Laura Purdie Salas

Writing the World for Kids

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Judy Blume

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Last week, I heard Judy Blume speak as part of the Talking Volumes program here in Minnesota. You can be part of the live audience as the radio show Talking Volumes is recorded, and it’s what I did for Sherman Alexie’s appearance, too. With anything of this nature, you’re talking about an author who’s a […]

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Nonfiction Monday: The Series Won!

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  A while ago, I posted about the series that I wrote Write Your Own Poetry for being nominated for an award from the Association of Educational Publishers. My editor emailed me last week to say that the series won! The Write Your Own series from Compass Point Books won the Distinguished Achievement Award in […]

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Poetry Friday: A Billy Collins Poem

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I wrote a summer poem for this week’s Poetry Stretch, and I decided to also post a summer poem today for Poetry Friday. Fishing on the Susquehanna in July     by Billy Collins   I have never been fishing on the Susquehannaor on any river for that matterto be perfectly honest. Not in July or any monthhave […]

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Summer Souvenirs (an original poem)

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Miss Rumphius’ Poetry Stretch this week was to come up with a summer poem. I confess I don’t like summer, which is heresy here in Minnesota. But on one of my many chauffeuring trips yesterday, I came up with part of this, so here goes: Summer Souvenirs sunshinevinyl seatsback of legssticking swimming poolcurly slidespopsiclelicking state parkcamping […]

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What I Did at the Young Authors Conference

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I’m sharing this not because it’s some stellar presentation, but because it’s always so helpful to me when people share the activities they do at school visits. I wouldn’t copy anything exactly, but it gives me good ideas and let’s me know what’s realistic. At the Young Authors Conference, I taught 3 sessions per day, […]

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A Dozen Reasons to Present at Young Author Conferences

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I spent a week presenting at local (Minneapolis-area) Young Authors Conferences in late May. I’m wondering if they have these all over the country? I don’t think I ever heard of them growing up or when I taught English in Florida. Anyway, if you’re not familiar with them, it’s when kids get to attend an […]

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Poetry Friday: Worldly Wise, from The Monarch’s Progress

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I was reading The Monarch’s Progress, a lovely recent collection by Avis Harley, whom I’ve not heard of before. It’s full of great imagery and satisfying language, and I really enjoyed it. One thing she does that I like to do sometimes is write rhyming acrostics. There are several in the book, and this one […]

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Twisted

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This week’s Friday’s 40 at Pensieve is a great image! I love pictures of branches and trees. I’m not feeling great, but I want to participate. So, here goes…a little poem skeleton: Before School perched on a stoolencircled by Mom’s kneesas she  pulledtuggedturned braiding orderinto my hairinto my life –by Laura Purdie Salas It’s not […]

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Finally! Illustrations!

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I am so excited! Friday, I received f&gs for my poetry picture book coming out next spring with Clarion: STAMPEDE: POEMS ABOUT THE WILD SIDE OF SCHOOL. (An f&g, by the way, is a folded and gathered signature. It means it’s a set of the pages for my picture book, with illustrations, but the pages are just folded…they’re […]

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Nonfiction Monday: One Subject, Several Pieces

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  On my recent trip to Scotland, I did research on a particular aspect of the country for a picture book project. But that project may or may not ever sell (given the picture book market and my track record, I’m thinking may not is more likely). Still, I will get lots of material from […]

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