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Poetry Friday is at Heidi Mordhorst’s place today. Visit My Juicy Little Universe for links to poetry posts from around the kidlitosphere.

Hello, friends! Today, I’m sharing my interview with debut verse novelist Meg Eden. Her middle grade novel, GOOD DIFFERENT, is out from Scholastic in April.

The interview is up at the Diverse Verse blog. You can read the opening right here, but do click through to find out what makes GOOD DIFFERENT one of the best autism representation stories for kids that I’ve read. Good Morning America just named the book one of “13 books to spring into reading this March“!

Pre-order at Bookshop.org

I have a vivid memory of the first time I met poet Meg Eden in person. I had published a poem of hers, “Letter of the Day (Autism Pantoum),” in the literary journal I was editing at the time. We had coffee and pastries at a local Korean bakery. At the time, Meg was in grad school and wondering whether it was possible to be both a poet publishing in literary magazines and a children’s book author. Answer: It is.

Many years later, I was lucky enough to read an early draft of Meg’s debut middle grade novel, written in verse. Good Different (Scholastic, April 2023) is one of the best autism representation stories I have read. Which is no surprise! Meg is a fine, observant poet who also identifies as autistic.

Meg and I had a conversation about novels in verse, hair-touching, and what she hopes readers will take away from Selah’s story. 

Read the interview here.

Meg and I will be having a conversation about her book at Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, DC. The event is April 4 and you can find out more about it here.

20 responses to “Talking with Meg Eden about GOOD DIFFERENT”

  1. Irene Latham says:

    I look forward to reading the book and the complete interview. Thanks, Laura! xo

  2. This looks and sounds like a terrific book, and I enjoyed your interview on “Diverse Verse,” the depth and sensitivity there by both of you! Thanks Laura and all the best Meg!

  3. Denise Krebs says:

    Laura, nice interview with Meg. I appreciated the question and discussion about hair and holding in balance body autonomy and reaching out with touch. It was a great interview. The book sounds super, and I look forward to reading it. Enjoy the conversation in Washington, D.C.

    • Laura Shovan says:

      Thanks for the feedback, Denise. Meg does such a good job describing some of the sensory issues that overload many kids.

  4. Linda Mitchell says:

    I love this story of meeting a poet friend after accepting a poem of hers. How wonderful. And, the way that Meg Eden enters writing from her experience to a greater experience is a good lesson. I will be thinking of this today.

  5. Linda Baie says:

    Love every bit of this about Meg and this new book, Laura, know it would have been wonderful to have when I was teaching. I will share with my former colleagues. Thanks very much.

  6. How wonderful that you can highlight Meg’s poetry and voice in such an authentic way. Thank you!

  7. Such a fascinating interview and interesting writing journey! I would love to read Meg’s book and will look for it. Thanks, Laura.

  8. Laura, since I never heard of a neurodivergent diagnosis,I was fascinated by your interview and Meg’s thoughts. Her book sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing the information.

  9. This is an exciting book to look forward to, and I’ll have to read the full interview at some point. But what I really want to say is how powerful a champion you are for so many writers, Laura. Thank you for this work in addition to all your writing!

  10. What a touching interview and so interesting to learn that Selah simply came to Meg in verse form!
    Off to pre-order!

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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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