"Getting to Know" Pleasantville & Briarcliff Manor New York Issue, 2006

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Tim Podell Lectures at Drew University

(Madison, NJ March 22, 2006 ) -- Tim Podell, host and producer of the "Good Conversation!" series of programs gave a presentation about his work at Drew University on March 15, 2006 . The class, entitled "Current issues in Literature for Children," is part of the Graduate program of the Arts and Letters at the University located in Madison , NJ .

After his presentation, Tim enjoyed cake and tea with the class. The cake had a faux cover of his "Good Conversation with Ann M. Martin!" videotape on it. The cake was delicious and both the students and Tim learned a lot from his talk.

(Scarborough, NY, October 4, 2005) -- Video producer Tim Podell, president of Tim Podell Productions, has another Newbery Award winner on his star-studded list of children's book authors included in his acclaimed Good Conversation! series of video interviews.

The 2005 Newbery winner is Cynthia Kadohata, author of Kira-Kira whose reminiscences and ruminations on the art of writing for the younger set have been featured in the Podell series since 1992.

Good Conversation!  features at-home video interviews of top-selling critically-acclaimed authors of children's books, most of whom are recipients of the prestigious Newbery, the Oscar of children's literature for best book of the year.

The program features Cynthia at her home in Long Beach, CA. She discusses her own personal writing process; her thoughts on winning the Newbery Medal, and what she has planned for the future. She also reads from her Newbery winning book, Kira-Kira and introduces the viewer to her newly adopted son, Sammy.

Another Good Conversation!  author, Christopher Paul Curtis, was the year 2000's Newbery winner for Bud, Not Buddy, which also earned him the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Curtis was the only author ever to win both top honors in the same year and the first African-American to win the Newberry medal since 1976.

Other authors whose tapes Podell has produced are Richard Peck, writer of the 2001 Newbery Award winning A Year Down Yonder;  Lynne Reid Banks, author of The Indian in the Cupboard; Betsy Byars, author of Newbery-winner Summer of the Swans; Louis Sachar, 1999 winner of the Newbery Award for his book Holes; Katherine Paterson, two-time Newbery-winning author of Bridge to Terebithia and Jacob Have I Loved; Karen Hesse, author of the 1998 Newbery-winner Out of the Dust; Newbery-winner Phyllis Reynolds, author of Shiloh.

Podell also has an up-to-the-minute website where one can browse author profiles and feature excerpted clips from author interviews: www.goodconversations.com.

Podell's video interviews are designed for students who are reading the authors' works.  Each tape is a one-on-one conversation produced and conducted by Podell in an at-home environment or taped on location in the author's hometown.

"We go into the authors' kitchens and dens and talk about their lives," says Podell.  "It puts a face on the author and hopefully gives children the impetus to read the author's work and perhaps to become writers themselves." Although the Good Conversation!  series is designed primarily for children in grades 3-8, these tapes appeal to a broad range of interests and ages. Podell's tapes are typically purchased by schools and libraries but are also bought by parents.

 "Children's books are among the best written literature in the world," says Podell. His video company is the nation's leading source of video profiles of children's book authors. "Adults accept a lot of schlock that kids won't."

Tim & radio host Robyn Mancini after taping a "Recovery Talk" program, 6/2/04

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Journal News, January 7, 2004

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Tim Podell, "Pulling a Rabbit out of a Hat," Stroke Connection Magazine, March/April 2004

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Toronto Public Library Special Events In recognition of Ontario Public Library Week 

 (Toronto, Canada, October 16, 2003) In recognition of Ontario Public Library Week (OPLW), the Toronto Public Library is pleased to announce its inaugural event of its strategic planning process and a book launch by one of the world's most beloved children's authors, Robert Munsch.

The kick-off event takes place on Monday, October 20 at 1:30 pm, with an appearance of children's author Robert Munsch at the North York Central Library, 5210 Yonge Street (at the North York Centre subway stop).  Three grade one classes will hear the first public reading from Munsch's forthcoming book, Lacey's Kiss and see Munsch's new video, A Talk With Robert Munsch.

Tim Podell's Successful Journey From Catastrophe to Creativity

(Scarborough , NY January 26, 2007) In the blink of an eye a stroke immobilized Tim Podell's body and destroyed the world he knew.  He was only 24 years old.

Somehow, he managed to leave his house in Ossining , NY , drag himself to his car and drive one village over to his family's home in Briarcliff Manor. When he arrived, his parents took one look at him and dialed 911.  Podell was rushed to the nearest emergency room by ambulance.

With the right side of his body completely paralyzed, he spent the next seven months in the hospital. All the physicians on his team were perplexed, unable to determine what had caused a stroke in one so young. He could not speak. In fact, at first he was not expected to live.

The next two years were spent in hospitals in various therapies relearning life's basic functions. His parents began looking for an extended-care facility, believing their son would never be able to take care of himself again.

"Today, look at me," he says smiling, sitting in the Ossining office of Tim Podell Productions. "You wouldn't know anything was wrong." Although he still has residual paralysis in his right arm, hand and leg. He used to be a "righty" but relearned everything as a left handed person.

Although the stroke sidetracked his career, it was only temporary. Today, Tim Podell Productions is the nation's leading source of video profiles of children's book authors and the producer of a brand new series of programs called All About the Book" These are talk show format programs discussing the thoughts, feelings and emotions that were evoked by students when reading modern classic children's books.

His award winning series, Good Conversation!, features at-home interviews of top-selling children's book authors, most of whom are recipients of the prestigious Newbery Award, the Oscar of children's literature.

Among authors whose programs Podell has produced are Avi, writer of the Newbery Award winning Crispin: The Cross of Lead; Lynn Reid Banks, author of The Indian in the Cupboard; Betsy Byars, author of Newbery-winner Summer of the Swans; Louis Sachar, 1999 winner of the Newbery Award for his book Holes.

"We go into the authors' kitchens and dens and talk about their lives," says Podell. "It puts a face on the author and hopefully gives the children the impetus to read the author's work and perhaps to become writers themselves."

Although the Good Conversation!  and the All About the Book! series are designed for children in grades 3-8, the programs appeal to a broad range of interests and ages. Podell's programs are typically purchased by schools and libraries but are also bought by parents.

"Children's books are among the best written literature in the world," says Podell. "Adults accept a lot of schlock that kids won't."

Visit his websites where one can browse the author pages, find out more information about the two series and check out clips from all the programs. The web addresses are www.goodconversations.com and www.allaboutthebook.com. Or one can visit www.timpodellproductions.com  - a conduit to all of Tim Podell's websites.    

Robert Munsch featured in the Toronto Star, October 20, 2003

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Tim Podell, "Making New Magic," Journal News, September 28, 1999

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Tim Podell, "A Comeback and Much More," New York Times, May 28, 2000

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