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Grannie Annie News — 2007 / Vol. 2

April 2, 2007 Note to Storykeepers

Sincere congratulations to every participant in the 2007 Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration! The Grannie Annie has grown: Nearly twice as many stories were submitted this year as in our inaugural year. We encourage each of you to creatively explore ways to share your story with your family, school, and community.

When a submission arrives at The Grannie Annie, it is assigned an entry number. The entry form is then set aside, and the story is copied for the judges. In other words, the judges know nothing about the authors. It is exciting to see that the twenty-six stories selected to represent this year’s celebration come from authors across the United States — from Idaho to New Jersey. In addition, the stories themselves took place on four continents!

This year's selected story titles and author names are now posted. In May, authors of the chosen stories will receive two complimentary copies of Grannie Annie, Vol. 2. Illustrations chosen for publication will be announced later in April, after the book design is finalized.

The stories published in Grannie Annie, Vol. 2 are an exciting complement to those in Vol. 1, and are equally entertaining, inspiring, and thought-provoking. In addition, they are likely to spark readers' memories of other family stories — stories that you might want to submit to The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration next year. The stories also bring history to life, giving readers an insider’s perspective on events that may seem abstract and impersonal when described in a textbook. To be sure you get your copies of Vol. 2, order by April 30. A limited number of Vol. 1 books are still available. Order now so you can have a complete set.

Grannie Annie, Vol. 2 story titles, and author and illustrator names

The stories to be published in Grannie Annie, Vol. 2

Sneak a peek at the Grannie Annie, Vol. 2 cover and a portion of the book, including two illustrations.

December 2006 Update — Grannie Annie on the Air and on Main Street

Have you begun preparing for the 2006/2007 Grannie Annie celebration? Two December events have been scheduled to help inspire and inform you, as well as to entertain you!

The Grannie Annie cosponsors, Connie McIntyre of Thumbprint Press and Fran Hamilton of Portico Books, will be featured on KWMU's broadcast of St. Louis on the Air on Thursday, December 7, at 11:00 a.m. (90.7 FM). The topic is, of course, "Family Stories," and we plan to share several of the stories from Grannie Annie, Vol. 1. You may want to call in and share a family story of your own.

On December 16, from 1-3 p.m., Connie and Fran will be at Main Street Books, 307 South Main Street, St. Charles, Missouri. We hope you'll come by to talk about the story you plan to write this year, about how to coordinate your students' submissions, or about any other aspect of The Grannie Annie. Your questions and comments are always welcome. If you cannot be with us in St. Charles, please feel free to e-mail us.

August 2006 Update — Grannie Annie in New Jersey

The feature story in the August 13 New Jersey Sunday Herald honored the dedication and foresight of the original Grannie Annie, Ann Guirreri Cutler. "Family History Project Spawns Children's Writing Contest" detailed Ann's commitment to saving her family's stories, her commitment to sharing them, and her role in inspiring The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration.

In the late 1990s Ann worked with Thumbprint Press publisher (and future Grannie Annie cosponsor) Connie McIntyre to capture her mother's family stories in a series of handmade books. Ann also creatively arranged for three of the books to be republished and shared with the surrounding community. Thank you again, Ann, for your inspiration and encouragement!

Have you shared your family stories recently?