true believers

I will never again book 20 school visits for one month! but I’m grateful for each and every opportunity to meet students and educators across the city. Yesterday I spent the morning at a school in Park Slope and after my presentation on Ship of Souls, I was treated to a feast—the parents put out [...]

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the hummingbird’s tongue

I had a moment yesterday when I wanted to quit teaching. As soon as I submitted my grades, the whining began…no matter how clear you are about the course requirements, no matter how many opportunities you give to earn extra credit, there are always a few students who think you owe them something more. I [...]

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it’s raining

Actually, it’s pouring. Good thing I went out early to get some groceries: two apples, soy milk, juice, and a mini Toblerone bar. I needed some little treat since today I plan to get ALL my grading done. I’ve got one exam left and about ten book reviews. Once grades are in I can turn [...]

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Family Literacy Day

Ah…a day of rest! On Friday I wrapped up my last Harlem workshop with Behind the Book. The students had finished reading Ship of Souls, and when I asked if they had any questions, it turned out most of them wanted to know what would happen in the sequel! I should have recorded my answers [...]

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remix at the mall

R. Gregory Christie is an exceptional artist and a wonderful person—please take a moment to learn more about this exciting new project: a store/studio with a focus on kids, books, and art! You can learn about his fundraising efforts at Kickstarter. Here’s a description of the project in Greg’s own words: After doing children’s books [...]

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making waves

…brave as winter roses… I’ve been writing down bits of verse lately. Last month I went to the garden and saw a bright yellow rose named Obedience. That’s a haiku waiting to happen, right? But I couldn’t settle long enough to compose anything. Today in the garden I was contemplating the soft jade moss that [...]

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AQ/Art Quake

My good friend Gabrielle will be performing at this opening reception, and what better gift for the holidays than original art! AQ/Art Quake Exhibit Opening Reception Join Haiti Cultural Exchange on Friday, December 16th at the Five Myles Gallery at 6:00 PM for the latest event in our AQ/Art Quake collaboration! AQ/ArtQuake is a group [...]

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Saturday morning art

My students are required to produce a piece of art that illustrates a line of text from any of the novels, poems, and articles we’ve read this semester. I promised I would make a demo to reassure those who aren’t so confident about their artistic ability:

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Shadra’s new book: White Water

My good friend Shadra Strickland has a new book out: White Water by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein. It’s available today and the illustrations are amazing! Shadra kindly took a moment out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about the book: In the blogosphere there has been a sense of fatigue when [...]

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meeting stars in bad shoes

Today I was on the train reading The Wonder, Diana Evans’ latest novel, when I suddenly had a memory of my father. When I first came to visit him in Brooklyn in 1993, he got a bit salty whenever I wanted him to take me someplace. I found out that Maya Angelou was giving a [...]

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