shadrieka A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Rebecca Bradley to add to an online tribute for the kidnapped girls in Nigeria. Each artist was given a name and asked to design a flower for that young lady. My tribute is for Gloria. As a childless woman, I can’t even imagine what the mothers … Read more
It has been a looooong week and semester. In a few days I will say goodbye to the very first group of students I taught. I can’t believe that I have been teaching for three years already. It has been a great experience so far. I’ve had more good days than bad, and more students … 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
Last weekend I was interviewed by (cool) progeny.com to help spread the word about this year’s upcoming African American Book Fair at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. I really enjoyed this interview because I had a chance to offer some advice to young artists on finding the resources (specifically in Baltimore) they need to develop their … Read more
I am crawling over the finish line with my next book, Sunday Shopping, written by Sally Derby, to be published by Lee & Low Books! It has been a loooooooong haul with this one, with a few stops and starts in between, but I am almost done. In Craftsy news, today my class was voted … Read more
I have read about women artists who’ve lived together in a hazy creative dream—even for a short spell. Trina Schart Hyman, Tove Jansson, The Red Rose Girls…It’s always made me envious and a bit sad that I didn’t have it for myself. As much as I have tried to live an interesting and free life, … Read more
Yesterday I read PLEASE, LOUISE aloud with students of The Wilkes School at Grace & Saint Peters and Midtown Academy. It was an enchanting afternoon sitting under the stars of Enoch Pratt’s Night Room chanting aloud the text from PLEASE, LOUISE. After we read together, I shared a bit of my journey as a young … Read more
Happy Day! Today my online Craftsy class, The Art of the Picture Book launched! Check out the commercial and head on over to Craftsy to join us in adventures in storytelling. (An addendum—WHITE WATER takes place in 1962, not the 1950s. Please forgive me of the faux pas if you enroll in my class)
It’s finally here! A few months ago I flew out to Denver and joined Craftsy.com, an online learning community, to share my knowledge and love of picture book making. My class, The Art of the Picture Book, will be available online on March 18th! To celebrate the release date, I am giving away a free … Read more
Today is the official release date of PLEASE, LOUISE. I have been buzzing with excitement all month and am thrilled that many of you have joined in spreading the word about the new book. To help welcome Louise into the world today, check out this fun birthday video! Congratulations to the contest winners. Thanks to … Read more