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Courage: My Word of the Year
Each year, I choose an annual theme, an idea I originally got from Steve and Vicki Palmquist of Children’s Literature Network. My word for 2012 was Focus. I think I got better at focus last year. I learned to do better at blocking out my to-do list and focusing in on JUST whatever I was
[15 Words or Less Poems] Glasses
Photo: Laura Purdie Salas Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Here’s what this image?makes me think of: 1)?Glasses of juice 2) Sunset 3) Tropical Lifesavers And here’s my poem first draft: Sunrise She squeezed Sun, caught each drop in morning’s clear glass… served the Eastern sky. –Laura Purdie Salas,
[My Writing Life] I’m In the Journal of Children’s Literature!
I don’t think I ever had a chance to share this last fall. The NCTE’s Journal of Children’s Literature featured one of my poems! I was so excited that they wanted to share a poem from BookSpeak! Part of what made it even more pleasing was that the other poem shared in that issue was
[Nonfiction Monday] Colors of Insects and Bug Off!
Paired Picture Books Colors of Insects by me, Laura Purdie Salas Capstone Press, 2011 (signed discounted copies available here– be sure to email and specify who you’d like it inscribed to) I never thought I would like writing a book about bugs, but doing this book really gave me a new appreciation for them (though
[15 Words or Less Poems] Sea Serpent
Just updated my What’s New page for January. If you’re interested in what I’m excited about and what I’m not excited about in my writing life this month, feel free to drop by! And share what’s on your excited/not excited list in your comment:>) Photo: Laura Purdie Salas Wake up your poetry brains with 15
[Poetry Play] A Careerhyme Challenge
I miss taking part in poetry challenges and games, and I’m going to try to do better in 2013. At David Harrison’s blog, J. Pat Lewis has a Careerhymes challenge up. Go read the hysterical examples and try your own! Here’s mine: Why You Can Never Reach a Teacher If you need to chat with
[My Writing Life] Got It Covered
Hi, guys–Happy New Year! It’s good to be back! There was a piece recently in Publishers Weekly about the cover of Steam Train, Dream Train, the follow-up to Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. So much thought goes into figuring out book covers. For my next book with Millbrook Press, Water Can Be…, my editor sent me
[Poetry Friday] CYBILS Finalists!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate it, and that everybody had a terrific New Year’s. I am sick with the flu and wasn’t planning to post today. But, I’m so excited that BookSpeak has made the shortlist for the CYBILS Poetry category–what an honor! So I wanted to share this list
[15 Words or Less Poems] Lion
Photo: Laura Purdie Salas Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! The lion in the MGM lobby at NCTE in Vegas was in a boxing ring to promote some upcoming big boxing match. It was an arresting image, this gold lion in a velvet-roped cage. Here’s hwat it makes me
[Poetry Friday] Icicles, Cold and Waiting (by Laura Purdie Salas)
I’m sharing a poem today on the theme of light. Recent news events have been so sad and scary. I sometimes feel guilty that I don’t follow them more closely, but I find my best way to combat them, to try to change the world, is by focusing on the light. By finding joy, one
[My Writing Life] Fun at Vegas/NCTE
I’ve blogged about generosity at conventions, “Is it worth it for a writer to go to IRA?” (or any of the big conventions), setting goals for conventions, and following up afterwards. Now, I just want to take a minute to share some of the fun I had in Vegas. You can hover over images to
[Nifty Stuff] Book Cover Cookies
My husband is the best. A box arrived Friday marked “Perishable.” Oh, that can only be good things. Turns out Randy ordered me cookies (cinnamon shortbread!) from Baking for Good, an online bakery that creates treats and donates some proceeds to the cause of your choice. So check out the Snapshot Cookies Randy got me.
Happy Holidays to You x 2!
So much of my communion with writers, educators, and readers takes place online, and I’m truly grateful to be part of such a wonderful community! Thank you. On a funny note, my husband, Randy, makes online JibJab cards all the time, where you can stick the faces of loved ones into existing videos. Here’s this
[My Writing Life] After NCTE
My Writing Book of the Day: Letters to a Fiction Writer, edited by Frederick Busch. Letters from great writers like Ray Bradbury, Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor…This isn’t so much a how-to book, but it’s a book full of lessons, to be sure. Quick quote: “The one thing I know about envy is that it comes
[My Writing Life] Setting Goals at NCTE and Other Conventions
My Writing Book of the Day: Word Magic, by Cindy Rogers. Forget structure. Forget first drafts. Think specific words and phrases. That’s where magic happens, and Cindy is your guide. The chapter on implication is one of my favorites. Through examples, exercises, explanation, and quotation, you learn how to imply so much more in your
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Are You Looking For?
Go to my Poetry page for:
- National Poetry Month projects through the years
- Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
- Introductions to several favorite poetry forms