In Brief: July 16

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-- Publishers Weekly, 7/16/2009

Shel Silverstein Day in Chicago

This past Monday evening, more than 8,000 people flocked to Chicago’s Millennium Park to take part in “SHELebration: A Tribute to Shel Silverstein,” in honor of the Chicago-native poet and artist. The SHELebration events included 17 musical acts as well as poetry readings and the unveiling of a previously unreleased Silverstein poem, “Birthday,” which will be available in A Light in the Attic Special Edition (HarperCollins, Sept.) along with 11 other new poems. Here, Bobby Bare of the Bare Family Band plays for the Campus Kids from Miss Lori’s Campus (PBS Kids). Photo: Jerry Goldner.

Calling All Fan Boys and Goth Girls

In the sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl, the troubled heroine of the first book takes center stage, but fans won’t be left out of the action: with the release of Goth Girl Rising (Harcourt, Oct.), Lyga is hosting a book trailer contest which will run until August 31. To enter, readers will need to film a trailer for one of Lyga’s previous books. The creator of the winning trailer will receive a signed ARC of Goth Girl Rising and have a chance to make the official Goth Girl Rising trailer; other entrants receiving a signed book, T-shirt or another prize. Official entry guidelines and links to the current submissions are available at [Barry Lyga’s Web site]. http://barrylyga.com/new/ggr-trailer-contest.html

Here There Be Dragons

Aspiring minstrels and fire-breathers take heed: with last month’s release of Green Dragon Codex, the latest in R.D. Henham’s fantasy series, readers ages 8-14 and hosting libraries are invited to enter the “Green Dragon Lyrics Writing Contest,” which runs until August 9. Sponsored by Wizards of the Coast and Mirrorstone, the contest asks fans to create lyrics based on the story of the Green Dragon. The winning lyrics will be recorded to music and posted on Mirrorstone’s Web site, and the winner (or members of the winning team) will receive a copy of A Practical Guide to Dragons and Green Dragon Codex. The winning library will also receive two copies of each of the dragon titles, as well as other merchandise. Complete entry information is available at Wizards of the Coast Web site.