Blog

I can’t believe it’s already September! Summer has been a time for creativity, writing verse, writing content for a new video series, and for close collaboration with the illustrator Karen Hanke. Having completed the charming drawings of the African animals in “Imagination Nation,” Karen now is now

I just got an email from my niece who works with troubled youth in Pennsylvania. She described trying to help 13 and 14 year olds who are “totally illiterate.” My only challenge in responding was limiting my list of immediate suggestions! Here are my first ideas to

Fun stop at Cal State Fullerton’s Pollak Library for a presentation to bright-eyed college students and teachers to be. More proof positive that EVERYBODY gets swept up in stories when given the chance. Here’s the scoop in the school newspaper: http://www.dailytitan.com/2013/03/childrens-author-visits/

Just back from the wilds of Redlands, CA where the students and staff of Mariposa Elementary School serenaded me with a welcome I’ll never forget. Before my morning assemblies, all the 3rd grade students took the stage and performed for their parents and for me (such creativity!)

Like many creative souls, Laura Presno has a dream. This 3rd grade teacher at Terry School in Selma, CA, has written a sci-fi novel for kids. Over a staff lunch in the teachers’ lounge (a welcome break for me after 3 assemblies), she posed questions about publishing

A big thank you to principal Victoria Cuevas of Jackson School in Selma, CA. She presided over not just my assemblies when I visited her school in November but over the longest running slideshow series of one of my talks to date! Click here to get an

Writer Alexa Russell got me thinking about the PRACTICAL value of an English degree in today’s online work environment. More than ever, she says, students are able to put their degrees to work remotely in order to spur social change and communicate internationally. Check out her noteworthy

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of presenting (for the 3rd or 4th year) at the Stockton Record’s Family Day in the Park, an annual public celebration in Stockton, CA. I had three 20-minute performance slots, one in the enclosed King Arthur’s Court (a tent) and one

Last week, in a tiny farm town near Dinuba, CA (Tulare Co.), I was privileged to lead a writing workshop for around twenty Migrant students. The students ranged from grades 4-8th. My goal was to get them to write with vivid, sensory details about a work or