Serendipitously, Laura Purdie Salas and I were seated next to one another at a Golden Kite luncheon a few years back. Though we’d just met, I cheered loudly for her honor award in the poetry division. As someone who loves to read poetry but is flummoxed by the writing of it, I have delighted in… Read more »
One month ago today, my dad slipped away for his tee time in heaven, surrounded by nearly all of his family (we’re talking 4 kids plus spouses, nine grandkids plus spouses, ten great grands, and one devoted wife). We’ve now celebrated his life with a room overflowing with people he’d touched — and teased!… Read more »
Nanci Turner Steveson is a repeat Friend Friday essayist. Her new book, Georgia Rules (Harper Collins) is not out for a few more months (don’t worry; I’ll remind you closer to the time. But I’m sure it’s possible to preorder her book from your favorite indie bookstore!). I’m delighted to host Nanci once again! You… Read more »
It is such an honor for me to host Sharon Mentyka. I first met Sharon through the (sadly now-defunct) Whidbey Island Writers MFA program. Her first book was B in the World, a sweet story of a gender non-conforming child; her newest is Chasing at the Surface (WestWinds Press), just out last week. Welcome, Sharon!… Read more »
I first met Uma Krishnaswami via email, when, as then faculty chair, she invited me to be a guest lecturer at the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA for Writing for Children and YA program. It took several years and a new chair before our schedules meshed. Last January, I spent a glorious ten days… Read more »
Fingers crossed, I hope I get to meet today’s Friend Friday friend, Monika Schroeder, early next year when I wend my way east to North Carolina. I know we are going to hit it off right away; how could we not? She’s a fellow dog lover, having adopted a street dog, Frank, while living in India…. Read more »
Like Jo Knowles, I am hopeful that our paths will one day (and soon!) cross in real time and space. Till then, I must content myself with visiting with her through her thought-provoking books, including her newest (just published onTuesday!), Still a Work in Progress (Candlewick). Hi Kirby! Thank you so much for having me for… Read more »
Talent, heart, sense of humor — Dana Arnim has it all! In addition to sharing her talents with Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch Books as the illustrator for Bartholomew Quill, A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who, (Thor Hansen), she is co-Regional Advisor of the Western Washington Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators with Dana Sullivan. So… Read more »
I am always amazed at the generosity of my writing friends, both with their willingness to share thoughts here on my blog, and with making a difference in the larger community. Nanci Turner Steveson is one of those folks, having launched The Literacy for Hope Project, dedicated to getting books to the homeless. Today, however, she is… Read more »
This is the second time Elana K. Arnold has been a Friend Friday guest; the first was for her book The Question of Miracles (HMH for Young Readers) and I dearly hope she will grace this blog many, many more times. When I began writing Far from Fair (HMH Books for Young Readers), I imagined it… Read more »