One of the things I’m grateful for is that I’m going to NCTE this year! I haven’t been since 2019, and how I’ve missed it. When it had to be canceled in 2020, I was heartbroken. Not only did I miss seeing all my NCTE friends, but 3 (3!) of my books had been named to the Poetry Notables and I was going to do a session on poetry. It was one more thing to grieve in a year of losses.
My schedule has been slow to come together, and it’s lighter than most years. Maybe that’s a good thing, since I’m not used to crowds anymore! Here’s what I know for sure.
Saturday, November 18
- 11 am – 12:15 pm – Authors Are Real People–with many Poetry Friday friends! (B‑130–132 GCCC)
- 12:30pm – 2:30pm – Children’s Book Awards Luncheon–can’t wait to hear Georgia Heard and Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, and everyone sitting at my table will get a copy of Puddle Song, courtesy of Creative Company!
- 4:00–4:30 PM – Finding Family signing in Lerner booth #307
If you’re going, I’d love to see you there! I’m feeling a bit at sea–grateful to be going, but nervous too.
November is always a good time to be grateful. Here’s a little poem from my (out-of-print) book of fall poetry, Shrinking Days, Frosty Nights (Capstone Press/A+ Books).
And here’s a sheet you can use to write your own thankful poems with your students!
[My Classroom Connections posts share a way to connect one of my books or poems to a classroom topic–often something timely that you might be covering in the next month or so. Please share this post if you have educator friends who might be interested–thanks!]