WRITERS' RUMPUS

Ooh! Ahhh! Whoaa! Interview and Giveaway with Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal, the AWEsomely Creative Team Behind AWE!

June 16, 2026 Laura Fineberg Cooper

Yes, the title of this post borrows from this gloriously AWEsome picture book (published March 3, 2026 by Scholastic Press), but I totally couldn’t resist! Both a visual treat (thank you, Susan) and an inspiring read (thank you, Chana), what makes AWE! vault into being one of the best picture books I’ve ever read is how the words and pictures meld together to create a memorable, soul stirring, heart lifting experience.

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Interview with #Kidlit Coauthor of Unbreakable – Jolene Gutiérrez

June 9, 2026 Monica Acker

Storytelling unites generations, preserves culture, and shares the human experience. It can connect us to the past in the hope of a better future. This

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When Narration and Puzzles Intertwine: Creating Storified Puzzle Books

June 5, 2026 Alumni & Guests

Guest Post by Derek Reid I’ve always dealt in the truth and glory of the real universe. When I was five or six years old,

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Picture Book Review: In The World of Whales

June 2, 2026 Genevieve Rossi

In The World of Whales, written by Michelle Cusolito and illustrated by Jessica Lanan, was published by Neal Porter books on June 17, 2025. Upon

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I Wish I Didn’t Have To Tell You This

May 26, 2026 Marti Johnson

I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS was written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, a Russian-born American author and an artist of many

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June Middle Grade and Young Adult Opportunities

May 28, 2021 Lexi Donahue

Events, classes, contests for Middle Grade and Young Adult writers for June, 2021

Interview with Debut Picture Book Author/Illustrator, Shelley Johannes

May 25, 2021 Kim Chaffee

This is the book I didn’t know I needed right now. A story of siblings, seasons, and seeing the bright side of any day, More

Building a Child’s Bookshelf

May 21, 2021 Alison Potoma

I have started building a library of books for my new son. Even though he is brand new, we read to him all the time,

Interview of Author Dawn Prochovnic

May 18, 2021 Kirsti Call

Dawn Prochovnic and I are in a 2021 marketing group and we’re also Rate Your Story Judges together. I’m thrilled to learn about her writing

Interview With Debut Author, Melanie Ellsworth

May 14, 2021 Kim Chaffee

For Melanie Ellsworth, the plan was to celebrate her debut picture book, Clarinet and Trumpet, in August of 2020 but COVID reared its ugly head and said, “hip, hip, no way!” A bummer to be bumped but now she gets to celebrate TWO book birthdays in two months and I’m so excited to chat with her about them both in today’s interview.