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YAL Summit and More

This morning, 27 Feb 2026, in a few minutes, I’ll be zooming off to speak about “Creating Place Conscious Pathways: Identity and Belonging Across Borders in YA Literature” along with Maggie Tregre-Richoux, Rene Saldaña Jr. and Leilya Pitre at #YALSummit2026, organized by Gretchen Rumor and Michelle Falter. Here are some of the resources I will be sharing during the talk. I hope you’ll find these…

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Many reasons to be thankful this November

As Thanksgiving approaches this year, I’m counting the things I’m thankful for and looking forward to. First, I was invited to share a few brief remarks after NewportFILM’s screening of THE LIBRARIANS starring Becky Calzada (whom I’ve been honored to do panels with in the past), Amanda Jones and other librarians – it was wonderful to enjoy a documentary starring librarians (whom I’ve always…

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Happy Poetry Month!

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Making RI a Safe Harbor for Authors

These past few months have been incredibly hectic for me, and I’ve hardly been able to celebrate the release of SAFE HARBOR – a novel that I, as a child who loved animals and had a special ability to communicate with them, would have added to my favorites shelf, though I say so myself! One of the things I’ve been very busy with is helping with legislation that will preserve democratic freedoms,…

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Activities, Author Events, Essays and Podcasts!

It’s launch week for Safe Harbor! If you’ve already got your copy of the novel and are a teacher or librarian, please check out this Safe Harbor Bingo activity game on the Diverse Verse website. The blogpost also has a writing prompt and a sneak peek at one of the poems in Safe Harbor. And I do hope you can attend one or more of these events which are open to the public! First, this Saturday, 4…

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Smooth sailing over the holidays and Safe Harbor in 2025!

It’s almost time to launch SAFE HARBOR – my sixth novel and my second novel-in-verse! I can’t believe how fast 2024 has flown! If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, here is the link: https://buff.ly/3XLA0eK And… here below is the photo of the seal who inspired the novel, “lying like a sack of rice” on the sands of the beach near my home, in my Ocean State. This seal was fine – but of course, as…

Smooth sailing over the holidays and Safe Harbor in 2025!

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See you at NCTE 2024?

Looking forward with gratitude to connecting with #teachers #educators #librarians and the #kidlit community at #NCTE2024 in Boston. My wonderfully hectic schedule begins on Thursday 11:30 Rm 204 A with a panel on Ecoliteracy, moderated by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and featuring Margarita Engle and Jewel Parker Rhodes, along with Karina Iceberg, Russ Mayo and Gabriel Valdez. On Friday, I moderate…

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Starred Review from *SLJ and NCTE ARC giveaway!

Wanted to share the depth of my gratitude for the wonderful starred review SAFE HARBOR received in School Library Journal. Here’s a link to the review in its entirety: https://www.slj.com/review/safe-harbor The sincere appreciation this review expressed made me feel deeply, deeply seen, as did the marvelous blurbs the book has received from Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor winning author of The…

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Banned Book Week - Early This Year

My brilliant speaking agent, author Phil Bildner, often says there’s nothing to celebrate about Banned Books Week. I agree. Last year, in October, during banned book week, just as I was about to fly to an event, I was asked, by a school in Texas, to stay home. They decided my talk was inappropriate, because I mentioned the fact that, just as there are injustices in the justice system in India…

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August Anthologies

If you’re reading this, hope you’re having a wonderful summer. I am having a hectic one! In this short post this August, I wanted to share a list of august upcoming anthologies that I’m honored to be part of. But first, I am super excited to share that my next novel, SAFE HARBOR, is already available for pre-order! I was so moved to receive this wonderful blurb : “Safe Harbor is an exquisite…

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Poetry Month 2024

April is almost gone already! But if you are a young writer or an educator, parent or guardian of a young writer, there are 5 days left for you to answer Diverse Verse’s call for poetry. Details can be found on the diverse verse website. It is hard, sometimes, to feel hopeful, especially when I think of children who are forced to face unthinkable violence and adversity in the face of armed…

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Women's History Month 2024

We often say we’re speechless. I probably have said that before. But the first time I truly felt that way was when I saw this montage created by @readwithmalcom. I was immensely and deeply grateful when THE BRIDGE HOME was selected to be featured by Malcom Mitchell’s Share The Magic Foundation because I respect his achievements and very much admire his dedication to promoting books and reading.…

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Fighting Against Book Bans as 2024 Begins

PEN America and SCBWI honored me with an invitation to speak about one of the most important issues facing authors in America today: Book Bans and their aftershocks. In a few minutes, I will join fellow panelists Authors Adib Khorram and Abdi Nazemian, and moderator Phil Bildner. We will discuss how authors can navigate a shifting landscape for children’s literature and respond to this moment of…

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Ulaanbaatar, Free Poetry Prompt & Season's Greetings

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Wish you a golden autumn!

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Thank you, teachers, for your courage & dedication

Created a list of links to teacher resources (recipe + writing prompt + reading recommendation; free short story; poetry prompts & more ) to say THANK YOU teachers for your courage in creating safe spaces for all students. You are heroes.

“Fear is a Lock. Courage is a key.” That’s a quote from BORN BEHIND BARS. It’s a quote that I believe teachers, librarians and other educators live by. Especially these days, when our nation and our world seems so divided. This second day of #TeacherAppreciationWeek, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the teachers who’ve made a difference in my life, and the lives of every child I’ve…

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Thrilled to be doing a #webinar for the @WritingBarn this upcoming Sunday on #overcoming #writersblock Register: https://thewritingbarn.com/class/craft-webinar-getting-unstuck-in-your-novel-with-padma-venkatraman/ #writersblockunblocked #writersblockbegone #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #writinginspiration #writingtips #writinglife #writingtips✏️ #writingtipsandtricks https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqd-dItvzH1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=