Three poems published

Three of my more esoteric poems have just been published in the Autumn 2018 issue of the speculative poetry journal Illumen! Speculative poetry explores the outer limits of imagination, whether fantasy, science fiction, horror, or some other alchemical concoction. I love publisher Alban Lake‘s description of what they seek for Illumen: We want your electric…Continue reading Three poems published

Three poems forthcoming in Illumen!

Great news! Three of my poems, “The Threshold Machine,” “The River Beckons,” and “To My Daughter,” will be published in the Autumn 2018 issue of Illumen magazine! Illumen is a print journal of speculative poetry, which publisher Alban Lake defines as “the application of imagination to reality.”  Comprising science fiction, fantasy, folklore, myth, surrealism, horror,…Continue reading Three poems forthcoming in Illumen!

JambaLAya Kidlit Conference 2018

  For the second year in a row, the Louisiana/Mississippi chapter of SCBWI knocked it outta the park! This is one of the best kidlit conferences I’ve attended, and I’ve been to a few. I tend to prefer regional conferences for the intimacy and depth of focus, not to mention the community building, and this one delivered.…Continue reading JambaLAya Kidlit Conference 2018

Review: In the Shadow of the Sun

North Korea has been in the news a lot lately, and although I’d rather not think about why, my kids have questions: Who are these people, and why are they targeting us? In the Shadow of the Sun by Anne Sibley O’Brien, an action-packed, middle-grade novel, offers a fascinating glimpse into the closed-off culture of North Korea,…Continue reading Review: In the Shadow of the Sun

Book review: We Fought Back: Teen Resisters of the Holocaust

After this weekend’s horrific events in Charlottesville, I thought I’d share a nonfiction YA book about Jewish teenagers who escaped death marches, labor camps, and ghettos to fight Nazis. This collection of seven individual stories, based on author Allan Zullo’s interviews with each participant, highlights eastern European partisans who “wreaked havoc on the Nazis through…Continue reading Book review: We Fought Back: Teen Resisters of the Holocaust