Darcy Pattison

Darcy Pattison is an Arkansas children’s book author and writing teacher. In 1999, she created the Novel Revision Retreat and the Picture Book Retreat, which she now teaches across the nation. Translated into eight languages, her four picture books and one middle grade novel (listed below), have been recognized for excellence by starred reviews, Book of the Year awards, state award lists and more. She is the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature.
Contact: darcy at darcypattison dot com.

Fiction

• 19 Girls and Me, (Philomel, June 2006,), a picture book, illustrated by Steven Salerno, about friendship in a kindergarten class with nineteen girls and one lone boy. Translated into Chinese (Commonwealth Magazine Co./Taiwan), Arabic (Dar El Shorouk/Egypt) and German. Reviewed in Kirkus, PW, SLJ. Children’s Book of the Month Club selection.
• Searching for Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt, March 2005), a picture book illustrated by Joe Cepeda. When Oliver is missing for sixty days, his friends send Imogene Poplar, P.I.–a wooden woman–to find him. Reviewed in Kirkus, PW, BCCB, SLJ, Booklist. 2007-8 Arkansas Diamond Award Reading list.
• The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt Inc., 2003), a picture book illustrated by Joe Cepeda . A wooden man travels across the United States to connect a family. Reviewed in PW, SLJ, Booklist, and Horn Book. *Starred reviews in Kirkus and BCCB. Autumn 2003 Children’s Booksense 76. Child magazine Best Books of the Year 2003. Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Books of the Year 2003. CCBC Choices 2004 list. Irma S. and James H. Black Picture Book Award Honor Book. Nutmeg Media Children’s Picture Books on Video, June 2005; 2006 ALA Notable Video.
• The Wayfinder (Greenwillow Books, 2000), a middle-grade fantasy novel. Winchal Eldras goes on a quest for healing both for himself and for his land. It has been reviewed in SLJ, Booklist, BCCB, Horn Book, VOYA and Locus Magazine. Translated into Spanish, El buscador de camino, (Groupo Editorial Norma, www.norma.com)
• The River Dragon, a picture book illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng,(Lothrop, Lee & Shepard), c. 1991. Translated into Swedish, Danish and Norwegian.

How-to-Write books

• Paper Lightning: Sparking Student Brainstorming for Effective Pre-writing, (Cottonwood Press, 2008).A teacher-resource book about brainstorming and pre-writing.
• Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise (Mims House, 2008). This is the workbook to the popular Darcy Pattison Novel Revision Retreat.

Professional Activities

Darcy written about writing for Writer’s Digest, SCBWI Bulletin, Children’s Writers & Illustrators Market 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2008 Children’s Writer, and Children’s Book Insider. She has written non-fiction for children for Kids Wall Street News and fiction for Clubhouse Magazine. Darcy served as Arkansas Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Bookwriters and Illustrators (SCBWI) from 1991-96. From 1991-2004, she served as Director of the AR – SCBWI “Writing & Illustrating for Children Conference.” For six years, she was the Children’s Book Reviewer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. In 1999, Darcy created the Novel Revision Retreat, which she teaches nationwide. She taught writing at the University of Central Arkansas for six years. She is a member of the Author’s Guild. In 2007, Darcy was named the recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Art Award for Individual Artist.

Darcy has a B.A. from the University of Arkansas and an M.A. from Kansas State University. She lives in North Little Rock, AR with her husband and four children. For more biographical information see Something About the Author, Vol 72, pp. 194-196.

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