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October 29, 2020"It Is Okay to Go Inside of Yourself Even if it Scares You" Poet Joseph A. Dandurand on Opening Doors
Perhaps Richard van Camp said it best about prolific and powerful poet Joseph A. Dandurand's writing when he commented "Good Lord—what a voice!" Dandurand's 13 collections of poetry have consistently ...
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March 08, 2021On Giving Myself Permission Not to Write
I know I have to write it. The essay I’ve been trying to write for a year and a half.I will be in the grocery store or out in the muck of a hike dripping with sweat and a sentence of it will come to ...
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April 29, 2022May Writer in Residence Mark David Smith on His Macbeth Inspired Witch-Detective Series for Kids
If you read Macbeth and thought (like us) "less political scheming and more of those fabulous witches, please", you're in luck because teacher and writer Mark David Smith's The Weird Sisters: A Note, ...
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October 16, 2025Take a Visit to the Riotous, Colourful World of PAISLEY & PECK, JURASSIC FARM
In Paisley & Peck: Jurassic Farm (Owlkids), the barnyard becomes a stage for laughter, friendship, and a touch of prehistoric chaos. This lively first installment in the new graphic novel series ...
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October 20, 2025Writing Protagonists Who Don’t Care If You Like Them
As writers, we want our readers to connect with our protagonists, to root for them and relate to them. It makes sense – human connection is at the heart of storytelling. If a reader just utterly hates ...
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November 28, 2016
Kid Lit Can: What’s So Funny about Kids’ Books? Part 1
A few weeks ago, while thinking about topics for this blog, I came to a startling realization: I’ve never hosted a funny Q and A blog. With funny authors. About funny children’s and YA books. Never.Why ...
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August 21, 2024Jennifer Maruno and Vivian Rosas Illustrate the Power of Peaceful Action in Momma's Going to March
Peaceful activism has long been a tool for meaningful change, and many young people are now seeing these actions with great frequency, especially as they grow up in a world where social media carries ...
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April 05, 2025Every Ingredient in Our Ancestors' Kitchen by Willie Poll Thrums With Meaning and Tradition
Métis activist and storyteller Willie Poll has deep connections to her community and traditions, all of which is on full display in a beautiful new picture book from the author. Poll's poetic voice ...
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February 20, 2024Make-believe and Melodrama Create Comedy in the New Picture Book, The Only Lonely Fairy
Make-believe and melodrama collide to create a heartfelt comedy in The Only Lonely Fairy (Pajama Press), the new picture book by Lana Button, illustrated by Peggy Collins. A story about emotional ...
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August 12, 2021"There is Power in Sharing Ideas" Bree Galbraith's Hold That Thought Encourages Kids to Let Their Ideas Shine
In the middle of the night, Finn feels something strange and exciting. Something forming slowly, getting sharper and clearer each moment: it's an idea. And the idea fills Finn with a thrilling kind of ...