WRITERS' RUMPUS

Interview with debut picture book author Laura De La Cruz … and a giveaway of LOWRIDER FOR SALE!

September 8, 2026 Laura Fineberg Cooper

Happy Book Birthday to LOWRIDER FOR SALE, the heartwarming picture book debut by talented and gracious author Laura De La Cruz. Laura has impressed me with her positive and supportive comments on our blog, so when she inquired about an interview, it was my honor and pleasure to enthusiastically say yes!

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Cool off on Winter Solstice Hill with Cathy Stefanec Ogren!

September 4, 2026 Marcia Strykowski

I’m excited to have talented author Cathy Stefanec Ogren here on the blog today! Her latest picture book releases on October 20, 2026, and I

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Cats, Chess, and Finding Your People: An Interview with CAT TAKES QUEEN Author Ilona Bray (and a Giveway!!)

September 1, 2026 Hilary Elizabeth Margitich

I first connected with Ilona Bray through social media and its vibrant online kidlit community. Right away, I was drawn to her warmth, thoughfulness, and

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#Kidlit Interview with the Effervescent Children’s Author Kelly Swemba

August 26, 2026 Monica Acker

Friendship is a special, wondrous thing. Great thinkers and creatives throughout time have shared their thoughts about how special friendship is: Kelly Swemba and illustrator

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Meet #kidlit Debut Author Evgenia Mantikas

August 18, 2026 Carol Gordon Ekster

CAROL GORDON EKSTER: I met Evgenia at the Kindling Words East retreat in 2026. What sweet and contagious energy she has! I am so excited

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Researching and Writing Nonfiction

August 11, 2026 Alumni & Guests

Guest Post by Lauren H. Kerstein I am beyond thrilled to be here. I’ve long enjoyed reading Writers’ Rumpus posts and am excited to share

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Interview with children’s author Larry Dane Brimner

July 10, 2015 Carol Gordon Ekster

I came across Larry Brimner’s children’s books when he reblogged one of my interviews with another author. I love discovering authors I had not yet

What’s Up with THAT, Amazon?

July 7, 2015 Marianne Knowles

I had time to catch up with other people’s writing-related blogs over the Independence Day weekend, and discovered a trending theme: Amazon, the digital marketplace

YA: The Dark Place of Children’s Lit

June 30, 2015 Alumni & Guests

By Almitra Clay “So what is your novel about?” This is the point where I go from smiling to my deer-in-the-headlights grimace. See, I’m not

Planning the New England SCBWI 2016 Conference: The Power of (RE) INVENTION

June 26, 2015 Alumni & Guests

By Josh Funk On the evening of Friday, April 20th, 2012, I walked into the Sheraton Monarch Place in Springfield, Massachusetts without a clue of

It All Starts with a Picture

June 23, 2015 Alumni & Guests

By Carrie Charley Brown I took a mental trip back to preschool at the 2015 New Jersey SCBWI Conference. One quote, from author/illustrator Denise Fleming