Septembering

summer into autumn

By the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine

September has been so busy! It’s been back to school, and my daughter and I going to see The Beths on a school night, and a quick trip to attend the wonderful Bath Book Bash in Bath, Maine (really there is no nicer place to be for a book festival than a beautiful, historic town in midcoast Maine when you have written a book about Barbara Cooney). I also did a reading of World More Beautiful at my local public library where we had storytime, and then settled in to paint watercolor lupines. As we were all painting, I found out that the young woman across from me was the daughter of my childhood neighbor and very first babysitter?! She took a picture to send to her mom. We laughed about the randomness of it. It all felt very full-circle and emotional in the best way. September was all good things, but I also feel ready to slow down a little bit and ease into the coziness of October. Bring me all the apples and pumpkins and warm tea and soup and soft sweaters.

Random Good Things

• Speaking of Maine— this recent piece by Anna Holmes in The New Yorker, “A Picture-Book Guide to Maine,” includes beautiful, atmospheric photos by Donavon Smallwood.

• This profile of “Nancy Schön, Architect of Urban Joy” is a wonderful piece on what the Make Way for Ducklings sculptor is doing now.

• This article, “Who Dresses the ‘Make Way for Ducklings’ Ducks?” takes a look at the tradition of dressing up the sculpture in the Boston Public Garden (lots of fun photos included!)

• This conversation between

  Andy J. Pizza's Audio / Visual Newsletter
  and
  Carson Ellis
  , “How to Create a Body of Work by Collaborating with Your Past Self” has so much to say about excavating old memories and objects for creative prompts.

• As a Gen X-er longing for the pre-smartphone, pre-high speed Internet days, I loved the form of (and process behind) Ellis’s latest book, One Day in January: New Paintings for an Old Diary.

• Thanks to

  Anna Brones
  for posting excerpts from artists Agnes Martin’s notes for her 1973 talk, “On the Perfection Underlying Life.” I read the whole thing, and as a person who longs to make things but battles against has to really work through perfectionism, it felt like exactly what I needed to read right now. Maybe you’d like to read it, too.

Book News & Upcoming Events (Plus a Giveaway!)

This month marked four years of Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built, my debut picture book with illustrator Paola Escobar. I’m so proud of how this book continues to inspire conversations about the importance of libraries and book access for all. Thank you to the many educators, librarians, and independent booksellers who have supported this book!

September also marked what would have been Robert McCloskey’s 110th birthday. In honor of the day, the Heritage Hall Museum in McCloskey’s hometown of Hamilton, Ohio held a public celebration. I got to write a little piece for the event, and it was fun to reflect on what his work has meant to me over the years.

To celebrate both these books, I’m giving away one copy of Digging for Words and one copy of Make Way to subscribers (U.S. addresses only, please). If you’re interested, please comment below with which book you’d like to win and with one book you recently read and enjoyed— any age range, genre, or format! I’m just interested to hear what other people recommend. Good luck, and happy reading!

Finally, here’s where I’ll be for the rest of the fall:

• Saturday, November 9th: South Burlington Public Library storytime and craft, 10:00 AM

• Thursday, November 21st - Friday, November 22nd: NCTE Annual Convention in Boston, MA

  • "Beyond Biographies: Empowering Students to Access Their Own Creative Voice" - panel discussion with authors Nina Crews, Kari LaValle, Katherine Mazeika, and Nadia Salomon

  • ​"Centers of Heart and Hope: Using Picture Book Biographies to Advocate for Libraries" - panel discussion with authors Anika Aldamuy Denise, Breanna J. McDaniel, Pat Zietlow Miller, and NoNieqa Ramos

Books I’ve Read and Loved Recently (Picture Books)

• The Lobster Lady by Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs and Jamie Hogan

• When You Find the Right Rock by Mary Lyn Ray and Felicita Sala

• Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem by Melissa Stewart and Rob Dunleavy