This weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at Simmons College in Boston. One of the perks of speaking at these functions is being able to attend other artist/author talks and workshops as well. The only drawback is usually finding myself fighting off headaches from so much mental stimulation. My panel was held on Saturday … Read more
Sunday Shopping is finally out in the world! So far the reviews have been wonderfully positive. Here’s what folks are saying: “A splendid choice for collections in need of picture books that feature African American characters, but, more significantly, a lovely title that celebrates imagination and the importance of family.” – SLJ “Strickland’s bright, breezy … Read more
On January 5th, I started a fun game (because I am a genius at productive procrastination) on Instagram and Facebook and asked people to share their creative weapons of choice. A few folks participated- sending selfies and art supplies back across the webosphere. I am obsessed with art supplies and creative processes of creative folk. … Read more
My editor at Lee and Low e-mailed me a coupla weeks ago to let me know that SUNDAY SHOPPING has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection! I was super surprised to hear the news because our book just went to press back in October, but JLG chooses books based on previews before the books … Read more
When Selma Levi, children’s librarian at Enoch Pratt Central Library, e-mailed me last June about joining forces to celebrate Maurice Sendak’s 50th anniversary of Where the Wild Things Are, I had no idea what would come of it. Typically, these types of things blow in the wind once people get busy with their lives. Selma and … Read more
Hi everyone, Craftsy is offering two new exciting classes this fall. Sketchbooks: Drawing the Everyday, and Sketching for Concept Art. Both classes are illustration oriented and offer tips and tricks that you may not have thought of on your own. Again, Craftsy classes are appropriate for all age levels and all art levels. You are never … Read more
Whew! What a weekend. I spent the last two days on panel discussions about the Diversity in Children’s Books Campaign. Yesterday I spoke with Crystal Allen, Pamela Tuck, Sheila P. Moses, Charisse Carney-Nunes, and Christopher John Farley at the Congressional Black Caucus Author Pavilion on Diversity in children’s books and discussed the same topic today … Read more
I checked two major items off of my bucket list last week – driving to Maine, and visiting Ashley Bryan on Little Cranberry Island. When Deb Taylor asked if I wanted to drive up with her, it was a no brainer. Prior to our departure, a large hurricane had barreled up the east coast causing … Read more
Head on over to Elizabeth O. Dulemba’s blog to hear more about Louise and win a free copy of the book! For those of you who don’t know, Elizabeth O. Dulemba is an author and illustrator of picture books and most recently, a novel! She is Illustrator Coordinator for the Southern Breeze region (AL, GA, FL panhandle) of the SCBWI – the … Read more
Getting published is a HUGE accomplishment.But where most civilians (non authors & illustrators) think that a book deal means buckets of money and leaving behind a legacy, those of us in the trenches know that getting a book published is only the beginning. Looking back to my late twenties and thirties, all I wanted to … Read more