Guest Bloggers: All Spots Filled

UPDATE (5:45 PM EDT): This morning’s post below was an invitation for Guest Bloggers…and we got a great response! So I’m closing the call for Guest Bloggers at this point. My apologies about the very short window. This is the first time we’ve tried this and I did not realize so many would volunteer so quickly. If you did hope to volunteer and missed out, it’s possible we may open things up again later in the fall. I want to see how it goes with this first round. Also, remember that there will be an opportunity to take part in the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Committee, which will form in December.

In the previous post, I mentioned that we’re going with a single blogger (me) this year on Heavy Medal, instead of the 2-3 we’ve had in past years. But discussions are always richer with a variety of views and voices represented. So this year, throughout the fall Heavy Medal will periodically feature Guest Bloggers to kick off some of the book discussions. Here’s how it will work:

• Each Guest Blogger (GB) will introduce a 2021 Newbery eligible book on Heavy Medal. Discussion among the many readers and participants of the blog will follow.  
• I’ll schedule GB posts in late September, October, and possibly November. I’m hoping for one per week, but this will depend on the number of volunteers commitments we get. 
• The GB’s role is to briefly introduce the book and highlight some of the qualities that make it worthy of inclusion in a Newbery discussion, keeping the Newbery Terms and Criteria in mind.
• GBs will focus on introducing just a single book per post. Other eligible titles may be brought up for purposes of comparison.
• Posts should serve as discussion starters. They don’t need to explore every possible pro and con in great depth.  
• GBs will want to leave room for others to engage in the discussion via the comments section. GB posts should be 250 – 600 words

If you feel like you might be interested in being a Guest Blogger, here are the steps:

• Choose a book that you would like to write about. Even better, pick two or three in case one book is requested by more than one person.
• Fill out this Heavy Medal Guest Blogger Form [UPDATE: Form is now disabled] I just need your book choices and contact information. I’ll collect responses, assign books and dates, and get back to you soon after your submission is complete. Once you’ve received your book assignment, we’ll provide more detailed instructions.   
• The deadline for submitting the form is Friday, September 18th, but that’s a tentative date. I’m hoping to get 8-10 Guest Bloggers lined up. If spots fill right away, I may close submissions early. And if there aren’t enough by the deadline, it may be extended. [UPDATE: Spots did fill right away; submissions are now closed]  

I’m really looking forward to seeing a bunch of Guest Bloggers sign up. If you’re considering, but want more information before committing, you can ask questions in the comments below or email me directly (sengelfried@yahoo.com) with questions.

Filed under: Heavy Medal Mock, Process