Bread & With It

My recycled collage creativity was in full swing this past week, but in an entirely different way. Looking around my studio, my eyes wandered to boxes organized by color, stuffed with fabric remnants. Much like I have collected found objects for my collage work, I have also collected lengths of fabric over the years. When I finished a quilt, I put the odds and ends into their color box to wait for inspiration. Inspiration arrived this week in two ways: Seeing the videos of

The kidlit world is full of fun opportunities to spread your writing wings. Here are a couple I have entered this year: Vivian Kirkfield's #50preciouswords Contest 2026, where you write a complete story in just 50 words. She also has a contest for children to encourage literacy. Such fun! Susannah Leonard Hill's Valentiny contest 2026 (2nd week of February): This year it was to write a Valentine story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maxim

This week the simple act of breathing has been on my heart. (trigger warning for those who may have lost someone they love) A request for prayers for two twins born too early, struggling to breathe on their own, and my uncle in his 80s, who, after a long, multi-colored life, is nearing the end of his journey. The phone held to his ear— I shared my love, gratitude, and last words with him yesterday—listening to his every breath. My sister said he turned toward the phone, and s

Here's mine! I drew the colors for my poems from a variety of moments in my life this week. What's better than kids and a parachute? Jungle Green Lemon Yellow Forest Green First up- Jungle Green I took my grandson to a music class at the library where we sang, danced with bubbles, and jumped under a lifting parachute. What fun for a grandma! One of the songs that was sung was a familiar one to young moms.. "Galumph Went the Little Green Frog I decided this was the perfect for

I have visited many galleries in my life, and love the slow, quiet wandering pace. I am fascinated to see what the human mind can conceive and create, and I always come back inspired and can't wait to get back in my studio to write or create. An inspiring collage by Eric Carle found at the Eric Carle Museum. My uncle Tom Norpell, a well-known miniature artist, was very successful. He used "found objects" in his art. His work and creativity inspired me to want to show my own a

Gardening this year has been so much fun. I loved heading outside each day to see what gifts the garden had for me. A bit of my bounty :) I learned a lot this summer..., Don't stake your squash; cool idea, but too hard to keep up with. Bunnies can get through the smallest holes in your fencing to eat ALL your beans, eggplant, and kale. Mourning doves love to have a dirt bath in your newly planted seeds. Cucumbers get a pointy end if not properly pollinated. There is a phanto

I had forgotten how inspiring I found the Crayola Crayon color names I have been working with this year, and how poems seem to flow more easily at times from colors than from other words. It felt good to sit down this week and choose three new colors. Snapped this week in Massachusetts. This week's colors were inspired by the change in seasons from swimsuits and to comfy sweatshirts. Tan Bittersweet Shimmer Goldenrod Let's start with the color: Tan Do you remember these ads?

This week, there has been something about the squeal of school bus brakes outside my window that has brought me back to the first day of school as an empty nester. I wrote this mixture of reflection/poetry/lyrics as I juggled the memories of being a young mom, scrambling to get the kids ready and on the bus, to the quiet tug on my empty-nester heart. First posted on August 31, 2022, the sentiment felt timeless this morning. Hope you enjoy :) Happy Poetry Friday Everyone! An

Wednesday evening I attended Georgia Heard's webinar "Word's that Sing and Soar," with Irene Latham. How wonderful it was to gather virtually with so many poets I have gotten to know through Boyds Mills(Highlights). Really looking forward to going to Poetry Palooza there this fall and catching up with them. Be sure to sign up for these little ditties! They are both a little bit of poetry love, filled with great tips and news about upcoming webinars. Georgia Heard's Newslett

...and they have my head swirling, in a very good way. ;) Poetry that touched my heart: Musician Glen Hansard tragically died last week, and the air has been filled with his music. He started out as a busker on the streets of Dublin, so I was particularly touched by the video of other buskers and people on the street gathered and singing his Oscar-winning song, "Falling Slowly." I first learned about Glen's work on a return flight home from a business trip to Hong Kong. The

I was a nervous newbie to the KidLit world, attending my first conference in 2017 when I found myself in line to have Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi sign my books. As the line moved closer, I couldn't quite see them—for the shifting line of bodies trying to get a glance or a photo—but I could hear their voices... the kindness, the laughter, and the generous, encouraging words. When it was my turn, their lovely smiles and kind words made me feel welcome. As I left, I hugg

Choosing the colors for this week was a no brainer. I only had to look at the date and know they had to be: red, white and blue. I had posted a poem inspired by WHITE before, but decided to write a new poem about that color. A search for RED brought me to BRICK RED and for BLUE to BLUETIFUL. What fun these names are! BRICK RED At the top of my street, there is a little-known trail into the woods that has the evidence of all sorts of buildings that had once been there- stone f

I have always been fascinated by the color black. As a mural artist, I learned over the years that my art was not complete until I added touches of black and white — black to define, give depth and shadow, and white to highlight and call attention to areas. If I had to choose between a color photo and a black-and-white one, there was always a clear answer for me- black-and-white. With the color stripped away, I am invited to look deeper at the image; all distraction is gone.