Review of a Panel @ Highlights Foundation: Poetry Workshop May 13-17, 2012
David Harrison — Rebecca Kai Dotlich — Eileen Spinelli
“Sometimes
I wish
I had a little fish.
Upon a dish.”
by David Harrison
“This was my first poem. My Mom was cooking fish in the kitchen.”
My first picture book was published in 1967. It was conceived while I climbed out of the shower and sounded something like this: “rat-a-tat-tat”, playing on my drum.” I sold it outright for $350 to Western Publishing. Later I learned to protect my rights.
“The older I get, the shorter my stuff becomes.”
But I am now a full-time writer from 6AM to 6PM M-F.
A variety of publishers cover my different venues. Right now, I’m juggling 12 projects. This is my passion.
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
began being interested in women’s magazines but while reading to her daughter, came to prefer: “moons, mice, dust and puddles.”
There was a time she arose at 4AM to write with spiders walking on her in the basement. Gloves warmed her hands.
After 10 years of rejections, a hand-written word reassured her: It said: “ALMOST” instead of “YOU SUCK”!
The editor of Humpty Dumpty needed recipes so Rebecca wrote a rhyming recipe!
“Listen”, she advises. “Adapt”
She sent in 8 poems on where animals sleep to Highlights. A year later, they asked for more poems.
Rebecca was on her way…
Eileen Spinelli
wanted to be Edna St Vincent Millay.
She wrote in pencil @ the kitchen table. Her invisible friend was Perseverance.
Never giving up her day job, she babysat, cooked and wrote between, honed her craft, maintained folders, gathered data, and wrote every day. Today she has a ring of editors who honor her style, and acknowledge the way her work rings true.
As a child, she played with paper dolls; today she combines imagination and memory in her work.
“Meander”, she says, “for hours”.You’ll create something that shines!
The Vibrant Channeled Creator 