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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Book Review: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

August 28, 2020 Marti Johnson

Blazer & Bray, a Harper Collins Publishing Imprint 2020 An intriguing debut novel with a sequel in the works! A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN

Interview of Cheryl Schuermann, Author of A Boy Called Preacher

August 25, 2020 Lexi Donahue

A Boy Called Preacher by Cheryl Schuermann is a middle-grade historical fiction novel that celebrates resilience, the childhood call to uncover mysteries, and the power

Middle Grade Book Review: The Unready Queen (The Oddmire #2) by William Ritter

August 21, 2020 Rebecca Moody

A fast-paced fantasy adventure about a family, a goblin, and a world whose magic is slowly dying…

Interview of Laurel Neme, Author of The Elephant’s New Shoe

August 18, 2020 Kirsti Call

I first met Laurel Neme at a Picture Book Boot Camp Alumni lunch several years ago and I’ve been grateful to know her ever since.

The New Podcast in Town

August 14, 2020 Kim Chaffee

I’m a huge fan of podcasts and their wealth of free content available at just the tap of the screen. Last November I even wrote

Charnelle Barlow, #Kidlit Debut Illustrator

August 11, 2020 Carol Gordon Ekster

CAROL GORDON EKSTER: Charnelle, what beautiful illustrations you created for Alice Faye Duncan’s text, JUST LIKE A MAMA, a lyrical read aloud celebrating adopted children,