NCTE attendees, this is where you’ll find me at this weekend’s conference. Stop by and say hello! Coming to “Becoming the Leaders: The Power of Female Protagonists to Empower All Student Voices”? — You’ll find a recommended reading list at the bottom of this post. Have a great conference! Becoming the Leaders: The Power […]
Laura's Blog
Friday, 16 November 2018
Thursday, 15 November 2018
Hey, friends! I’m heading to the National Council of Teachers of English in Houston today. Will you be there too? My schedule is at the bottom of this post. I thought it would be a fun week for a throwback poem. This one is from the 2013 March Madness Poetry competition, run by Ed DeCaria […]
Thursday, 15 November 2018
A week ago today, we woke up to news of another mass shooting — this time at a California bar where it had been college night. It had only been eleven days since eleven people were shot and killed at a Pittsburgh synagogue. In a rush of emotion, I wrote about my experience seeing a […]
Monday, 12 November 2018
This thoughtful review of my middle grade novel Takedown comes from former Howard County, MD librarian Barb Langridge. Barb is the founder of the website A Book and a Hug, which I wrote about in a post for All the Wonders a few years ago: “Discover Your Reading Personality: A Book and a Hug.” *** Two […]
Thursday, 1 November 2018
Welcome, readers and fans of Takedown. I have something special to share with you — an extra scene from the book! This road trip mini-chapter takes place at the end of Chapter 30, when Lev is taking a week off from wrestling. Go to the end of page 212 (in hardcover editions), and you’ll find […]
Thursday, 25 October 2018
Happy Friday, poets and poetry lovers! Autumn has arrived in full force. We had our first frost in Maryland this week, but I’m still thinking of the sunny days of summer. Last Friday, I brought you with me on a visit to the Sea Turtle Hospital on the Florida Keys. Today, let’s visit the beach. […]
Friday, 19 October 2018
Happy Poetry Friday, readers! It’s good to be back after a long hiatus. In September, I visited the Florida Keys on a book research trip with writing friends. One of them, author and science educator Timanda Wertz, suggested that we visit the Sea Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida. I learned so much about sea turtles. […]
Monday, 3 September 2018
Welcome to my weekly — I hope weekly … occasional? — news post. Look for “Now What?” most Mondays for book news, upcoming appearances, fun tidbits, and obligatory dog photos (ODPs). I scoured the internet for a poem about Mondays, something I could use for the title of this regular feature. But Mondays are not […]
Thursday, 23 August 2018
The day is finally here. We are dropping our youngest child off at university. As often happens in times of transition, a favorite poem is making me smile and giving me comfort. I first read “Moving Day,” by poet J. C. Elkin in 2010, when my little one actually was little — just ten years […]
Thursday, 9 August 2018
Have you ever picked up a prose novel and — surprise! — at the start of every chapter there’s a poem to greet you? When prose novelists incorporate poetry in any form, I’m happy. In Possession, A.S. Byatt’s wonderful novel, modern literati uncover a secret Victorian romance. The whole story hinges on verses written by […]
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.
