Listen to Jerry's new interview - booksmitten.us/episodes/jer... @scbwi-mi.bsky.social #kidlit #MGlit @scbwi.bsky.social

We had a blast talking to Jerry Spinelli about his characters, books and writing career. Want to write novels? Follow Jerry's advice - get a boring job that doesn't deplete your creative energy. booksmitten.us/episodes/jer... @scbwi-mi.bsky.social #kidlit #MGlit

@booksmitten.bsky.social · 3w ago

New episode with legendary MG author Jerry Spinelli! Kelly and Heather learn the ins and outs of how Jerry established himself as a writer. Plus his new book Fifth Grade Top Dogs. Listen to BookSmitten podcast booksmitten.us/episodes/jer... @scbwi-mi.bsky.social @jackcheng.bsky.social #kidlit #MGlit

Proud to be a judge for the remarkable Kelly J Baptist and her brand new venture Camp Kejeba! The first camp and contest for young writers was a hit! www.kellyiswrite.com/campkejeba @scbwi-mi.bsky.social #kidlit

A picture book all about the Kohinoor Diamond - well worth sharing! Tells the diamond's story with exquisite artwork by the author herself. I met Supriya at an author event and was amazed by this book. @scbwi.bsky.social #kidlit @supriyakelkar.bsky.social supriyakelkar.com/and-yet-you-...

And Yet You Shine: the Kohinoor Diamond, Colonization, and Resistance

Starred review from Booklist!⭐”A gem not to be missed” – Booklist “Kelkar’s lyrical telling makes clear the dire results of colonial oppression” – Booklist…

supriyakelkar.com

Dial Books has been with us since childhood. Launching some of the best kidlit titles into the world. From ROLL OF THUNDER HEAR MY CRY to SEE YOU IN THE COSMOS. Dial Books was abruptly shut down yesterday. Hearts out to everyone who loves kidlit.@scbwi-mi.bsky.social #kidlit @jackcheng.bsky.social

Penguin Random House decided to shut down Dial Books for Young Readers and fire my editor, who shepharded "Too Bright To See" and "I'm Sorry You Got Mad" into the world. Devastated and gutted isn't half of what I'm feeling.

Wonderful time today with the savvy and sophisticated teen writers at GET INKED. If you know a teen who loves writing with a passion, tell them about this conference built just for teens! Virtual and in-person options. @scbwi-mi.bsky.social

Excited to welcome a brand new indie bookstore to Traverse City! Hooray for Artemis Books! Launch party on Saturday. Something to celebrate! @scbwi-mi.bsky.social

Artemis Books & Goods LLC@artemisbooksngoods.bsky.social · 8mo ago

It's happening! Our first in-person event will be our launch party and pop-up bookstore on Saturday, February 21st. We are so excited and have so many plans that we can't wait share. All the details are here: www.artemisbooksandgoods.com/event/launch...

Teen Writers - get autographed books, meet real authors, and expand your writing toolkit, all at Get Inked, a conference designed just for teen writers. In-person and virtual options! #kidlit @scbwi-mi.bsky.social saintmarys.imodules.com/controls/ema...

A writing conference for students in grades 7–12 on the beautiful campus of Saint Mary's College. Virtual option available.

saintmarys.imodules.com

SCBWI has active groups of #kidlit creators all over. Here's our next local event for up northers.

Fantastic to be a guest with Ginny Yurich on her podcast 1000 Hours Outside. The premise - kids need to spend 1000 hours outside every year. How close do you get? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...

1KHO 650: An Antidote to the Crushing Pace of Childhood | Heather Shumaker, It's Ok Not to Share

Podcast Episode · The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast · 12/15/2025 · 1h 2m

podcasts.apple.com

Book fans - a great chance to support local bookstores. I hope to see you at Horizon Books in Traverse City this weekend! #kidlit @scbwi-mi.bsky.social

If you're up north in Michigan, come by the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. A host of local authors gathering in Traverse City on Friday.

Do you love kids and play? I don't often look to ads for inspiration, but this one gives serious food for thought. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q2W....

Free the Kids - Dirt is Good

YouTube video by PersilUK

youtube.com

A picture book about book banning "What Happened When the Books Disappeared." Led to a cancelled author visit. #kidlit @scbwi-mi.bsky.social bookriot.com/the-day-the-...

Why Did These Authors Have Their School Visit Canceled? They Were Talking About Their Book About Book Bans.

Country Club Elementary School in California's Bay Area canceled an author visit moments before it began. Why? It covered book bans.

bookriot.com

Jodi Picoult reacts to Indiana high school canceling performance of "Between the Lines" musical. "It's a colossal problem when one parent makes the decision for everyone." Banning books is creeping into wider freedom of expression. www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Iy... #kidlit @scbwi-mi.bsky.social

Author Jodi Picoult speaks out after Indiana high school cancels play based off her book

YouTube video by FOX59 News

youtube.com

I was re-reading Raymie Nightingale thinking - wouldn't it be great to ask Kate how she came up with her characters? She told me here. open.spotify.com/show/4SkkjZC... @scbwi-mi.bsky.social

@booksmitten.bsky.social · 11mo ago

New Episode of BookSmitten! Conversation with Kate DiCamillo, celebrating 25 years of "Because of Winn Dixie" and all things Kate. Ever want to ask how Kate creates her characters? Listen - open.spotify.com/show/4SkkjZC... @scbwi-mi.bsky.social @jackcheng.bsky.social #kidlit #MGlit

Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights. Today kicks off #BannedBooksWeek, and this year's theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights. https://www.ala.org/bbooks.

Our Up North Michigan SCBWI Shop Talk is hosting a community wide event "Storytelling with an Invisible Partner." Free and virtual. www.scbwi.org/events/commu.... @scbwi.bsky.social @scbwi-mi.bsky.social

Yesterday had the wonderful chance to chat with Kate DiCamillo. She is as full of heart as her books. And yes, she cries and laughs as she writes them. Listen to the new episode of BookSmitten to be released later this month. #kidlit @scbwi.bsky.social @scbwi-mi.bsky.social @booksmitten.bsky.social

Enjoyed this "Mixed-Up Files" post welcoming Carter Hasegawa to the agenting side of life.

Carter Hasegawa@casahasegawa.bsky.social · last yr.

Check out an interview I did with "Mixed-Up Files" about MG fiction: fromthemixedupfiles.com/meet-carter-...

If you're an author, one of the best things you can do is join the Authors Guild. Major win this week protecting authors who got NEH grants. Authors Guild stands up for authors and free speech. @authorsguild.bsky.social authorsguild.org/news/ag-wins...

Authors Guild Wins Major First Amendment Victory in NEH Ruling - The Authors Guild

The Authors Guild and eight scholar-authors* won a major First Amendment victory yesterday when a New York federal court blocked the government’s unprecedented termination of 1,400 research grants to ...

authorsguild.org

Best way to show your love for your country this Fourth of July week - Call your reps with @5calls.org. I just called again. You should too! 5calls.org

5 Calls

Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.

5calls.org

Here is the fake reading list in all its infamous glory.

Oh my. The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Chicago Sun-Times both ran a feature on summer reading that lists fake book titles. Nine fake books? More and more of this will be cropping up. arstechnica.com/ai/2025/05/c...

Chicago Sun-Times prints summer reading list full of fake books

Reading list in advertorial supplement contains 66% made up books by real authors.

arstechnica.com

As an author, I just signed this Author's Guild petition to reinstate the Register of Copyrights. Restore integrity to the US Copyright Office. Stand up for the Library of Congress. Protect all authors. @authorsguild.bsky.social authorsguild.org/petition-to-...

Petition to Reinstate Shira Perlmutter as Register of Copyrights - The Authors Guild

Last Saturday, the White House abruptly fired Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter, a renowned expert with deep knowledge of the importance of copyright for authors’ livelihoods. In her place, the ...

authorsguild.org

Keep NPR and all our beloved local public radio stations on the air. Strong public media is essential to democracy. If you're concerned about this, use 5 Calls to protect Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. @iprnews.bsky.social @5calls.org 5calls.org

I LOVE our inter-library loan system, and use MelCat for research for all of my books. Proudly part of the 1 million books checked out through MelCat last year. www.tadl.org/imlsfunding @milibraries.bsky.social

This will be heartening for many kids, my own included. Dyslexic brains are amazing. Congrats Rachael Allen!

Susan Hawk@agenthawk.bsky.social · 2y ago

Huge congratulations to Rachael Allen!

I just called my reps with @5calls.org, you should too: 5calls.org

5 Calls

Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.

5calls.org