It's a new year, and I'm starting it off with a new website! http://christylenzi.com/

We spent part of our Thanksgiving break in San Francisco, where I took the kids bike riding from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge. Directly under the bridge is a Civil War era building called Fort Point, which is open to the public. We rambled all over it and watched the surfers under the bridge. The views along the bike trail were breathtaking. I'm thankful to live in such a beautiful place and be able to share it with my loved ones. And when we got home, I was thankful to get these beauties, which have a story by... me!

My friends, I hope you are having a happy Thanksgiving and savoring every minute. Enjoy!

Want to read an adventure tale about a clever, kick-ass girl? The excerpt of my MG story, Forty Thieves and a Green-Eyed Girl, is in the latest issue of Hunger Mountain journal of the arts! While you're there, check out fellow category winners of the Katherine Paterson Prize as well as the interesting and thought-provoking piece, "Writing from Both Sides of the Brain" by my friend Kelly Barson.

Once a year in the fall, Hunger Mountain Journal of the Arts publishes a print edition which is sent to subscribers and sold in bookstores around the country. This annual issue is also sent for consideration to prestigious awards committees, such as the Pushcart Prize, for literary magazines and short stories.

So you can imagine how happy I was to learn that Stone Field, the excerpt of my YA novel, was selected as one of five Children/YA pieces to be included in the big beautiful print edition! Not only that, two of the other four pieces, both non-fiction, were written by my EMLA sisters, Jennifer Ziegler and Clare Dunkle! I'm so excited and look forward to having this year's edition, Hunger Mountain Managerie, in my hands soon!

Yesterday I was told that my middle grade novel excerpt was selected as a runner-up in the 2011 Katherine Paterson Prize and placed first in the Middle Grade category! The prize, named after Newbery Award-winning author Katherine Paterson, was judged this year by National Book Award winner, Kimberly Willis Holt. Holt says this about my excerpt:

The opening of the story manages to show a lot without the reader feeling overburdened. I quickly cared about the main character because of the way she interacted with her brother on page one. And because I cared about her, my heart pounded for her when she was in peril. That's important when trouble comes so early in a story. Some writers expect readers to care just because the main character is in trouble, but you have to care about them first. This writer accomplishes that.

My novel is a re-imagining of the Arabian Nights tale, "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," from the slave girl's point of view. I was excited to hear that the excerpt will also appear in Hunger Mountain's online journal of the arts!

Inspired by Andy Goldsworthy's nature art, we recently joined friends at an environmental art event in Berkeley's Thousand Oaks Park organized by Zach Pine, a talented local environmental artist. It was pure fun. Using stones, shells, flowers, bark, and other natural objects, we created spontaneous artistic expressions around the park. Footage of people and creations from the event were included in a short film (below) that was shown at the Berkeley Community Media’s Summer Shorts Movie Jam.






Around 0:59, Josh's friend, Max, talks abut artistic expression and later you can hear Alan speak as well. Look for glimpses of Josh, Noah, Alan and me and the final shot of my piece, "Free Speech"!

(Photos by Alexandria Lenzi)

We're in Rome! Alan's attending the RAI conference and we are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary in the Eternal City. I'm enjoying sipping morning lattes, exploring the archaeological sites, drinking from the fountains, taking siestas in the parks, roaming the piazzas, tasting the food, and gazing at the beautiful buildings and views. My favorite day was when Alan and I rented bikes, had a picnic at the Catacombs, and rode out on the Old Roman Road, the Appian Way, where ruins line both sides of the road and the views are lovely. Before I go, I plan to throw a coin over my shoulder into the Trevi Fountain to ensure I will return one day.