By Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell
Janet: More than a year ago, back in February 2020 (although it seems like 2010…) we had an open call for poems for HOP TO IT: Poems to Get You Moving (Pomelo Books, 2020). Our plan was to curate an anthology of 75 poems that encourage movement—short poems to help “get the wiggles out.”
We first thought about doing a movement-themed book at the end of 2015,
Ideas for stories have to come from somewhere.
Today, Swati Teerdhala and Kip Wilson, two YA debut authors, share what inspired them to write their stories as well as advice they have for beginners.
Swati Teerdhala
What first inspired you to write for young readers?
Continue Reading New Voices: Swati Teerdhala & Kip Wilson on Funneling Inspiration Into a Book »
On the flight home after a recent conference, I read Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Hearts Unbroken (Candlewick, 2018). It struck a chord in part because, although I was elated that so many people had read advanced reader copies (ARCs) of my novel The Bridge Home (Nancy Paulsen Books,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Padma Venkatraman on Golden Silence, Gilded Words »
Padma writing on the dock
One of the most vital aspects of timeless writing is voice. Every serious reader, every writer has (or must develop), a strong sense of what voice is. Yet, like time, voice eludes definition.
Of course, I’m going to try and define it. To me,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Padma Venkatraman on Voice: Writing Lean, Spare or Lush, Rich »
