Historical Fact and Fiction at the Children’s Literature New England Conference
A report on the CLNE conference, "Writing the Past: Yesterday Was Once Today," held November 14-16, 2014 at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Engaging Readers of Young Adult Fiction: Agent Regina Brooks Weighs In
In a guest post, literary agent Regina L. Brooks offers five general rules for writing young adult fiction that both teens and adults will want to read.
Feed Spammers, Content, and Creativity
I draw a parallel between feed spammers on Instagram and publishers' emphasis on branding, with authors bringing out multiple books per year.
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.
Grown-Up Things: On Adults and YA Fiction
A defense of adult readers of YA fiction along with a call for more diverse, rule-breaking, and intellectually challenging writing and subject matter.
The Value of Workshops
Writing workshops can be especially useful in identifying flaws in a manuscript or getting unstuck, as I found with Surviving Santiago.
How to Make Friends with the New Kid: Advice for Kiara from the New Kids
My presentation to ELL students at Manchester, CT's high school and middle school explored insights gained from being a newcomer from a different culture.
Revision and the Photographer’s Challenge: The Bricksters, Part 2
The challenges facing photographers who have fewer opportunities to revise and some of the problems with my early LEGO photography.
The softball team from the suburbs and their friends party all night after winning the championship.
You Asked for It! Meet the Bricksters
An announcement of a prestigious Instagram shout-out and the initial episode of the graphic novel from my Lego town.
The Tragic Tale of Lego Piggy: Point of View
I use LEGO photos and a story about a Jewish mother followed on the street by a pig to explain the concept of point of view.