Author Interview: Dr. Linda Weste Examines the Verse Novel Through Conversations with Middle Grade & Young Adult Authors

By Mitu Malhotra

Cynsations is excited to welcome Dr. Linda Weste to share the process behind her recent book, DiVERSE: Conversations with YA and Children’s Verse Novelists (Bloomsbury, 2025). Dr. Weste’s book featuring authors from the U.K., Australia and the United States is a wonderful reference text that expands our understanding of the verse-novel genre.

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Throwback Thursday: Margarita Engle Uses Verse to Convey Emotional Essence

Congratulations to Margarita Engle on Island Creatures (Atheneum, July 8, 2025), a young adult novel in verse about childhood friends, once lost and now reconnected, and their fight to protect endangered animals. From the publisher’s description:

Every day, Vida reads to the creatures at the wildlife rescue center and dreams of her childhood in Cuba,

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Author Interview: Marcella Pixley on the Power of Verse Novels & Weaving In Folk Traditions

By Mitu Malhotra

We welcome Marcella Pixley to Cynsations. In this interview, Marcella talks about her writing process, including her habit of art journaling while drafting novels. She generously shares her behind-the-scenes work that goes into bringing a book to life. Her middle grade verse novel Neshama deals with family trauma and healing,

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Author Interview: Rajani LaRocca on Poetry, Verse Novels & Beating Writer’s Block

By Mitu Malhotra

I first met Rajani LaRocca on a crisp fall day in November 2022 at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier. Her amazing energy stayed with me long after that weekend when she shared her writing journey and the art of juggling two full careers. Today we welcome Rajani,

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Author Interview: Lesléa Newman Discusses Poetry, Point of View & Always Matt

By Mitu Malhotra

Spotlight image: Mitu Malhotra and Lesléa Newman with Lesléa’s books.

Today we welcome Lesléa Newman to share her writing process. I have long admired Lesléa’s lyrical works for children. Her YA novel October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard (Candlewick, 2012) was a mentor text for me during my MFA journey.

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