Living the Dream

Happy Bookiversary!

On January 31, my first author/illustrated book Jump In! will have been in the world for an entire year and what a year it has been! If you follow me

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New website, who dis?

I bit the bullet this year and hired a professional designer to update my website. For many years, I designed and maintained it on my own, but now that my

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Jump In! earns two stars!

My solo debut, Jump In! will be released on January 31st. The first review came in from Kirkus two weeks ago and it was a star! They called it “A

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Coming Events

October 8 What does it mean to “leave room for the illustrator?” What tools can writers use to think visually while writing? Likewise, how can illustrators pull words from their

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Jump In!

   Dear friend, I can hardly contain my excitement! JUMP IN! My first authored/illustrated picture book is off to the press and will be available in January. Pre-ordering is available now! It

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NYT Book Review

I usually shy away from editorial assignments. Typically it’s because I’m busy with book work, but mostly it’s because I have always been nervous about the quick turnaround. Well, those

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Kidlit Summer Camp

For the past three years now I have joined The Highlights Foundation as a faculty member for their annual summer camp. It’s an amazing opportunity for authors and illustrators to

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Scaling Back

I’ve always been an all or nothing type of person. As a kid I would play outside in the hot sun all day until I would be attacked by a

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We Are the Change

On May 7th, Chronicle Books will release a gorgeous illustrated book that features artwork from 16 amazing artists (Selina Alko, Alina Chau, Lisa Congdon, Emily Hughes, Molly Idle, Juana Medina,

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Never Caught Cover Story

This week marks the release of “Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington’s Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition”. In this incredible

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Support the Arts!

It’s the last day of 2018, which also means it’s the last day that we can donate to our favorite organizations and declare it on this year’s taxes. I ask

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Hollins, Tulsa, and Highlights!

The second half of 2018 was full of wonderful happenings. I spent time mentoring great talents at The Highlights Foundation this summer, I presented my work at Hollins University, I

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Spring Making

We’re slowly awakening from our long winter slumber. This time of year is always especially motivating for me and I’m sure it is for most creative people. Here are a

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Telling a People’s Story

Saturday, April 21 11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m.   ~   Shadra Strickland (Illustrator) Positivity and Fulfilling the Dream Strickland works to promote self-affirmation and validation for African-American children in order to encourage positivity. Through

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Join Me at The Highlights Foundation

“Be curious about the world and how it works.”–Shadra Strickland Join me for a at the Highlights Foundation on Saturday, March 17. The reception launches The Highlights Foundation’s 2018 Visual Arts

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Deck the Walls Sale

Tis the season for giving! Head over to my etsy shop for this week’s sale! I’m offering 10% off of everything listed. Happy holidays!

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Shaking Things Up January 2018

Last summer I also had the pleasure of working on a collaborative project by Susan Hood – forthcoming from HarperCollins! SHAKING THINGS UP: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World hits

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Ghost Boys Cover Process

Over the summer I was asked to illustrate the cover of award winning author, Jewell Parker Rhodes’ latest book, Ghost Boys, here is a synopsis of the story: Twelve-year-old Jerome

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Untethered

I didn’t think that I would be motherless this early. We planned to move her up to Baltimore so that she could enjoy the rest of her retired life with

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Sweater Weather!

Happy Fall! Tis the season of crisp, cool air and noisy crunching below foot. For me, it’s also a time of renewed creative energy and longer hours in the studio.

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Coming Soon!

My next book, A Child’s Book of Prayers and Blessings: From Many Faiths and Cultures Around the World, debuts in October. Each illustration was made using the relief linocut printmaking

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Dogs and clavicles

My blog has been dormant or a while now. 2017 has been the busiest and most life changing since I moved to Maryland. I bought a house, moved my mom

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Shopping with Pat Cummings at BPL

On Saturday I took leave from my art prison to visit with the wonderful librarians and young patrons at the Brooklyn Public Library. Award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Pat

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The Turn of the Page

If you’re in New York this spring, head on over to Brooklyn Public Library to see the amazing work of Pat Cummings! Also on display is the work of many of

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Bookmaking in Baltimore

On Saturday I conducted a free bookmaking workshop for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum’s Saturday’s Child series. Families came from Washington DC, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City to learn how

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Wearing my writer hat at VCFA

Last week I spent a few days in snowy Montpelier as author/illustrator in residence at Vermont College of Fine Arts  in their Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children &

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Powerball Dreams

I never play the lottery. My mom does. I do not. This week, with a pot of over 1 billion dollars, I will be buying lottery tickets. What would I

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