WRITERS' RUMPUS

HOW TO MIDDLE GRADE

July 21, 2026 Alumni & Guests

Hi! My name’s James Ponti, and I write Middle Grade book series such as City Spies and The Sherlock Society. I’m excited to share some pointers with you, but only with a major caveat. I know a bunch of writers and we all do it differently. I’m not talking plotting vs. pantsing, but radically different approaches.

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SKIPSHOCK by Caroline O’Donoghue: A Master Class in World Building

July 14, 2026 Laura Fineberg Cooper

For writers of fantasy, science fiction, and romance, this genre-blending novel is a master class in how to create details and imagery that pull readers into the plot and keep them riveted from first page to last, and importantly, leave them eager for more.

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Writing Side by Side: Adriana Mather and James Bird on Books, Family, and Finding the Magic

July 7, 2026 Hilary Elizabeth Margitich

Writing is often described as a solitary pursuit. Most of us spend our days alone with our thoughts, our characters, and a blinking cursor. Yet

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Celebrating America’s Birthday with a talented author/illustrator team!

July 3, 2026 Marcia Strykowski

We’re just in time to celebrate America’s 250th birthday with Roxanne Troup and Jennifer Doehring. They have a beautiful new picture book, Happy Birthday America,

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Riding the Writing Roller Coaster

May 12, 2017 Kim Chaffee

The roller coaster metaphor has been used many times to describe one’s journey through life. Today I’m using it to describe the writer’s journey; more

Meet #kidlit Author Rob Sanders, A Teacher Who Writes

May 9, 2017 Carol Gordon Ekster

Rob is generously giving away a personalized signed copy of his brand-new book, RODZILLA, illustrated by Dan Santat. Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway at this link

Realistic Fiction: Hunt, Quick, & Green

May 5, 2017 Joyce Audy Zarins

This post originally appeared earlier here. Powerful books about kids dealing with major issues. Troubled kids; wise and compassionate kids. Be Someone’s Hero is the

Write Deep

May 2, 2017 Marti Johnson

Congratulations New England Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators! Celebrating forty-five years of influencing and encouraging quality children’s literature and capping it off with

Top 3 Things I Learned at the NESCBWI Conference

April 28, 2017 Kirsti Call

1. Get started! Incredible author/illustrator, Melissa Sweet said: “We don’t have to know what we’re going to make, we just have to get started.”

When To Put Down Your Manuscript

April 25, 2017 Alumni & Guests

By Dana Nuenighoff This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators New England regional conference (NESCBWI)