Happy, happy birthday to our friends at Vouched ATL! You’re invited to celebrate Vouched and their contribution to Atlanta’s growing literary scene at A VERY VOUCHED BIRTHDAY. Besides cheering on Laura, the Atlanta colony’s founder, who uses her savvy super power to vouch for small press books, you can help support programs at Wink and Wren’s Nest! Vouched is generously using funds from the evening to help kid authors find their voice. Head to the Goat Farm on Wednesday, July 18 for bookish birthday festivities.

After an inexcusable hiatus from posting on this here blog (bad form, we know) we’re back to being effective communicators in cyberspace! Hold on to your pens, Winklings, Wink has a new book, a new friend, and owes major props to one of our founders for his own publishing prowess. 

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Exhibit A: Wink’s latest kid-authored book hits the press! THE MEMORIES I KEEP features upwards of 80 intelligent, witty, and outlandish stories from Kennedy Middle School’s finest young writers. Guess what? Not only can you OWN a copy of this remarkably beautiful book (cover art crafted by our favorite Atlanta designer, Paco Vergachette), you can also support Wink’s next project through your purchase. That’s right folks, 100% of your $10 bargain buy directly funds future book publishing projects.

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Wink has a new BFF! At last summer’s Decatur Book Festival, our fortuitous meeting with The Wren’s Nest, the house museum of Joel Chandler Harris (does Brier Rabbit mean anything to you?) and storytelling non-profit making huge waves in Atlanta’s West End, sparked warm fuzzies and many conversations re literary goodness.  Jessie Matheson, Wink’s Curriculum Coordinator, has teamed up with Wren’s Nest to lead their Kipp Scribes and summer publishing program. Besides sharing the teacherly talents of Mrs. Matheson, Wink and Wren’s Nest are brainstorming collaborative ways to take Atlanta’s young literary scene by storm. 

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Last, but definitely not least, Wink’s co-founder Jake Perez has published his first children’s book, SWEET COCO: Chocolate Maker’s Apprentice. From “Bean to Bar… to Book! Join a charming little girl named Coco as she goes on a magical journey to discover how chocolate is made. Guided by the gentle, loving hand of her favorite chocolate maker, Coco learns the sweet secrets to confection perfection.” Congratulations, Jake! 

Wink was featured on Scoutmob’s Local Mug! The interview is from all of us folks at Wink (not just Jessica), but it’s great publicity nonetheless.

Thanks Scoutmob!

Well folks, the time has come to say a short and tearful goodbye to the parentheses encapsulating the “W” in our dear, beloved name. GrammarBook.com describes the purpose of parentheticals like this:

Use parentheses to enclose works or figures that clarify or are used as an aside.

Yep, that’s what we were doing. Word Ink evolved to (W)ink, a crafty little device to distinguish INK from, well, that ominous W. But how awkward! How time consuming! Drawing those little half moons eats up at least 19.2 seconds of our day. With the unveiling of our logo only a few weeks away, the moment to shed the cumbersome parentheses is now. Join us in mourning these two squigglies that have been a part of our family for the past seven months.

And now, cheers to Wink! In its purest form, it may mean little more than a flirtatious bat of eyelashes and lid, but to Atlanta’s young authors who flirt with words, Wink means adventure! Fun! Poignant phrases penned by the leery! Kids’ thoughts immortalized in print!

Hip Hip Hooray, Wink. You’re free!

(W)ink is gearing up for our booth at the DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL! Besides pedaling intensely eloquent kid-authored books, we’ve partnered with Vouched Atlanta to bring in Atlanta-based writers, poetry for $1, and a literary quiz show, among other shenanigans.

Swing by our booth on Saturday, September 3 + Sunday, September 4…or if it tickles your fancy, sign up to work the table by emailing info@winkatlanta.org with your interest. 

Congrats young authors! 

See the full photostream here. 

“HEY NEW KID!” hot off the press. 

Dont’a reading his letter, and looking dapper in his suit. 

Diamond reading her letter in distinguished author spectacles.