As a teacher on summer hiatus, I'm grabbing all of the free hours I can muster, running as far and fast as I can with my middle-grade novel-in-progress, Tomfoolery. And the other day, the stars aligned to tell me, "Yes! Keep going. You are moving in the right...
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Writing Retreat!
Time to unplug and retreat from the hubbub of life for a few days. I am packing the laptop, notebooks and other fun stuff and heading north, for a six-day retreat with writer friends in a house in Vermont. These early days of summer seem like a good time to make...
Up and Coming (Out): song for a budding lesbian
If we stare long enough, there are times when we swear we can see a budding flower actually bloom. That's the tender window of time portrayed in "Ring of Keys," the signature song from the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Fun Home." Based on Alison Bechdel's...
Tips for writing gay/questioning characters in Middle-Grade!
What a delight to contribute a guest post on Lee Wind's dynamic blog I'm Here, I'm Queer, What the Hell Do I Read? I have tips for middle grade writers who want to create multi-dimensional gay/questioning characters in their stories. Lee is an incredible resource on...
Poetry Love in the South Bronx
I recently received a bundle of letters from the kids at St. Luke's School in the South Bronx. I delivered a poetry presentation there in the spring, using Jacqueline Woodson's BROWN GIRL DREAMING and Kwame Alexander's THE CROSSOVER as mentor texts. St. Luke's is...
NESCBWI Conference– was that a dream?
It's taken me a while to come down from the clouds after the NESCBWI Conference in Springfield a little over a week ago. The theme of diversity, "Think Outside the Crayon Box," was delivered in multi-layered and invigorating ways all weekend long. Being on the faculty...
Writing as Service
A friend of mine recently used the term “writing as service.” Bells starting chiming in my brain. Writing can be seen as many things: a creative outlet, a hobby or job, a business and source of income, a way of connecting to others. But the concept of writing as a way...
Gay and Questioning Characters in Middle Grade– planning our presentation!
The New England SCBWI* conference is coming in April, and I’ll be presenting, along with my wife, middle school guidance counselor extraordinaire Bonnie Jackman. Here is the description of our presentation: Developing a Gay or Questioning Character in the Middle-Grade...
Making the Invisible Visible
Like most writers, I crave quiet time to get lost in my latest project and just let the words flow. Yet it’s my time in the world, especially my teaching time, that feeds my spirit and sense of connection. I teach creative writing in the women’s unit at the Barnstable...