Read more about the 2011 Speakers and Discussion Leaders
Leila Meacham
Jan Peck
Rene Saldana
Jan Peck
Rene Saldana
Leila Meacham
Leila Meacham’s enthralling historical saga ROSES has been called a stunner, a good old-fashioned read, and a guilty pleasure. Sometimes reminiscent of Colleen McCullough’s Thornbirds, the novel is set in the small East Texas town of Howbutker, which is run by two families. The century-encompassing, multigenerational epic follows the Tolivers and the Warwicks. Leila
Meacham writes of Texas with authority. She has lived in the state all
of her life except for short sojourns
with her Air Force husband
and her birth in Minden, Louisiana, in spite of her father’s attempts to get her
mother, pregnant with twins, across the Sabine into Texas for her birth. Meacham
grew up in a small town in oil-rich land West Texaswhere she says that
life was centered around family,
church, and school.
She says that kids in her family “were instructed to mind our
manners, obey the Golden
Rule, and get an education," parenting for which she is grateful. It resulted in a fulfilling vocation, happy
marriage, and life-long friends. Meacham graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor's Degree of Arts. She married a pilot in the US Air Force during the war years of Viet Nam and served in numerous volunteer capacities as a military wife before resuming her teaching career in San Antonio. Married to her husband for forty-five years, Leila has no children.
She taught high school English until her retirement, developing the gifted and talented program still used in the tenth grade curriculum of Converse Judson High, where she was twice elected by her peers as Teacher of the Year.
She says that she came to her love of writing late, although she dabbled briefly when she wrote a romance novel in the mid-eighties that she never expected to be published. It was followed by two others because she was under contract, but the experience and genre left her with a desire never to pick up a pen again. "That changed when I ran out of things to do after retirement," she says, "and one day I sat down and wrote ROSES."
She says that she came to her love of writing late, although she dabbled briefly when she wrote a romance novel in the mid-eighties that she never expected to be published. It was followed by two others because she was under contract, but the experience and genre left her with a desire never to pick up a pen again. "That changed when I ran out of things to do after retirement," she says, "and one day I sat down and wrote ROSES."
Publisher’s Weekly says that ROSES “may herald the overdue return of those delicious doorstop epics from such writers as Barbara Taylor Bradford and Colleen McCullough.”A Booklist reviewer calls it “as an American a tale as Texas itself.” The East Texas setting makes this novel perfect for the East Texas Book Fest.
Jan Peck
Jan Peck is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the past Regional Advisor for the North Central/ Northeast Texas Chapter, and a past freelance editor for Boys' Life magazine. Jan has won awards for her writing, judged by Bruce Degan (of the Magic School Bus series), George Stanley (of the Scaredy-Cat series), and Betsy Haynes (of the Fabulous Five series and Bone Chillers series and TV show).
Peck is in big demand for her dynamic presentations featuring her books and for getting the kids excited about reading (presented with author David R. Davis). They give one of the most interactive, encouraging, inspiring school programs ever seen or heard!
Peck is in big demand for her dynamic presentations featuring her books and for getting the kids excited about reading (presented with author David R. Davis). They give one of the most interactive, encouraging, inspiring school programs ever seen or heard!
Latest Books
Jan’s latest books are WAY OUT WEST ON MY LITTLE PONY and THE GREEN MOTHER GOOSE.
Read more about Jan Peck at janpeck.com
Read more about Jan Peck at janpeck.com
René Saldaña, Jr.
René Saldaña is a writer of adolescent novels and stores, as well as being an Assistant Professor in Language and Literacy. Saldaña is the author of THE JUMPING TREE (2001) and FINDING OUR WAY: STORIES (Random House/Wendy Lamb Books, 2003). More recently, several of his stories have appeared in anthologies such as "'Face Relations," "Guys Write for GUYS READ," "Every Man for Himself" and "Make Me Over," and in magazines such as Boy's Life and READ. He obtained his bachelors at Bob Jones University, his master's at Clemson, and his Ph.D. at Georgia State University. This year Arte Publico published his A GOOD LONG WAY, which is set in McAllen and the small town of Peñitas.
Saldaña teaches English and writing at Texas Tech. Humanities Texas awarded Saldaña a grant to help promote the use of culturally relevant literature in the south Texas middle schools. He has become increasingly interested in the use of culturally relevant literature in the underrepresented classrooms, more specifically at the middle school level. He believes that if reluctant and non-readers are shown literature that validates them and their culture in respectful and accurate ways, they will be more encouraged to take a more active role in their own literacy education.
Saldaña works in progress
Saldaña's next work is an anthology of stories for young adults about how young people cope when they are faced with Alzheimer’s sufferers. Once this is completed, he will continue working on his next novel for young adults, which also has to do with Alzheimer’s Disease and adoption. In addition, he is working on a second short story collection for young adults.
Read more at renesaldanajr.blogspot.com
Read more at renesaldanajr.blogspot.com
