8 = Number of picture book rejection letters and non-replies in 2018
An embarrassingly low number! I vow to get a lot more writing done in 2019, to do a much better job of submitting manuscripts in 2019, and am expecting a far greater number of rejection letters in 2019. (Of course I also hope to find myself signing more book contracts in 2019.)
7 (1/2) = Number of flight hours from Seattle to Guatemala City
A highlight of the year was three weeks spent attending a Spanish immersion school in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala. Five days/week, five hours/day. The school staff, my homestay family, the sights and sounds and people… All absolutely outstanding!
6 = Number of poems appearing in poetry anthologies in 2018
THE POETRY OF US, National Geographic Children's Books
* The Hall
* On Grandma's Front Porch
* Standing Outside Graceland
GREAT MORNING! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud, Pomelo Books
* I Wonder Who
* Science Fair
POETRY ZONE: A Celebration of 20 years of Children's Poetry, Troika Books, UK
* The Octopus
(Now ask me how many poems were rejected in 2018.)
5 = Number of days hanging out with poets in England
In May, Kim and I spent fifteen amazing days traipsing about England. Somewhere in the middle of that trip, we had the great pleasure of getting together with a number of England’s most popular children’s poets – writers I’ve “known” for years but had never before had the honor of meeting. An exceptionally memorable time!
4 = The length (in inches) of the crack in the face of my guitar
My 2018 summer calendar included a week of library programs in eastern Washington, two libraries each day. I forgot how hot and dry the summers are on that side of the mountains and left behind my guitar’s humidifier. Oops.
3 = Number of days taking in the Texas Library Association Conference
With 20 of the most wonderful children’s poets in the country! We workshopped together, dined together, laughed (a lot) together…
2 = Number of episodes of the new poetry podcast launched
We just managed to launch the first two episodes of Tales from the Soggy Doggy Coffee Shop before the calendar rolled over to 2019. Find us on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or at the podcast’s web site, https://soggydoggycoffeeshop.com/.
1 = Number of picture books published
PAULINA AND THE PIRATE’S HAT, Pelican Publishing
Wishing you and yours a blessings-filled 2019!
