Newbery Award-Winning Rajani LaRocca shares personal insights into her writing, including when she started writing, when she came back to it, what she loves about writing in different genres, and how joy fuels her creative endeavors.

Listen in to discover:

• The original spark for her picture book SOME OF US
• The importance of sharing our citizenship stories.
• Surprising things she learned while writing this book.
• How kids respond to SOME OF US.
• Her inspiration for A VACCINE IS LIKE A MEMORY.
• How she balances her work as a physician with her work as an author.
• How being in community inspired her to write
• The struggle to write when times are tough
• The gift of giving your manuscripts time to sit
• If Rajani has a favorite among her books
• The different genres she has written
• What children say to her about her books

Books mentioned in this episode*:

• Some of Us by Rajani LaRocca and Huy Voun Lee
• A Vaccine is Like a Memory by Rajani LaRocca and Kathleen Marcottte
• Seven Golden Rings by Rajani LaRocca and Archana Sreenivasan
• Where Three Oceans Meet by Rajani LaRocca and Archana Sreenivasan
• Summer is for Cousins by Rajani LaRocca and Abhi Alwar
• Fall is for Beginnings by Rajani LaRocca and Abhi Alwar
• Your One and Only Heart by Rajani LaRocca and Lauren Paige Conrad
• Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
• Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca
• Random Body Parts: Gross Anatomy Riddles in Verse by Leslie Bulion and Mike Lowery
• We Are the Light by Rajani LaRocca and Sayan Mukherjee
• Vibhi and the Voice by Rajani LaRocca and Cindy Derby
• Such Great Heights by Rajani LaRocca

Get special deals on Rajani's past 12 x 12 webinars:

• Rock Your Revision for 25% off
• Rhyming vs. Lyrical: When and How (and Why) to Use Each for 25% off
• Get them both in a special bundle for 40% off!

If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us!

Thank you for listening!

Keila V. Dawson has partnered with fellow creatives Jeanette Bradley and Lindsay Metcalf to tell the stories of young activists through the power of poetry. No Voice Too Small, No World Too Big, and No Brain The Same feature kids and teens making a difference for our planet. Keila and her team picked a different poet to celebrate this extraordinary individuals and the results are incredibly moving. (And we learned so many new things!)

A poem may seem like a quiet way to express oneself, but in the hands of these talented writers, the poems in this series of books speak up in ways you won't forget any time soon.

Listen in to discover:

• Where the original idea for these poetry anthologies came from
• The influence her work as an educator, activist, and genealogist had on this project
• How they sold the first book on proposal
• The process used for matching poets to their subjects in each book
• How they ended up with different types of poems in each book
• The design of each page and it houses the poem, a sidebar of more biographical information, and a quote from each subject
• The types of backmatter included—from a glossary to types of poems to author bios
• Additional facts the illustrations provide
• How the sequels came to be
• What they hope kids get out of these books
• A peek at a poem in the newest book in the series
• How to be included in a poem anthology
• Poetry resources
• Poetry practice
• How Keila came to write a poem for the second book
• The difference between a poem and a picture book

Books mentioned in this episode*:

• No Voice Too Small edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley
• No World Too Big edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley
• No Brain The Same edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley
• King Cake Baby by Keila V. Dawson and Vernon Smith
• Yumbo Gumbo by Keila V. Dawson and Katie Crumpton
• Opening the Road by Keila V. Dawson and Alleanna Harris
• Coming in the future: How We Got Here: Conversation with United States History and Annbelle's Beignet Cafe, a sequel to Yumbo Gumbo
• The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

Get 25% off Janet Wong's Poetry in Picture Books webinar HERE.

If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us!

Thank you for listening!

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*At no additional cost to you, 12 x 12 may earn a commission on books published through the links in this post. (Links go to Bookshop.org when available.)

Michelle Cusolito's love for writing nonfiction picture books is palpable and, we dare say, contagious. In this episode, she generously shares her process, where her ideas have come from, and how she follows the muse—even when she's on deadline for a different project.

No matter what you write, Michelle's interview is a good reminder to write what you love... because that's when the passion shines through.

Listen in to discover:

• Why Michelle is drawn to writing about the ocean
• How she came to write a latest picture book about trees (that aren't in the ocean!)
• The information she gives to her illustrators (and what she leaves out)
• How she researches her books
• The importance of experiencing things firsthand when she's writing about a topic
• Her recommendations to writers who can't travel to do in-person research
• Where science is happening (Hint: it might be closer than you think!)
• How she organizes her research
• Her love of notebooks and working analog-style
• Nonfiction author Beth Anderson
• The beauty of spare text
• How In the World of Whales was inspired by a real-life event
• What made her stop everything to write the first draft
• How the 12 x 12 Creativity Book Group works
• How to handle critiques
• How she was able to go on a weeks-long expedition with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute to do research for her books
• Why it's important to make genuine connections as a writer

Books mentioned in this episode*:

• In the World of Whales by Michelle Cusolito and Jessica Lanan
• Flying Deep by Michelle Cusolito and Nicole Wong
• Diving Deep by Michelle Cusolito and Nicole Wong
• A Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone by Michelle Cusolito
• Jellyfish Scientist by Michelle Cusolito and Ellen Rooney
• Rooted in Wonder by Michelle Cusolito and Mayra Wright
• Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews by Julie Hedlund and Ilaria Urbinati
• Reimagining Your Nonfiction Picture Book by Kirsten W. Larson
• Giant Squid by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann

Get 25% off Michelle Cusolito's Rigorous Research webinar (co-presented with Charlesbridge editor Karen Boss) here: www.12x12challenge.com/michelle

Please note: There is a change in the sound level about halfway through the podcast. We've adjusted it as much as we can. We apologize for any inconvenience while listening.

If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us!

Thank you for listening!