora Raleigh Baskin is the author of four middle grade novels, short stories, and several adult essays. The Company Of Crazies (HarperCollins) was just released this August. The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah will be published spring, 2008 (Simon&Schuster). Ms. Baskin teaches creative writing to children, visits schools, and speaks on writing to groups around the country.
Jon Buller		Sue Rama
Jon Buller and his wife, Susan Schade, write nonfiction history books and fiction books for Preschool to Grade 3. Their most recent effort is a trilogy of graphic novels for kids eight and up. Every other chapter is comic book format. The series is The Fog Mound. The first book of the trilogy, The Travels of Thelonious, has just been published.		Sue Rama is an artist, illustrator, graphic designer and writer. Her most recently illustrated books are Super Sam! and Yum! Yuck! Her honors include ALA/ALSC 2006 Notable Connecticut Book Award finalist for illustration and Nick Jr. Magazine Best Book. Super Sam! honors include 2005 IRA/CBC Children's Choice and the CT Library Consortium 2005 Best Books for Babies, Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers. Visit Sue on the web at http://www.suerama.com.
P.W. Catanese		Geri Rodda
P.W. Catanese is the author of fantasy young adult books. His books include: The Thief and the Beanstalk, The Brave Apprentice, The Eye of the Warlock, The Mirror’s Tale and The Riddle of the Gnome.		A registered nurse, Geri has recently written and published the new children's book Lyme in Rhyme to teach children about the perils of Lyme disease.
Elaine Clayton		Nan Parsons Rossiter
Elaine Clayton is the illustrator of most of the Hamlet Chronicles ( A Couple of April Fools, Three Rotten Eggs, Five Alien Elves, One Final Firecracker, and Show and Tell) and many other books for children.		Nan Rossiter is the author-illustrator of Rugby & Rosie (an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists and winner of the 1999 Golden Sower Award), The Way Home (one of Smithsonian magazine’s Notable Books for Children, 1999), and her third picture book, Sugar on Snow.
Stacey DeKeyser		Judith St. George
The author of two middle grade nonfiction books, Stacey now writes fiction for young adults.		Judith has written about forty books, including historical fiction, mysteries, adventure, nonfiction and biographies. Her work has won numerous awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1980, American Honor Book Award in 1983, New York Academy of Sciences Award in 1983, Christopher Award in 1985, Golden Kite Award in 1990 and, with illustrator David Small, the 2001 Caldecott Medal. Judith's four newest books are part of the Turning Point Books series about four American Presidents who experienced life-changing turning points in their lives.
Carmine Coco DeYoung		Julia Spencer
Carmine is a writer of popular fiction.		Julia Farish Spencer, Ph.D., is the author and creator of 22 literary works including the newly published professional book, Science Month by Month, published by John Wiley & Sons on October 6, 2006. Dr. Spencer is famous for her children's storybooks about our national groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, and she has had four books and one video, two audio books, and two plush animals designed for this market, as well as an interactive web site, http://www.groundhogs.com. In addition, Dr. Spencer has written seven books on insects, one book and toy set on Sea Monkeys, one book on pandas, one book for Barbie dolls, three professional resource books, and one doctoral dissertation...all written from her home in Connecticut! She has taught in the Connecticut schools and also taught writing at the University of Connecticut. She understands the critical role of bringing great literature and resources into the schools to share with students of all ages. She also believes in the importance of integrating science and literature. She loves sharing how writing is best when not limited to a single style or format; writers have skills that can reach multiple audiences.
Leonard Everett Fisher		Sanna Stanley
Leonard Everett Fisher has illustrated some 260 books for young readers since 1954, authoring 90 of these; designed United States postage stamps; executed paintings for the Norwalk (CT) transit District building. He is the winner of many art and book awards.		Monkey Sunday and The Rains Are Coming are children’s books set in an African village.
Gail Gauthier		Joyce Stengel
Gail Gauthier’s current books include Saving the Planet and Stuff and the Hero of Ticonderoga for children ages 10 and up.		Joyce Stengel is the author of: Mystery of the Island Jewels, Mystery at Kittiwake Bay, Letting Go, Sara Takes Charge for children ages 10-14.
Spring Hermann		Jane Sutcliffe
Spring Hermann has recently written Anne Frank: Hope in the Shadows of the Holocaust and has two more non-fiction books under contract: A Student Guide to Tennessee Williams and The Masters: Slavery and the U.S. Presidency (about the first 18 presidents and their attitudes and actions about slavery). She is the author of several nonfiction books.		Jane is the author of thirty-two history and biography books for children age 7 to 10.
John Himmelman		Jennifer Thermes
John lives in Killingworth and is a children's book/natural history author and illustrator. He has written and illustrated over 60 books since 1981. In 2006, he published Discovering Amphibians, Tudley Didn’t Know, and Chickens to the Rescue. He had two Finalist entries in the 2003 CT Book Award: Discovering Moths (for adults) and Pipaluk and the Whales.		Jennifer lives in Newtown and is the author and illustrator of When I Was Built (Henry Holt, 2001) and Sam Bennett's New Shoes (Carolrhoda Books, 2006). She also works as an illustrator, specializing in lighthearted maps and drawings for magazines, educational publishers, and various other clients.
Joan Horton		Jennifer Thomas
Jean Horton has written three poetry books for young readers: Halloween Hoots and Howls, Hippopotamus Stew and Other Silly Animal Poems, and I Brought My Rat for Show and Tell.
Pat Hubbell		Joan Verniero
Patricia Hubbell lives in Easton and writes poetry, easy readers and picture books for children.		Joan has written multicultural biographies for ages 8-12 and read-aloud books about Celtic, Asian, and world mythologies. She has also written You Can Call Me Willy, the story of a girl with AIDS and the discrimination she faces.
Victoria Kann		Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Victoria’s collage, mixed media, and computer illustrations have been commissioned for magazines, newspapers, book covers, advertising, packaging, and greeting cards. She teaches collage at the School of Visual Arts in New York.		Nancy is the author and illustrator of 18 picture books for children including Alphabet House, Leaves! Leaves! Leaves!, Seeds! Seeds! Seeds!, Recycle Every Day! and Look! Look! Look! done in collaboration with the Yale Center for British Art. Her distinctive illustrations are created from origami and found materials.
Alan Katz		Jerome Wexler
Alan Katz describes himself as “a silly dilly man.” He is the author of Take Me Out of the Bathtub, I’m Still Here in the Bathtub, Stinky Thinking and Where Did They Hide My Presents? He has recently written a songbook about manners called Are You Quite Polite?		Jerome lives in Madison and has published forty-four children’s books about science and nature, illustrated with his own photographs.

A REGISTRATION FORM for all Conference events is posted on the CEMA site, but the breakdown for the Pre-Conference is as follows:

All Pre-Conference Events	3:00-7:00 p.m.	$75
Pre-Conference Guest speakers only	3:00-5:00 p.m.	$35
Awards, CT Author Reception, Buffet Supper	5:00-7:00 p.m.	$40