Before We Turn the Page: The 2023 Writers’ Rumpus Year in Review

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, you’re invited to peruse my 2023 Writers’ Rumpus Year in Review! As another year draws to a close, I continue to marvel at the variety and quality of our posts and thank all of our authors and readers for your commitment to our kidlit blog. Once again, I’ve been honored and challenged to highlight one post from each of our talented contributors with an image, date link, and brief summary. I guarantee you’ll discover (or rediscover) a post or two or three that will delight, inform, and/or inspire your creative journey.

Kirsti Call
ANT ICS WITH PICTURE BOOK LAYERS
PLUS SMARTY ANTS GIVEAWAY
August 1, 2023

This post celebrates the book birthday of SMARTY ANTS, co-written by Kirsti Call and Corey Rosen Schwartz. This talented author pair are masters of creating pun-filled, rhyming picture books with layers upon delightful layers. This helpful post is punny, too!

Kim Chaffee
DEDICATIONS: HOW DO YOU DECIDE?
January 10, 2023

This post by picture book biographer Kim Chaffee is also a real hoot. You’ll enjoy it even if you don’t have a book published yet. But if you do, you’ll totally relate to her panic about dedications and whether another book will ever follow. Kim? You have nothing to fear!! You are so talented!!

Keri Demers
THE LOUD LIBRARIAN: WRITTEN BY JENNA BEATRICE AND ILLUSTRATED BY ERIKA LYNNE JONES
May 19, 2023

If you need a laugh, you won’t want to miss Keri’s humorous post. This is from the beginning: “Everyone knows that all CAPS = yelling. So, yes, I AM, in fact, yelling the title of Jenna Beatrice’s debut picture book THE LOUD LIBRARIAN at the top of my lungs. Please don’t shush me because this book (April 2023, Atheneum/Simon & Schuster) is just TOO DARN ENDEARING to keep quiet about! (Plus, I’m having too much fun writing with CAPS!)”

Carol Ekster
INTERVIEW WITH PHAEA CREDE – #KIDLIT WRITER EXTRAORDINAIRE
June 23, 2023

Carol (a picture book author herself) is known for supporting the kidlit community with her interview posts. I think you can tell by Phaea’s pizza costume alone that this is an especially clever and must-read interview. Is it any surprise Phaea was a high school theater kid?!?

Guest Post by Leslie Barnard Booth
A PERFECT PAIR:
SCIENCE AND POETRY IN PICTURE BOOKS
September 5, 2023

Writer’s Rumpus is grateful to all our Guest Posters! After reading this insightful and inspiring post by Leslie Barnard Booth, you’re guaranteed to view nature and science in a new poetic light. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be poetically inspired by nature yourself!

Marti Johnson
HOW DIFFICULT CAN A COMP BE?
June 30, 2023

If you’ve ever battled with a query letter, you know how %!#* tricky it is to find the perfect comps for your submission. In this targeted and must-read post, Marti acknowledges this challenge and offers a lot of truly helpful tips.

Marianne Knowles
DECEMBER PICTURE BOOK OPPORTUNITIES
November 28, 2023

This post is an ongoing gift to all writers and illustrators of picture books, and is deservedly super popular. Marianne rounds up a plethora of picture book opportunities, some free and some with a fee, every month without fail! Don’t despair if you discover this helpful post late in a given month, as Marianne always includes a “Register for Later” link and another called “Repeat Every Month.”

Hilary Margitich
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID STUDIO TOUR!
August 11, 2023

Hilary supports the kidlit community in a myriad of ways, social media and interview posts being two stellar examples. But this post truly grabbed me as Hilary takes us on a delightful tour of The Unlikely Story, Jeff Kinney’s (of Dairy of a Wimpy Kid fame) outrageously cool bookstore and café in his hometown of Plainville, MA. Roadtrip, anyone? I’m totally game!

Rebecca Moody
EDITORIAL: AND THEN THEY CAME FOR KIDLIT
February 17, 2023

In this chilling and enlightening post, Rebecca provides solid facts about how restrictive politics are causing wonderful children’s books to be censored in an alarming number of states. I especially appreciate these words: “It’s likely those pushing this agenda won’t stop with books—but in the kidlit community, books are our battleground, and this is our fight.” To properly arm yourself, I urge you to read this post!!

Alison Potoma
CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH – BOOKS FOR KIDS
June 13, 2023

In this personal post, Alison shares how important it is for ALL young children to see themselves and their families represented in books. This collection of wonderful books will help families and schools celebrate Pride in June and all year long

Marcia Strykowski
MEET AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR BERRIE TORGAN-RANDALL!
April 28, 2023

In this charming interview, Marcia interviews debut author Berrie Torgan-Randall about writing and illustrating the first book in a planned graphic early reader series targeted for kids ages 5-9. Learn about Berrie’s inspiration, creative process, and goals for this adorable pairing of girl and dog.

Joyce Audy Zarins
WORLD OF BOOKS: A PROFILE OF SHAUN TAN
April 7, 2023

This profile of Shaun Tan is elegantly written by author, blogger, and sculptor Joyce. If you aren’t familiar with Tan’s inspiration and impressive, award-winning body of work, you simply must read this post. Guaranteed, you’ll be blown away.

Danna Zieger (DrZatHome)
THE GIFT OF HIGHLIGHTS
September 19, 2023

If you’ve ever wondered what attending a Highlights writing retreat would be like, this highly descriptive post by Danna explains the whole experience, from lodging to food to mingling to critiquing…and much, much more. If you go, please be careful not to replicate one part of her experience: breaking her ankle!

That’s a wrap! I wish all of our Writers’ Rumpus bloggers and readers a peaceful holiday season and a safe, happy, and creative 2024.