Feast of St. Brigid February 1

The Feast of St. Brigid is coming up! I find it so satisfying that her feast falls within the Christmas season, the last feast before the feast of Candlemas on February 2, since St. Brigid is said to have mystically visited the manger in Bethlehem to see the Christ Child. You can read Amy Steedman's telling of it in this narrative. The symbol of fire has also been associated with St. Brigid, again, so fitting to be honored so close to the feast of Candlemas.

You can celebrate the feast with Irish treats and the making of St. Brigid's cross (directions here). You might also like to read Brigid's Cloak with your children. You will also find some other ideas at the the Catholic Culture site.

Chuiraquimba and the Black Robes

by Madeleine Polland

Now in print!!

I am a great fan of Madeleine Polland - in fact, I think I am her greatest fan. I would love to reprint every one of her books for children!


Chuiraquimba and the Black Robes is the latest installment in what I hope to someday call our "Polland library." Set in 1600s Paraguay, it tells the story of the Jesuit missions there and the incredible faith and devotion of the Guarani people. In addition to being a beautiful story about finding the Faith, it sensitively portrays the Guarani and the exploitation of them by the colonizing Spanish and Portuguese. It's a great addition to any historical study of the age of exploration and colonization. Original cover art by Sean Fitzpatrick and cover design by Ted Schluenderfritz.

Visit the website for ordering information.


The next book by Madeleine Polland that we plan to publish is Children of the Red King, her first book for children.

Now Available !!

The sequel to Father Brown: Stories from Chesterton, this adaptation features 4 murder mysteries. Follow Father Brown and the now-reformed Flambeau as the they cleverly solve puzzling deaths. Please visit our website to place an order

Don't forget we have all picture books and Windeatt titles on sale!

New Items on the Website!

I have finally uploaded to the website a lot of new books that we have for sale. And . . . most are now on sale. I had acquired a batch of Mary Fabian Windeatt books from another book dealer and we finally have those for titles in both new and used condition on the website.

We also are selling the saint stories that are being reprinted by Mary's Books from the popular Dujarie publishers of the past.

We're pleased to offer two new books from Catholic Artworks: Mary and the 50 States and St. John Neumann.

AND, as a pre-Christmas special, we have all of our picture books on sale now!!








And finally . . . be on the lookout for the sequel to the very popular Father Brown Reader! Here is a sneak peak at the cover for The Father Brown Reader II: More Stories from Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpentier Brown and illustrated by Ted Schluenderfritz. Coming soon!!!

More on the Catholic Writers' conference: Chance for Free Book

I saw a pretty neat promo video for the conference at this website. You can also win a free book from Karina for helping to promote the conference.

I'd like to make the same offer Karina makes. If you advertise the conference on your blog, facebook, etc, I'll put your name in a drawing for a free book from Hillside Education. So send me a link to where you've posted about it and I'll enter your name. Here is the most important info you should post:

Minimum Post (140 characters): Catholic Writers! The Catholic Writers Conference Live is Aug 4-6 at King of Prussia, PA. Info/Register http://catholicwritersconference.com/

Please see my previous blog post for a little more information if you want to say more.
We appreciate your help in getting the word out about this wonderful conference.

Catholic Writers Conference

Press Release!!

Catholic Writers to Hold Conference In Valley Forge, PA

The second annual Catholic Writers Conference LIVE will be held August 4-6, 2010, at the Scanticon Hotel Valley Forge in King of Prussia, PA. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer's Guild and the Catholic Marketing Network (CMN), and held in conjunction with CMN's annual retailer trade show, the Catholic Writer's Conference LIVE provides Catholic authors with a prime opportunity to meet and share their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners from across the globe.

This year's conference will feature presentations on such topics as market tips and time management for busy writers, poetry, creating evil characters (by Regina Doman), working with an editor, creating winning proposals, journaling, dealing with "rejection" and negative criticism (by Susie Lloyd), and much more. Keynote speaker Michelle Buckman will be present a talk entitled "The Wonder of Expresing Catholicism in Faith."

#

Even though I am a pipsqueak in the Catholic publishing world, I will be speaking on a publishers' panel.

One of the best features, in my opinion is the rare opportunity to present, or "pitch," your book idea to publishers. There will be four publishers hearing pitches--you can discuss your ideas and get immediate feedback. So if you have an idea that's been needling you, or a manuscript underway, consider attending!! The atmosphere of the CMN trade show is just plain exhilarating.

Please visit the conference website for registration details.

New Titles

I've scaled back my ambitions for this summer after having a very tough winter and feeling like I need a break. However, there are a few things on the horizon:

1. Mother of Divine Grace 8th grade titles Discussion Guide available June 15th. At last!! I have had notes for this one for 3 years . . . in 4 different notebooks. Finally getting it together!! Simple discussion topics and writing prompts for Fingal's Quest (Polland), Augustine Came to Kent (Willard), Son of Charlemagne (Willard), The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (Pyle),  Door in the Wall (D'Angeli), Adam of the Road (Gray), Black Arrow (Stevenson).

We also have study guides for Hidden Treasure of Glaston and I, Juan dePareja nearing completion.


2. Chuiraquimba and the Black Robes by Madeleine Polland

Due out this summer. This story set in Paraguay in the early 1600s, deals with the Jesuit missions among the Guarani. As usual Polland tells a very moving story within the historical backdrop--this one a tale of conversion and loss and hope. (This another of the books from the Clarion series that we are reprinting.)

Here is a preliminary sketch for the cover art from Sean Fitzpatrick.






2. My husband and I are currently writing a study companion for Bennett's America: The Last Best Hope for use by high school American history students. We will have a "beta" version (for anyone who wants to try it) available by September, and then after we use it for the 2010-11 school year, we'll put out a final version next summer.


3. We hope to have The Father Brown Reader, More Stories from Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpentier Brown out this year, the sequel to her The Father Brown Reader, Stories from Chesterton.  These stories feature murder mysteries that have to do with appearances, sight, and seeing.


We have a wish list of other books we want to reprint . . .we'll see!!

On the Conference Trail - UPDATED

Once again, we will be attending a few homeschool conferences this summer.

Please visit us at the following conferences in May:

Pere Marquette, Chicago IL May 7 and 8
http://www.nichejmj.com/

Northwest Catholic Family Education Conference May 21 and 22
http://www.nwcatholicconference.com/

In addition to our own products, we will also have the newest titles from Catholic Artworks
as well as Lift Up Your Hearts: Rediscovering the Mass and the Celebration of Our Faith published by Treasures of the Church Press.

If the mail system comes through, we'll also have copies of the new book by Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss, hot off the presses: Small Steps for Catholic Moms.

So please visit our tables if you are attending these shows!

In June we will be at the

New England Catholic Homeschool Conference (newly added to our schedule!)
June 5
http://wmch.stblogs.com/

and

IHM conference in Chantilly, VA
http://www.ihmconference.org/national

and

Sacred Heart Convention in Orange, NJ
http://www.heartconvention.org/

New Book Arrived at Last!!

We have been struggling to get this book to print, but at last we can advertise it and offer to our customers!!

 Young Pedro escapes his uncle who is planning to kill him in order to gain the family title and fortune. His escape route takes him around the world . . . literally, as the cabin boy on Magellan's flagship the Trinidad. Lomask tells a tale of great adventure as Pedro experiences the joys and perils of the fleet Armada de Maluca These include mutinies and battles with native people as well as with the sea herself. Pedro is one of the few who survive the voyage, and he returns to Spain to claim his birthright.

Recommended for grades 4-7.
$14.95

This title is another from the Clarion Series originally published in the 1950s and 60s. Other titles in that series that we publish are: Sword of Clontarf, City of the Golden House, and The King's Thane. We will be publishing another from this series later this year: Chuiraquimba and the Black Robes by Madeleine Polland.

Until February 28, we are offering Ship's Boy at the introductory price of $12.00. 

Visit the Hillside Website to order!!

Advent 2009

We've posted Cay's first meditation on this page on the Hillside website. This week's meditation features the children's picture book Angela and the Child Jesus by Frank McCourt. This is a true story adapted for children from the stories about the author's mother and beautifully illustrated by Raul Colon. The free meditation is intended for you, the adult reader, but the picture book can then be shared with your family. We have limited copies of each book featured in Cay's meditations available on the website as well.

Check back each week to download the new meditation!

Little Advent Treat from Cay Gibson

Please hop over to Cay's blog and check out what she has planned as a gift for moms and families this Advent. She will be offering for free a set of meditations to accompany four Advent/Christmas-themed picture books. We will make the meditations available for free download from the Hillside website starting the first week of Advent. (First week available now! Nov. 25)

Wishing you a blessed Advent as you prepare for the coming of the King.
Margot

Thoughts on Literature and the Publishing Business

I've been taking a class to maintain my teacher certification in the state of PA, and it has been so interesting. It's on children's literature and looks at all the cultural and social factors in books for children. This week we're focusing on commercialization and what it does to the content of children's books. And you know, it's something I've always known, but to be hit with it so explicitly has been somewhat startling. How much of what is "sold" as children's literature is merely advertising for other things (like movies)? How many books are based purely on what will sell or will encourage sales of other things instead of on ideas that are good for children to think about? Some people in education circles call these commercialized books "twaddle," but to my mind that's not half a strong enough word to describe the insipid diet of consumerism we feed our children through licensed characters and inane stories.

One of the articles I read this week traced the history of book publishing and it's track to "fast" capitalism. It explains why publishing houses no longer keep rich backlists, why some of the best books for children are out of print and most likely to stay that way: they have no cross product potential. The 5 largest children's book publishers are now owned by huge media conglomerates who no longer have the "Idea" as the main criteria for whether a book gets published, but the dollar value instead. No longer is literature held aloft from the market and so able to pursue and debate ideas. The market now rules literature and naturally this has limited what gets published. (Of course there are still some great books being published, but look at any bookstore and you'll see what's really being promoted.) I heard that publishers must attend expensive conferences put on by one of the big bookstores chains just to get books on their shelves. A small, very small, publisher like me doesn't stand a chance in a system like that.

This has made me reflect seriously on what we are doing at Hillside. We began just publishing study guides for different time periods in history. But when I couldn't find books for particular historical periods in print, I decided to jump into publishing out-of-print novels. It has been an incredibly creative and exciting process. I love every single one of the books we have published. They are all great stories . . . and they are not part of some multinational corporation's scheme to make money by any and every means conceivable. They have great ideas for kids to think about and leave open the possibility for hope. And yet, I can hardly stay in business; 2009 was a particularly difficult year.

Nevertheless, stupid though it may be, or certainly outside of conventional business sense, I have 3 novels scanned and almost ready to print, and I'm reading 3 others that I hope to prepare as well. What is the matter with me? Am I crazy? How can I possible stay in business much less compete with Sponge Bob Squarepants or everything Harry Potter? How can I get a business loan when my business plan shows that huge sales are not likely? And yet, how can I walk away from these truly great books that have been discarded by the market?

My only hope is that other people out there are looking for something other than the diet the mega-publishers put out. And if I can't compete in a crazy market, at least in my little corner of the publishing world, we'll still have great things to talk about.

Lingua Mater Americana

AKA Lingua Mater 8, is now available. We decided to keep costs down by just offering it as a 3-hole punch copy that you can pop into a binder. 

We are printing it on-demand and have just a few copies in stock right now. All copies ordered at conferences will go out this week. 

For details on what's in it, visit the Hillside website.

Michigan Conference

If you placed an order at the Michigan conference June 19 and 20, please contact us at

sales@hillsideeducation.com.

We've filled orders for all conferences except a few remaining from the SCCHE conference (Alhambra, CA),  and those who ordered Lingua Mater 8 at the IHM conference. So, if you ordered something at a conference and haven't received it yet - please do contact us!

We will have a table at the Tampa, FL conference this weekend and the Dallas, TX and Lancaster PA conferences next weekend. See you there!!

It's been an incredible summer getting to (or orchestrating a Hillside/mater et magistra presence at) almost every conference! I have enjoyed meeting people and hearing about heroic home educating adventures. But, I am now ready to kick back and can 50 quarts of beans and make 20 loaves of zucchini bread! Sitting in the sun with a glass of lemonade (well, I'd probably really be drinking water, but lemonade sounds more romantic) while the kids play softball sounds pretty good, too.

Happy summer!

Margot

In His Image

We're pleased to announce the publication of our latest title:

In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home

by Mary C. Gildersleeve.

Mary explains that by letting our children and ourselves "create" we participate in the life of Our Divine Creator and cultivate many positive skills and habits. In addition, the book is full of resource recommendations and project ideas.

From the back cover:

Nurturing creativity in our children and in ourselves is a critical need today. We all know that research has shown that art and music are good for fostering healthy brain development, but they are good for our souls, too. Through creativity, we imitate the Divine Creator and practice the skills needed to battle the despair produced by a pre-made, manufactured, cookie-cutter world.

Made in the image of God, there is a creative desire placed in all of us. Nurturing this desire in our children is not only thoroughly satisfying, but an essential part of our parenting duty. By instilling in our children a love for the good, the true, and the beautiful, we can help to reshape our world for the good of all.

From the foreword by Elizabeth Foss

Education in the arts is no less important than academic education. Creativity will launch our children beyond the boundaries of their intelligence. A creative child knows how to think outside the box—to seek fresh approaches and novel ways of understanding things. More importantly, a creative child will have a greater, deeper, truer understanding of God. There can be no understanding of philosophy or theology without imagination and creativity. 

You can preorder this book now. Ship date is approximately June 15.

Conference Season

The homeschool conference season has begun!!! Last week Cay Gibson represented Hillside and mater et magistra magazine for us at the Louisiana conference in Covington last weekend, and she had a great time meeting folks and hearing what everyone is up to for the coming school year. 

We look forward to meeting you all in the coming weeks, so if you live in any of these areas, please check out our table at the following conferences:

Acworth/Atlanta April 17 and 18

Harrisburg, PA April 18

CHAPLET in Berlin NJ April 25

ARCH in Houston TX April 24 and 25

GMCHE in Milwaukee, WI April 24 and 25

Northwest (Tukwila, WA) May 1 and 2

Chicago May 8 and 9

Minnesota May 29 and 30

Kansas City June 5 and 6

New England (Chicopee, MA) June 6

IHM in Chantilly, VA June 12 and 13

Lansing, MI June 19 and 20

Sacred HEART in Orange NJ June 20

Cleveland, OH June 26 and 27

SCCHE (Southern California)  June 25, 26, 27

Tampa FL July 17 and 18

Family Centered Conference July 25

Dallas/Fort Worth July 24 and 25

We will have samples of all the Hillside products, samples of the magazine, and some things for sale!

Hope to see you!

Margot

It's Spring

We welcome the coming of spring with a big sigh!! It's been a long hard winter, but in the midst of the commemoration of Our Lord's passion, we get slivers of hope in the light (and warmth) to come. We hope you and your families have a Blessed Triduum and Holy Easter!!

Margot

Important Errata Notice for Haystack Full of Needles

For everyone who wants to try the scone recipe in the back of Alice's book Haystack Full of Needles, please take note: There is a typo.

Sigh!

The recipe ought to list 2/3 cups of sugar.

Please keep in mind as well, that you add the buttermilk gradually, only as much as is needed (which will vary based on the humidity and the kind of flour you use). You may not need all that is listed.

Haystack Stories

I have been amazed and edified by the range of stories that I'm hearing from people who have read Alice Gunther's Haystack Full of Needles. We have found out that socialization for the moms is very important!!! People are sharing how their groups work and what true charity can do in a community of homeschoolers. We are also hearing how people have been inspired by the book to try and heal their groups that fell apart either because of lack of charity or lack of interest. I'm sure we'll hear more!!! Please feel free to respond in the comment section of this email if you want to share a story about your homeschool friendships.

I want to share one of mine. When I first moved to our present house, I was expecting number 5 and number 1 had just turned 7. I was a bit apprehensive about the move: one more time we moved to a totally new area where I knew no one, one more time I left behind a kindred spirit, and one more time I would have to try and put aside my introvert tendancies and reach out to other people.

Our new parish had many homeschoolers but a recent falling out had splintered the group and bad feelings abounded. I was content to be pregnant and hunker down with the family and not try to get in the middle of the divisiveness. When I took my children to CCD, there was a group of moms who hung out during CCD time, and I got to know a few of them. I was astounded when one of them, who had from the beginning been encouraging me to call and come over to her house for a visit, brought me a dinner when I had the baby. She didn't really even know me!! It was so sweet, and she was so generous and laid back about it. It still took me two months to get the courage to call her and say, "Hey, I'd like to take you up on your offer to bring the kids over and visit." Her enthusiastic response was a balm to me.

Since that time there have been many chances for mutual generosity, (my number 5 is now 8 years old and she now has 10 children) but it was that simple reaching out by her that turned the tide for me and helped me to come out of myself a bit. I've been thinking a lot about that with regard to Haystack Full of Needles. It doesn't take much to make someone feel like an outsider, and not much to make her feel welcome as well. I am filled with gratitude for this friend of mine . . . and I thought I better tell her:

Happy Birthday, Kathleen, and thanks for being a great friend over the years, opening your home and heart to whomever you meet!
Love,
Margot

Fenestrae Fidei

Revisiting this gem . . .

I found this lovely idea for using Fenestrae Fidei . . . and it reminded what a delightful book this is.

Margot