PRESS RELEASE: Al Capone Does My Shirts
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—October 22, 2008—This fall, City Youth Now sponsored a visit by author Gennifer Choldenko to the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center. While visiting, Choldenko visited with the young men detained on Unit 4 and talked about her published works, career as an author, and the inspiration behind Al Capone Does My Shirts. Choldenko's book tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy, Moose, who recently moved to Alcatraz Island where his father is a prison guard. Throughout the book, Moose's relationships with his autistic sister, hard-working father, and determined mother are explored by the author. Choldenko based her novel on fact, which led to a lively conversation on the historical aspects of Alcatraz. The youth were especially intrigued about the Al Capone component of the story and were eager to get their hands on a copy of the book.
Choldenko writes fiction for children and young adults. She explained to the youth that the most rewarding aspect of her profession as an author is that when she writes she can make anything happen. Choldenko likes to call herself a professional troublemaker' as she works out interesting story-lines for her characters. While showing old photographs and telling true stories about Alcatraz, she explained how she was able to weave fiction into truth to create her novels. Al Capone Does My Shirts is in fact a novel that combines these two methods of writing. Choldenko gave some valuable advice to the youth to 'not give up.' To succeed at anything you want to do in the world, you must be both persistent and patient and most of all enjoy what you do. Write for yourself and the rest will follow suit. There will undoubtedly be rejection in the field of writing, but as long as you stick to it, there will be positive rewards.
Choldenko's visit was a fun and energetic one. The youth became excited about reading her work, and now want to write for themselves.
About Gennifer Choldenko:
Gennifer Choldenko, born in southern California, now lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Now after becoming an accomplished author and receiving the Newberry Honor for Al Capone Does My Shirts, she continues to write fictional stories for children and young adults. Find out more about Choldenko's work at: http://www.choldenko.com/index.html
About City Youth Now:
City Youth Now supports youth in the San Francisco foster care and juvenile justice systems by providing funds for services and programs that promote stability and personal growth. www.cityyouthnow.org
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Press Contact:
Brittany Jarabek
Executive Director
City Youth Now
brittany@cityyouthnow.org
