You probably realize this already, but I'll say it anyway: not everything an author or poet writes is meant for (or worthy of) mass consumption. There have been plenty of stories, poems, essays, and random lines written over the years by numerous folks, both famous and unknown, that likely will never see the light of day. Some of this is by accident - where the project just doesn't turn out the way the creator had hoped and is scrapped - but some things are written with no intention of ever being shared.

I love surprising students. When schools invite me to visit, I often share the behind-the-scenes journeys of my books or unusual aspects like illustrations or STEM elements. These receive great reactions, when kids discover so many things about the creative process - and the world - they didn't know. But when a school requests a poetry workshop, kids are even more surprised - at how fun poetry can be!

There are few things more comforting than a nice, warm serving of pasta – whether it’s a plate of angel hair carbonara, a thick slab of lasagna filled with roicotta and bolognese, or el…

There are few things more comforting than a nice, warm serving of pasta – whether it’s a plate of angel hair carbonara, a thick slab of lasagna filled with roicotta and bolognese, or el…

There are few things more comforting than a nice, warm serving of pasta - whether it's a plate of angel hair carbonara, a thick slab of lasagna filled with roicotta and bolognese, or elbow macaroni swimming in five different cheeses. And today, we get to celebrate! I discovered earlier this week that today is National Pasta Day - and I immediately knew what I had to do.

Last Friday at the o' Triple-R we celebrated the 6-month book birthday of my debut poetry anthology, A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025), which was published April 1. Today, we celebrate two MORE birthdays! As I was looking over the calendar last week, I realized that my board book…