“To promote an appreciation and love of books and reading by providing the enriching experience of meeting and hearing authors and illustrators of children’s books.”

–Mission Statement of the Coleen Salley · Bill Morris · Literacy Foundation

Coleen Salley continues to spread the love of reading amongst school age children and support children’s books authors and illustrators in Louisiana and beyond with the launch of the Coleen Salley-Bill Morris Literacy Foundation.

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For my sanity and productivity, I’ve set aside a few weeks each year when I won’t travel. These are not “open” weeks; they’re weeks spent in a deep communion with the keyboard. It’s my way of fighting for some balance.

This is not, however, to say that I can just curl up on the mythical bench alongside that mythical rain-streaked window and scribble genius thoughts.

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My husband, author Greg Leitich Smith, has launched a blog filled with his own news and views.

Congratulations to Greg on the latest glowing reviews of Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo (Little Brown, 2003)!

I feel lucky to have read Tofu And T.Rex (Little Brown, 2005) and know your fans will love it,

Continue Reading Greg Leitich Smith Debuts Blog »

Today Greg and I had the pleasure of joining Austin author Jerry Wermund at Katz’s for lunch. Jerry is a retired University of Texas geologist, poet, and his own children’s book publisher, living in nearby Buda.

His books are The World According To Rock and Earthscapes — Landforms Sculpted by Water, Wind,

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By Dianna Hutts Aston, originally published by SCRIBE the Writers’ League of Texas newsletter.

Once upon a time, in a land called Kansas, there lived a dreamer-girl, Cynthia Smith, who imagined herself as Batgirl a.k.a. librarian Barbara Gordon… a reader-girl who was mesmerized by The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and a curious-cat girl who wondered about the identity of the naked lady in the old painting in the basement.

Continue Reading Profile on Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith »

by Dianna Hutts Aston

note: first appeared in the Austin SCBWI chapter newsletter.

Cynthia Leitich Smith is to children’s literature what a cheerleading captain is to the team. Few roar louder for children, children’s books, children’s authors, librarians and others more loudly than this longtime Austin SCBWI member.

Continue Reading An Interview With Cynthia Leitich Smith »

Greg and I had a great time at the first-ever Montgomery County Teen Book Festival in The Woodlands, Texas on Saturday.

It was a star-studded event featuring Lois Duncan as the keynote speaker along with National Book Award winner Kimberly Willis Holt, YA star Alex Flinn (whose Nothing To Lose was a recent BBYA and Quick Pick),

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Nancy Keane’s site has a new booktalk up for Greg‘s upcoming novel, Tofu & T.Rex.

Nancy Keane’s Booktalks — Quick and Simple is a highly recommended site.

See also a review of Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo by Claire Broadway, 15, C.S. Lewis Hall from Newspapers in Education.

Continue Reading Book Talk: Tofu & T.Rex »

What a wonderful time Greg and I had last night at the Westlake Barnes & Noble (home of CRM Jo Virgil, as always a gracious hostess) with three other married writer/illustrator couples at a panel, “‘Til Death Do We Write & Publish,” sponsored by the Writers’ League of Texas.

Janice and Tom Shefelman talked about their fifty year marriage (congratulations again!) and writing as an author-and-illustrator team.

Continue Reading ‘Til Death Do We Write & Publish — How It Went »

I’m honored that my Web site is listed among the ALA’s Great Web Sites for Kids under the “Authors & Illustrators” category. Such great company, including my friends Jane Kurtz, who was a great help to me in my early writing days, and Haemi Balgassi, an angel on earth (the occasionally sassy kind).

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