First, read this courageous comment on the bombing and shooting in Norway.
We had our own "Oslo moment" here in the U.S., of course: the 9/11 attacks. In the aftermath, there was a lot of talk about tightening national security even at the cost of compromising our freedoms. A point that was often made in defense of more, and more extreme, measures was that no matter how strong our security was already, the terrorists would only need to find one crack in the wall, and they'd be in again.… [more]
A few months ago, after I submitted my YA Joan of Arc novelization to yet another publisher and was feeling like I was moving into a wait-and-see phase concerning all my YA novels, I decided to turn my attention to picture book texts. I had already written a few over the years, but they needed a lot of work, and so I plunged into that, and wrote a few new ones, too.… [more]
I've decided to start posting recordings of myself reading some of my favorite poems aloud, and believe that there can be no better starting point than this poem of Wallace Stevens' that is very much about the act of poetic creation and expression.
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Haiku Diem reached Day 365 today!
In my Haiku Diem blog post about this milestone, I announce that I'll be producing a book of the best haiku from the past year, and that my readers will be able to vote on the final three to be included, and possibly win a free copy of the book just by voting. (Please do check it out, and cast your votes!)… [more]
Two days ago, I posted my 50th haiku in 50 days on Haiku Diem, and this seems like a good point at which to reflect on how the effort is going.
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I just learned that today is International Pi Day and thought I'd share this poem I wrote a while back:
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My parody of all bad picture book texts.
A few years ago, a friend (picture book author, blogger, and bookstore owner Elizabeth Bluemle) was giving me her editing notes on an early draft of my first novel when I stumbled onto a trick that has made my efforts at revision not only easier, but more effective ever since.
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