When my first book, The Word Eater, was published back in 2000 with Holiday House, I received a hot-off-the-press copy with a handwritten note from John Briggs, the publisher. John has retired, and Holiday House–the first publisher in the U.S. dedicated to only publishing books for children–is growing and changing in many ways. But in one crucial way, Holiday House has remained the same. This past week, Holiday House published my 22nd book, and when my first hot-off-the-press copy came with a handwritten note from my editor, Mary Cash, I cried. I cried because her note symbolized that the production was a human act. It may seem ridiculously obvious. But too often, technology can dehumanize interactions and processes. People who take the time to write and send a handwritten note send a message: our efforts and our partnerships as human beings have value.
Writer’s Studio
“This is my favorite part of every week!”
Join award-winning author Mary Amato via ZOOM in her writing studio every Friday from 1:00 to 1:30 EST pm
In these popular online mini-workshops, Mary presents an energized talk about a different rhetorical device or process-oriented writing tip and then leads a writing exercise each week. Some of the exercises are designed to be like cognitive workouts for the brain while others are designed to tap into the subconscious and exercise the imagination. Participants are not pressured to share what they write. The focus is on enjoying the writing process.
The experience is for adults. But if you’re a young adult who loves to write, reach out through a parent or guardian and we can find out if the sessions would be a good fit. What we cover will cross genres and can be useful in writing memoir, fiction, poetry, essays, plays, creative nonfiction, and journal writing.
Each session is just $5.00 (plus a small processing fee) and you can register for one or more months at a time. After you register, you’ll receive an invoice via email. Payment is made through a credit card or a Paypal account online. After your invoice is paid, you’ll receive a zoom link that will be the same for each class that month. There are no make-up lessons and no refunds. I will not cancel. If for some reason, I cannot teach a session, I will arrange for a qualified guest teacher.
IF YOU’D LIKE TO JOIN A MONTH THAT HAS ALREADY BEGUN, please send a message and you can be invoiced separately for the month’s remaining lessons.
READY TO JUMP IN?
Register using this form.
Get Your Game On!
A book sale & fitness event to benefit nonprofit DC SCORES
Game On! is the first book in a new series for ages 8-12 by award-winning author Mary Amato about a young athlete who is recruited to play in an interplanetary soccer tournament and must learn to train both mind and body for this high-stakes, out-of-this-world challenge!
Purchase one or more books through this special sale event and author Mary Amato will donate proceeds to the nonprofit DC SCORES. Plus, with every order you will receive a free family pass to attend the GAME ON! MIND AND BODY FITNESS ZOOM (more info below).
Your purchase can also be sent as a gift and/or donated to a DC SCORES youth participant.
To participate in this benefit book sale and fitness event, you must use this form and complete your order by 9/30/21. $17.99 plus $5.00 shipping per book. Autograph instructions are included in the form. When you complete your order, you will receive your free pass for the zoom event.
More on DC SCORES
DC SCORES is an award-winning nonprofit serving elementary and middle-schoolers across the District through a unique combination of soccer, poetry, and service-learning. Their 3,000+ “poet-athletes” play in free soccer leagues, write and perform original works of poetry, and design and execute service projects based on those poems—all as part of school-based teams. Their successful model has been replicated in 10 other cities through America SCORES.
More on the Fitness Event
GAME ON! MIND AND BODY FITNESS ZOOM will be held online from 10-10:45 am on Saturday, October 9. Being an author and being an athlete have a lot in common. Both require training, creativity, and collaboration. In this interactive, intergenerational ZOOM session, you will get the chance to meet author Mary Amato and then participate in a fun family-friendly fitness workout with athlete and fitness coach Simon Amato, co-founder of Life of Gains.
Blast Off! Get Your Brain and Body Moving—and Support DC SCORES!
Project Noteworthy with Lima Symphony Orchestra
Music lifts us and connects us and is a lifelong partner in expressing our emotions.
Thanks to the Lima Symphony Orchestra and a project grant from the National Endowment for the Arts coordinated by LSO’s Renee Keller, I led a songwriting project with four 4th-5th grade classes in four different Ohio schools to explore and celebrate songwriting. A complete description of the project and all involved is here.
In online sessions, I took students through the process of writing a collaborative song with the support of their teachers. First, we explored how to use songwriting to express emotions, then we worked through my brainstorming technique to generate images and ideas. Next, we explored the same kind of writing process that poets use to structure lyrics. Finally, we created a melody. I sent recordings of the four songs we created to Renee Keller, education coordinator at the LSO.
Next, arranger Jonathan Wey listened to the songs and wrote fabulous arrangements for the orchestra. Through this project, students could see firsthand how an arranger’s job is to capture the emotional essence of each song and find ways to allow the different instruments to express those emotions.
Jonathan Wey’s scores were given to the orchestra and conductor. They learned, rehearsed, and recorded the instrumental tracks, which were then sent back to the students. Music coming full circle. Imagine the excitement of hearing these from the students’ point of view.
The project was celebrated by local media and students from Heritage ES got to share their song on the radio!
Yesterday, our young composers got the star treatment when the Lima Symphony and Modo Media came to our school to record them singing their song they composed with @maryamato . They are so excited to see the finished performance! pic.twitter.com/7PKEBcrhTB
— Heritage Music Dept. (@HeritageElMusic) May 1, 2021
Here’s just one song. More are coming!
The main goal of the project was to model a form of expressive writing—songwriting and give students tips and ideas for engaging in this creative and productive process on their own; however, the project also met a number of academic goals in language arts, music, and more, including the following:
• Using figurative language and poetic imagery
• Using meter (rhythm) and rhyme
• Learning tips for revision
• Exploring problem-solving and pattern recognition
• Strengthening cooperation skills
• Experiencing
• Applying dynamics and contrast to both music and lyrics
• Understanding the function and parts of a vocal song
• Appreciating the role of an arranger
• Learning how each instrument adds a voice to the whole of a work
Video “Deep in My Emotions” – Crystal Miller’s 4th Grade Heritage Elementary
Video “Everything is Right” – Nicole Rohrbaugh’s 4th Grade Independence Elementary
Video “Gray Day” – Joe MacBenn’s 5th Grade North Middle School
Video “Trying to Find the Light” – Kara Place’s 4th Grade Freedom Elementary:
Below are the lyrics of the songs.
Thanks to the students, the teachers Ms. Miller, Ms. Rohrbaugh, Ms. Place, and Mr. MacBeen, LSO’s Ms. Keller, the LSO, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Deep in My Emotions
Students in Mrs. Miller’s Class /HERITAGE
I’m shattered like a glass
Pieces of myself
Shattered, shattered like a glass
I know there’s hope
Like a window we can open
A window of hope
A window of hope
I’m burning like a fire
Spreading through my heart
burning, burning like a fire
I know there’s peace
Like water pouring over me.
Water of peace.
Water of peace.
I’m falling from the nest
through the cold air
Falling, falling from the nest.
I know there’s trust
like wings to lift me up
Wings of trust.
Wings of trust.
Trying to Find the Light
Students in Mrs. Place’s class /FREEDOM
VERSE 1
The hallway is dark
I’m always trying to find my way out
oooooh
The hallway is dark
I’m always trying to find my way out
Oooooh
CHORUS
I’m trying to find the light
I’m trying to find the light
VERSE 2
I’m looking for another place
I’m always racing, always running
oooooh
I’m looking for another place
I’m always racing, always running
oooooh
CHORUS
I’m trying to find the light
I’m trying to find the light
VERSE 3
Whispers surround me
In my head I hear them coming
oooooh
Footsteps are thumping
Always getting louder, louder
oooooh
Shadows bombard me
Watching me, they always follow
oooooh
I’m trying to find the light
I’m trying to find the light
Everything is Right
Students in Ms. Rohrbaugh’s Class /INDEPENDENCE
Verse
I’m flying through the sky
I’m climbing to the top
I’m riding and riding and riding
Everything is right
Verse
I’m swimming through the waves
Building castles in the sand
I’m diving and diving and diving.
Everything is right.
BRIDGE
I might get hurt
I may get sick
and make mistakes
all the time.
I might lose
I may get shy
But I am gonna
try to shine.
Verse
I’m walking to the moon
Singing in the sun
I’m shining and shining and shining.
Everything is right.
Everything is right. (SLOW)
Gray Day Turning Bright
Students in Mr. MacBeen’s Class
VERSE 1
Someone cuts you off
Someone takes what you want
It’s all gray today.
Gray today.
VERSE 2
Problems that you have to do
Come up with the answers to
It’s all gray today.
Gray today.
CHORUS
Tonight we need fireworks.
Lights and design shine bright.
red, blue, gold, and white
All throughout the night
We need fireworks tonight.
VERSE 3
People crowd around
You can’t get where you want
It’s all gray today.
Gray today.
VERSE 2
People yell at you
No one understands you
It’s all gray today.
Gray today.
CHORUS REPEATS TO END
Related links:
https://www.limasymphony.com/project-noteworthy
We were on the radio today with Dave and Victoria! Check out their show! We performed “Deep in My Emotions” composed by our 4th grade students and author/composer @maryamato we are at the end of the show today!
Friday, May 14, 2021 https://t.co/5cIBiZMy2w
— Heritage Music Dept. (@HeritageElMusic) May 15, 2021
New Courses for Adults & Teens
Fall 2020
Monthly Virtual Novel-Writing Retreats
and
Weekly Writer’s Studio with Mary Amato
Find out more about each of these experiences below.
Monthly Virtual Novel-Writing Retreats
Through College Park Arts Exchange, join authors Mary Amato and John Feffer and fellow colleagues for an energizing mix of lectures, facilitated discussion, and forced time to write! As Shawn Achor points out in his book, Big Potential, studies show that people are more productive when they know that others are working, too.
Amato and Feffer are both discipline-crossing writers who are simultaneously working on novels, plays, essays, and poetry. These writing retreats will be focused on novel writing, but we welcome explorers of any genre—fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screen or stage play, etc.
Use these inspiring virtual retreat days to take a work-in-progress further or to write something completely new.
10:00 am-5:30 pm EST
- 10:00-10:15/Intro & Warm-up Writing Exercise
- 10:15-11:00 /Lecture #1
- 11:00-11:30/Facilitated Chat (or log off and get to your writing)
- 11:30-2:15/Writing Time
- 2:15-3:00/Lecture #2
- 3:00-3:30/Facilitated Chat (or log off and get to your writing)
- 3:30-5:00/Writing Time
- 5:00-5:30/Final Q/A
$40 per person per retreat or $20 per person per half-day retreat. You may sign up for one retreat or as many as desired. Once you have registered, you’ll receive three Zoom links for each of your retreat days. Each retreat day will include three Zoom sessions with writing time in between. PLEASE NOTE: Registration for full day occurs through College Park Arts Exchange. If you can only attend half day, contact the instructors to register.
Sat Sept 26 Tense & Time
Pros and cons of writing in the past or present or a combination of both. Are you writing in the best tense to tell your story? Are you telling your story chronologically? What are your options? What role does time play in the lives of your characters? How can keeping track of chronological time in your story can make a huge difference in the revision process? Are you using your time as a writer most productively?
Sun Nov 1 Voice & Point of View
Establish authenticity, commit to a POV or multiple POVs , and know when to come in for a close up and when to pull back. What are the various voices and POVs in your work?
Sat Nov 21 Recurring Symbolism & Surprising Metaphors
Identify and explore symbols and metaphors and determine how and when they should repeat. What are the symbols and metaphors that are already in your work? Are you doing all you can or do you need more?
Weekly Writer’s Studio with Mary Amato
Join award-winning author Mary Amato in her writing studio every Friday from 1:00 to 1:30 EST pm. for $5.00 per class.
Each week, Mary will choose a different topic related to some aspect of the writing process and give a short, energized talk and then lead a writing exercise on the spot.
The experience will be designed for adults and teens who are serious about writing. What we cover will cross genres and can be useful in writing fiction, poetry, essays, plays, and creative nonfiction.
All classes and private lessons are booked on a month by month basis. When you book a class, you’ll be asked to pay for that entire month. You’re welcome to register for as many months as desired. Payment is made through a credit card or a Paypal account online. After your invoice is paid, you’ll receive a zoom link that will be the same for each class that month. There are no make-up lessons and no refunds. I will not cancel. If for some reason, I cannot teach a session, I will arrange for a qualified guest teacher. There is no limit to the number of participants, which means there will be no one-on-one interaction. However, the energy and the quality of instruction will be high. Register here.
Bios
Mary Amato is a novelist, poet, essayist, songwriter, and playwright, who has a great day-job writing fiction for young adults and children with 22 published books. Her creative non-fiction has appeared in The Washington Post, Education Week, Mothering, and more. A passionate teacher with a master’s in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins, she is also co-founder of Firefly Shadow Theater and founder of several organizations that promote creative networking and artistic growth. www.maryamato.com.
John Feffer has published three novels, including the critically acclaimed Splinterlands. The final volume in the Splinterlands trilogy, Songlands, will come out at the end of 2020. He has written and produced ten plays, including four one-man shows, and is the author of several non-fiction books and numerous articles on foreign policy. He serves as the director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. www.johnfeffer.com.
Please note that in addition to these retreats, both Amato and Feffer offer partial or full manuscript critiques on a rolling basis throughout the year. $30 per half hour. You can cap your investment at any amount. If you’re interested, contact either instructor individually.
Questions? Contact either of the retreat leaders through the contact forms on their websites.
The Writer’s Notebook
My new educational video about the process of keeping a writer’s notebook.
The Chicken of the Family Collection
Enjoy this free collection of stories. Perfect for ages 3-6.
When you’re little, even an ordinary day is filled with big troubles and triumphs—especially when you have two older sisters who win trophies, play tricks, and seem so brave. Four-year-old Henrietta struggles with her jealousies and fears as she finds her place in her funny and loving family. This audio collection, narrated by the author, includes five new stories plus The Chicken of the Family, the beloved picture book in which Henrietta was first hatched.
Written and narrated by Mary Amato. All rights reserved.
Original music by Amy Bormet. More about her at: amykbormet.com/about/
To listen on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mary-amato-author/sets/the-chicken-of-the-family-collection
Free Skype Day 2020: March 25
Every year, I offer one free Skype day for schools and take reservations for time slots for 15-minute Q&A on a first-come, first-served basis.
To schedule a free Q&A session, please email me info (at) maryamato (dot) com from your school/library email address with all of the following info listed in one message:
-
- Preferred time (listing your time zone, please)
- Your name and your skype name.
- Name of school, snail mail address, and phone number of school or library
- Grade level(s), size of audience, and which of my book(s) you’d like the Q/A to focus on.
If your session is approved, you will receive guidelines via email and your school name will be added to this schedule.
Skype Workshops
I also offer effective Skype workshops for classes, groups, and individuals. See more.
Rave Reviews
- “The skype visit with Mary Amato was great and inspiring!” –Mary Litwinczuk, Weaver Lake Elementary, MN
- “We had a very successful Skype experience with Mary Amato. We did the two-part character creation workshop. We would like to schedule for the same time next February!” –Hope Preston, Gill St. Bernard’s School, NJ
- “This afternoon was incredible! All 70 sixth graders were riveted to the screen while you were talking. I can’t thank you enough for all the wonderful things you shared with us about your writing process. What a truly inspiring discussion. One really neat coincidence was that I had just shared my writing notebook earlier in the morning and then you shared yours. The connections were flying like wild fire…You have made a wonderful lasting memory for so many students today.” –Franklin, WI 6th grade teacher
- “My students loved her and I loved the way she subtly got across the message of ‘grit.’ She told students how important it is to revise written work… and how mistakes can be a fabulous opportunity for learning.” Patricia London, Media Specialist Avon Middle-High School, MA
From Students:
- “I don’t like writing, but when Mary said that she did not like writing as a kid and now she is a author it encouraged me to want to learn how to write now. She let me know that I could be a great author some day.” – R.J.
- “The thing that really was a life lesson and really inspiring was the quote she said – ‘The only way you fail is by not trying.’ – Laykin
- “The Skype with Mary Amato taught me that if you jot something down you are more likely to remember it.” – Ava
- “It was a great experience to meet Mary Amato, and talk to her about her writing process! Skyping is a very fun activity. I would love to do it again. It is fun to see different ways authors, like Mary Amato, create amazing books. So all in all I loved Skyping with Mary Amato.” – Bailey
In-Person Visits
Want information about actual, in-person visits with me? Go to: Workshops.
Kidlit TV Appearance for Lucy McGee Series
Kidlit TV asked me to talk about my Lucy McGee series and answer one very interesting question. Find out about my books and what I’d do if I found a whale in my bathtub.
Songwriting Workshop at Stedwick Elementary School
How spirit-lifting it was to walk into Mary Ruth McGinn’s classroom at Stedwick Elementary School and see a circle of third graders with their ukuleles, ready to write songs.
Before my arrival, the teacher and I had already begun to give the students the experience of critique and revision—an essential part of the songwriting process. About a week before the workshop, McGinn emailed me a draft of a collaborative song, I wrote comments, made suggested edits, and emailed it back. She shared that with the students and together they re-wrote one of the verses and talked through why I had made the suggestions I had made.
During the workshop, we set those lyrics to music and practiced it. After that, we wrote an entire new song together. The focus for this workshop was on a trio of elements that are often employed in songwriting: rhythm, repetition, and rhyme. As we wrote, we tested each lyric line to a beat to make sure the rhythm of the words sounded right. Sometimes, we had to make a change, such as substituting a one syllable word for a longer word if the line sounded awkward.
When it was time to write our new song, I taught how I often start by writing down a lot of possible ideas, rather than just one idea for each line. For example, in the first four-line verse, when it came time to write the last line, I asked them for lots of ideas. I wrote them all down so we could pick the one we liked best.
If I built a wall,
I’d build three more
It would be a small house
With a door
(or one of these instead)
With four doors
With sixteen doors
With a floor
With a floor and a door
We ended up liking the humor and the symbolism of sixteen doors.
Next, we worked on the idea of establishing and repeating a pattern. In this case, the pattern for each verse was four lines with the second and fourth line repeating. We also worked on the idea that the chorus of a song can be simple and make use of repetition.
Here’s the whole song:
If I built a wall,
I’d build three more
It would be a small house
With sixteen doors
If I built a window
I’d look outside
I’d say, “Hello World”
To the bright blue sky.
CHORUS:
So many people can come inside.
So many people can come inside.
Come inside!
If I built a roof
I’d make it warm
It would keep us safe
From the big dark storm.
If I built a floor
I’d use it for my band.
Everybody come
And jump and dance.
CHORUS:
So many people can come inside.
So many people can come inside.
Come inside!
Come inside!
Thanks to Carpe Diem Arts, Inc., the non-profit arts organization that organized and funded the experience, to Busy Graham, CDA’s founder, Ms. McGinn, and all her students.
