Happy first Poetry Friday of 2022! Today, I’m featuring my favorite middle grade book of 2021 — the brilliant (and hilarious, and sad) climate emergency satire, ONE SMALL HOP by Madelyn Rosenberg. Here is an abbreviated description of the story from Goodreads: Perfect for fans of Carl Hiaasen’s classic Hoot, this humorous adventure story set in […]
Laura's Blog
Thursday, 6 January 2022
Thursday, 2 December 2021
Short post this week, my friends, but it comes with a book giveaway and a BIG announcement! Announcement first: At the start of 2022, I’ll be starting a new job, one I’m excited (and a little bit nervous) about. I’m honored to be joining the faculty of Vermont College of Fine Arts’ MFA in Writing […]
Thursday, 18 November 2021
Hi, friends. Other than helping with the Winter Poetry Swap, I’ve been away from Poetry Friday for a few months. I’ve been busy mentoring a family who fled Afghanistan in August — a husband, wife, and their two little boys. The good news is, through the writing community, we helped them find housing! This time […]
Thursday, 19 August 2021
This is a post about dogs. You’ve all gotten to know the Shovan family dogs over the years — anxious Sam the schnauzer and his very best friend, Rudy the (goofy, lovable) beagle. But it’s also a post about poetry. I am a huge fan of Laura Purdie Salas‘ A Leaf Can Be series of […]
Thursday, 29 July 2021
Happy Poetry Friday, everyone! Today, I have an interview with one of my favorite people in the children’s literature community, author Tricia Springstubb. Thanks to Tricia for giving away a copy of her middle grade novel The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe. Leave a comment and I will draw a winner (U.S. only, please) before […]
Thursday, 1 July 2021
Welcome, poets and poetry fans. Poetry Friday is here this week. You’ll find the link-up at the bottom of this post. One of the last trips I made before the Covid-19 lockdown was to Tallahassee, Florida. My friend, poet Michael Rothenberg, took me to a magical spot, Wakulla Springs. During a boat tour of the […]
Thursday, 24 June 2021
I usually keep this blog focused on three things: poetry, children’s books, and arts education. But every now and then, I come across an adult book that begs to be shared. This week, that book is Griffin’s Heart: Mourning Your Pet with No Apologies, by actor Reagan J. Pasternak. As most of you know, our […]
Thursday, 17 June 2021
Hi, Poetry Friday friends. Today, I am sharing a very special call for poetry submissions. My friend, the poet Hiram Larew, is the positive force behind the website www.Poetry X Hunger.com. Hiram is using poetry to draw attention to the issue of hunger in our country and the world. But before the submission details… here […]
Thursday, 3 June 2021
Happy Poetry Friday, everyone! I am super excited to welcome my friend, verse novelist Chris Baron to speak with us today. Chris is the author of the verse novel ALL OF ME. His follow up middle grade book, THE MAGICAL IMPERFECT, come out on June 15. Chris is very generously giving away *not only* a […]
Thursday, 20 May 2021
Today, the Poetry Friday community is celebrating Mary Lee Hahn’s retirement from teaching! Many years ago, I was lucky enough to visit and spend a little time with Mary Lee’s class. I loved watching her interact with her students. From that visit–and Mary Lee’s beautiful, vulnerable posts about striving to learn and grow as an […]
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.
