April 2017

National Poetry Month 2017 has flown by in a blur of words. I’ve asked poet and author Holly Thompson to close out my NPM17 series of interviews with verse novelists. You’ll find links to each interview at the bottom of this post. Holly has published many books–including a picture book, MG, YA, and new adult […]

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It’s the last Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month. We’re down to the last two author interviews of my NPM17 series on verse novelists. A quick note first: I’m part of Bookology’s month-long poetry mosaic, which features many of our Poetry Friday friends reading their own poems. You can find that here. I have something […]

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It’s the last week of National Poetry Month. I’ve got three more author interviews lined up for us. They’re part of my NPM17 series on verse novelists. I met Tamera Will Wissinger last year, at the 2016 ALA conference. We were both in the audience–and both of us were totally fangirling–when Marilyn Singer  hosted a wonderful […]

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It’s the last week of National Poetry Month. I’ve got four great author interviews lined up for us. They’re part of my NPM17 series on verse novelists. The community of authors who write novels-in-verse for children and teens is a small, supportive one. One of the widely published verse novelists who gives tireless support to […]

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Happy Poetry Friday! I’m excited about today’s interview. A few years ago, my PitchWars mentor, Joy McCullough-Carranza, was working with a new mentee on another middle grade novel-in-verse. Joy asked me to read the manuscript and share some feedback. This story has two happy endings! The manuscript Joy sent me became Ellie Terry’s debut novel, […]

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I recently recorded a podcast with my friend and neighbor Matthew Winner of All the Wonders. Matthew is a school librarian just a few miles up the road from me. Although his children are much younger than mine, Matthew and I talked about how we value the culturally, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse schools here in […]

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April is one of my favorite times of year. Looking out my window this morning, the dogwood and redbud trees are in bloom. A carpet of purple phlox greets visitors at our door. And, of course, it’s National Poetry Month. My series of interviews with verse novelists continues today with middle grade author Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu. Welcome, […]

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Happy Poetry Friday, everyone. My series of interviews with verse novelists continues today with middle grade author Shari Green. But first, a quick PSA: This week, I did a guest posting at School Library Journal’s Teen Librarian Toolbox blog. Blog team member Amanda MacGregor invited me to write up this year’s February Poetry Project as […]

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Welcome back to my National Poetry Month, 2017, series of interview with verse novelists. I am spending this month learning more about the craft behind this form of writing with nine poet/novelists. Leza Lowitz is the third author to take on my 5 Questions challenge. Leza is originally from California, but lives in Tokyo. Her novel […]

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This week is the first Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month, 2017. I’m thrilled to welcome middle grade author Caroline Starr Rose to the blog today. Caroline’s got a new prose novel out, JASPER AND THE RIDDLE OF RILEY’S MINE. But today, she’s joining my month-long series of interviews with verse novelists. Caroline, tell us […]

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Laura Shovan

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.

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