Hello, friends! Think of today as the pre-game stretch. We are getting our fingers warmed up for 29 days of writing in response to found objects and posting that writing the same day, as a community. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Read this post to find out more about my annual daily writing project. […]
January 2016
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Thursday, 28 January 2016
Happy Poetry Friday, friends. After nearly eight years blogging as Author Amok, I am moving to my new website! As of February 1, I will be blogging and participating in Poetry Friday right here at www.laurashovan.com. There are a few housekeeping items to share before I close up shop at the old digs. First, the annual daily […]
Monday, 25 January 2016
Since my middle grade novel sold in 2014, I’ve gotten to know many of my fellow debut authors. Within that group is a small cadre of poets who also write fiction for children. Some of us have had long careers publishing in literary journals and teaching creative writing before we made the cross-over to a […]
Saturday, 23 January 2016
Early this morning, a bright white flashed at the windows and thunder shook the house. I knew this blizzard would be a significant one for me. It is the first storm where keeping everyone indoors does not include my son. He is six hours away, a freshman in college. “An Absolute Vista” is an older poem […]
Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Hey, everyone. I’m migrating my occasional series, “Laura’s Bookshelf,” from Author Amok to the new digs. If you’ve missed a past episode, you’ll find a full list of what’s been on my bookshelf at the end of this post. One of the best parts about being a debut novelist has been connecting with other middle […]
Monday, 18 January 2016
It was one of those serendipitous moments. My friend, poet and educator J.C. Elkin. was asking about my debut children’s novel, THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY. “So, what’s it about?” This, fellow writers, is a question that strikes fear into the hearts of many novelists. As soon as these words fall from someone’s […]
Monday, 11 January 2016
Sometimes, when I’m having an extrovert day, I strike up conversations with random people. “How do you do that,” my fellow introverts might ask? My background in journalism helps. When I was freelancing for the Baltimore Sun, I learned on the job how to ask questions that encourage people to talk about themselves. (The answer, […]
Thursday, 7 January 2016
Hey, Writerly Friends. February is almost here. You know what that means. It’s time for our annual daily writing workout! For the past three years — in order to practice writing and give something back to others during my birthday month — my blog has hosted a big poetry project. In 2013, I wrote every […]
Laura Shovan is the author of the award-winning middle grade novel, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary. Her second book, Takedown, is a Junior Library Guild and PJ Our Way selection. Look for A Place at the Table, co-written with Saadia Faruqi, in 2020. Laura is a poet-in-the-schools Maryland.
