A friend recently sent me a photo that was a throwback to 2004… the year my poetry was first published in an anthology. She had asked me for a signed copy and I’d sent her one. Mistletoe Madness, published by Blooming Tree Press, was chock full of poems and...
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Poetry Friday- School People
The pandemic has shifted so much of life off of its axis, and schools are no exception. All of the typical conventions of school life have shifted, and as a former preschool, kindergarten, and special needs teacher, I think about the loss of relationships that the...
Poetry Friday- A Celebration of Nursery Rhymes
At my local community college, I teach a course called “Poetry in the Early Childhood Classroom.” Teachers of young children gather over poetry books, in real life or via Zoom, and we talk about how to best use poetry in a lively early literacy curriculum. One of my...
Windows, Mirrors, and Anti-Racist Course Design
This past Friday, I presented at the Teaching, Learning, and Student Development (TLSD) conference at Roxbury Community College in Boston. The theme this year was “Employing an Anti-Racist Lens to Build Inclusive College Curriculum and Student Services.” My...
Radio Round Table on Diversity and Children’s Books
It was a delight to be part of a (remote) round-table discussion this week on WCAI-FM (the Cape and Islands NPR station) about children's literature and diversity. On “The Point” program hosted by Mindy Todd, I was joined by an educator from the Mashpee Wampanoag...
Signing with a Literary Agent
A ray of light in a pretty dark time-- that’s how I am feeling about signing with literary agent Lori Steel at Raven Quill Literary Agency. When Lori and I talked on Zoom, I could tell she was excited about my work. She said one of my picture books gave her...
A Note Meant to Silence
I don’t think it’s an accident that I received a strange note in the mail recently. It was postmarked on the day after my article appeared in the Cape Cod Times. The headline in the print edition was “Black Lives Matter: does your child's bookshelf reflect the...
Does Your Child’s Bookshelf Reflect the World?
One of the best things about my recent article in the Cape Cod Times about Black Lives Matter and children’s books is that I’ve heard from parents and educators who are inspired about making mindful book choices for the children in their lives. One delightful spark...
My poem in an anthology: “Studying Rachel Maddow in Provincetown”
Being part of an anthology is an honor—being part of an LGBTQ+ anthology is a party! My poem, “Studying Rachel Maddow in Provincetown” is included in the new anthology Hashtag Queer vol. 2, published by Qommunity Press. “Studying Rachel Maddow in Provincetown” was...
What do Queer Kids Want to Read? Book Talk with the Middle School GSA
Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) are becoming more and more common in high schools; they're less frequently seen in middle schools. Yesterday I had the chance to visit a local middle school as a visitor to the GSA. The students (mostly ages 12 and 13) were articulate,...