Happy book birthday to Irene Latham! Yesterday was the release date for poet and children’s author (and my dear friend) Irene’s latest collection, This Poem Is a Nest. This book of poems has an exciting concept to wrap your brain around! “We poets spend much of our time nest-building,” Irene explains in the book’s introduction. […]
Author Feature
Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Thursday, 14 May 2020
It’s Poetry Friday! This week’s host is Jama Kim Rattigan at Jama’s Alphabet Soup. She is celebrating National Chocolate Cookie Day. Stop by for some treats and all of this week’s Poetry Friday links. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many events have been cancelled. From big-arena concerts (I had tickets to see Ringo Starr in June) […]
Thursday, 20 February 2020
Hi, Poetry Friday friends. Are you ready for a robot invasion? I have a new robot friend. Its name is Po-M. Po-M Bot is helping me with this week’s post. We recently received a book from a robot-loving friend, author-illustrator Michael Rex. It’s called FACTS VS. OPINIONS VS. ROBOTS. As an educator, I love this […]
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
You know how there are friends in your life who you’re fond of, but who drift away for one reason or another? And then, years later, serendipity intervenes. You reconnect and that friend becomes an important person in your life. For me, that person is debut author Naomi Milliner. We’ve known each other for more […]
Thursday, 7 March 2019
Hello, Poetry Friday friends. I haven’t seen you in a few weeks. Before I get to this week’s poem — a quick update! I took a blogging break while I was traveling with 17 other children’s authors on PJ Library’s Author Israel Adventure. It was a life-changing trip, full of new friends, amazing experiences, and lots […]
Thursday, 22 November 2018
When I heard poet and sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter perform this poetic monologue a few weeks ago, I knew it was the perfect thing to share on Black Friday. I met Jay, a fellow Maryland poet, at the DiVerse Poetry readings series in Gaithersburg, MD this spring. (Those of you who go to that city’s […]
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 […]
Tuesday, 17 July 2018
Welcome, readers. We’re going on a field trip today! Don’t worry, there are no planes, trains, or automobiles involved in this trip. To join me on Louisiana’s Bayou Teche, all you need to do is open the pages of a book. We have two tour guides to the plant and animal life, the sights and […]
Thursday, 12 July 2018
Hi, friends and poets. Happy Poetry Friday! A few weeks ago I went to a friend’s book launch. I’ve blogged about YA author Kathy MacMillan before, when her debut novel SWORD AND VERSE published. (Read my post about SWORD AND VERSE here.) Kathy’s latest book is something completely different: A board book story that teaches […]
Thursday, 26 April 2018
To celebrate the last Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month, I’d like to introduce you to Henry Crawford. This fall, Henry was a featured reader at Wilde Readings — the local literary series I co-host with poets Ann Bracken and Linda Joy Burke. I was intrigued by the way Henry’s work as a lawyer and […]
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.
