WRITERS' RUMPUS

Transitional Readers – Diving into Early Readers and Chapter Books

August 4, 2026 Alumni & Guests

I recently launched my newest series, One Mad Cat. My publisher calls it a “graphic reader.” SLJ calls it an “early reader.” JLG calls it a “chapter book.” So what on earth is it? And does it even matter? I’m going to talk about the world of early readers, including the various formats, craft considerations, and pitching.

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The Puffin Who Whispered: Interview with #kidlit talent Marcia Strykowski … and a giveaway, too!

July 28, 2026 Laura Fineberg Cooper

In this interview, I’m excited to interview my gracious and uber talented friend about The Puffin Who Whispered on its fledgling day. Although this charming book is fiction, I guarantee you’ll be as puffin-obsessed as I am after reading Marcia’s responses!

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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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Interview of Christine McDonnell and Jeanette Bradley

April 21, 2020 Kirsti Call

Christine McDonnell and Jeanette Bradley have created a beautiful book about two of my favorite things: babies and books! Important themes of family, love, and

Find Your Joy

April 17, 2020 Alison Potoma

The past month or so has been pretty crazy around the world. You all know what I’m talking about, and I’m going to leave it

The Talented and Lovely #Kidlit Author, Christy Mihaly

April 14, 2020 Carol Gordon Ekster

CAROL GORDON EKSTER: I met Christy at Jane Yolen’s picture book boot camp at the Highlights Foundation in 2018, where she was one of those

Revising Their Way to a Debut

April 10, 2020 Kim Chaffee

As writers, we all know that the work starts to shine when we dig in to the revision. But how many times does it take

Seven Questions for Vivian Kirkfield

April 7, 2020 Alumni & Guests

Interview by Cathy Stefanec Ogren I had the privilege of interviewing author extraordinaire, Vivian Kirkfield. Her newest book, Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of

Nerp! Sarah Lynne Reul’s Newest

April 3, 2020 Joyce Audy Zarins

Something especially for Covid19 shut-in kids: Sarah Lynne Reul reads aloud her book The Breaking News here. The book is particularly pertinent now in view