The Time Has Come for Three Balls of Wool (Can Change the World)
Release day for the Amnesty International co-sponsored Three Balls of Wool (Can Change the World), a picture book of a refugee family in their new home.
Stories Dictators Tell
An overview of common stories that dictatorships and despotic regimes tell to justify their power and policies.
Contested Histories: International Perspectives, Part 2
The second part of my presentation on "Contested Histories" at the AWP conference, which focuses on the Cold War in Latin American and my own writing.
“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”
Discussing Gringolandia's portrayal of resistance and exile at a panel on historical fiction at the NCTE16 conference, and post-election choices we face today.
Know Your History
Knowing history is key to making informed decisions in the present, because we can see the consequences of similar decisions in the past.
Returning to Portugal and Seeing the Changes
Thoughts on returning to Portugal, seeing the changes, and researching a historical novel that takes place there in 1966.
Killing Your Darlings, and Bringing Them Back to Life
My bonus content for the YA Scavenger Hunt, a deleted scene that leads to my comments on the importance of "killing your darlings" in revision.
Reclaiming Our History: The Colorado Student Walkouts
A response to the Jefferson County, Colorado school board's effort to teach obedience rather than history, and the student walkout that ensued.
Work-in-Progress Character Blog Hop, or Made Up People Can Jump Too
As part of a character blog hop, I introduce Tina Aguilar, the protagonist of my forthcoming YA novel, Surviving Santiago.
Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel…And Missing
Lessons about photography, art and life that I learned from coming in last place in a Lego photo competition.