Laura Purdie Salas

Writing the World for Kids

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Qualities I Love in Art Forms and How They’re Reflected in What I Write

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I was so honored to be part of the SCBWI/Smithsonian Nonfiction Conference! I was on a panel Saturday about The Personal Journey to Nonfiction. (It started right after Biden’s win was announced, and I was positively shaking with excitement and relief!) The panel was based on Melissa Stewart’s fabulous new anthology, Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep. […]

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A Purrrrrfectly Cute Interview Over at Angie’s

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Hey, guess what? Author Angie Quantrell interviewed me for her blog, and the post is live! It’s not too long and has pictures of donuts, treadmill desks, adorable kids, and did I mention donuts? And a bit about my writing process for Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten. I hope you’ll stop by and say hi! […]

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Fun and Games in Writing in the Classroom

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Hi, teachers! I’m sharing some thoughts on how using some game strategies in your classroom can free kids up to be braver, more creative writers. You can check it out at Mackin’s Teacher Talk blog here. Enjoy! “As a former eighth-grade English teacher, I realize that you have SO MUCH to fit into so little […]

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Fortune Cookies, School Plays, and Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle!

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Today I’m visiting with Christy Mihaly over at the Grog Blog, and I’m sharing all sorts of tidbits about my writing process for Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle. Plus tips and resources for writing in rhyme. I hope to see you over there, and thank you, Christy!

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Statues in the Park [Poetry Friday]

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Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) The Process FEEL FREE TO SKIP DIRECTLY TO IMAGE POEM BELOW IF YOU LIKE! This month, our Poetry Princess challenge (my choice) was a poem of any kind, mood, or topic to go with the title “Statues in the Park.” I was on […]

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Writing a Golden Shovel Poem: Day 5

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[You can read Days 1, 2, 3, and 4 by clicking, if you like.] Well, you guys, I feel like sharing my process makes it sound like I have put hours and hours into this poem! But, really, it was just a stolen 15 minutes here and there. I have spent more time writing the […]

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Writing a Golden Shovel Poem: Day 4

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[You can read Days 1, 2, and 3 by clicking, if you like.] After writing at Valleyfair, I took my poem on the road next to Taco Bell. I do most of my writing on my laptop or phone, but playing around with short poem drafts lends itself to longhand, sometimes. Here are the drafts […]

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Writing a Golden Shovel Poem: Day 3

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[You can read day 1 and day 2 here.] Yesterday, I went to Valleyfair (theme park) with Randy and Maddie. It was a gorgeous day, high 60s and sunny, and the park was practically empty. No lines for anything–even the big coasters! We rode and ate and laughed–and I worked on my poem. Sadly, even […]

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Writing a Golden Shovel Poem: Day 2

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You can read Day 1 here. So, yesterday morning, I walked around a little pond. It was lovely, misty, and grey out, so nobody else was walking. That meant I could think about my poem and do a little brainstorming. I dictated possible lines into my poem based around this line: With swift, slow; sweet, […]

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Taking Pictures (by me) [Poetry Friday]

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Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Last week, I shared about the awesome Risking Writing session at NCTE. Today, I thought I’d share my final poem in a more legible way. But if you’d like to hear about the session and see my writing process, click here. Believe it or not, […]

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