Social media experts say that you need to write a new post at least once or twice a month if you’re going to develop any sort of real following on

        I’ll be signing copies of Janis Joplin Rise Up Singing, Such a Pretty Face and Silent Embrace, Perspectives on Birth and Adoption at Martha Merrell’s Bookstore in

Front left to right: graphic novelist Raina Telegemeier, poet Ron Koertge, short story writer and biographer Ann Angel. Middle: humor novelist Julie Halpern, poet Ellen Hopkins. Back: Rigewood High School

I spent the first Saturday afternoon of my spring break at my college learning about sexual assault and how young women and men are using digital and media arts to

I couldn’t help thinking this morning as I listened to the ALA awards about the excitement of being in the audience and hearing Janis Joplin Rise Up Singing named as

Seriously. If I’m going to have a blog site, I really should be posting regularly on it. But I’m not that good.  Still, if you really want to know what I’m

http://www.ala.org/yalsa/sites/ala.org.yalsa/files/content/booklistsawards/bookawards/speeches/2011/angel.pdf   Embracing Our Flawed Heroes Thank you one and all for the honor of choosing Janis Joplin Rise Up Singing as a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award winner. I

  This is such a busy time of year for YA writers as we head toward NCTE week! I’ll be heading to Chicago on Friday to present as part of

There are moments when I know I nailed it. My short story, “The Bracelet,”  in Sudden Flash Youth is one of those times. I’m so proud to be included with such

The first time I heard Janis Joplin sing, her voice blew me away! She was so powerful and independent, strangely beautiful in a hippie chick sort of way. She didn’t

(Reprinted from The Pirate Tree) Best-selling middle grade and young adult author Lauren Myracle has a moral compass and she wants to pass that on through stories, usually stories of

In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white.  Things are good or bad.  Anything in between is confusing.  That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained.  But now

Claire Saxby writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry for children. Her poetry appears in magazines, anthologies, on train walls and in museum education resources. Claire’s picture book publications include Ebi’s Boat

Coming soon …. a look at Crystal Kite winners……. so stay tuned

I’ve taken over directing the graduate English program at Mount Mary College. There might be some courses readers are interested in taking so please feel free to wander over to

Here’s the award photo from the Council for Wisconsin Writers luncheon on Saturday, May 14. Janis Joplin, Rise Up Singing received the book-length nonfiction award. To see more, please click on

 So, just a note that I get so much spam and so my delete button is overused. So, for entertainment, here  are images of the black hole of spam as

Yesterday, my friend and fellow writer JoAnn Early Macken celebrated teachers at the Brookfield, Wisconsin Barnes and Noble where we signed books. JoAnn has got a great and funny new book called